I saw her in Paris

Wedding Vows

They went to Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral. They walked slowly, in no hurry to arrive. They wanted to enjoy what little time they had left.

During the entire trip, she remained silent, a little apathetic, and hugged him. She wanted to forget, or at least not remember, that in a few days, she would be gone and probably never see him again.

Sabriel realized how sad she was. He shouldn't have brought it up. Even because he was also sad about the separation.

Finally, they arrived at the imposing and historic Notre Dame Cathedral in the center of Paris. Built in the Gothic style over eight hundred years ago, it took two hundred years to complete and is considered ground zero of the French capital.

The imposing church was the scene of great historical events, such as the beatification of Joan of Ark and the coronation of Napoleon Bonaparte. It was also the inspiration for The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo, one of Helena's favorite books.

— I love this story, the book and the Disney cartoon. The gypsy Esmeralda becomes Quasimodo's platonic love. — She told him when entering the Cathedral: — legend has it that the story was based on a true platonic love.

— Serious? — He asked very curiously.

— Yes, a worker who took care of the maintenance of the church was half hunchbacked and in love with a beautiful gypsy. He spoke to Victor Hugo at the time. Then came the story.

It seems she gained a little joy when she told the story of the Cathedral. He loved it when she smiled, he thought it gave her a lot of life. He felt like Quasimodo himself, in love with that beautiful brunette. She was his chica...

The chica he met in Paris.

As they approached the altar, Helena took from her bag a lace veil and a rosary of pearls. In the Greek Orthodox Church it was common to use these objects during mass. The rosary belonged to her grandmother, it has been in her family for generations. They were the only valuables she was able to save when she fled Greece.

And for Helena, that rosary has immense sentimental value. In other words, it's priceless.

At the altar, she prayed and lit a candle, asking the gods for protection for her family and friends. She asked for everything to go well at Fashion Week. She asked for everything to be okay from now on. She asked to be invisible in the eyes of enemies. And she asked "those people" who have done her a lot of harm to recognize her mistakes, repent and ask for forgiveness.

As Helena prayed, Ray just watched her. With that veil, he gave the impression that she looked like a bride. He knew he couldn't, but he couldn't resist and took her hand. He brought it to his lips and kissed it. Then he straightened the veil that was half askew on her head, covering half her face. It even looked like a groom taking off his bride's veil to give her a kiss. And that's what he did.

— Come with me.

— Which? I didn't understand.

— Come with me... stay with me.

— Go with you? But where?

— Let's go to the Puerto Rico. United States. Brazil. Or we can stay here in France. Anywhere, it doesn't matter, let's stay together.

— Are you really asking me to go away with you?

— I know it's crazy, but... Yo estoy enamorado de ti. (I'm in love with you) I love you.

— But you can't ask me like that...

— Alright, let's take our wedding vows!

Helena was practically speechless listening to Ray talk about them getting together. And she was even more speechless when he recited her vows:

Bella damisela morena

bañada de sol

como lentejuelas reluce tu piel de charol

Juega con la brisa tu pelo

radiante y jovial

Brilla tu sonrisa serena tan angelical

Ahhhh, ahhh

Flor de coral tu cabello,

Veo en tus ojos el mar,

Brillan al sol tus destellos

Y enamoran mi mirar

Flor de coral mis anhelos

siguen de ti la ilusion

brilla tu estrella en mi cielo

dueña de mi corazon

When he finished his vows, he asked her to say hers.

— I do not know what to say...

— Say anything, a verse, a phrase or an excerpt from some movie, book or song that you like...

"Say anything woman, being proposed in Paris isn't for everyone and he really seems to like you." It was her Goddess Within speaking to her.

Well, since they were in Paris, she remembered a few lines from Antonie de Saint-Exupéry's book, "The Little Prince." Of course she added a few things...

— You were a person like a hundred thousand others...but since I met you, I made you a friend. My friend. More than that, I made you the love of my life. And now, you are unique in the world.

When she finished, her eyes were full of tears. But this time they were tears of happiness. He tried to clean them off with his fingers. They looked at each other and smiled at each other. Suddenly, several sounds of different timbres began to echo through the church. It was the bells of Notre Dame, announcing the time for mass.

The church began to fill with devotees for mass. They decided to get out of there so as not to get in the way. She still had the veil on her head and people looked at her curiously, wondering if there had been a wedding. As they approached the entrance, a lady of oriental origin and accompanied by her husband, asked to take a picture of them.

And they just laughed...

— Why is everyone looking at us?

— Must be because we make a nice couple... And you're still wearing your veil.

Helena quickly took the veil off her head and placed it in her bag. Ray was just amused by the situation.

— Let's go before they start throwing rice at us...

*

On the way home, they passed the Eiffel Tower. The sun was already setting, but they still decided to visit the place where they met. It was a way to end the tour. Upstairs, they remembered that night they finally met and laughed that they broke up. They watched and admired the sunset and then looked at each other.

For the first time in her life, Helena hesitated. She seriously considered giving up everything she'd accomplished in her entire life to be with Ray, wherever she went. Soon she who always gave priority to herself. What is happening to her now?

She fell in love with him.

Well, she might not have decided what to do from now on, but she did decide what to do in that moment.

— I think we'd better go home...to consummate our love.

When she said that, he almost didn't believe her. He asked several times to be sure. And to convince him, she gave him that kiss that she already knew the meaning of.

— Well, we just got 'married'... — She said, making quotes with her fingers: — So it's natural to have our wedding night... unless you don't want to.

Ray just stared at her blankly, ignoring her rude comment. She had to put her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. Because just out of spite, he wrapped her in a tight hug and kissed her deeply, to the point of almost making her lose consciousness.

They looked once more at the sunset, as if saying goodbye to the city. The view was fascinating and it got even more so when the first snowflakes started to fall... many of them fell into Helena's long hair, making her more beautiful than she already is. Ray laughed as one of the flakes landed right on the tip of her nose. He reached up in the air and one of them landed right in the middle of it. He offered it to her.

— It's to remind you of my feelings for you. — She gladly accepted. She regrets not being able to keep it, but she will keep the memory of that day forever in her heart.

— I think it really is time for us to go home. — Helena said when she noticed that the snow started to fall more intensely.

And they were hugged at home...