A Wrecked Ship

You Saved Me

After a week, they finally reached the shore, getting off the ship. Right then, from distance, a large and elegant house was seen. It was light in color, made of brick, many windows and with a gray roof. In front of the two doors, much higher than her height, were some large stairs. You could also see a huge yard with a path that led to the stairs of the house, grass and some well-kept trees. The house looked expensive as hell, and even if she and her fiance lived in a huge house, it didn't compare to this one.

France: That's such a beautiful house!
John: It's ours.
France: WH-WHAT?!
John: You heard me. That's yours...and mine.
France: It can not be true...
John: But it is. I hope you weren't expecting anything bigger than that. You told me a long time ago that your ex-fiancé got you used to luxury.
France: Yeah...Come to think of it, that wasn't called luxury compared to this. *he giggled* Look...I know the reason I was with him was his money...but that doesn't apply here. I swear. I don't want you to think that—
John: Hey, I know. You don't have to explain anything to me. I know well who you are. I know you feel for me what I feel for you.
France: *smiled* Thank you...for understanding... And, actually, for everything.
John: *smiled* You don't have to thank me for anything. *silence* Come on.

   He took her hand and they both walked towards the house. When he opened the door, she walked in and remained speechless. He enjoyed her reaction.

France: Wow!
John: *smiled* That's exactly what I wanted to hear. I accompanied you to see your reaction. I'm going to get all the luggage from the ship and unpack them now. You can explore the house during that. There are two floors, the ground floor and the basement.

   She looked at him, smiled and threw herself into his arms, kissing him.

John: I like this reaction more.

   He smiled back and kissed her. After that, she went to explore the house as he went out the door. After a few hours, at lunch, they were in the dining room eating lunch. She wore a long elegant dress and had an upright posture while eating. He sat at the head of the table, and she at the other.

France: The crew will live with us?
John: No. I bought them something separate, more modest. I wanted it to be just the two of us here.
France: That sounds nice, but...I guess there's nothing I can say to change your mind.
John: And you're right about it. You can't. *silence* Have you looked around the house?
France: Yes. I got to look here and at the two floors. I haven't reached the basement yet. It took a while... I'm not used to it yet.
John: I imagine... There's pretty much nothing interesting there, so it's not a loss.

   Then there was a silence. They both took another sip of their food, she trying to hide her bad mood from him as best as she could, but he noticed anyway. He directed his gaze towards her, frowning.

John: Hey, France... Are you okay? I hope I didn't say something to upset you.
France: No, no you didn't. I just... I feel a little overwhelmed, that's all... I'm fine, really.
John: Did I exaggerate? With the house... if it's too much for you or you don't like it—
France: No, I do! A lot! It is far beyond my dreams and much more beautiful than I could ever imagine. It's just that... what did I do to deserve all of this?
John: I'm worried about what thoughts are going through your head and what judgment haunts you, child. Don't ask me and don't ever ask yourself anything like that again. I did it because in my eyes you are perfection in person...and I would give you the whole fucking world if I was capable of such a thing. But if you still want clearer arguments, don't forget that you saved us all from death in that storm. Also, if you remember, in that cave you helped me not to get my head chopped off by a dead man and not to fall off a bridge. But the most important thing...you saved me from the horrible life I had. So yes, you do deserve it. You deserve every single star in the sky. It's a crime to ask me that.
France: I didn't think like that before...
John: You should...I'm right.
France: *smiled* Thank you.
John: I just reminded you who you are and what you did. You shouldn't thank me.

After a few moments of staring at each other and smiling, her smile dropped, then put her fork on the plate and wiped her mouth with a napkin.

France: I think I'm done. I'm gonna lie down a little in our bedroom.
John: Oh, okay...

Without saying anything, she put a fake smile on her face as she looked at him and then left the room.
When she reached the bedroom, she took out a letter from behind a picture on the wall, sat on the edge of the bed and stared at it for several minutes continuously, thinking.