Love stories with happy endings are often complicated. This is something that Penny Umbers and Mark Bethel know perfectly, a couple from England and the Bahamas, respectively, whose romance dates back to adolescence, right in the 60s when they were studying at the same university.
Their love seemed indestructible. However, racism on the part of Penny’s father ended up driving them away, as he believed that his daughter should not spend the rest of her life with a man of color and did everything in his power to keep them away. After 40 years, the couple met again, began a courtship and married as they always dreamed of.
Mark Bethel, originally from the Bahamas, was just 16 when he came to Trent College boarding school on a scholarship to study in Europe. There he met Penny Umbers, with whom he fell in love at first sight.
Their romance was mutual, they spent hours studying, going for a walk and talking about the future they wanted to have together. Their love grew and strengthened with the days, to the extent that upon entering university, their relationship remained firm despite attending different institutions. Their acquaintances believed that they had a fairytale relationship and they did, because as in these stories, there was a villain. This was Penny’s father, a man of racist ideals who did not approve of his daughter being with an Afro-descendant man.
On more than one occasion, her father asked Penny to end her relationship with Mark, but she refused. Then the man did something unimaginable: He threatened to revoke his scholarship and deport him to the Bahamas if he did not leave Penny. Mark did not have enough resources to study on his own and he did not have a family in Europe to help him, so he was forced to end his love with Penny.
It had no power. I was more than four thousand kilometers from my home in a foreign country. It was totally dependent on my scholarship. It was heartbreaking.
-Mark
When the relationship ended, Penny fell into a deep depression that prevented her from continuing with her studies. She later gave love a chance and was married twice, but none of her marriages worked out and she ended up getting divorced. Deep in her heart she knew she was still in love with Mark. For his part, Mark finished his studies, became a successful businessman, but never got over Penny’s love, remaining single for nearly two decades.
Luckily, and due to social networks, the couple met again. After searching for her for a long time, Mark sent her a private message asking if it was really about his lost love. Penny answered yes and traveled to the Bahamas to see her lover one more time. The moment was so emotional that they both cried with joy. In addition, the two maintained that gaze of love that at some point was their engine of life.
Mark wasn’t about to lose her again and proposed as soon as she got off the plane. Penny accepted the proposal, she had spent years waiting to be with the love of her life. They are currently married, maintain a relationship full of respect, admiration and love and have even written a book in which they share their story with the rest of the lovers.
There is no doubt that true love always comes into our lives, regardless of time, distance or adversity.
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
