Chapter 51
Sky
He looks at me, his gaze holding all the love in the world.
"I'm sorry," I whisper, the microphone no longer in front of my mouth, as Kjell took it.
He shakes his head. "And I was so afraid of the truth that I began to lie for it," he says into the microphone.
We both made mistakes. Because sometimes life puts us in situations where we aren't strong enough at that moment. That's exactly what I want to tell him, but he gently places his index finger on my lips.
"Not only does the truth matter," he declares. "But also how we deal with it."
The audience applauds.
Warmth flows through me as I see people in the front rows rising from their seats out of the corner of my eye. Photographers gather around us and raise their cameras.
In the midst of it all, I spot Kahlo. With a melancholic smile, he gazes at my dress and signals for applause.
I nod at him in reconciliation and tiptoe closer to the microphone. "But one truth will always be as true as it is at this moment," I say. "That I love you."
No star in my sky has ever shone as brightly as Kjell's eyes do now. He gently directs my hand holding the microphone downward so that nothing stands between us anymore.
"And I love you," he replies before we sink into a kiss that leaves me breathless.
The whistles and applause of the audience drown out the music. I hear their excitement and feel the warmth they send our way.
Behind my closed eyelids, the bright light of cameras flashes. Right now, the pictures being taken will grace the front pages of all newspapers tomorrow.
Maybe with sensational headlines. Maybe with heartfelt ones. I don't know, and I don't care.
Lost in our kiss, I only feel how right my decision was. And whatever comes my way in the coming days, I will handle it.
We reluctantly break apart, and I entwine my fingers with Kjell's. I turn toward the front. I see Mom, tears of joy in her eyes as she looks up at me. The faces of the audience in the front rows are full of bliss. They applaud, beam at us, and some even embrace each other.
One last time, I reach for the microphone. My gaze searches for Father.
There, in the front row, he sits. Hunched over and emaciated. At this moment, an unfamiliar feeling overcomes me, and I feel sorry for him.
I feel sorry for him because he can't open his heart. I'm sorry that his stubbornness has cost him his family. And I'm sorry that one day he will die surrounded only by people he has paid to be there.
"The truth always has a price. I've learned that from you," I say into the microphone, facing him. "But you never told me that sometimes you have to pay that price to be happy."
He meets my gaze, and I imagine seeing something in him relent.
I offer him the warmest smile I have. "For you too," I add because he has not only imprisoned me but also burdened himself with the same weight.
His chest rises and falls faster, his eyes glisten with tears. Maybe he's pondering my words, at least I hope so.
Not only for me but also for him.
From behind, Kjell's arms wrap around me, his cheek brushes against mine. "Are you okay?" he asks, gently rocking me back and forth.
I am.
More than that, because I feel a new kind of contentment. No proud look, no speech of praise, and no enthusiastic applause from the world could ever trigger this. No drug high and no dance party, no matter how wild.
Deep within me, where the outside world has no access, I am happy.