Home Sweet Home

Chapter Seven

Amelia POV

I woke up to a ray of sunshine, peeking through the alumina windows. The sun today was really shining. I covered my face with my hands and rubbed my eyes to remove the blurriness in them. I was lying on the bed with my clothes from yesterday. My body was sweating non-stop. I picked a tissue from the nightstand and started wiping the sweat of my face. It took time for me to register yesterday's events. My mother, telling me about the arranged marriage. Me shouting at Levi. That fool. My thoughts were broken by a knock on the door. It was really hard. Who could it be? I thought. Is it who I think it was. I had to make sure. The knocks were very irritating. I had to stop them. My ears were hurting like crazy.

"Who's is being a nuisance this early in the morning?!" I yelled out to who ever it may be at the other end.

"Its me, your father." The moment those words hit ears, I became paralyzed. What did he want from me? Didn't he do enough last night? Did he want to hurt me more? These were my thoughts. Since childhood, my father always taught me to think of myself as equal as my brothers. They were boys, but that didn't make a difference. While all the girls here were being married of at a very young age and being abused by their spouses, my father told me to never worry because he was never going to force me to marry. He told me I was going to be married to someone I loved and preferred, but he was doing different. He wasn't abiding by his own words. The thought about him being sick made me stand up from the bed. He was too sick to be disobeyed. I didn't want to be blamed for something I didn't cause. I opened the door to see my father with Mathew. My father was wearing a white shirt and khaki shorts. I flipped my gaze to Mathew's and he was wearing a blue shirt and crazy jeans. How fashionable he was trying to be when I sat here suffering. We stood there silently looking at each other until my father had enough.

"The groom is coming at noon. I expect you to be ready by then and clean your face you look very miserable. If you have to visit the beauty parlour, do it. I want you to look lively. Like your old self." He said and proceeded to walk away. I wasn't going to let him have the upper hand, father or not.

"You don't expect me to get ready when you have left me in pain." He stopped in his track and turned around to hear me put. "The wedding is going to happen. Well seeing how you have decorated this place, it seems no one can stop it, but count me out of it. I am only going to marry someone I love and prefer." I ended with his own words. It was better to use his own words against him. He walked towards us and stopped close to the opened door which I held tightly. It was giving me all the support I need to not fall and break back into tears. Sobbing was going to do nothing so it was better I face my problems.

A small chuckle erupted from my fathers mouth before he said, "Using my own words against me eh", he said and bursted out laughing. I can't believe this man. Was he really sick "Your dress is going to be ready. The seamstress is adding the finishing touches to it. Get ready and I changed my mind. You cannot leave the house. Not until the ceremony is finished. I mean, then you are going to leave with your soon to be husband. Don't think Mathew can help you. His brain is faulty of all ideas he can use to save you. It is not going to be a white wedding", he said and stopped to take a breath. He was a talker, too much for my liking. "You are going to have a small ceremony here in this house. You just exchange your vows, kiss and get out of our lives", he continued. Why was my father acting like that. He wasn't his usual self. I think he was forcing himself to be someone who he wasn't. He was forcing himself to hurt me. But why? " And yes look lively. I don't want to kiss my daughter with that ugly bags under her eyes good bye. Get something to cover it because your groom dislikes ugly women" he was being rude. This is surely not the father I grew up with. I could see in his deep brown eyes, he was forcing these emotions. Then again why? He didn't wait for me to speak and walked away. My gaze switched from my disappearing father to Mathew. Our eyes met and what he said shook me.