Fresh out of high school and newly single, Alice was excited to finally work at her parents' business. Everything was perfect in her life or as she thought it was. Alice was asked to close the office early because her parents are having "special gu...
I ran into the first room I could find, which was the restroom near the front entrance. I need air to myself. I sit on the cold stone wash counter. My heart is thumping so fast in the silent restroom I can almost hear it. It is running a million miles a second.
How can this be? How could my parents do this to me? I am in total shock? I wiped away my tears with a tissue trying not to mess up my makeup. Then there was a knock at the door.
"Alice? Can you please come out and listen to us. Please." My mom's voice is muffled behind the door. "Alice Isabelle Taylor open this door please." There she goes again with the full name. I opened the door as she commanded and she came into the bathroom.
"Look sweetie, you need to come out of here. There is a lot of important information you need to listen to. Please come out." She said as she wiped a tear off of my check.
I gathered myself and my mom took my hand and we both walked back into the living room. I sit in between my Mom and Dad. The Mr. and Mrs. Jamersons are still there who have waited patiently during my outburst. I glance over to James and he looks beyond pissed, his fists are closed as if he is going to his someone, one of his veins in his neck is pulsating.I don't know what to say or to do. I am just speechless.
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"Now since we are all here and know what is going to happen in the coming months. We can explain." Dad looked at me. He took my hand into his with his warm palms as he continued. "In our tradition, arranged marriages. We are all matched up, your mother and I were matched and so was Mr. and Mrs. Jamersons. When we were about your ages." Tradition? I have never heard of this tradition before.
"Yes it is true," Mrs.Jamerson nods. "Like I said when your mother was expecting and found out it was a girl we knew that we had to match you and James. As we watched you grow up it confirmed to us that you Alice is the right girl for our James." She holds James' hand. They sound like they want us and their two children to play house.
"Mom, I don't know her. Look at her, she hasn't even been out and lived life, she is too young. I never once said that I want to settle down, get married and start a family," James said to his mom in his tone and got angrier with each word.
"Anyways you are still going to marry her or you will be cut off from this family and you will also get cut off from your job as well. This is our tradition James and it has to keep going for the future generations to come. You will thank us later." Mrs.Jamerson puts a hand on his shoulder which does look like it calmed him down a notch. She sounds very serious. Our parents are basically blackmailing their own children.
"B-but ugh... fuck man," and James breathed out. "Okay then, you know how much I love my family, my job and what it means to me. But will it happen if this does not work? Look at her, she is just out of high school. She hasn't probably not been out of her house without her parents. She has a sheltered life and you are making us marry each other. I haven't lived a full life yet. I still have many years before I want to settle down.."
