Love Not Included (An Arrange Marriage Story)

6

Three months into the marriage, Nicholas and Theora have yet to share three words with each other. He goes to work when she's still sleeping in her bedroom and comes home when she is long asleep. On the rare occurrence they do bump into each other like on the weekends or if Nicholas comes home from the gym early nothing is uttered between the two. Theora freezes in her position not moving till Nicholas has mumbled a few expletives under his breath and stormed off.

Theora not being able to understand his indifference and having no one to talk to except Misha becomes extremely depressed and lost in thought. It hurts when Nicholas isn't able to stand her for more than a second and is clueless how to change her situation. Neither can she go back home to her parents nor does she see Nicholas changing any time soon.

Sitting on the bay window in the library watching the rain drops fall, her phone and a pile of books lay beside her. Nothing seems to be able to distract her at this point. Theora looks down her phone thinking that she can't take this anymore she has to tell someone. Grabbing her phone she begins dialling Carmen's number after a few rings she picks up.

"Wait a sec Yiayia it's Theora" Theora hears her sister say over the phone.

"Hello" Theora says shakily

"Oh hi Tin... Theora. How's everything going?"

"I'm fine how's the baby doing?"

"It's fine and driving me absolutely insane moves around constantly can't get any sleep or rest during the day" Carmen whines

"BE THANKFUL WOMAN. IN MY DAY CHILDREN WOULD DIE IN THEIR MOTHERS WOMBS EVERY OTHER DAY" Yiayia yelled Theora could hear her mumble something in Greek about not being thankful and displeasing the lord.

"So your at papa's?" Theora asked

"Yeah I came over for a while. Christos won't let me lift a finger and I was bored out of my mind so I came here for the day. Why don't you come too?"

Theora thought of it for a second before thinking better of it. She couldn't properly talk to Carmen there.

"No I'll come by another day I have to go the mall buy a few things for the house" she lied

"Then make sure to change up that living room those white sofas are hideous" Carmen suggested

"It's a working process most of the things Nicholas had picked out himself"

"Well then don't let the man decorate any part of the house again he's got awful taste"

"Not a second goes by and these girls start complaining of their husbands. In ancient times husbands would beat their wives and when his hands got tired they'd offer him a stick." Yiayia yelled

"God Yiayia that's awful" Carmen said

"You girls nowadays want your husbands to be laying down on the ground so your feet don't get dirty. Be thankful" her Yiayia retorted

"Umm Carmen I have to go"

"Yeah I'll talk to you later Yiayia has yet to take her crazy medication" Carmen whispered lowly

Theora said goodbye and could hear her Yiayia asking Carmen what she said before hanging up. Theora realises then that she could never gather the courage to tell her family. The disappointment would crush them. Theora thought it best to keep her mind busy in other things and maybe someday Nicholas would change. Getting up from the bay window she went towards the kitchen where Misha was cooking.

"Misha is Roberto here or has he gone with Nicholas?"

"He's here outside cleaning the cars" Misha said looking up from the pot she was stirring "Are you planning on going out somewhere?"