Once upon a time, there was a girl named Rapunzel. Rapunzel was head over heels in love with her suitor Finn. The two had been together for quite some time and couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Rapunzel only had to keep it a secret from her mother because she knew that her mum would not approve romantic relationship yet- but apart from that their love almost seemed too good to be true...
Apparently, it was.
Corona crashed their cloud 9. When the lockdown started, there was no way for Rapunzel and her lover to meet up in secret anymore.
At first, Rapunzel used her dog as an excuse. She took long, extensive walks, just to meet Finn outside the city. Where they would not be seen by anyone else.
Time seemed to stand still, as shops and schools closed, and people worked from home. Through the weeks, the couple became bolder. “My mum does not suspect anything,”, Rapunzel whispered, “I think it’s safe for us to walk home together.”
As they arrived at Rapunzel’s house, Finn bent over to kiss her goodbye. “I’ll see you tomorrow”, he mumbled. Suddenly, the door opened with a screech.
“What the hell? Who are YOU?”- It was Rapunzel’s mother, looking at the young couple with horror in her eyes. “Rapunzel, come right in with me!”, she grabbed her daughter’s hand and pulled her inside, without giving her a chance to say goodbye.
Ever since Rapunzel’s mother caught the twosome, Finn hadn’t been able to see her. Her mum had taken her phone and locked her inside their apartment like in the fairy tale which’s name he just could not think of. He told himself that this could not go on for long, Rapunzel would get her phone back and reach out to him, but it didn’t happen... One evening, after an online gaming session and a few beers with his friends he decided: He would just go to her house. Maybe he could slip in an anonymous letter for Rapunzel or something.
As Finn walked towards Rapunzel’s house, he could see someone sitting in the window. For a second, his heart stopped a beat: “Please let this not be her mum!”, he thought to himself. But as he got close, he recognized Rapunzel. Lost in thought, she held a glass of wine and looked down the street. When she saw him, a smile crossed her face. She opened the window: “Hi!” “Hey...” he replied.
They talked for hours and hours. Only when it started to get dark her mom suddenly showed up on the street. “Huh, Rapunzel and... you!” She almost dropped her shopping bags on the ground. “I’m sorry, I just couldn’t-” Finn tried to explain. “No excuses! I’ll talk to my daughter.” Rapunzel's mother stopped him harshly. She disappeared inside and Rapunzel vanished from the window, leaving Finn all by himself on the street. Alone, once again.
On his way back, Finn’s mind filled with regret. Why did he let this happen? For the second time! And why was Rapunzel’s mother so... oddly strict and conservative? (He thought this in slightly more vulgare words)
Finn gave it a week until he could not bear it anymore. There was no way to contact Rapunzel, there was nothing to distract him. He could not meet friends, go out for drinks, do anything. He felt isolated and alone. He made a decision: He would go to her house and talk directly to Rapunzel’s mother. He would just explain to her that he was a good guy, that they could take measurements to responsibly meet with each other, that they would work it out...
When Finn arrived at Rapunzel’s house and walked up the staircase to her flat, it was her mother welcoming him: “I was just waiting to see when you would show up again.” She greeted him with pitiless expression on her face. “This really needs to stop, you see-“, “I want to talk to you.” Finn interrupted her. “I know, you don’t like me, but I really love your daughter...” “No, I will talk to you.” Her mother stopped him. Swiftly, her face softened a bit. “Rapunzel has moved on. And you should too. These times are hard for all of us, and my daughter could not deal with... you, on top of everything. She made the decision to move in with her father for a while...” Rapunzel’s mother kept talking, but Finn could not listen anymore. He just could not wrap his head around her words- Rapunzel left?
Finn spent weeks strolling around the sitting, staring through windows, reading names on doorbells, and seeking for any indications that Rapunzel could have left.
After weeks of searching, he almost knocked on every door in the whole city. Finn gradually lost his hope. There was no way for him to just find her father’s apartment. He did not even know her father’s name.
But then, one afternoon, he had just lit an upset cigarette, he heard a familiar voice from an opened window. There was music and running water, too. And a girl singing along... “Rapunzel!” He shouted.
The water was turned off.
The music stopped.
And then...
Rapunzel’s head appeared in the window frame. “What are you doing here? How did you find me?” she laughed at him, disbelief in her eyes. “Believe it or not, I heard your voice- your singing in the shower.” He answered, still struck. Rapunzel turned red. “One second.” She put on clothes and rushed outside onto the street.
“You found me.”, she fell around his neck. “Yes,” Finn held tighter, “I always will.”
Rapunzel and Finn couldn`t believe their luck. Finally, they hold each other again. In that very moment it felt like nothing ever changed.
Slowly, they let go of each other. “I thought you’d forgotten me. The girl with the crazy mum...”, Rapunzel looked up to Finn. “No, no, no. You’re the girl with the crazy boyfriend.”, he replied with a smirk. Time stood still. Until reality came back crashing in.
“We need to talk to my mum. Now that the measures are being loosened, she can’t have anything against us.” Finn pulled Rapunzel closer again. He sighed. “Agreed. Let’s go there now.”
Just when they arrived at the front door, Rapunzel turned around: “I feel like this is something I need to do on my own.” “But I don’t want to lose you again” “I know.” Rapunzel grabbed his hand. They decided to meet up at her father’s later and Rapunzel went inside.
The hours before that felt like days. Finn could not eat, drink. He was just thinking of Rapunzel and how he hoped that they would actually be able to meet again. What if her mother decided to take even severer measures, like shipping her daughter to America? After weeks of exasperation and loneliness, he just could not swallow it anymore. He was running out of patience.
Finally, the evening arrived, and Finn went back to her father’s apartment. His heart was beating fast when he rang the bell. “You can come in.”, he heard her voice through the speaker. A wave of relief rushed through his body. He ran up the stairs. “You can come into my dad’s house. And now, also to my mum’s house.” Rapunzel said, standing in the door, gesturing him inside. “Really? So... you worked it out?” “Not yet. But we’re heading in the right direction” Rapunzel answered. “But- I mean... We can meet again, right?” Rapunzel laughed about the concern in his face. “Oh yes. You found me again- you won’t get rid of me for a while.” He grinned. “I can deal with that.”
And they lived happily ever after.