Adelaide and Olivia came back to Ad's home, seething. While Olivia was planning murder in her head, Adelaide tried to find ways to keep calm in her head.
'Stupid whippersnappers! They have no manners!' Adelaide grunted.
After several deep breaths, Adelaide managed to calm down, when her mother's voice called from the living room.
'Ad, dear. Could you come here for a second?!' came her voice. It sounded more like a command then a question. The girls exchanged a look at each other before entering the living room to find Mrs O'Connor sitting comfortably on the couch.
'Ad, Olivia! You both are soaking wet! You'll catch a cold! And your clothes are a mess!' She exclaimed looking at them with a mixture of concern and horror. Adelaide grinned sheepishly and lied to her smoothly.
'We didn't have an umbrella with us. It was so sunny in the morning, none of us thought we would need one, mum.'
'Well, you should go upstairs and dry yourselves and freshen up. Olivia I'm sure you'll be able to wear Ad's clothes for now.' Mrs O'Connor said and the girls trudged upstairs.
After drying themselves up and changing (and also having a mini pillow fight) the girls went downstairs to see what Mrs O'Connor had to say.
'Well I suppose I should tell the news to both of you together, it would save the trouble of explaining the whole thing again to Olivia.' Mrs O'Connor said looking at Olivia.
'Okay?' Olivia shrugged a little.
'Adelaide, dear, your father and I have decided that you are ready for marriage and have found a suitor for you, too.' She said calmly.
Ada thought that she was hallucinating. So she asked her mother to repeat what she had said. Mrs O'Connor sighed and repeated.
'What, mum?! Marriage? Are you serious?!' Adelaide exclaimed, her eyes wide like saucers.
'Yes, dear. He's the son of an old friend.' Mrs O'Connor said, knowing fully well that an argument was about to ensue. And, she knew very well that she couldn't win it.
'Oh Alvin...why do you always make me talk with the kids?'
'Old friend...my a-shoulder! I ain't gonna marry now. Heck! I don't even know the person! You surely don't wanna do that...blindly.' Adelaide frowned along with the still quiet Olivia.
'He's nice.' Mrs O'Connor tried to argue.
'I didn't ask for his character certificate, mum! I bet he's uninterested!' Adelaide countered.
'No. He's matured enough to think with a cool head. In fact, he was your babysitter.'
Adelaide choked into thin air. The rage in Olivia cooled down...and a funny feeling lurched inside her stomach. She snickered...unintentionally. And then gulped under the optical daggers sent by Adelaide.
'Sorry!' She squeaked.
'Oh really? How old's he? Seventy?' Adelaide asked mockingly, looking back at her mother, .
'Thirty.' Mrs O'Connor replied.
'Thirty?! I'm barely twenty! Are you trying to sell me off to a paedo, mum?!' Adelaide screamed at the top of her lungs, going directly into panic mode.
Olivia stood there, red as a tomato and listened to the argument. When Mrs O'Connor said the guy was thirty, she lost it. She lost the funny feeling in the tummy.
'What's the scumbag's name?!' She asked, you could almost see the smoke coming out of her ears.
Mrs O'Connor definitely didn't like the term 'scumbag' but she kept her cool.
'Ralph. Ralph Murphy.'
'I'm not going to get married to him! Doesn't matter what his name is, or age is, or personality is, I am NOT getting married to him! Decline his proposal! Now! C'mon Oli.'
'Actually he didn't propose to you. He's in the hospital.'
'Then tell him or his family...that...I now very well know how to kill...slowly and painfully...without a trace. If he doesn't love his life, he'll be dead by dawn.' Adelaide said coolly.
'Adelaide!' Mrs O'Connor shrieked. Olivia looked at Adelaide in a braggy manner.
'That's my girl!' She smiled a little.
'Whatever.' Adelaide rolled her eyes and dragged Olivia upstairs.
********************
As soon as they entered their room, Olivia erupted, rage filled words pouring out of her mouth like hot lava.
'How dare he! Who is he to get married to you!? And how can your parents even suggest getting you married. I swear if I find him I'll skin him alive with a fork! I'll boil him in a cauldron! I'm going to chop his head off and give it to pigs! He's dead, you hear me!? Dead! I'll shoot him down and throw him into a volcano! I'll set piranhas on him! How dare they! Him and his family and your parents, how could they even imagine getting you, YOU, only twenty and just an intern, MARRIED! TO A FREAKING THIRTY YEAR OLD FEEN!'
'I know, Olivia, I know. I can't believe it. Why are they doing this to me. They never think about MY opinions. Never let me have a say in matters. And dad never even acknowledged that I existed. And now...THIS! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DEAL WITH THIS?!' Adelaide exclaimed, sitting down on her bed, face red with fury.
'I always wanted my significant one would be someone who knows me. Who knows what I love or hate. With whom I can share anything and everything. Who'll respect me. I don't even know who my parents chose for me can fulfil any of those hopes I have. I...Oli...I can't take risk on this matter.'
Olivia put a hand on on her shoulder, 'You won't. No matter what Ad. I'll always be with you. No matter what. Do you hear me, pal?' Olivia looked down intently at the crying girl.
'Uh-huh? I'll do the same for my crazy pal.' Adelaide smiled.
'I know...you're my little crazy BFF, darling. And, we'll not leave each others' sides.' Olivia stuck her tongue out at Adelaide.
*************
After an hour of ranting, screaming, dancing with Adelaide's pet cat and planning Ralph Murphy's murder together, Olivia left. Adelaide didn't come out of her room even once after that and Mrs O'Connor was beginning to get very worried. She knew the only one who could convince her daughter was her husband. She was worried that Adelaide would do something rash before he came back home.
Thankfully, nothing happened for the rest of the day. When Mr O'Connor came back home from work, she told him about Adelaide's reaction to Ralph. He was not at all pleased by the news.
'Adelaide! Come down here this instant!'
Adelaide huffed, putting her pet Turkish Angora down, she stomped downstairs.
'Yes, father?' She asked, after she reached the living room.
'Your mother told me you protested when she informed your marriage. Why? We want to get you married now, Ada, because we think this is the right time. I do not want to hear any protests. The marriage will take place.'
'But father! I don't even know him!' Adelaide countered.
'What's there to know? He's a nice man. Quiet, cool-headed and he even risked his life for another.' Mr O'Connor replied.
'But, he's ten years older than me!' Adelaide said.
'So what? Does age really matter? In my opinion he is the perfect match for you, Adelaide. I don't want you to go out and get married to someone who would shower you with love at first and then leave you and run away afterwards. I know him, and I know he would do no such thing. The world is a dangerous place, Ad. You are too naive to survive here on your own. You'll end up trusting someone easily and ruining your life. I have more experience than you. I've seen more of the world than you did. So I believe that I can make the better choice for you. I want to see my daughter married to a man who will really love her, not a man who'll feed her with lies, and Ralph is just the guy. Decent, honest, and punctual. I want to see you happy, Ad, and I know he'll make you happy. So why don't you trust me?' He asked, his voice soft.
Adelaide had nothing to say. She loved her father, and this was probably the first time he ever spoke like this to her. She trusted him. Of course she did. She trusted him with her life. So what could she possibly say?
'Fine. I trust you, dad.' She said looking at her feet.
'Thank you!'
'But, on one condition. I'll observe him for some time, before you take any further action.'
'Deal.' He nodded.
'That's my girl. Now let's go have dinner shall we?' Her mother said getting up and patting her head, lovingly. Adelaide couldn't remember when was the last time she did that to her.
'Somebody call those ignorant guys down here. DOUG! DAN! IT'S TIME FOR DINNER!' Mrs O'Connor screamed at the top of her lungs.
'Coming down, woman! Give us some time!' Two voices shouted back at the same time.
'I love my bros.' Adelaide laughed.
'And, they're spoiling their little sister.' Her father concluded.