The Kidnapped Bride

Jacob

It was another day, and Jacob emailed the tour agency, but they hadn't responded. Jacob was in his study doing work from home, but it wasn't easy to concentrate since his daughter, Esmerald, hadn't contacted him. He and his daughter were very close, especially when his wife, Francesca, died years ago. 

Without his daughter, he didn't think he would have wanted to live long; Francesca was his everything since he loved her so much. Jacob works as a biologist and hardly had time dating, but then he met Francesca, who migrated to New Zealand with the help of a women's organization. Francesca got a job at a bakery where he first saw her; she was the most beautiful woman he had ever met. The more Jacob thought about it, he thought it was strange how secretive she was and how she refused to talk more about her homeland.

All that Francesca told him was that she wanted to live and make her own choices. That's when he remembered his deceased wife had a diary he bought her when they first began dating. Francesca loved the diary and would write on it even while married. Jacob never read her diary since he didn't want to break her trust. However, when she died, many of her belongings were given to charity, but he kept the diary in a box in the basement. He knew Francesca was hiding something and refused to return to her homeland. Their daughter decided to visit now that she was dead; Esmerald hadn't called him. What frustrated him was that the tour agency was not responding to him.

His biggest fear was the possibility that his daughter might have been trafficked. He decided to go to the basement and get his deceased wife's diary to see if he could find any helpful information. The basement was huge, with many boxes, but he went to the farthest part of the basement and opened a small box with old picture frames and Francesca's diary. Jacob got out of the basement and went back to his study. 

He felt his heart racing as he held the diary. "I'm sorry, Francesca, but I must know what you were hiding." Jacob slowly opened the diary and began to read. Initially, she wrote about how she first made it to New Zealand; it was a frightening experience for her. However, she stated she had no choice since her family wanted her to partake in the bride-kidnapping tradition.

Jacob's eyes stopped when he saw those words. "Bride kidnapping tradition?" He kept reading about his wife's childhood, which was happy and normal. She also had a brother who was supportive and cared for her. As she grew older, she learned about Sardinia's traditions that she had no choice but to participate in once she turned eighteen. Her parents told her it was for the greater good of their society.

In her diary, Francesca wrote that bride kidnapping is where men can take a woman with or without consent to marry even though the woman doesn't want to. She wrote that the tradition has been in Sardinia for centuries. Jacob couldn't believe what he was reading and didn't realize that his wife had escaped her homeland to escape such a terrible tradition. That's when it hit him. 

Esmerald was in Sardinia and wondered if the tour agency was to lure women into the island so they could partake in the tradition. He put the diary down, so many thoughts trailed into his mind. He understood why Francesca never wanted to return but was angry that she didn't tell him and Esmerald why she left. If Francesca had told them the truth initially, then he or Esmerald wouldn't have been motivated to go. Jacob scrunched his hair and feared that his daughter was put into this tradition and was forced to be with a man she didn't want to be with. He got his cell phone and dialed his friend, Michael.

Michael answered. "Hey, Jacob, anything from the agency?"

"M-Michael, I looked at Francesca's diary and found out why she didn't return to Sardinia. The people there practice some bride kidnapping tradition!"

Michael was silent on the other end for a moment and sighed. "I heard about a tradition like that in Kyrgyzstan and other Central Asian countries, but I never would have imagined that Sardinia would practice. So you think that Esmerald..."

"I don't want to accept it, but it is possible! I wish Francesca told us the truth! I wish that I had read the diary! I-"

"Calm down, Jacob! You're in shock, and I know you're scared and worried for your daughter, but you need to take a breather. The agency was a scam, so we must plan this thoroughly. We need to know our options; if not, I will go with you to Sardinia and find Esmerald. You understand?"

Jacob took a deep breath. "Y-Yes, you're right. I will find tickets to go to Sardinia." They hung up, and Jacob tried to regain his breathing. He knew he had to concentrate on finding his daughter and bringing her back home. However, Jacob couldn't shake the feeling of some hardships ahead.