To be young and free is nirvana. Like the exhilaration of summiting a mountain, or the nostalgia that flows through you when listening to Coltrane. A moment isolated from space and time in which the only thing in existence is that one singular feeling. That’s how I felt the day I married you.

‘Reckless’ and ‘mistake’ were words frequently spoken later by those who didn’t understand, but not once did they enter my mind as we raced our rental Vespa to the nearest wedding chapel. Just you and me under the Mediterranean sun. I never desired the formality of a traditional wedding. Walking down an aisle with dozens of eyes bursting through our little universe. A moment meant just for us shared with everyone and their dog. It just didn’t sit right with me.

I cannot bring myself to regret a night that will remain forever ours and no one else’s. But little did I know it would become a source of disappointment for those in my orbit. That elation for me brought sadness to another because they couldn’t be a part it. After all, what is life if you don’t have people to share it with. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t change it for anything.