Although that day started like any ordinary day, I came into the restaurant where I worked as the head chef and quickly prepared a dish for my favorite customer, though I must admit, he never paid.
I carefully packed it into a to-go container and went out to the back of the restaurant, where Sam was already waiting.
“Hey, here’s your avocado toast with poached egg and bacon, sir,” I said, handing Sam the container.
“Thanks, Renee, you’re always too kind to me,” Sam replied, taking the container.
The thing is, Sam was homeless, though he was only about 30 years old. I didn’t know how he ended up on the streets, and I didn’t want to ask—it seemed rude.
“Listen, you’re the only one who’s been kind to me and didn’t treat me like I was beneath you. I want to tell you something,” Sam said. He looked so serious, but suddenly my phone started ringing, interrupting him.
I took my phone out of my pocket and saw that it was my grandmother calling. “Sorry, I have to take this,” I said to Sam.
My grandmother had been sick for a long time, and I didn’t know how much time she had left, though the doctors said not much. I couldn’t afford the luxury of ignoring her calls.
I picked up the phone. “Hi, Grandma. Is everything okay?” I asked anxiously.
“I’m worried, Renee. I’m afraid I won’t make it to your wedding,” my grandmother said.
“We’ve done everything to make sure you’ll be there,” I said. “It’s next week,” I added, looking at my wedding ring.
Even though my fiancé Michael had proposed, we weren’t planning on getting married so quickly.
We thought we’d wait a year, save some money, plan everything out, but for Grandma’s sake, we had to arrange the wedding as quickly as possible.
“Okay, I just wanted to make sure,” Grandma said.
“It will be fine,” I said, and Grandma hung up.
I turned back to Sam. “So, what did you want to talk about?” I asked.
“Nothing, forget about it,” Sam said. “I didn’t know you were getting married,” he added.
“Yeah, Michael proposed just two weeks ago, but life is unpredictable, as you can see,” I said.
Sam nodded. “Thanks,” he said, lifting the container of food up. He sat down on one of the crates and started eating.
I went back to the restaurant to start working. When lunchtime came, I went outside to eat my lunch and get away from the chaos in the kitchen.
I also needed to take lunch to Sam. But as soon as I stepped outside and saw what was in front of me, plates crashed to the asphalt, breaking with a loud noise.
Michael, my fiancé, was standing outside the restaurant, kissing some woman.
“What the…?!” I screamed.
“Renee?! What are you doing here? I thought you were off today!” Michael shouted, pulling away from the woman.
“We’re getting married next week! And you’re kissing some other woman?!” I yelled.
“I just wanted to have one last fling,” Michael casually replied.
“You don’t need to worry anymore, you’ll have plenty of time to play around!” I screamed, took off my ring, and threw it at his feet.
“Renee, calm down, it’s just a fling, I only love you,” Michael said.
“You said you loved me!” screamed the woman, slapping Michael before storming off.
Michael looked at me, his hand on his red, slapped cheek. “Let’s talk about this, why cancel the wedding?” he said.
“Because I’m not marrying a jerk like you!” I screamed.
I went to the back of the restaurant to quietly let out all my emotions. I cried, kicked some trash, wanted to scream, but I knew I couldn’t let myself do that.
“Everything okay?” I heard a voice behind me as I kicked another box.
I turned around and saw Sam. At that moment, I sat down on the ground and started crying loudly.
“Michael cheated on me,” I said.
“Oh… sorry to hear that,” Sam said, sitting next to me. He took off his torn jacket and laid it on the ground. “Don’t sit on the cold,” he said.
“Thanks,” I said, sitting on his jacket. “I don’t know what to do, the wedding is in a week, and my fiancé turned out to be a jerk.”
“Can’t you just cancel it?” Sam asked.
“Seeing me as a bride was my grandmother’s last wish, you could say. She spent all her life savings to make sure the wedding happened. I can’t tell her it won’t happen,” I said.
Sam looked at me sadly. “You’ve always been so kind to me, always helping. I wish I could help you somehow,” he said.
I looked at him, and suddenly, it hit me. “Actually… you can help me,” I said.
“How?” Sam asked, surprised.
“Marry me,” I said.
Sam laughed, but then saw the seriousness on my face. “Wait, are you serious?” he asked.
“Yeah, absolutely,” I said.
“But I… I’m a bum,” Sam said.
“I don’t care,” I said. “You’re a good person, and that’s what matters to me. And honestly—I can’t take any more lies.”
“I…”
“It’s all going to be fake, just a game for Grandma, in case you’re worried about that,” I said.
“I don’t even know what to say,” Sam said.
“Please, Sam, you wanted to help me,” I said.
Sam hesitated, but eventually answered, “Okay, let’s do it.”
“Yay!” I yelled, hugging him.
We both got up from the ground, I brushed off Sam’s jacket and handed it back to him.
“Wait for me outside the restaurant, you can stay with me for a while to make it believable,” I said before walking away.
“Wait, Renee, I need to tell you something,” Sam called after me.
“Let’s talk later, I’ve already stayed too long on my break,” I said and went back into the restaurant.
That evening, Sam came with me to my house. I had some of Michael’s things left, so I gave them to Sam so he could shower and change.
While Sam was in the shower, I was on the phone with my mom.
“What do you mean, the fiancé isn’t Michael?” my mom asked, surprised.
“That’s just how life goes,” I replied.
“You’re going to drive me crazy one day,” my mom said.
“Mom, don’t worry…” but I couldn’t finish because Sam came out of the bathroom, and he looked completely different. He looked… he looked… attractive.
He had shaved, his hair was carefully styled, and Michael’s clothes were too small for him because Sam had muscles. I couldn’t say a word, just stared at him like a monkey at the zoo.
“Renee? Hello? Renee?” my mom shouted through the phone.
“I’ll call you back,” I said, hanging up.
“Everything okay?” Sam asked.
Only then did I realize I’d been staring at him without blinking.
“Yeah,” I stretched out. “Mom asked when we’re coming.” I lied.
“When you want,” Sam shrugged.
“Thanks for agreeing to all this,” I said.
“Well, I think it’ll be harder for you,” Sam said.
“Why?” I asked.
“People will talk about you marrying a bum,” he said.
“No one needs to know,” I said.
“Aren’t your coworkers going to be at the wedding?” Sam asked.
“Oh…” it just hit me that my coworkers knew Sam.
“It doesn’t matter, I don’t care what people say. The only thing that’s always mattered to me is that a person is good. And you’re a good person, Sam,” I said.
“Thanks,” Sam replied, smiling.
In the few days we lived together (in separate rooms, of course), I learned a lot about Sam.
He was an amazing cook, could make the bed like in a hotel, and he was smart. Incredibly smart.
People like him should be teaching at universities, not living like Sam did. But I still couldn’t bring myself to ask how he ended up on the streets.
Two days before the wedding, Sam and I went to visit my mom and grandma.
They immediately liked him, and my grandma kept saying that Sam was better than Michael. And she was right.
And then the big day arrived—the wedding day. I was so nervous, it felt like a real wedding, not a fake one.
We arrived at the hotel where the ceremony and celebration were supposed to take place, and I already heard guests whispering that I was marrying a homeless man and that he was just using me. Sam looked scared, so I took his hand.
“Don’t listen to them, you’re amazing, no matter what they say,” I told him.
“Thanks,” Sam said, but the fear didn’t leave his face. “Is the wedding going to be at this hotel?”
“Yeah, why? Is there a problem?” I asked.
“No, it’s just—”
But Sam didn’t finish, and a bunch of staff surrounded us.
“Sam, you’re finally back,” “Should we prepare the best room for you?” “We’re so happy to have you back with us,” the staff said.
I didn’t understand what was going on. “Sam, are you famous or something?” I asked.
“Of course he’s famous, he’s the son of the owner of this hotel chain, and their future owner,” the administrator said.
“What?!” I gasped.
“I tried to tell you, but…” Sam started to explain.
“But what? You decided to lie to me?!” I yelled.
“For me, it doesn’t matter, it’s just small stuff,” Sam said.
“Small stuff?! Hiding the fact that you’re actually a millionaire, not a homeless man, is not small stuff!” I shouted.
“How dare you talk to him like that!” the administrator shouted. “Who are you even?”
“Are you mocking me? There’s no wedding! All I asked was for you not to lie to me!” I screamed.
“I wanted to tell you, I just didn’t know how. And for me, none of this really matters,” Sam said.
“Then what does matter to you?!” I shouted.
Sam opened his mouth, like he wanted to say something, but stayed silent.
I ran off, not wanting to see him, not wanting to see anyone. That’s how I ended up on the hotel roof. I don’t know how long I stood there before I heard a voice behind me.
“You,” Sam said.
I frowned and turned to him. “What?”
“You matter,” Sam said.
“Maybe it’s time to stop lying?” I asked.
“But it’s the truth, I’ve been in love with you for a long time, and the way you treated me, despite my status, only confirmed that you’re a good person,” Sam said.
“How did you end up homeless? I never dared to ask, because I thought it would hurt you, but now I realize I should’ve,” I said.
“My dad… he wanted me to start working in the hotels, but I just wanted life, I wanted to travel, see the world. He told me to leave if I didn’t want that, so I did. Without money, without anything. I ended up on the streets, and honestly, those were the happiest six months of my life,” Sam said.
“But why trade all that for life on the streets?” I asked.
“I traded it for freedom,” Sam said. “But I don’t want to be homeless anymore, not since I fell in love with you.”
“You lied to me,” I said.
“I know, and I’m so sorry. I promise I’ll only tell the truth from now on,” Sam said.
I nodded. “If we’re telling the truth, then I’ll admit—I feel the same about you,” I said.
“So, should the wedding happen?” Sam asked.
“A fake wedding, but yeah, I don’t want to disappoint Grandma,” I said.
Sam smiled and extended his hand to me. I took his hand, and together we walked to the courtyard where the ceremony was supposed to take place. I stopped right before the altar.
“Everything okay?” Sam asked.
“Yeah, I just want to do something before we go out there,” I said.
Then I placed my hand on his face and pulled him into a kiss. Sam kissed me like no one ever had before. Like I was the only person that mattered in this world.
