A Dancehall Story- Book 10 Part 2

Chapter 19 - Poppy

Poppy

"I will not marry him and I will run away if I am forced to." Or cut his fuckin throat in his sleep.

My room door was stopped from slamming by my father's boot. I threw myself onto my bed and placed a pillow over my head, hoping I would go deaf.

"Now, you listen to me Poppy Dales, this is your right. You are the age to take a husband, an hon—"

"Honorable?" I threw the pillow across the room and interrupted him before he could finish spewing his bullshit. "Father, we know nothing about this family, you could be feeding me to the wolves!"

"My dear, they are not wolves. For sure we have known the Muir's for a while now."

"Mother, for the love of God, please don't echo father's words, they don't sound good coming from your lips."

"Poppy!" My father shouted at me. I never told a lie. My mother doesn't know a back bone even if two extra ones were given to her.

I will die before I ever become my mother.

"Why can't I choose who I should marry? This is not what I envision for myself and my future and it's unfair."

"Look around you Poppy. All of this, all these beautiful things won't be here much longer, this nice house, everything we know will be gone if you don't marry this young man."

So the rumors were true, my father made a bad business deal and we were indeed going broke.

"I am still a child. Why do I need to take on the burdens of this family?"

They both came to sit on either side of me. My father held me closely to him while my mother stroked my hair to provide some comfort.

"Poppy, the family always comes first, before anything else. This is your solemn duty. Just give it a few years and few children to seal our names together then you are free to go your way."

Most of my friends were married and started having children. I always thought that my life would have been different from theirs. I guess not.

***

"Run away with me, we will survive. Poppy I don't have much but we can work and take care of each other."

This has been my only thought, but I couldn't break my father's heart.

"Collins, I would, I swear I would but my family really needs me. I just need some time."

"What do you mean?"

"I have to Marry Alfred Muir and stay with him for a while an—"

"No!" He shouted and pulled away from me. "No, Poppy I will not allow another man to touch you— I will kill him, I swear on my mother, I will skin him clean."

"Collins, it's just for a w—"

"Are you really standing here telling me that you are willing to marry someone you don't love just because of money?"

"No, just to save my family. I could do without the money but to save my father from the scandal and embarrassment."

I have never seen him look at me like this before, with utter disgust. "I never thought you would be just like the other money hungry wrenches around here."

"Don't say that, I need you to understand. I love you Collins Azri."

"Right, I just don't have any money. Go, please just go be with your rich man."