MEREDITH
“I do.”
That was it. Two little words, then we were married.
No flowers. No rings. No personal vows.
Just a whispered I do from the both of us.
How could two little words have such importance in a person’s life?
I sat across from Josef in the dining room of our hotel suite not paying attention to anything I was eating.
It was delicious. I’m sure it was. I just didn’t taste it.
How could I?
I was a wife now. The reality of it sat squarely on my chest, suffocating me with its irrefutable truth.
I am Josef’s wife.
Years ago, this was exactly what I wanted. To belong to this big, brooding man.
But I didn’t know this Josef.
Over one day, he’d shown me a dozen different sides to him.
He was quiet, demanding, bossy, ruthless, and yet he’d been tender and kind. His behavior contradicted his words, and I felt lost.
I was his wife.
But I was not loved. Not cherished. Not half of the things our vows claimed.