When Sylvia got out of her car in a beautiful white dress on her wedding day, she looked out into the church parking lot and asked her sister, «Do any of these expensive vehicles look familiar?»
When her sister said no, Sylvia thought it was strange because the man she was marrying was not wealthy. In fact, he worked as a janitor in her neighborhood, and she was sure he had no friends or relatives who might have those expensive cars.
«They must belong to other people,» she said to herself, before her bridesmaids helped her across the entrance to the church. She stayed in the preparation room until her mother called out to her.
«Come on, Sylvia,» her mother said. «It’s time for you to walk down the aisle with your father.»
Until that moment, Sylvia had not seen her fiancé, Roberto. As she walked on her father’s arm, she saw him at the altar and could barely recognize him.
Then, she looked around and noticed the lavish decorations in the church.
«These must have cost a lot of money, how did Roberto manage to get them?» she wondered.
As soon as she reached the altar and looked at Roberto, she felt her head spinning.
«I’m going to faint. This can’t be true,» she said to herself.
The man she assumed was a janitor was waiting for her at the altar looking like a millionaire, dressed in a designer suit and expensive shoes.
A month ago, Sylvia was walking home after buying food for the people at the shelter where she was volunteering. She was a kind-hearted girl who loved to help those around her, including helpless animals.
On the tour, a sweat-soaked young man cleaning the yard of a large house in her neighborhood caught her eye. Having never seen him around, she thought he must be an employee of the wealthy family who lived there.
Watching him work in the scorching heat made her feel sick, so she pulled a bottle of water and a sandwich out of her bag.
«Here you go! This is for you,» she said, as she handed him the groceries.
«For me? Oh, that’s very nice of you!» the man replied.
«You must be hungry after working so hard. Did you start cleaning gardens in this neighborhood recently? I haven’t seen you before,» Sylvia asked.
The young man hesitated uncertainly, and Sylvia understood that he was not comfortable with her questioning.
«Never mind. Please enjoy the sandwich — it’s really good!» she told him.
The man unwrapped the sandwich and took a bite.
«This is delicious! The meat is super juicy. Is it Jamón Ibérico de Bellota?» he asked.
«No,» Sylvia laughed. «It’s just a regular pepperoni sandwich from the grocery store. Nothing special.»
As the man ate his sandwich, Sylvia introduced herself and asked his name.
«I’m Roberto,» he replied.
«It’s a pleasure to meet you, Roberto!» said Sylvia with a smile. «I hope to see you here again.»
Soon, Sylvia and Roberto became friends, after their frequent encounters in the garden of the same house in their neighborhood. It didn’t take long for them to fall in love.
Two weeks after their first meeting, they went on a date. He didn’t have a car when he arrived to pick her up, and asked her if she would feel comfortable walking with him down the street to the nearest restaurant.
«No problem, Roberto. I love walking,» she replied happily. They held hands and began walking to the restaurant.
«So, what do you do in your spare time?» she asked.
Roberto was surprised to see her interested in his hobbies.
«No one has ever asked me this question before,» she said.
«Really, it’s a very basic question!». The young woman laughed.
After dinner and getting to know each other better, they were walking down the street when suddenly Roberto stopped and took Sylvia’s hand.
«What are you doing?» she asked.
«Will you marry me?» he asked, down on one knee.
«My God!», Sylvia covered her face with her hands. «Of course I will!» she affirmed excitedly.
They embraced and Roberto said in her ear, «You’re going to get a surprise!».
«What surprise?» she asked.
«You’ll find out the day we get married!» he replied mischievously.
Two weeks later, Roberto was standing at the altar and Sylvia was looking at him with wide eyes. All this time, she thought he was a janitor, but in reality, he was a millionaire.
«I never told you about my business because I wanted to be sure you were the right one,» he told her.
«What do you mean?» the bride asked, not coming out of her astonishment.
«You were the first girl who liked me for my personality, not my wealth. You never cared about money. My interests, nature and values were all that mattered to you, and that made me fall in love with you,» said the groom.
Roberto took her hand.
«I was looking for a girl, and when I met you, I was sure that girl was you.»
«You know what the best thing about you is?» he asked her. «You don’t need money to enjoy life. You find joy in the simplest things, like spending time with the poor and feeding dogs. You’re the woman I’ve always wanted!».
On that day, Sylvia married a millionaire instead of a janitor and celebrated her big day in one of the most beautiful parks in the city. She never imagined that her kindness would radically change her life.
