Love at the top of THE WORLD
Our lives were so very different. Could it ever work?
Although both shy, we chatted endlessly
Making my way back down the mountain, my legs were like jelly.
I’m exhausted,
I thought, clinging to my guide Alpha, 27, and struggling to catch my breath.
It was September last year and I’d spent the last four days trekking up Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
Standing at the summit, peering over snow-capped mountains at 19,000ft, I’d felt exhilarated.
It’d been worth every step. When my dad Steve, 62, first asked me to join him when he’d signed up at the beginning of the year, I’d said no.
I’d been overweight, in an unhappy marriage. Stuck in a rut.
Only, that June, I’d finally filed for divorce.
Climbing Kilimanjaro with Dad seemed the perfect way to celebrate my new independence.
And, although challenging, it’d been incredible.
But now, as Alpha wrapped his strong arm around my waist, it wasn’t just the altitude making my heart race.
‘You’re doing great,’ he smiled, holding me tighter.
‘Thanks,’ I beamed back, looking into his dark-brown eyes.
I felt my stomach flip. Handsome and kind, Alpha had made a beeline
for me when Dad and I joined the trek four days earlier. Although both shy, we’d chatted endlessly about my life in England, his in Africa. Our experiences couldn’t have been more different, but we formed a strong friendship.
And maybe even more?
‘I don’t want you to go,’ he frowned later as I packed my rucksack to leave camp.
Kissing him on the cheek, I gave him my number, before Dad and I travelled to Zanzibar for a few days.
But as we relaxed on the beach, my phone didn’t stop pinging with messages from Alpha.
I miss you, he wrote.
I miss you, too, I replied, shielding my phone from Dad.
He didn’t know how close we’d become.
And with my divorce still not finalised, I wanted to keep my budding romance a secret.
Back home, I returned to my accountancy job, but Alpha and I stayed in touch.
Video-calling each other in the evenings for hours.
I knew I was falling for him.
Then... ‘I love you,’ he confessed one night last November.
‘Me, too!’ I beamed.
So when he suggested I flew out and visit, I jumped at the chance.
Packing my things to return to Tanzania a few weeks later, I’d never been happier.
Only, not
everyone was supportive of my decision.
‘I don’t trust him,’ one old friend frowned.
‘Well, I do,’ I insisted. My parents weren’t happy either.
‘What if you’re making a big mistake?’ my mum Rose, 68, worried.
‘Only one way to find out,’ I told her as I left on New Year’s Eve.
And running straight into Alpha’s arms at the airport in Tanzania, I knew this wasn’t a mistake.
I’d never been more sure. That night, we watched fireworks from our hotel window and shared our first kiss.
Pure magic.
Alpha took me swimming, exploring.
I even met his family. They welcomed me with open arms.
Before I’d even said goodbye to Alpha two weeks later, I’d booked flights to visit again, this March.
That trip was just as special. Me and Alpha may have been from different worlds, but being together felt right.
This April, a few weeks before my next visit, I bought Alpha a gold ring with a semi-precious Blue John stone that’s only found in my parent’s home county, Derbyshire.
When I gave it to him, Alpha was overcome with emotion. ‘Thank you,’ he choked.
A few days before I flew out, my solicitor had told me my divorce had come through. I told Alpha. ‘So you’re a free woman now?’ Alpha asked, grinning. I nodded, relieved. ‘Maybe I’ll ask you to marry me,’ I joked. ‘That’s my job,’ he smiled. My heart thudded.
‘So you would then?’ I grinned.
‘Yes,’ he beamed. Although we’d only known each other seven months, it felt so right. That day, we went to the local council offices to find out if we could marry. It turned out we could. We were so excited.
I bought myself a white-gold ring with a blue Tanzanite stone – only found in Tanzania. And a few days later, we exchanged vows at the local council offices.
It was a run-down, old building, and I wore a simple summer dress.
A world away from my first wedding, which I’d spent years planning.
But with Alpha, I had everything I needed.
Saying goodbye to my new husband at the airport was a wrench.
But I’m jetting off again any day now.
For now, he’s still doing tours up Kilimanjaro, although we’ll apply for a visa soon, so Alpha can live with me in the UK.
My parents came round to our relationship eventually. They can see how happy Alpha makes me.
Yet some friends have distanced themselves, distrustful of my romance.
I know some people judge me for marrying Alpha. Think that he’s only in it for the visa.
But I know he’s the real deal. Besides, isn’t love always a bit of a risk?
We’d only known each other seven months