He gave me a faint smile. “You don’t need to thank me. I’m just glad you’re giving me a chance.”
Wilfred was my childhood friend. He was also the person I was originally betrothed to in an arranged marriage. If everything had gone as planned, he would have been my husband years ago. But I had thrown everything away for Nathan, falling for his sweet words and relentless pursuit. Now, years later, Wilfred was still here, helping me when I had nothing left.
“For now, you’ll stay here. Don’t worry; Nathan won’t find you. I’ve arranged for a doctor. I believe you can recover,” Wilfred said gently.
I nodded. His words ignited a faint glimmer of hope in my otherwise bleak life. The next day, I started treatment for my speech disorder. I had been trying to recover from my muteness since it was first diagnosed, but every attempt had ended in failure. I had long since given up hope. Yet Wilfred hadn’t given up on me—not even when Nathan and I had. The thought filled me with guilt.
Every day, I attended therapy sessions to practice speaking and communicating. Wilfred accompanied me without fail. He stayed by my side, encouraging me through language and communication exercises. Every small improvement brought him immense joy. Even when I managed to utter unclear, garbled sounds, he would beam with pride.
After what felt like an eternity of practice, I was finally able to say a complete sentence, though it came out haltingly and unevenly.
One day, after weeks of practice, Wilfred came to me with hands behind his back.
“Look, if you can say a sentence, I’ll give you a present,” he teased.
Meow. The faint sound gave away his surprise gift—a kitten. Embarrassed, he scratched his head as I laughed softly.
“Tha-thank you…W-wil…fred,” My words came out stilted, each syllable deliberated, but to Wilfred, it was a monumental breakthrough. It was also the first time I had ever said his name.
But Wilfred’s eyes welled with tears. Setting the kitten aside, he wrapped me in a tight embrace. Perhaps it was the warmth of his unwavering companionship, after all these years that I didn’t resist him. After a brief hesitation, I even hugged him back.
