Neither of us was adopted. Families came and went, picking the younger, cuter, “easier” kids. By 17, we were veterans of the system. We helped the younger ones, became unofficial big siblings. The staff started calling us “the duo.”
When we aged out at 18, it was terrifying. The orphanage gave us each a small stipend, some clothes, and a list of resources. No family. No safety net. Just each other.
We found a tiny studio apartment in a rough neighborhood. The walls were thin, the heat unreliable, the fridge hummed like a dying animal. We both got jobs—me at a diner, Noah doing data entry from home because the bus system wasn’t always accessible. College was community college at first, then transfers with scholarships we fought for tooth and nail.
Those years tested us. There were nights we ate plain rice and beans. Nights I cried in the bathroom because I felt like we’d never escape poverty. Noah would wheel himself over, pull me into his lap, and hold me tight. “We’re building something real, Maya. Brick by brick.”
Our friendship deepened into love slowly, naturally. It wasn’t fireworks; it was the quiet certainty of knowing someone’s soul. Our first kiss happened on the fire escape during a rare clear night. He tasted like the cheap coffee we drank too much of. I remember thinking, *This is home.*
He proposed five years later, after we’d both graduated—me with a degree in education, him in computer engineering. He’d saved for months to buy a simple silver ring with a tiny diamond chip. We were at the park where we’d sometimes picnic on our days off. He wheeled up to me, took my hand, and said, “Maya Thompson, you’ve been my family since I was nine. Marry me. Let’s make it official.”
I said yes through tears.
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The wedding was small, just as the prompt described. Twenty people max—former orphanage staff who’d become mentors, a few college friends, the couple who owned the diner where I worked. We held it in a community center with folding chairs and fairy lights we strung ourselves. I wore a simple white dress from a thrift store that a friend altered beautifully. Noah looked handsome in a rented black suit, his wheelchair decorated with flowers.
