The Transient Wife

Chapter 3

"Dad, where the hell are you?" Cassandra tried real hard not to shout louder. She almost stumbled down the street, struggling with her bag and last bit of intoxication. "Yes, of course I already know! No, I'm going right where you are so you better tell me where, or I'll get on the next plane out of this city. No, this can't wait until tomorrow, dad! For heaven's sakes you set me up to be married in two days' time! That's just bullshit!" A mother walking beside her covered her son's ears at Cassandra's last word. She ignored the blazing gaze of the woman, too busy listening to the address her father was giving her. Without much of a goodbye, she clicked off and made her way to the restaurant.

*****

She would have loved to paint her Kurt Anders' features the moment she saw him, but she was just not in the mood. He was not his usual confident self right now. He looked like he was almost scared and that was the reason why she would have loved to put that face on canvas—but no time to think about that now because she was too furious at the old man. Cassandra stormed across the restaurant, her face fuming in anger. As she made her way to where her father stood before a white clothed table with wine glasses, she deliberated whether she should give herself into the earlier urge to claw on his face.

Of course, she didn't. He was old and fragile and perspiring a lot it would be a crime to dig her fingernails into his wrinkled skin. Her father's gray-blue eyes which looked exactly like hers stared at her anxiously as she stopped outside his personal space, arms crossed over her chest.

She tapped her booted foot on the floor twice and waited for an explanation, not bothering to verbally demand it.

"Darling, let's sit down first." Kurt Anders motioned at the chair beside her. She looked around and saw that some customers were looking at them curiously, their utensils halfway through their mouths. Still glaring, she felt for the chair and sat down stiffly. Her father did the same. "What would you like to eat?"

"Why? You'll hand me as payment for food?" She saw him flinch with her comment and she almost regretted it. Tucking her blond tresses behind one ear, she tried to calm herself.

"Cassy, darling, please understand—"

"I'm trying to understand, dad, but I just can't," she snapped at him. "How can you do that to me, your own daughter? Why?"

"I am desperate!" he said, holding up his hand, "And Philip was kind enough to help me when no other people would! And..." his voice started to falter and Cassandra thought that he was hiding something. "Cassy, just do this for me, please."

Anger rose up her throat again. "Philip Strindberg is kind? How is that kind, dad? He asked for your own daughter and you gladly consented? Oh god, I thought mom was nuts—but you?" she shook her head in disbelief.

Her father opened his mouth to say something but he closed it again. He looked desperate and she wanted to demand for the truth he was hiding. When he spoke, his voice was gentle. "Darling, just listen to me. It's only for six months. And why don't you try it? You wanted to get married two years ago, right? Why not now?"

She gaped, not so sure if she was actually talking to her own father. "I can't believe this. Is this about what happened two years ago? That's it, isn't it? Did mom talk you into this?"

"No, but it is part of the reason—"

"Goddammit, dad, you don't have the right to marry me off just because of what happened two years ago!" She waved her hand for emphasis.

Her father closed his eyes as he took in her words. A small part of her could feel something was not right here but she couldn't point it out. Her father wouldn't be that stupid to give her away for some money because whichever way you would look at it, it was just completely illegal.