“When an old man marries a black woman who is 20 years younger than him, his whole family laughs at him for being foolish. But 3 years later, the woman does something surprising, and they regret their prejudiced words.
As Pedro explained that all he’d ever wanted to do was marry Alice, his family burst into laughter. The old man couldn’t still be serious about this, they’d all thought. Alice would be long gone by now. They’d all tried many times over the years to push her out of the family, and yet she was still around.
When Pedro and Alice had first met, everyone had assumed the younger woman was only around for the old man’s money. However, what started as looking out for Pedro soon turned into hate for Alice. When it became clear that the woman had no intention of leaving him, the family didn’t even try to hide their dislike for her. They would openly call her names and question the relationship.
In the end, Pedro had to distance himself from them. But now, here he was, talking about marriage again. He was 80 years old. What on Earth did he want to get married for, and especially to Alice? Yes, their history dated back 20 years, but was that reason enough for them to tie the knot?
Pedro couldn’t understand why his family was so hung up on hating Alice. After all, she had done nothing but make him happy and take care of him. What had started as a friendship 20 years earlier had soon blossomed into something more, something he would never be ashamed of despite his family’s mockery.
When Pedro had struck up a conversation with her in a cafe one afternoon, he’d never expected to find someone he would love so much. He was mourning the recent loss of his wife and had just wanted to feel a little less lonely. He certainly hadn’t been looking for a relationship. But as the pair began to meet more regularly, Pedro developed feelings for Alice. There was no way he could act on them, though. She was 20 years younger than him, and he was sure she’d have no interest in an old man.
But Alice was falling for Pedro too. However, she was too scared that if she told him, their friendship would be ruined. So, for a long time, the pair remained quiet about their feelings.
But if there was one thing that the sudden death of his wife had taught Pedro, it was that life was too short to not live it the way you want. With that in mind, he told Alice exactly how he felt. Much to his surprise, she beamed and told him that she felt exactly the same.
So, the couple started a relationship, slowly transitioning from friends to partners. But while Alice’s family was happy for the couple, Pedro’s family was not. Many of them had strong opinions about why a woman 20 years younger than him would want to be with Pedro. They assumed she was after his money. Many of his relatives also didn’t like the fact that Alice was black.
When his wife had died, Pedro’s family hadn’t exactly been overly supportive, which is why he’d felt so lonely in the first place. And now, they’d all turned against his new partner. The only exception was Claudia, his nephew, who silently supported his uncle and only wanted him to be happy.
Despite all the adversity they faced, the couple remained together. Pedro distanced himself from everyone, but that didn’t seem to stop him and Alice from regularly being the topic of conversation at family parties and dinners. Thankfully, not being around his family helped Pedro to ignore the harsh comments and the laughter.
Alice and Pedro had often spoken of getting married, but sadly, the opportunity seemed to be slipping away from them. Pedro had been widowed, which meant no priest would protest if he decided to tie the knot again in the church. However, Alice was divorced, which meant they had to give up the dream of a white wedding.
And when they both went looking for the papers they would need to produce at City Hall, they realized they had displaced them somewhere else during one of their moves. Marriage slipped further and further down the list but always remained at the back of their minds.
In their first couple of years together, family members had laughed at the thought of the couple getting married, believing their relationship to be just a fling. They were sure that Alice would soon get bored of the old man and move on. So, the couple had just stopped mentioning it. But Alice didn’t get bored. She loved Pedro with all her heart, and before they knew it, the couple had been together for 10 years.
But Pedro’s health was failing. He’d been feeling unwell for some time now, and recent tests showed that he was having kidney problems. The next few years were filled with endless tests and hospital appointments. As Pedro grew older, his kidneys seemed to deteriorate more.
His thoughts began to turn to the fact that he and Alice had never married. They’d let small obstacles stand in their way and spent too much time listening to other people’s opinions. And when he was rushed to the hospital one night, he thought he’d lose the opportunity to make Alice his wife. Unfortunately, he recovered. But the doctors told him it wouldn’t be long before they would have to think about putting him on the list for a kidney transplant.
When his nephew Claudio visited him in the hospital, Pedro broke down and admitted that he regretted not trying harder to marry Alice when he was still healthy. Now he felt like there was no more time.
The old man was distraught, but he didn’t know that his other family members had heard about his hospitalization and had decided to visit. Midway through his confession to Claudio, his family piled into the room. Soon, all thoughts of Pedro’s bad health were gone as everyone began to air their disapproval of the union.
The couple had been together nearly 20 years now, and the family still couldn’t get over their dislike for Alice. Soon, it became clear to Pedro that his family had only come to visit him to once again try and prevent him and Alice from being together. Pedro was disgusted and heartbroken.
What no one knew was that Alice had overheard everything. When Claudio found her crying outside the hospital doors, she told him that all she’d ever wanted was to marry Pedro. And that it broke her heart that his family had turned against him because of her.
Claudio comforted her and told her it wasn’t her fault. His family was cold and unkind, but he and Pedro knew what a lovely and caring woman she was. He then offered to help Alice get new documents so there would be nothing standing in the way of the marriage.
Alice was over the moon and thanked him profusely. She’d always loved Claudio and was forever grateful that he was so different from everyone else in his family. He meant a lot to Pedro, and now she could truly see why the pair were so close.
Claudio helped Alice fill in all the necessary forms and took her to any appointment she needed to attend. Before long, she had all new documents. Claudio also snuck into his mother’s house and managed to find Pedro’s documents. He had left them there, thinking they would be in a safe place while he moved from house to house and had completely forgotten about them in his old age.
Alice hadn’t told Pedro what she was up to, and she wanted to surprise him with the idea that they would now be able to get married. And when she told Pedro she had both her and his documents, she got the shock of her life. He immediately proposed.
Pedro was now having to spend an increasing amount of time in the hospital. But when the doctors and nurses heard of the proposal, they immediately told the couple that there was no doubt that the wedding could go ahead on the ward. Everyone was so excited for the couple. All the doctors and nurses cared deeply for the couple. They were excited to help them plan the wedding.
With the happy news and his declining health on his mind, Pedro wished to make amends with his family. So he reached out once again and told them his news, only to be met with laughter. He was told he was foolish, and they wanted no part of it.
This time, Pedro was truly done with them. They simply couldn’t see past their unmotivated hate. He was marrying the woman he loved, and Claudio would be there, so nothing else mattered.
On the day of the wedding, the doctors and nurses decorated Pedro’s room and helped Alice get ready. Pedro’s family may not have approved of the wedding, but it no longer mattered to the couple. They had people around them that were excited for them, and they were finally doing what they’d always wanted to do.
Claudio had offered to walk Alice down the hospital hall, and once again, she felt blessed that they at least had this kind and caring man in their lives. When they said their vows, they were the happiest they’d ever been.
Three blissful years passed, but when Pedro was told he needed a kidney transplant, he got some news he’d never expected. Due to his age, the likelihood of him receiving a transplant was slim, and if he did, the operation would be more risky for him than it would be for a younger person.
The couple were in shock. Aside from his failing kidneys, Pedro still felt full of life. He wasn’t ready to leave Alice yet, but Alice wasn’t ready to lose her husband either and was already formulating a plan. So, when Pedro went to sleep, she slipped away and spoke to one of the doctors about her plan, hoping that it would all work out.
The next day, she had a surprise for Pedro. “I’m giving you one of my kidneys,” she told him. She had been tested, and it turned out she was a perfect match. Pedro tried to put up a fight, but Alice was adamant. She wanted to do this for her husband, and no one was going to talk her out of it.
The operation would be risky, though. By now, the couple was 61 and 81, so there was no telling how the surgery would go. But Alice didn’t care. All she wanted was an opportunity for her to be able to extend the amount of time they would have left together. There was no point in worrying about the negatives if she could have the opportunity to give them a few more years together.
On the day of their operations, Claudio nervously paced back and forth in the waiting room. He’d wholly supported Alice’s decision. There was little point in arguing with her, and she was so strong-willed. But he was still concerned for the couple.
When he looked up to see some of his cousins in the doorway, his face turned angry. All they’d ever done was laugh at Pedro and Alice, and how they treated the woman was awful. So, what right did they have to turn up here now?
But Claudio didn’t expect the reaction he got. The cousins hung their heads in shame and expressed regret for how they treated Alice. They said it wasn’t an excuse, but they’d spent too long listening to their parents and other family members about the couple, instead of making up their own minds.
When they’d heard what Alice was doing for Pedro, they’d known what a good woman she was. Claudio was skeptical, but he knew Pedro had tried for years to make up with his family, and he would be delighted to know at least some of them had reconsidered their hurtful position. So, he told his cousins that visiting the couple right now would be too stressful, but he would pass on what they’d said.
Thankfully, Pedro and Alice’s operations went smoothly. When the couple had recovered enough, Claudio explained that some of the cousins had come to visit. He told them all about what they’d said and then handed a letter from them over to Alice.
The letter explained how sorry they were for mistreating her and for laughing at the couple. Alice’s eyes filled with tears. She’d never wanted to come between Pedro and his family, but all they had ever done was mistreat her and laugh at her for no reason.
It had taken her saving Pedro’s life for them to realize that all she’d ever done was love the man. But Alice wasn’t the kind of person to hold a grudge, and she reminded Pedro that life was too short to be angry. However, he wasn’t convinced that his family had truly changed.
Reluctantly, the couple agreed that the cousins could visit so they could see the supposed change with their own eyes. The cousins were true to their word. They were keen to apologize and make amends, realizing all the heartache they caused Alice.
In time, the couple built some bridges with the cousins who did appear to have been wrongfully influenced by their parents. After that, Pedro regained some of his family, though he remained closest to Claudio.
Alice had always known she and Pedro were the perfect match, but she never expected that would extend to their internal organs. Through her selfless act, her husband’s health improved, and he regained a relationship with some of his family. It might have taken 20 years, but the couple finally had everything they’d ever wanted.
Now it’s over to you. What do you think of this story? Do you think Pedro and Alice should have forgiven the family? We’d love to hear your thoughts, so please leave a comment below. Thanks for reading; we’ll see you in the next passage!”
