There are many people but only one love.

We met in front of the big elevator, bumping into each other. We started laughing. He was going to have a coffee and asked me to join him, unless I was in a hurry. I said I wasn’t. In fact, I haven’t been in a hurry for years. Even though I still prefer to finish on time whatever has to be done, I’ve learned long ago that there will always be tomorrow. What I can’t accomplish today, I can always do the following day. Life is too short to be wasted on doing nothing, you may say, but I think that sometimes even this ‘nothingness’ isn’t meaningless at all.

Our friendship has deepened. There are lots of things that connect us: our interests, activities, similar jobs (I work for the municipal government and he is with the revenue agency). There is no lack of physical attraction and chemistry between us. Even if I knew how to describe that incredible passion, you wouldn’t believe me!

The other interest we share is sport. It’s still uncommon for a girl to be so sporty, but for me it is imperative. I’ve tried many sports; I actively play volleyball, I swim, I dive … I only haven’t tried parachuting.

My boyfriend lives in a ground level apartment. His parents are often in their cottage. This has turned out to be quite convenient when our relationship started to blossom.

In the course of several months, our love has grown, as have I. My God, we were so happy! Our parents cried when they heard the news.

We found an agency which took care of the entire wedding ceremony, to the last detail. We picked a hotel—Panorama—from the brochure, without too much deliberation.

On the wedding day, we took the car and left his house early to make sure we hadn’t overlooked anything important. The hotel looked nice and simple, without many luxurious details, a showcase of the former socialistic era.

We walked towards the entrance, but came to sudden halt. This is impossible! There were only impassable stairs. I turned around, looking for the access for disabled people, but there wasn’t any.

My groom recovered first from his disappointment. “Stairs aren’t an obstacle for two paraplegics! We have our arms!” he said.

And just like when we first met in front of the big elevator, our wheelchairs collided with a loud bang, and we started laughing wholeheartedly. He kissed me and raised first his and then mine  mighty palms.

(Translated by J. Furtinger)

About the author: Jasmina Hanjalic is the author of several books of poetry and short stories. She lives in Sarajevo, Bosnia, where she works an an ER doctor. This story is posted on my blog with the her  kind permission.