Love Not Included (An Arrange Marriage Story)

2

Eight am on the day of the wedding the bride was ready sitting in the hotel room surrounded by her friends teasing her, while the groom had just exited the shower. His friends were still snoring in the adjacent suite after the bachelor party they had last night. As it was completely trashed, Nicholas hired the suite next to it and told the tailor who was bringing his suit to come there. Although Nicholas partied till late he never once was late for work and this wedding to him was nothing but business. A way to ensure his future as the new CEO of Markopoulos Inc. This wasn't a marriage it was a business deal he thought to himself.

The tailor helped him put on his suit which was specifically made to his measurements. Nicholas admired the suit thinking it was a great shame it had to be worn on one of his worst days.

"You married Franco?" He asked the elderly tailor.

"It'll be exactly forty years next month" Franco replied happily.

"Good god forty years with one woman! How do you even keep up your sanity?"

"She does drive me insane" Franco laughed not taking offense to Nicholas' words "but when you love someone you love them with all their faults Master Markopoulos"

"Well my prayers are with you" Nicholas said straightening out his cuffs.

"In all fairness I think you are the one currently in need of prayers" Franco chuckled. Nicholas raised his eyebrow at him. Did he just get owned by a scrawny old man?

Back at Theora's hotel room all the bridesmaids were all chatting and teasing her about the wedding night.

"You're so thin Theora what if Nicholas breaks you" her cousin Hannah said

"What if they get stuck together like that couple who had to be separated with a crowbar in the emergency-room" added Sofia, Theora's friend from high school. The whole room erupted with laughter and Theora began to heat up with the blush coming over her.

"Ladies" Theora's mother said as she entered the room "may I have a few words alone with Theora?"

With this all the girls left the room. Theora weakly smiled at her mother while she admired her from afar.

"They've done an excellent job with the makeup you look beautiful dear" her mother said

"Thank you, Mama"

"Theora we need to talk" her mother said sitting next to her "you're starting a new chapter in your life with a man you barely know. He will ask from you things that might seem strange to you but it's perfectly normal. You must keep him happy and adjust to his home. You understand me don't you dear?"

Theora just shyly nodded. That was when Yiayia also entered the room. Theora screamed internally it was embarrassing enough to get the talk from her mother but Yiayia too!

"Look at you. You look so beautiful" smiled Yiayia admiring her before dry spitting on the ground in front of Theora to ward off the evil eye.

"My dear" Yiayia paused as she sat next to Theora on the other side of the couch "You have a very difficult journey ahead of you but you must never for even for a second bring down the Botsaris name. You are to keep your husband happy and pleased so tomorrow your in-laws don't blame us saying we taught you nothing. You are the glue that binds both our families together and you must never falter with that responsibility dear"

Theora nodded again to keep both women pleased. At that moment there was a knock on the door and Carmen entered.

"Papa says its time to leave" she said

"Ah!" clapped Yiayia "Come on we must hurry nothing good comes from being late" with that everyone got up and made their way downstairs to the awaiting limos.

Theora sat in a limo with her bridesmaids and Carmen, of course, being the maid of honor while her parents and Yiayia went in a separate limo.

"The girl is nervous Demos" Yiayia told her son

"Mama it's normal for a girl to be nervous on her wedding day. Don't worry" he replied

"You should talk to her explain to her that the family reputation is in her hands" suggested Yiayia

"Mama you and Fiona have already talked to her plus it'll make her even more nervous than she already is"

"Yes we've taught our daughter well she knows what her responsibilities are" Fiona chimed in

"Well then don't come crying to me if something happens in the future. I'm telling you, girls, nowadays if their husbands even coughs the wrong way they start packing their bags."

"Mama our Theora isn't like that" said Demos but Yiayia wasn't having any of it shaking her head.

"Listen to me and listen to me good first I pray to god the day never comes BUT IF she comes running to us saying she wants to leave her husband we send her right back," Yiayia tells both of them.

"As you wish Mama now cheer up the in-laws will think you're not happy with the union" said Demos holding his mother hand and patting it. She doesn't say anything but loosens up a bit.