The Proposal

Ch 1: Meet Emily Thompson

Emily was packing up the last of the furniture to put in the moving van when she realized she found something she hadn't seen in years. The cover was covered in dust and the pages already beginning to yellow. She hadn't seen the book in almost thirty years. She had started filling it's pages only three months after she had turned sixteen when life had taken a sudden turn and at the time she had no clue if it would be for better or for worse.

Emily leaned against the wall and slowly slid to the ground. The key to the book still hung around her neck on a necklace her husband had given her only a few months after they got married. With shaking fingers she inserted the key in the lock and opened it. It fell open to the middle page where she had several pictures from her wedding, her dress, her friends, their weddings, everything! She forced herself to start at the beginning, slowly reading and reabsorbing the old memories.

10-07-2018

Dear Journal,

I found this book at the dollar store today, it's nothing fantastic, but it has a lot of pages...700 to be exact. I don't know why I grabbed it off the shelf or why I even glanced at it, I'm not much of a fan for writing. Maybe it was that announcement on the television this morning, the article in the newspaper, or the announcement over the school intercom; whatever it was I have a feeling things are going to change extremely fast. This morning I turned on the TV and the man on channel 12 news reported, "The government has passed a new bill that reads: From this day forth everyone over the age of sixteen must be married or there will be several consequences resulting in death. Children may marry between the ages of fourteen and sixteen, no older and no younger. For all those who are not married, single, a widow/widower, or divorced, you must have found a spouse and gone through with the marriage by December 18th of this year." I found the same thing stated in the newspaper and the one thing that shocked me the most was the announcement over the intercom at school. It was short and simple, the principle said, "All of you here at the high school are in the age range for the new marriage laws. If you were planning on surviving in this world, I would get a spouse quick. Oh... and starting on the twentieth the army enforcers will be sent by the government to every county through out the United States. Do not doubt what they are saying, they will enforce the laws. Thank you." Is that supposed to be considered a sweet morning wake up? Is this some type of joke? No... they wouldn't broadcast it live and it wouldn't have made the front page of the newspaper and... What am I saying? This is just some joke, I don't need to worry and I won't need to write in this silly journal and I can throw this away! Yes, that's exactly what's going on, no doubt! How do you sign out of a journal entry????

Sincerely,

Emily Thomason

10-13-2018

Dear Journal,

Okay, I was wrong, this is REALLY happening. A few people have already had their marriages, but they're mainly anyone who's a senior in high school on up. The rest of us seem to never gone on a date before, talked to anyone half human before, let alone thought about getting married!!!! Today at lunch I was sitting with my three friends I always sit next to, Margaret, Hailey, and Elijah when the one thing I've carefully avoided came up at lunch. Are you going to get married, do you really think this is happening, and who will be your spouse? I bit my lip not wanting to even respond to those questions, I mean I'm sixteen and it's supposed to be the best part of my life... not my time to choose a husband. Of course the one boy/man (depends on the day) that I would actually consider is sitting right next to me, Elijah Wethersfield. I mean he's nice, caring, considerate, handsome, and about the only male who can actually tolerate me and NOT call me a goody-two-shoes! Anyway, the subject came up and I instantly asked Hailey if she had talked to Jacob Matins about getting married. She said no, but I knew she had considered it by that half sheepish smile. I turned to Margaret and simply said, "Who?" Margaret doesn't have a boyfriend and wasn't even going to consider dating until she was out of college. Yet, in a school of nearly 1,800 I knew she had to have an eye on someone. Of course all she could say was, "I don't know." Then I realized since I was asking, I would be asked, I would HAVE to respond, and this was not the place or time in my opinion to be answering that question. Yet it came, Hailey just HAD to ask... guess what I said. "I don't know. What I do know is that I want a real wedding, a real proposal, and I want to be older, but sadly I'm sixteen and my life is on the line." Then Margaret asked Elijah and what he said made me bite my lip even harder to stop the shiver from going down my back. He said, "I have someone in mind, but I have to have the perfect time and place to give a proposal." Luckily the bell rang and we all wandered back to class, but one thought stood out in my mind. Did he choose me, or someone else?

Sincerely,

Emily Thompson