MATEO & MARIA
by RAJAN V KOKKURI
Author of BORN TO DREAM & various stories
“Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired”
-Robert Frost
Mateo was born in a family having poor income in a distant Romanian beautiful village in Transylvania. Romania had a communist government during that time, and all teens were required to serve in the army for a minimum of 16 months.
Mateo also joined army and was serving in Vrancea County in southern part of Romania.
It was March 4th, 1977. He went to a cloth store in the downtown of Vrancea to purchase a shawl. When Mateo walked into the store, he noticed a gorgeous girl organizing the garments on the shelf.
Mateo said, "Hello, I want to buy a shawl". She took out a bundle of finely handmade shawls from the shelf. While she was pulling the shawl, he didn’t forget to ask her name. “My name is Maria”.
While she was taking the material out of the wooden cabinet, the floor and cabinet moved noticeably. Mateo pushed her away after realizing that the cabinet was about to fall. They both lost control of the floor shake and fell to the ground. Maria was unconscious when Mateo regained consciousness, her leg impaled beneath a wooden cabinet. Mateo managed to stand up and assisted Maria in removing her leg. Mateo tied the shawl around her wound and moved out to open space.
By then a senior citizen was shouting outside "earthquake" and pointed others in the direction of a nearby safe spot while people screamed and wept about being caught in an unexpected circumstance
After taking Maria safely to her village and dropping her off there, Mateo ultimately made his way back to the army barracks. After hearing the TV news, Mateo understood the impact of the earthquake. More than 1500 people died, and countless others sustained grave injuries.
Mateo couldn’t resist him and went back to see her after a week and increased the frequency of the visit. One day Mateo gathered enough courage and reached Maria’s shop.
Mateo said, “Maria, God has united us on the day of earthquake, I would like to marry you.” Maria was happy and accepted the proposal.
The teenage boy and girl were officially married with the help of an older couple. They were met with hostility by Mateo's parents and left wondering what to do. David, a friend of Mateo, saw the couple pacing by the river. David offered them shelter in his home because he was afraid, they could commit suicide if he left the couple behind. Mateo started working at a factory while Maria started selling flowers to make some money. A few months later, Mateo's parents felt sympathy for their son and accepted them.
This fictional tale is based on a few actual occurrences involving a Romanian couple who were wed after a 45-year relationship. The author authored the account while traveling with them in August 2022 from Frankfurt to Newark.
“Love knows no bounds or restrictions, and it only needs to be felt.”
– Rajan V Kokkuri
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