2. Satan in a Shining Suit

I walked toward my parents. “Tell me he is joking!” 

My mother looked away. “We have no other choice,” said my father. I gasped in disbelief. 

“No choice? What am I? A product you bought on A****n that you must return in thirty days?” I bristled.

“No. No. Mr. King said you both know each other.” My father’s gaze flickered between the stranger in panic and me. 

“What? I saw him in my office when he walked past me. We didn’t even look at each other. I have no clue how he even knows me or my wedding. Is that what you call ‘know each other’?” I threw my hands up in the air in derision. 

“I’ll give you some privacy to talk,” said the man as he walked past us with his friend on his tail. 

“Have you said yes to this marriage?” I asked, pointing my fingers in a warning. 

“We have no other choice,” repeated my father.

“What choice, Dad? Don’t be ridiculous. It’s my wedding. I’m the one who has to say yes,” I yelled.

“You need to think from our shoes,” whispered my mother. 

“Your shoes? Like trying to get rid of me in the name of marriage? You could have spoken to me if I’m so much of a burden. I would have been glad to get out of the house.” 

“You are not a burden; it’s our responsibility. You are our daughter, and we need to get you married,” explained my father. 

“Need to get me married? Responsibility? Big words, Dad. Getting your daughter married for the sake of society is not a responsibility,” I blew my cheeks out in frustration.

“Listen, Dad; responsibility means getting your daughter married to a man you trust. The reason to get married should be for her happiness, love, security, and companionship, not because you want to tick some check-box in the name of responsibility. Do you even know this man? Would you have said ' yes' if a beggar walked in and asked for my hand? Don’t answer. I know you would have said yes because society’s ridicule and your pride to keep your head high is more important than your daughter’s happiness.” I declared. 

“Anita, I agree we are not exemplary parents but let’s face it... if you leave the church today, you will never get married. I cannot live when everyone puts you down and insults you for a failed marriage. Think about Lee; no one will marry her if her elder sister is unmarried,” my mother ranted. 

“Failed marriage? Ma, we live in the twenty-first century. People’s business is to talk. They will talk about this for a few days and move on to the next juicy gossip. How you changed your mind from Ken to this stranger in a few minutes is obfuscating. Didn’t you feed me the same lines to persuade me to marry Ken? Now, we are standing in a Church on my wedding day, going over the same lines persuading me to marry a stranger. What happened to your hypothesis about Ken? Why should I get punished for your inability and Ken’s cowardliness? Do you even know who the stranger is? His friend says he is the richest man in America, and we are nothing but dirt under his shoes. Why would he even want to marry me? Please think,” 

“Anita, he is ready to help, and we have no other choice,” repeated my father, like a broken record. 

“Stop saying that. I don’t need a Stranger's help. And we always have a choice in life. It is up to us to choose it. I’m not a fool to marry a stranger. I have to live with this stranger, not you or your society or relatives. I made that mistake by agreeing to marry Ken, but not again,” I replied. 

“Anita, please, every relative of ours, know that you are getting married today, and if this wedding doesn’t happen, then we will never hear the end of it. As it is, no one respects us, and if this marriage doesn’t happen, then we have no other option but to die,” my mother started her emotional drama. 

“First, everyone will eventually learn about Ken running away from the wedding. There is no way to run away from the humiliation. Second, no one would even believe if you said that America’s richest man accidentally walked into the Church and offered to marry me. Third, I repeat, he is the richest man, and even if I agree, we will have to endure social ridicule for our status in front of the whole world. Every single person will judge and dissect our lives and sabotage every shred of our dignity and pride. Is that what you both want? A crushing humiliation by the whole world versus a handful of insults and snide remarks from our relatives. I pick the humiliation from our relatives.” I told them. 

“He... He... He said we would keep this wedding a secret for a year, and once you learn about his world, then we will announce it to everyone,” said my father, as he looked away. 

“You are joking? If there ever were a recipe for danger and disaster, this is it. What if he is a sadist, a rapist, or a murderer? Think about this, how is he here in the Church? How did he know about my wedding? Did all the women in America die that he had to propose to me? Why this secrecy? Where is his family? Everything is wrong, Dad. Are you guys blind, or are you refusing to see it? You are my parents; you should be thinking a million times before accepting a groom. God! Please help me,” I fought back my tears as I refused to cry. 

“He promised he would take excellent care of you. He said you are everything he is looking for in a wife,” said my mother. 

“He said it, and you believed it? Ma, Dad, please, are you both even listening to me? Try and think. Where are his parents? What kind of man wants to marry without his parents? A middle-class family like Ken’s had so many expectations. Ken’s mother threw a fit and insulted me at every chance to arrange the wedding in this little chapel. Then, we can only assume how these rich people will be. I’m sure even the maids working in their house will dress way better than me, and you are expecting me to get married to him?” 

“He said that his parents will be nothing but happy if he gets married. He is not expecting anything from us. And about marriage? He said after a year, when you are ready to accept his world, we would announce it to everyone by throwing a grand reception,” my mother replied. 

“Stop selling him. It’s ridiculous. What happened to your earlier statement that society and relatives will look down on us if I don’t get married today? What’s the difference between staying single and keeping the wedding a secret for a year? Please, Ma, Dad, don’t make me do this. I beg you,” I cried as I folded my hands in front of them. My Ma held my hands as tears ran down her cheeks. 

“The difference is when we announce it after a year, you would have married a rich man, and the respect will follow,” said my Dad, with his head held high. 

I gasped as the realization dawned on me. “This is about money, isn’t it? Who said respect is handed out if you have money? Respect is something we earn, not bought, Dad. Now everything is okay because he is rich? That’s hypocrisy at the highest level I’ve ever seen.”

“This isn’t about money, but he promised that you don’t have to work a day and he will take care of you. Anita, you have worked all your life sacrificing everything for us. So, we will be happy if you are taken care of. I also explained your conditions, and he accepted in a blink,” my father spoke with a hint of pride. 

“God! Dad, he is rich. Do you think he will care about my few hundreds of dollars of salary? It’s peanuts to him. Look, no matter what you say, I won’t marry him ever. I’d rather face society’s ridicule and insults than marry a man just because he is rich,” 

“Anita, please think about us. Think about your future and your sister’s future. We love you with all our hearts and want to see you happy. Please don’t do this to us,” begged my mother. 

“It’s always about you, isn’t it? No girl must be forced to marry a man for the sake of marriage. But no, this time I won’t accept. If history has taught me anything, it is not to trust any man. I will not agree to this ridiculous wedding proposal,” I held my ground. 

“Then we have no other option than to die.” Here came the ultimate weapon of blackmail. 

“So be it,” I said, looking straight into their eyes with my head held high. 

“Anita,” my mother covered her hand over her mouth in shock. 

“You’ve made the bed, Ma.” I was on my heels without giving them a chance to reply. 

“Are you serious about getting married?” asked his friend, and the man stood like a rock with his hands in his pocket. I hid behind the pillar to hear their conversation. 

I know it’s wrong to eavesdrop, but I can’t help it. Call me nosy. The man acts like an automaton. Is he even human? How can he drop a bomb on everyone and act like a robot? 

“Alex, for God’s sake, speak out. Why are you forcing her to marry you? She is right; you both are nothing but strangers. Why do you want to marry a stranger?” his friend asked, stunned at the turn of events. 

“Ms. Lewis, please come out,” said the man, without turning his head. 

Rats! How did he know I was hiding? Does he have an eye at the back of his head? Way to embarrass yourself, Anita! 

I came out and stood in front of him. 

I took a deep breath, “You both can leave. I convinced my parents, and they respected my decision,” I said with a smile. 

He gave me a death stare. His face glazed for a split second, and then he frowned, his lips pursed together and his eyes unblinking; at that moment, if his eyes were a weapon, the piercing look could have caused severe destruction. 

“There is no going back, Ms. Lewis. The sooner you accept, it’s better for everyone,” he snapped back, his voice cutting. 

So many questions jammed together in my brain that I didn’t know which one to ask first. 

“I’d cut to the chase. Why me?” I was curious. 

“Why not you?” 

“An answer to a question is not a question itself. Answer me, why do you want to get married to me?”

“Because you are a woman,” he shrugged. I narrowed my eyes at him. It took all my strength not to explode. 

“Just walk me through your thought process. You wake up early in the morning and drive to a Church in the Queens and propose marriage to a stranger because she is a woman? Have all the women in the world died, or do you come from an alternate universe?” 

Silence followed, long and hollow. He said, “Yes.” 

A vague answer. What should I make out of that, yes? Yes, that all women are dead, or yes, he is an alien? 

“What you need is a psychiatrist, not a marriage. Where are your parents?” 

“I didn’t know we were in a school that I needed to bring my parents over,” 

“And the merry-go-round starts all over again. You may be rich but not rich enough to buy me. If you can’t answer my questions honestly, I suggest you leave.” I taunted, and I was about to turn around when he spoke. 

“What do you want to know?” 

“I want to know the reason. The reason why you chose to marry me.” 

“The reason is insignificant,”

“It’s my life. Give me one reason why I should marry you.” 

“You need me,” he said, looking straight into my eyes. “Not as much as you need me.” 

“Maybe, but can you take the risk?” 

“What risk? I can solve this if you crawl back to wherever you came from.” 

“I didn’t ask your Fiancée to run away,” 

I sigh. Come on, Anita! You can do it. 

“I heard rich people get married to their equals so that they can merge their businesses. Why don’t you do that?” 

“Not interested.” 

“What about all those beautiful, alluring film actresses and supermodels? They are beautiful.” 

“Nope.” 

“Why can’t you be some other woman’s headache? Hang on, are you that desperate to marry?” His pupils flared, and his expression hardened as a vein popped into his neck. 

Wow! I hit a nerve. Good progress, I pat myself on the back. 

“I have a cousin, a beautiful girl, unlike me. She is a graduate and from an upper-middle-class family. She will agree to marry you in a heartbeat. I can call her, and she will be here tomorrow. Do we have a deal, sir?” My eyes were wide, dancing with hope. 

“Not interested,” he grimaced. 

I covered my eyes with my hands as I shook my head. 

He is not giving me a way out and is fighting me in every way possible. His friend keeps looking at us like watching a ping pong match with a smile on his face. He is my last hope. 

“Sir, would you be able to talk some sense into him?” 

He shook his head. “I’m sorry. It is impossible to change his mind once he has made up his mind..” 

There goes my hope! 

“Can you call his parents and ask them to come to collect him?” His friend laughed out loud. 

“I’m not a child, Ms. Lewis.” The stranger growled. 

“Come collect him? Ms. Lewis, you are a breath of fresh air. He is a stubborn man and won’t listen to anyone. I’m sorry I can’t help you. On the contrary, any girl would feel lucky to be in your shoes,” argued his friend. 

“Then ask any girl, not me.” I snapped. I then turned to the stranger. 

“Why are you hell-bent on ruining my life? Why? Why should I marry you when you don’t even explain? It’s my life, and I deserve an answer,” I was panting, but that man stood like a statue without answering. “Hell, you are not even talking.” I stomped my leg and kept both hands on my hip. 

“Ms. Lewis, I’ve known him from school, and he has spoken long to you. He mostly speaks in single syllables,” argued his friend. 

“Ms. Lewis, you are overthinking this,” he said as if I was planning to buy a dress. 

Dear God, get me out of this room. NOW! 

“I’m overthinking? It’s my life, idiot. On what planet do you live? This proposal, the secrecy, you refuse to answer. Everything about you screams danger. Please, this joke has gone too far, and if you want me to beg on my knees, I’m ready to do that too. Please leave me alone,” I responded.

“I can’t do that,” I blew my cheeks out. 

A light bulb flickered inside my head. Brilliant idea! 

“Are you ready to marry my sister? She is studying...” I rambled. 

“Not interested,” He snapped. 

“What the hell is your problem? I didn’t even complete my sentence...” 

“I’m. Not. Interested,” He said through clenched teeth. 

“Geez! You are acting as if you are marrying Miss Universe. I’m the worst deal you could get. Think about the pros and cons. You will be embarrassed if you marry me.” 

God! Please hand me a knife, let me kill him, and get over this nightmare. 

“Did I kill your cat or something? Are you here to seek revenge?” I scratched my nose. 

“Ms. Lewis, we are running late for the wedding. Can you please shut your mouth and let your brain run wild after the marriage?” He looked at his watch. 

“Do your parents know about your indecent proposal?” 

“I am a grown man and don’t seek my parent’s approval for everything I do.” 

“You are talking about a wedding.” 

“So? It’s my life.” 

“You are a hypocrite! You can choose whom you want to marry, but I don’t get a choice? Why are you trying to squeeze into my life? We are both like parallel lines. It’s impossible to meet or cross paths. I don’t want to marry you. Respect my decision, and please don’t make a bad situation worse.”

“I’m trying to help.” 

“What part of ‘no’ don’t you understand? The ‘n’ nor the ‘o’? I don’t want to marry you,” I shouted. 

“You will accept. You will say ‘yes’ to this marriage,” he said with conviction. 

“You don’t seem to understand the English word ‘no.’ I will not marry you, sir. Let’s try a distinct language. ‘Non’ in French and ‘Nein’ in German.” 

“Why?” he asked, puzzled. 

“You are rich, and I’m poor.” 

“Doesn’t matter,” he insisted. 

“Maybe to you, but me, it does. I don’t want to be labeled as a Gold digger by everyone.” 

“Try a better reason. This one is lame.” 

“You want reasons... I have thousands. For instance, I dropped out of college.” 

“I’m not hiring you,” 

“I have responsibilities for my family,” 

“So does everyone.” 

“I’m a pure vegetarian.” 

“I eat meat. So?”

“You see where I’m going with this?” 

“No,” he replied. 

“We both are poles apart.” 

“In real life, opposite poles can attract each other. Being poles apart has nothing to do with being together,” 

“I need to work,” 

“So do I.” 

“I’m not size zero. You will be embarrassed.” 

“I like my woman with curves.” 

“Hell, you will! We don’t know each other,”

“We have our whole lives to know about each other,” he calmly responded. 

“I’m a chatterbox, and you don’t even talk.” 

“Moot point.”

“I’m crazy.”

“You sure are.” 

“These reasons might be insignificant to you, but these are deal-breakers for me. I’m not cut out for your world, and neither are you. I’m not a toy. You need to respect what I’m telling you. I’m flattered, but I’m not interested in marrying you.”

From the corner of my eye, I could see my mother dragging Lee, into the room, and she was crying. My heart clenched at the sight. 

I thought my parents were joking! Didn’t my technique work? Another drama! I’m tired of this emotional blackmail. 

“Oh! That’s your plan? I never pegged you as a coward, Ms. Lewis,” he taunted with a know-it-all smirk. 

I raised my chin to face him. Looking into his eyes, I felt a bone-deep, blood-rocking rightness flare through me. A connection, wild and dramatic, sinful and impossibly sweet. And stupid. My pulse pounded so hard I felt it jumping in my fingertips. 

“Listen here, Mister, they are my parents, and this is my problem. I have been through worse. I can handle this. It’s not the end of the world. I don’t need your opinion. So take your opinion and shove it in....” I clenched my fists to control my raging temper, “Get lost.” 

His gaze cut to mine, and there it was again—connection like a plug into a socket. Only this time, it was heightened by the anger rolling off him, palpable as a punch in the stomach. 

“Wow,” his friend mumbled. 

“Let me help you make a decision.” I opened my mouth to speak, but he held one hand to stop me. “Answer me. Was your wedding to your ex-Fiancée arranged or were you both in love?” 

“Arranged marriage,”

“Who decided him for you?” 

“My parents. Your point?” I asked, impatience pounding through my veins. 

“Then consider this situation the same. An arranged marriage. Your parents chose me for you.” 

“You forgot an important point. Even though my parents chose Ken, I was the one who said yes to marry him.” 

I’m not a great fan of Ken, and I was cornered to say yes, but he doesn’t have to know that. 

“So? How different is it?” 

“Fair question! As they say, you don’t just marry your partner; you marry their entire family. We both come from similar upbringings, lifestyles, values, and cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. These similarities make us highly compatible. I’m not the one to jump in feet first, sir.” 

“Marriage is a gamble, and there is no sure-shot way to predict its success. Consider yourself lucky, as your Fiancée ran away, hours before tying the knot even though you both were pretty compatible.”

Steady Anita. Steady. Take a deep breath and calm down. 

“If you lose, don’t lose the lesson. No one should be forced to decide and tie the knot only when both are ready. I’m no freaking Cinderella, and you are not my prince charming. End of story.” I whirled around and left them shocked. 

Back in the room, my parents were waiting. My sister looked at me as tears ran down her cheeks. 

I didn’t come all this way in my life to give it up all for a douchebag. This is all happening because of that wealthy stranger. If only he didn’t come up with an indecent proposal, we would have been home by now. Why did I have to take the time to dance? I should have packed the next second and ran away. You always screw up, Anita. 

“Ma, what is going on?” 

“We are ready, come,” she opened her right hand for me to join them. 

“Ma, we don’t have to take drastic decisions for a jerk like Ken. Why do we have to worry about our relatives or society? No one was there for us when we needed them. Then why bother about society now?” 

“We have no other choice,” sighed my mother. My sister bent down her head and cried—my heart felt as heavy as a stone. 

“It’s okay, sweetheart. Everything will be all right,” she coaxed, and her words made her cry even more. 

This is insane! Every single time my parents resort to emotional blackmail to get their way. No child must go through this trauma or be blackmailed into getting their way. I need to have a say in my life. Why must a girl always carry the pressure of society’s opinions? Who cares if I get married or not? If I wish to live my life single, I must be allowed to do it. Why must we, women, change our life’s course or go out of the way to satisfy society and relatives? There is no written rule that a girl must marry by twenty-four or twenty-five. Sometimes shit hits the fan, but we need to chin up and move on. That’s how life works. No reason is good enough to kill ourselves or go out of the way to compromise our happiness to satisfy social psychopaths.

Failure should be a teacher, not an undertaker if we think we failed. It’s delay and not defeat. I never accepted defeat in my life, and I will not take it now. But I also know that my parents will not back out. I can’t believe I’m even considering this. 

I sighed. There was only one way to get out of this trap. I will make that stranger’s life a living hell. He will rue the day he met me.

“Fine. I will marry the stranger.” My parents smiled as they wiped their tears, and my sister looked at me surprised. 

“Thank God! Then tell him that you agreed to this wedding,” said my father, as he set his glass down. 

“Why should I tell him?” 

“Because that’s his only condition. You need to say ‘yes’ to his proposal.” I stood there, jaw hanging, speechless. 

He was a snide, evil, and manipulative man. He was Satan in a shining suit. If he thinks he won this battle then he has another thing coming.