FINAL

"Passengers of flight 357 to Lisbon, boarding will take place at gate C... Attention, passengers of flight 357, bound for Lisbon, boarding will take place at gate C..."



This was what the announcement was saying when I arrived at the airport just a few minutes before my husband's flight was due to depart. Unlike what you see in movies, buying a ticket to enter the departure area isn't as difficult as it seems, because there wasn't a huge line in front of me, to begin with for buying a ticket.



"Good morning, ma'am, how can I assist you?"

"I need a ticket for any international flight departing right now."

"Right now? Ah, well..." the young man starts, opening his screen.



However, the clerk who attended to me wasn't very fast.



"Young man, I need to enter the departure area in thirty minutes," I say, looking at the departure and arrival display screen.



Knowing my husband, it was unlikely he bought a first-class ticket or even a VIP one. As he always used to argue: at the moment of death, the person in first class dies just like the person in economy, so we always traveled in economy. Therefore, without a doubt, my husband would be one of the last to board the plane, which gave me some time.



"So, young man?"

"I have one for Paris..." the young man begins.

"Great."

"In two hours."

"I'll be able to enter the departure area now?" I ask, irritated.

"Yes, but..."

"Great, I'll take that," I say, tossing my documents.

"But ma'am..."

"Go on, kid," I speak irritably. "My life depends on this."



The young man turns toward the computer screen, typing each letter slowly, but letting me know that I had irritated him. After long minutes, he reluctantly hands me my ticket. I grab it from his hands and rush towards the departure area, where there's now a huge line, and people don't seem to be in a hurry to pass through the metal detector.



"Attention, passengers of flight 357, final call for the flight to Lisbon, boarding will be closed at gate C... Attention, passengers of flight 357, final call for the flight to Lisbon, boarding will be closed at gate C..."



I hustle as much as I can, unfastening my belt, slipping off my shoes, and tossing everything I had into the bin, including my bag. As soon as I pass through, I practically yank my belongings out without even checking if I've taken everything. I run through the airport barefoot, as fast as I can, but it feels like everything around me is in slow motion. People are staring at me, the announcement for Carlos' flight. My mind recalls the time when I surprised him by showing up at school. I feel like that girl running and looking at the departure and arrival screen, minute by minute. I practically push the people in front of me to get through. I run, thinking that at any moment, around any corner, I'll reach his departure gate, and he'll be standing there with his back to me. I'll run towards him and grab his shoulder. Carlos will then turn around and look at me in shock.



I arrive at departure gate C, and my heart freezes: the flight number has changed to 545. I stand still for a few seconds, trying to process the information, and then walk toward the gate agent, who smiles at me:



"Hello, welcome, we will soon begin boarding for flight 545, destination Athens."

"No, no, no..." I refuse, shaking my head, nervous. "This was the flight to Lisbon... This was for Lisbon."

"Yes, but that flight has already departed." The girl informs me, looking nervous. She gets even more nervous when I start crying. "Were you supposed to be on that flight? Please, give me your ticket, and I'll see if I can put you on the next flight."



I step away from the counter without answering her. It was too late... he was gone. I feel my legs weaken, and then I sit on one of the benches nearby, dropping everything I was holding to the side and placing my hands on my face. I can't believe I couldn't make it. I felt deep inside me that I could, but I couldn't. I failed, and now Carlos is gone, with the certainty that it's the end for us. I close my eyes, remembering our story...



"You might not believe it, but we're going to get married," I prophesy, seriously. I know I will marry him, even after hearing those words from him.

Carlos laughs at my face and kisses me on the forehead, saying:

"Dália, my sweet Dália. Let time decide that... let's enjoy the present, okay?"

"You don't have to kick me out because I was already thinking of leaving," I reply, heading toward the living room. I put on my school uniform and turn to him, saying, "If you're not the man, prove it."

"What do you mean?" Carlos asks, not understanding.

"Marry me," I reply, looking intensely at him. I don't wait for an immediate response, seeing the shocked look on Carlos' face. I walk towards the door and leave, irritated.

"I promise to help you love life, to always hold you tenderly, and to have the patience that love demands. I promise to speak when words are needed and to share the silence when they are not. I promise to disagree in agreeing about the cake. And to live in the warmth of your heart. I promise to call the space between your arms home and to kiss you every morning. I promise to make you happy and want you to be happy even when you're away from me. I promise you, my eternal love," he finishes, putting the ring on my finger.

"I understand... so your concern is because you think I married you just to have sex with you," Carlos deduces, enigmatic. He pulls me to the couch and looks at me very seriously. "Let me explain something to you, Dália Penedo Salazar: Despite the tempting offer of sex... it wasn't what led me to marry you. Dália, you're beautiful and all that, but I married you because I love you. I married you because I couldn't live without having you by my side. I married you because I love the person you are. And even if we never made love again in our lives... I would still be married to you because I know we would find a way to make it not ruin our lives. And the little I know about you already show me what you're capable of."

"So, how will we make our love last forever?" I ask, curious.

"Simple: by loving and respecting each other every day," Carlos answers. Then he smiles when he sees my confused expression and grabs the camera, saying, "But we can immortalize it with a photo. And so, we begin our forever."

We take a picture of us kissing in the middle of the bridge, surrounded by thousands of eternal loves.

"I'll be the man you want, Dália," Carlos whispers in my ear.

"I don't want anything from you, Dália. I just want you to give me this last chance to make you happy," Carlos responds, handing me a pen. "If



you sign this document, I know you still love me and want to fight for our marriage. However, that's up to you. So, what do you decide: do you sign and start over, or do you not sign and end it all?"

"But I've learned that loving is also being prepared to let go," he stands up and walks towards me. He gently raises my chin with his hand and continues, "And I need to let you go... Sign the divorce, Dália. Sign the divorce so you can go after what you truly love. Be happy so I can be too."

"Great choice... Paris is beautiful this time of year."

I lift my head and see my ticket floating in front of me.

"You didn't board."

"I didn't board," Carlos confirms. "I couldn't board and leave for another place... because no place in the world would be my home."

"And where is your home?"

"My home is where you are," Carlos replies.

"I hate you," I say, wiping my face.

"Hate me?" Carlos asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, because I should be the one saying nice things to you, not the other way around," I reply, looking at him.

"Well, then take the opportunity and tell me why you came here..."

"I couldn't let you leave... You said that loving is letting go, but I... I don't want to let go, and I don't want you to let go. I want this life with you. I want this crazy and unbalanced life with you. I want our fights and our mornings... I want your bad habit of leaving towels on the floor and your obsession with work... I want your scent filling the whole apartment, showing that you're leaving or arriving... I want the father of my children to teach them all the childish games... I want my best friend... I want my husband back. I want the man I chose on New Year's Eve night by my side forever. I want you completely, just the way you are... The only thing I don't want is to live without you."

"Wow..." Carlos exclaims, looking at me emotionally. He wipes the corners of his eyes and then says, "You're good at this..."

"I learned from the best," I reply.



He smiles and then approaches me, kissing me passionately and ignoring the stares of everyone around us:



"Um, excuse me," the staff member interrupts, forcing us to stop our kiss. "Ma'am, I apologize, but you didn't say if you'd like to reschedule your flight?"

"I'm rescheduling mine," Carlos says, handing his ticket to the girl. "Put me on the same destination as hers, please. And preferably together in the same seat."

"And who are you, sir?" the staff member asks.

"He's Carlos Penedo Salazar," I reply, looking at Carlos. "He's my husband."