Arrival
930 Words
The airplane touched down in Toronto just after 6:00 PM.
Bob pressed his forehead lightly against the window as he watched snow resting along the runway edges.
Canada.
After years of rejection, prayers, humiliation, and sleepless nights…
He had finally arrived.
For a moment, emotion overwhelmed him so strongly he almost cried inside the plane.
He remembered every sacrifice.
Every immigration form.
Every mocked dream.
Every lonely night without Alicia.
And despite everything that had happened…
He still believed love could survive.
Inside the airport terminal, travelers moved in every direction dragging suitcases behind them.
Bob walked nervously toward the arrival gate, scanning faces desperately.
Then he saw her.
Alicia.
Standing beside a pillar in a long cream-colored coat.
The moment their eyes met, time seemed to stop.
Bob dropped his bag instantly and rushed toward her.
“Alicia!”
She barely had time to react before he wrapped his arms tightly around her.
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
Bob held her like a man afraid she might disappear again.
And Alicia…
Alicia felt guilt stab deeply into her chest.
Because despite everything…
Being in his arms still felt familiar.
Safe.
Real.
Bob pulled back slightly and touched her face carefully.
“You’re even more beautiful.”
Alicia smiled weakly through forming tears.
“Welcome to Canada.”
Then Bob noticed the woman standing several feet behind her.
Agnes.
The atmosphere changed immediately.
The warmth inside him cooled.
Slowly.
Painfully.
Agnes stepped forward carefully.
“Welcome, son.”
Bob stared at her for a long moment before forcing himself to speak.
“Thank you.”
No hug.
No smile.
Nothing.
The tension between them became instantly obvious.
Alicia noticed it immediately and looked away nervously.
The drive from the airport felt painfully uncomfortable.
Snowflakes drifted softly across the windshield while silence filled most of the car.
Bob sat in the backseat beside his luggage while Agnes drove.
Alicia sat quietly in front.
Occasionally Bob glanced at Agnes through the mirror.
Each glance reopened the wound inside him.
He still couldn’t fully process what she had done.
Or what Alicia allowed.
Finally, Agnes spoke calmly.
“How was the flight?”
“Fine.”
Silence again.
Then Bob asked quietly:
“When is the apartment ready?”
Alicia turned slightly.
“Apartment?”
Bob nodded.
“I already told Alicia. I don’t want us staying here long.”
Agnes’ fingers tightened slightly around the steering wheel.
“You just arrived.”
“And I appreciate everything you’ve done,” Bob replied carefully. “But me and my wife need our own space.”
The emphasis on my wife did not go unnoticed.
Agnes’ jaw tightened subtly.
But she stayed quiet.
Two days later, Bob rented a small apartment several hours away in another part of the country.
Far from Agnes.
Far from the memories.
Far from the danger.
At least that was his plan.
As he carried boxes into their new apartment, he smiled at Alicia hopefully.
“This is our fresh start.”
Alicia forced a smile back.
Fresh start.
The words sounded beautiful.
But emotionally…
Nothing felt fresh.
Because Agnes still lived inside her heart.
That night, after unpacking, Bob cooked dinner for Alicia himself.
The apartment smelled of fried rice and peppered chicken while soft Afrobeats played from his phone speaker.
For the first time in years, they were finally alone together again.
No distance.
No immigration interviews.
No airport goodbyes.
Just husband and wife.
Bob looked genuinely happy.
“You know how many nights I imagined this moment?”
Alicia smiled faintly.
“I know.”
He moved closer.
“I’m not losing you again.”
The words carried deeper meaning than he intended.
Alicia’s chest tightened painfully.
Because he didn’t know the truth completely.
Not emotionally.
Not yet.
Later that night, Bob reached for her gently in bed.
Alicia froze slightly.
A movement so small most people would miss it.
But Bob noticed immediately.
His heart sank.
“You okay?”
“Yes.”
But her voice sounded uncertain.
Bob studied her face carefully.
Then asked the question he feared asking.
“Is it because of her?”
Alicia looked away.
Silence.
Bob sat up slowly.
“You still have feelings for my mother?”
Alicia closed her eyes.
“It’s complicated.”
“No,” Bob replied quietly. “It’s not.”
Pain flashed across his face.
“I came all this way to fight for us.”
“You think I don’t know that?”
“Then why does it feel like I’m competing with my own mother?”
The room became silent again.
Alicia’s eyes filled with tears.
“Bob…”
“I need to know if I still have my wife.”
That question broke something inside her.
Because she no longer knew the answer herself.
At that same moment, miles away in her apartment, Agnes stared at old photographs on her phone.
Pictures of herself and Alicia smiling together.
Vacation selfies.
Birthday dinners.
Private moments nobody else knew about.
Her thumb gently brushed across Alicia’s face on the screen.
Then suddenly,
Her phone vibrated.
A message from Alicia.
Did you get home safely?
Agnes smiled faintly.
Then replied:
I miss you already.
Several minutes passed.
Then Alicia answered:
Please don’t do this.
Agnes stared at the message quietly before typing one final reply.
You can move to another city, Alicia… but you can’t move your heart away from me.
Alicia read the message while lying beside Bob in bed.
And deep inside herself…
She feared Agnes might be right
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