Jiang Liu Fiona, Far-Out Choices Of Love

FAR-OUT CHOICES OF LOVE

Written by Fiona Jiang Liu

Far away from the suburbs, in a little moderate town, there was an enormous house The walls were as white as snow and as tall as a palace. Every room had a big window and every window had a golden color painted frame. The house had a giant wooden door, with gold-colored frames with royal-medieval designs. The house was surrounded by a huge garden, the garden was full of flowers of different types, tulips, daisies, corpse flower, fire Lily, Jade Vine, and every single flower you can think of. It was not a common house, it was odd. My dad is the Mayor of the neighboring town, I’m Godith, and I live with my parents, brother, and my two twin sisters. Even though we have a lot of money, we are kind-hearted, and during weekends we go to foundations and help less fortunate people. Little did I know, life was going to take a left turn.

I was turning twenty-one, my family and I decided to go on a cruise in the Caribbean to celebrate my new age. On the first day on the cruise, I went to the lobby to gather some information about the cities the cruise was stopping at, and just then and there, I met him. He was tall, blonde and pale, his eyes were as blue as the ocean. His large muscles could be seen through his navy-blue shirt and his smile was a treasure chest filled with bright, shiny pearls, his lips slightly parted in a childish grin. He was just too perfect to be real. I was too distracted looking at him that I didn’t realize he was looking back at me, we made eye contact. Time froze. I came back to my senses when the receptionist handed me the brochures I needed. Two days after that, I saw him again by the pool, I composed myself and I went to talk to him. God, I was nervous. “Hey, I saw you the other day at the lobby, didn’t I?” I said fearfully.

“Oh hey, yes, I remember you,” he replied. “So, what brought you to this cruise?” I asked. He seemed confused but then he replied, “Erm...I was given

my vacation month from my workplace and I’ve been traveling since the first day of vacation. I was in a travel agency just a couple of days ago and they told me about the cruise, that’s how I ended up here. Now, what about you? and what is your name?” he asked and before I was able to say anything else, he added; “I’m Aaron Ricci by the way.” and he smiled.

“HaHaHa! Hi, Aaron, I’m Godith, I’m here with my family celebrating my birthday,” I replied cheerfully.

We talked for what it felt like days and the whole conversation went as if we’d known each other forever.

He was kind, funny, and caring. I deeply felt a connection between both of us, but I knew it wouldn’t last long since it was a short trip and he lived too far away from me. When I went back I told my parents about him and they were very happy for me, the next day, the cruise had made a stop at a small beautiful city. We toured, we had lunch, we went to the museum and touristic sites, we just had fun. The same happened the following weeks before the trip ended. I don’t really know what my parents did because I spent most of my time with Aaron. When we arrived at the dock he grabbed my hand, my parents had already left the cruise and they were waiting for me. In the darkening light of the setting sun, the sky painted with reds, oranges, and distant purples over the still, unbothered, blackening sea. He asked me to show him around my town, and I happily obliged, glad that he wanted to spend more time with me.

We spent the following days together, I took him to every important site in town and made sure he had a good time with me. Sadly, his last day arrived. We went for lunch just before he had to go to the airport, we had a picnic. Then, out of the blue, he said “Godith, this is very hard to say but, well, I really like you… and I don’t mean just like you, I mean you make me feel like I belong somewhere and someone loves me. I feel like

I’m at home when I’m with you. I can’t imagine being away from you. I think we were made for each other, and feel like the luckiest man on earth to have met you. I want you to be mine. Will you be mine, Godith Mary Greenson?”

I hesitated, after several minutes, then, I accepted. After that, I took him to the airport, gave him our first kiss on the boarding gate number F2205, and waved him good-bye.

A year passed since I last saw him, I was still dating him, but the past couple of months were tough, sometimes, our schedules didn’t match, and the time-zone made it worse. There was almost no communication and my big house felt empty since everything reminded me of him, the flowers, the beautiful vines, etc..

Suddenly, a Sunday afternoon, I got a call from Aaron’s mother, Mrs. Ricci. Her voice was weak and she sounded worried, she asked me if I could travel to their town urgently, but she didn’t specify the reason, other than Aaron needed my help; It made me feel uneasy because I imagined all the worst thing that could have happened to him and it made feel even so devastated.

“Godith, please come, I’ll tell you where to meet us, but please hurry, Aaron told me he needed to see you one last time,” said Aaron’s mom; her voice breaking.

“What’s wrong with Aaron? is he okay?” I asked. “Just come,” said Aaron’s mom,

She hung up. I rushed back to my parents’ room crying, my father was at work but my mom was reading a book, I told her what had happened and I begged her to let me use her credit card, and she agreed, because she thought, that I needed to send some money and she agreed immediately because she had a big heart and she was very kind but she didn’t know what I had in mind. I told her million “thank you” that I loved her immensely.

Then I rushed back into my room, grabbed my computer, and bought a one-way ticket for the next flight departing in the next three hours. I didn’t have much time, I packed quickly, called a taxi and left my house without anyone noticing. I called my mother in the taxi cab and told her I was going to go see Aaron, my mother was nearly hysterical, telling me that I was taking too many risks for a man I had met on a cruise once. I tried to calm her down, telling her that I was so sorry but that I couldn’t help to know that he needed my help and she passed the phone to my dad and I talked to my father on the phone while my mother cried in the background. “What happened to him sweetie, please, come back! Let’s talk about this because you are not thinking clearly” he asked.

“Dad, I don’t know, Aarons mom didn’t tell me much, but I need you to understand that I need to go,” I said. he sighed and gave me his blessing. My mother gave me her blessing with her tears, and my siblings gave me a small prayer each. I hung up, and my tears started streaming down.

It was an international flight, which meant I had to be at the airport three hours before the take-off. Somehow, I made it just in time. When I finally had some time, I tried to call Mrs. Ricci but she didn’t pick up. I was scared. I tried to contact her multiple times, but she never got my call. The time came, I got on board, it was a direct, nineteen-hour flight so I needed to relax and get some sleep, but I couldn’t. I stayed wide awake.

The trip was going well, the air was smooth off the craft and there was barely any turbulence, which calmed my nerves. The food was just fine, and it was starting to dusk out, we were in midst twilight. I spent most of those hours reading magazines from the entertainment section of the plane, but I couldn’t focus properly, I kept thinking about Aaron and trying to figure out what happened.

I don’t know why, but I had an uneasy feeling in my gut.

I could feel my palms sweat up and my brow was precipitating, but everything was so calm I thought nothing about it. I took half a sleeping pill to calm my nerves and fell asleep to the slow, steady rumbling of the engine below me.

I woke up to the pilot on the intercom, telling everyone to sit down and buckle up, I looked around me, nothing was no longer calm and serene, everyone was frantic, panicking and I quickly realized that the plane was not only shaking tremendously but also in descent. I could feel it because I felt as if my stomach was in my throat and my feet were floating off the ground. People were screaming, falling as they tried to get back to their seats.

I felt like fainting, the pilots had gone silent. I said a prayer and cried because I thought this was it. I was slowly becoming unconscious, fighting the urge to succumb, but finally falling into darkness, my lungs tightening and tears streaming down my eyes from fear.

I woke up and looked around, lifted myself slightly from my seat, but fell back down into it because of piercing pain in my elbow. I was surrounded by smoke and debris from the crash. Using my good arm, I lifted myself and crawled away from the crash. I could see the plane has split. There were not many survivors, from the one hundred fifty-two people on board (including the captain, the first officer, and the crew members) only twelve persons made it, and I was one of those.

Hours passed and it was already dusk. The survivors and I saw a big fishing boat around, they were approaching us. The fishermen arrived at the accident and told us to hop onto the boat, they were taking us to the town. I lost track of time, I didn’t know where I was nor what time it was I was just happy to be alive. I still don’t know how much time it took for the ambulance to transport us from the shore to the hospital, I

still couldn’t get my mind off Aaron, he was the only thing I could think of.

The ambulance arrived at the hospital and we were rushed to emergency, I was just fine, I just had a couple of bruises, a broken elbow and an agonizing neck pain, the doctors were in disbelieve. The doctors proceeded to fix my broken bone, I just remembered being in the waiting room and waking up in the operating room with a cast on my arm. I still needed to stay a couple of months due to psychiatric sessions. After this experience, I needed to let it all out. I know the captain and first officer did all they could to save us from this terrible accident but sometimes, God has different plans for each one of us.

Shortly after, investigators arrived at the hospital and started inquiring about the crash and asked for all the details we could provide. I was asked multiple questions, it was overwhelming. and moments later; I was finally able to see the clock and sunlight, so long has passed since the accident, but it didn’t feel like a single hour has passed; while I was still appreciating the sun, a lady approached me and asked “Godith, am I right?” she said.

“Yes, ma’am, what can I help you with,” I replied.

“I’m Aaron’s mother, I didn’t expect you to come that soon, nor the plane crash, I can’t believe, you are sitting in the wheelchair, I am so sorry that you had to go through that terrible accident,” she said. I immediately responded; “I am fine, don’t worry! Where’s Aaron? is he okay? why do you look so concerned?”

“Sweetie, seven years ago, my son, Aaron was diagnosed with kidney cancer, the doctors were able to remove his carcinogenic kidney but over time, the other kidney got affected and started malfunctioning. He needs a donor. According to the doctors, he still has a little more than two months to find a donor, otherwise, he will die.” Mrs. Ricci replied.

“But why didn’t he tell me that?” I immediately replied.

She didn’t reply, instead, she asked me to follow her and when I accepted, she started to push my wheelchair

We took the elevator; he was on the thirteenth floor. I wanted to see him so badly because I had missed him so much. Even though things weren’t perfect throughout our relationship, he still was one of the most beautiful blessings I ever had on my twenty-two years alive.

He was in room 1306, I saw him and my heart dropped. I felt a pain on my chest as if my soul was ripped off of me and dragged to Hades. He was sleeping and without making any sound, I tried to get up from the wheelchair and I left the room to look for a doctor in charge of him when the doctor I kindly asked him to take the necessary tests to see if my kidney was compatible to him. I spent over an hour sitting in a separate room. Doctors took a lot of blood tests for the different compatibility tests. Once I was done with the tests, I went back to Aaron’s room, he was awake. I saw his beautiful eyes and that same day, I decided to take care of Aaron, no matter what.

Two months passed quickly, I kept my promise to stay with him as much as I could. June 13 th , 2019, the result came in and I was told that I was compatible with him. I didn’t think twice, I called home and talked to mom.

“Mommy, I’m compatible with Aaron, I’m donating him a kidney to save his life!”

My mom immediately replied “Honey, be careful, take your time. What if in some future your kidney fails, and you are the one needing a donor? Please think about it.”

“Mommy, don’t worry, I already made my decision and I’m saving him. I know he would do the same in my position. What if my two kidneys failed and I needed a donor? Wouldn’t you want somebody to donate me a kidney too?”I replied.

We hung up. As soon as my mother knew about what was

next, I approached the doctor and said: “Please don’t tell him who was the donor, not until he’s completely okay and out of danger.”

He nodded. I left the hospital and the very next day the doctors gave Aaron and his mom the news. Neither Aaron nor his mom knew I was the donor. Mrs. Ricci tried contacting me multiple times throughout the day, but I declined. The surgery was scheduled for two weeks after the news. I spent those following two weeks alone in a hotel room, I needed some time for myself.

It was finally surgery day. Early in the morning, I went back to the hospital, the doctors greeted me and took me to an isolated room. “Godith, are you sure?” he asked.

“Yes sir, I’m sure” I replied.

He handed me the surgery gown and asked me to change, the doctors told me Aaron was already in the room and he was ready for the surgery. Two minutes later, some nurses arrived and took me on a stretcher to the surgery room. They put a mask on my face, I lost consciousness.

I woke up. I was so confused. Doctors, nurses, and family were surrounding my hospital bed, they were surrounding me. I was feeling really dizzy.

“Mom? dad?” I screamed. “Where is Aaron? Where am I? What happened?” I asked.

But everybody is silent. “Godith, how are you feeling?” A doctor asked but I didn’t reply.

I’ve never felt so weak in my life. The pain was unbearable, I started to lose consciousness and I suddenly blacked out. I woke up, again. Nothing has changed. I was still lying in the same hospital bed and the same people were surrounding me. “Mom, where am I? Where is Aaron? why do I feel so much pain and dizziness?” I asked.

Mom was still crying “Honey, you’re in town, Aaron is the

next room, he’s fine. You remember that seven years ago you were diagnosed with kidney cancer, right?” she said.

“I don’t really remember mom,” I replied. “Do you remember how you met Aaron?” she asked.

“Yes mom, I met him when we were vacationing across the Caribbean, but as soon as the trip was over, he went back to his town. I’ve not seen him ever since.” I replied.

“You remember that six months ago, you were feeling pain around the upper abdominal area, against the back muscles on both sides of your body and we had to take you to the hospital to run some tests? Do you remember when they told us your only kidney left had some failures and was very weak? That you might need a donor?” Asked mom.

“No mom, I don’t remember anything you just mentioned.”

In my mind everything was utterly confusing, I thought Aaron was the one who got diagnosed with kidney cancer seven years ago, and he was the one needing a donor and I was the donor. I had just saved him but now my mom was telling me a different story which was very confusing to me.

My mom looked shocked, she ran out of the room and I could hear her scream in the corridor, she was calling the doctor. Aaron came into the room, he was in a wheelchair, he smiled at me as if nothing had happened, I was even more confused.

A nurse approached me and said “Miss Godith, since you just got the transplant, you’re going to stay for a couple of months here, so we can see how your body reacts to the new organ and just keep track of it. My name is Elijah and I’m in charge of your care. You fell in a coma four months ago. Aaron gave you his kidney.”

When I heard that I had been in a coma for about four months ago, I couldn’t believe it, I asked myself If everything I thought was happening were just my imagination or if it was

just a dream but amid my confusion and doubts, I was distracted by the nurse, Elijah, he had a golden skin, his eyes had an intense honey color and his smile was as pure and shiny as a diamond. He managed to brighten up the entire room, as dull as it was. There was something about him that made me feel like I could trust him, he was just a really nice nurse.

These three months passed like a shot; nothing special happened, Aaron often came to visit me. I woke up every day to blood tests and disgusting food, I spent most of the time in bed, and I wasn’t able to do anything at all. I kept having a terrible dream every night where Aaron’s mom called me, told me to travel to where they were at, I traveled across the country to save Aaron because he was dying but then the plane collapsed and I was stranded in a small island and then somehow I was alive and miraculously I ended up in the same hospital as Aaron. Then I saved him by giving him my kidney which apparently; all turned out to be nothing but a nightmare.

Ever since I got my consciousness back, Elijah has been there for me every second of the day, I’ve been going to psychiatric therapy to deal with that nightmare that still haunts me, I often wake up crying and shaking because of that nightmare. Some things are still confusing but I hope that someday I will be able to understand what really happened, for now, I’m still recovering. I’ve just been discharged from the hospital. Since Aaron isn’t at the hospital, I’m going to write him a letter explaining everything. He deserves to know the truth.

Dear Aaron;

Thank you, thank you for saving me and being my go-to person whenever I had any trouble.

Aaron, I loved you, I want you to be happy and you need to know this. You see, the last 3 months, I spent at the hospital, Elijah

the nurse and I got really close, and I never wanted any of this to happen, but we grew to like each other and now I think I am in love and we’ve been dating for the past month, I feel very happy with him and I feel like, you and I, didn’t work anyway. You had your job very far away, and we both know that we were having a lot of trouble due to a lack of communication. I wasn’t happy with you, not at all. And I want you to be with someone who loves you as much as I did when I once met you. You’re a good guy and very valuable. I’m so sorry, I want you to be happy, as happy as I am when I’m with Elijah. I will forever be grateful to you, you will always be with me and you will forever have space in my heart. I hope you find happiness. - Love, Godith.