Against All Odds

The night had taken over, rain was falling, it was hard to tell if it was from the eyes of the attenders, or the blue cloud-flecked sky. It was even harder to tell whether those were happy or sad ones. A mix, between both i would say. Harmonie stood by the door, ready to get out, with her gorgeous long-delayed, and simple white wedding dress.

She had only one thought in mind; Do not let anyone ruin your happiness tonight, princess! I have been through much, nothing compared to those nights I spent naked under the rain. Yes the rain she said in a soft tone, just inside her head, but those facial expressions of hers showed all.

Her face turned pale, as she recalled for a moment, her covering up with old wet newspaper against the wind, the rain, the darkness of the night, and worst of all the fate that awaits her. "Tomorrow" was a word she feared more than anything and anyone.

In her words; " You never know what tomorrow brings, but from experience it only brought despair, or so I thought, at least. Especially for a lonely girl, surviving was the least to describe it all, it was war. But war with what, I never knew, was it with time, circumstances, luck, people or was it with myself? I really don't know. It just felt at times that death was the only cure to it, but I held on to life with my hands and teeth, I couldn't give up the life they gave me. We may argue it was not the dream life i always wanted but it was still worth fighting for"

Most people get to be loved from a young age, but Harmonie was no normal girl, loving herself and the memories of those she cherished was the only motivation for her to grow and flourish.

She always thought in her mind; " I may not have inherited a house, car or money from my beloved parents. But coming to think about it, they gave me something way more precious. They left me with their wide smile and Strong inherited will."

" Sadly, I did not get to know them very well, it all happened so fast, but I still hold on to those few memories. Sometimes I fear that one day I will wake up and forget their faces and how they used to look at me with their wide blue loving eyes." She wasn't wrong to think that way, since she does not even hold on to one single picture to remind her. In a soft movement she makes sure that a small necklace is around her neck " No I didn't forget about you, you are the only physical memory of them necklace" she replied inside her head.

Before she faints into those black ideas, standing on her right, he quickly grabs her hand, reassuring her, it's her husband-to-be, Blake. In his words she found the peace she was searching for, not just today, but throughout their whole time together. " Honey, We are finally here, God only knows how hard your trip was, and it's not even near ending, it's just the start, our start, so let me see this wide smile of yours ".

She smiles, from deep down her heart, because the feeling she had at that point of time, can never be described in mere human words.

As a Songs lover, She could only recall that one song, it's called "Cover Me In Sunshine". That song she loved and kept listening to morning and night. she always thought it fits the life she was living, the life she struggled to get through. And the verses started playing in her head, she could swear that someone played it in the room, because she could hear them so near. She looks around in a shy head movement, but it was just her mind encouraging her to move forward.

"Cover me in sunshine

Shower me with good times

Tell me that the world's been spinning since the beginning

And everything will be alright".

Those verses meant alot to her, and Blake knew it, he had prepared it, to be played once they entered, but she had no clue yet. There was also a surprise even more satisfying, waiting for her.

- Blake smiles, looks at her and adds: " Girl you look extremely sweet tonight, you are shining like a star sweetheart. By the way I have asked everyone to wear sunglasses, I can not afford people getting blinded by this beauty."

She looks back at him, instantly turns all red with a beautiful girly laugh of hers. Blake knows well how to get her into the mood, and she loves when he cracks those jokes, it breaks the tensions, just like it just broke her dark state of mind.

- She tries to hide the timidness by saying, "I am afraid i would fall with those high heels I am not used to them, you know"

- He quickly responds, " ah, that was my secret plan, u ruined it" and he draws a funny sad face that makes you think he is still in kindergarten.

- " I want to grab you when you fall and hold you between my arms until we get to our seats. You know your tiny beautiful feets of yours, are not supposed to touch the ground. Wish they have invented a safe jetpack to function as wings, but i know how you would respond to that "

They both answered " it wont fit my dress." and they both laughed so hard, they know each other better than anyone, that they think alike now. That's a strong factor she always looked for, when she thought about love, " our minds and souls have to meet before our bodies does ".

It seems like a happy ending, doesn't it? But how did they meet, a billionaire young gentleman and a struggling poor girl. Ah... My bad... poor is not the right word to use though, she was hardly just scraping by. Was it a hit of luck, or a prayer on one of those desperate nights. How did this struggle even begin?

Harmonie, our beautiful girl, was born in the United States of America, specifically in California. She always loved to be by the coast, where she felt a refreshing breeze and a strong connection. This connection only kept increasing with time, because it was no more about the breeze, but that sense of freedom. You look at the sea and you feel the never ending water, the flying seagulls and the fishes that get out to say hi from time to time. It also reminded her of the stories of mermaids that her mother used to tell her. So, it all started at the age of five.

- "Jack, come here honey, harmonie is taking her first steps... "

-"Look at those tiny feets of her, she must have taken that from you sweetheart" Jack responded to his wife Camellia.

Camellia smiles and keeps her eyes on her beautiful little cute girl.

- " She has a bright future, just like her dad, she will conquer the sea one day."

Jack scratches the back of his head and says with a smile : " I am just a fisher honey, I am sure she can be something greater, I fully believe in her, she has a strong spirit".

Harmonie's parents were living in a small wooden house by the sea, where the father used to go fish everyday, to bring food and sell some of the fish, to save for other necessity products. While the mother helped by cooking those fresh fishes, she used to make beautiful seashells accessories and sell them, to help her husband save a little bit more.

The wooden house wasn't theirs, they were renting it from a nice old man who knew how hard their life was and did not want to be another obstacle in the way of this energetic young couple. When it came to rent, he took the least from them, and they appreciated that and used to give him extra fish they could not sell, and even cook it for him, because his wife had passed away long ago.

- The oldman, "his name, if I recall correctly, was Eric"

In harmonie words: "I still remember his face, too. How can I forget him? He used to buy me candy every time he saw me. Well sweets wasn't something I get everyday, so surely I will keep such a memory. He was Tall, thin oldman, he smiled only in the faces of the people so he does not bring any sad environment to his entourage. I recall many times I passed by his house, it was not too far from ours, and I did hear him cry in many of those. Well what do you expect, he was married to his beautiful wife for eternity, i mean ... I did not see her ... but I am sure we marry those who look just like us, and he was a sweet man himself, so no doubt she was his gorgeous Mermaid.

"I honestly never heard him talk about her. Well ... I understand he would never be able to hold back the tears. I was never able when it came to my parents anyway. I always thought it's about strength, but turned out that crying was way stronger than being calm, or so i felt with time going, "

Camellia and Jack, were the sweetest parents ever, and the only family Harmonie had. She has no relatives that she can recall, since her parents moved away when they were young, so she never had the chance to see her grandparents or cousins. But she never felt alone when they were around, she used to go fishing sometimes with her dad, and then help her mom cook.

It was not a great help for sure, she was just 5, but by just watching she brought them happiness and hope to keep fighting their daily hardships. In the night her mother used to read her mermaid stories. So as a child she has only seen her mother as one of those mermaids, her beauty was indescribable, Harmonie inherited all of it from her mom.

Jack used to describe Camillia as follows: " I married a Queen with long Blonde silky hair, a little shorter than me, so she needs me to get to those high shelves, I always found that romantic... She had blue eyes just like mine and those of our lovely child, you can see the sea horizon when she looks straight at you. I was so lucky she even gave me a chance."

For me I can recall, "she was always wearing dresses, a true Queen, bare feets, because nothing can make those feets of her any prettier. She had many seashell accessories around her wrist, leg and neck. They made sea sounds when she moved, you can easily tell that the mermaid arrived, miles away."

Swimming, that was a skill very necessary to learn from a young age. For me, it was the most super fun activity of my day, since we didn't have tv or internet, so nature was everything there to enjoy. Imagine having the opportunity as a child to shower under the sun the whole day. I ended up with sun kisses most of the time but I could never stop myself from splashing water the whole day. My dad was the one that taught me how to swim. He always thought I would need it since fishing in the seas isn't the safest job and knowing one or two tricks to save the day would be a great help for me, " I wish it was handy for them, I wish it everyday ".

It's true we were living by the same sea, but mine was all about sand castles and water splashes, while theirs was a true struggle of survival. Nothing more dangerous than fishing in the middle of the sea, especially in winter, it was cloudy most of the time and vision was nearly impossible in the depth they sometimes reached to fish. They only took me with them in summer and short trips, they sure didn't want to make me see the dark side of the beauty I admire.

Until now, we can describe Harmonie's childhood as the perfect kids story to tell. But those brief five years of happiness was the fuel of a long life struggle she was obliged to go through.

It was one of those winter days, the wooden house we lived in was not that solid and cold was a must during that period. We used to wear heavy clothes and stick together throughout the season eating sea soups and warm drinks all day long.

That fateful day was no different from what we were used to. But there has been a storm for five days now, and there was nothing left for us to eat.

-"Jack, we are matured, we can take this hunger, but Harmonie is so young, she is growing, and she hasn't eaten properly since this storm has started '' Camellia said quietly so she doesn't wake up sleeping Harmonie, or stress out her beloved husband.

-"You are right sweetheart, I have to go out, bring us food, the boat has made it through harder days, " Jack responded to his wife Camellia.

She quickly helped him prepare his tools and set the boat and she gave him a long hug, like if she felt it was goodbye, she surely knew it was dangerous but that was not new to the couple, so they always prayed, and asked god to keep them safe for each other and for the sake of their little cute child.

Harmonie was not yet awake, when her dad was already in the middle of the sea, in the middle of the storm and in the middle of a miserable day to always remember. Few hours into the morning Harmonie wakes up, hungry more than ever, she goes directly to her mom to express that feeling. She could see the worrying on her mother's face, but as a child it was not easy to translate those feelings.

- '' So where is dad, mom? I am so hungry, isn't he awake yet?" the young child asked.

- " He is out there catching some tasty fish for us, he also mentioned that if he gets lucky we can have shrimp soup today." the mom replied while patting on the head of her young girl.

The day goes by and with every hour the mom gets even more worried, "Jack has been out there for three hours already and the weather isn't getting any better. It's so cloudy and the storm is getting harsher and harsher, he needs to come back before it gets darker " Camellia kept thinking inside her head.

Camellia wasn't exaggerating, the sea was nothing like before, it was just as if it was angry at us, the waves were as high as the skies and it was hard to see any blue either up the skies or down the sea. Dark clouds, Darker than black that is how it felt in the heart of the wife and the child as they were waiting in hunger and cold for the arrival of the dad, all worried it would get even worse where he was.

Those worries were surely in place, since it has been seven hours, darkness has taken over and both girls are standing in front of the huge waves waiting to see any sign of Jack. The view can only be described as two tiny creatures standing before mountains and mountains of waves.

The mom got worried to a point she had to do something, so she took Harmonie inside and told her.

-" Baby, i am little bit worried about dad, I have to go get help I want you to stay here and warm up so you can be ready for food once me and your dad come back safely"

The little girl looked in her mom's eyes, those blue eyes were full of tears waiting to get out, she was just holding them to be strong in front of her five years old kid. It's just like rain in perfectly blue skies.

- " Mom, do not go please let's call grandpa" by grandpa she meant the old man Eric, she thought he can help.

- " I will, darling" her mother said, in a soft voice. And before she left she looked behind and sat on her knees and pulled out a small necklace made with a black strong thread, and a butterfly shaped shell attached to its end. " Baby this was supposed to be a good luck charm for your upcoming birthday, I made it myself and I am sure it will look so amazing around your beautiful neck, sweetpie" That's what my mother used to call me " Sweetpie".

I was surely in surprise why would a young girl get her present a month before her birthday, aren't they going to make me one. We don't have money or time for that I thought as a young child to myself. The truth was way beyond that, it's said, that mother above all creatures, has a feeling of what is gonna happen in the near future, especially if it endangers her beloved ones. My mom was feeling it's not gonna end like fairy tales where we all eat and drink shrimp soup, so she tried to tell me goodbyes without really making me feel it may be the last time I see her.

Do I wish she told me what she felt frankly? No, not a bit. I prefer my memory to be as perfect as it is.

The mom then quickly got out of the wooden house, that is at this point full of water from rain and high waves. She, as I told her, went directly to Eric's house, woke him up and asked him to help her. He prepared his boat to sail and search for him, he was so brave to even risk his life, for total strangers like us. But he was beautiful from the inside as his smile was on the outside.

On that day sadly, my mom insisted she should go, she cried a lot while holding to his clothes, " Eric, please do not leave me all cracked and in fear, take me with you I know I can help, especially if we imagine the worst case scenario, you will not be able to lift him on your own." And so they sailed and their shadows vanished in the dark horizon, leaving me with no last goodbyes and a life that no child should go through.