"Where were you?" my mother cries the second I walk throught the door.
"The store, the lines were long," I lie. I don't feel bad about the lie. The house would fall apart if anyone knew that I was talking to Eli.
"Okay," she says. "Oh, by the way, your father has invited a few people over for dinner, so look your best."
When she says this, I automatically know that Father invited who he would consider "suitors." He wants to pick for me, I can feel it. But I won't love any one I'm forced to marry.
I walk up to my room and slam the door. My eyes scan the room for a dress. I find one that's in the dresser. I throw on the dress. It's light yellow and floor length. The skirt is poofy. The sleeves are a yellow lace that reach my hands.
I wait in my room until my mother calls me down for the dinner party. I run down the stairs. When I get to the bottom of the staircase, I see a small sea of people. There is obvious majority of males here. Father must have seen to it that little females came. He wants me to be the center of attention. He wants suitors to only see me.
My father is talking to one of his friends, Mr. Clarke.
"I want you to meet my neighbor ," Mr. Clarke tells me. "This is Mr. Iver. Derek, this is Aira."
Mr. Iver shakes my hand. "Please call me Derek."
"He's a widower, Aira," Father whispers in my ear. "Looking for a wife."
I walk away with Derek. He's looks like he could possibly be my uncle or maybe a cousin with a big age difference. He wasn't entirely unattractive. But I didn't want to jump into his arms and scream MARRY ME!
"So Aira, tell me about yourself," he says. Derek is trying to be as charming as possible.
"Well, I'm seventeen. I love to read and dance. I'd love to sing except I'm positively tone deaf. So what about you?" I reply.
"Uhh.. I'm twenty two. I have a two year old daughter. I like to play badminton and croquet." he says. I really don't want to marry someone who already has a kid. For goodness' sake, I'm seventeen.
"What's your daughter's name?" I ask, for the sake of conversation. In my head, I'm already plotting my escape.
"Thora," Derek responds.
"Why Thora?" I question. This time I'm actually interested.
"It was my wife's mother's name." he tells me.
"Okay." I say, ready to leave. "I have to use the ladies' room. Goodbye!"
"Goodbye!" Derek says.
Finally, I escaped that suitor. I don't want a daughter and endless games of croquet. I don't even like croquet. And I can't even take care of a goldfish nevermind a person.
Now time to face the rest of the night.
YOU ARE READING
The Search
خيال علميIn the distant future, everyone must be married by the age of nineteen. If you are not married by your nineteenth birthday, the government chooses your spouse. This is a fate Aira is dreading. She's also dreading her parents choosing her husband. Bu...
