A Collateral

A few minutes after Eliana got home, her parents sat her down and told her the shocking news.

"Eliana, we know this is sudden, but you've been arranged to marry a man named Leo," her father said to her. "It's for the good of our family. Leo is wealthy and we need the money."

Eliana was furious. "But I don't even know this man!" she protested. "How can you arrange my marriage to someone I've never met?"

"We know it's difficult to understand," her father probed further.. "But it's for the best."

"I won't do it!" Eliana yelled, her voice shaking with emotion. "I don't want to marry a stranger. I have my own life, my own plans. This isn't fair!"

"Eliana, please understand," her mother pleaded. "We're not asking you to do this lightly. Leo is a good man and he can provide for our family. Please, just meet him and see if you can get along."

Eliana felt like she was suffocating. How could her parents be doing this to her? "No," she said firmly. "I won't meet him.

After much declining from her, Eliana's parents told her about the massive debt that they had incurred, and how they had offered Eliana as collateral to pay off the debt to Leo's family. Eliana felt like the world was spinning around her. "I can't believe you would do this to me," she wailed, her voice breaking. "I can't believe you would use me like this."

"Eliana, we're sorry," her father pleaded. "But we had no other choice. We were desperate and we thought this was the only way to save our family."

Eliana stood up. With tears streaming down her face, Eliana felt a surge of anger. "I don't care if you're sorry. You betrayed me. You've ruined my life! I don't even want to be part of this family anymore." She ran to her bedroom and slammed the door.

She threw herself on her bed and wept. She felt like her entire life had been ripped out from under her. How could her parents have done this? How could they have made such a decision without consulting her? She felt lost and alone.

Moments later, Eliana's mother knocked on her door. "Eliana, please let me in," she said softly. "We need to talk about this."

Eliana didn't move. She didn't want to talk to her mother right now. All she wanted to do was curl up into a ball and cry. She wanted to be alone and wail, but her mother opened the door anyway.

"Go away mum!" Elliana yelled as her mother entered into the room.

"Eliana, please. I know you're upset, but please try to understand. Your father would go to jail if we don't do this. Our family would be ruined."

Eliana turned to face her mother. "Do you really expect me to just acce..pt this?" Eliana stuttered, her voice breaking. "Do you really think I can just marry a man I don't know, for the sake of saving our family? How can you ask that of me? How? I'm highly disappointed I you mum."

Her mother looked at her with tears in her eyes. "I know it's a lot to ask, but we're out of options. I know you've been working hard, but it's not enough. Your father would go to jail if we don't do this. Please, try to understand."

Eliana felt torn. On the one hand, she understood her mother's desperation. She knew her family was in trouble, and she knew that her father could go to jail if they didn't do something. But on the other hand, she couldn't imagine marrying a stranger, giving up her life and her future just to save her family.

"I just can't do it," she protested, tears welling up in her eyes. "I can't marry someone I don't know, just for the sake of saving our family. It's not fair."

"I know it's not fair, but trust me we had no other choice and your younger sister was not accepted as the collateral by Leo's family" her mother replied.

After a long moment of silence, Eliana finally said, "Please, just leave me alone for a while. I need to think."

Her mother looked at her with sadness in her eyes. "Okay, I'll leave you alone, but please know that I love you and I'm only doing this because I care about you and your father." And with that, she closed the door behind her.

Eliana lay on her bed, feeling lost and alone. She thought about her life and how she has been working endlessly to provide for her family. She thinks back to the time when her father's company went bankrupt and how he almost died due to the shock. Elliana decided to clear her head by taking a walk, she goes to the doorway but wa surprised to see a stranger talking to her father.

Eliana stood in the doorway, frozen in place. She didn't recognize the young man, and she wondered what he was doing in her house. She looked at her father, who was looking at her with a concerned expression on his face.

"Eliana," her father called, "I'd like you to meet Leo. He's the man we've been discussing about, and he is here to meet with you. You guys should get along and plan for the marriage"

Leo stood up and extended his hand. "It's nice to finally meet you," he said, and stared at her for a few seconds, which had her unconsciously squirming.

But Eliana just stared at him too, not taking his hand. "I'm sorry," she finally replied, "but I can't do this, and i'ld appreciate it if you do not come back to this house again."

"Elliana, don't be rude!" Her father yelled and gave her a slap across her cheek.

Eliana's father raised his hand as if to strike her again, but before he could do so, there was a knock at the door. A stern voice called out, "Police! Open up!"

Eliana's heart was racing as she looked at her father, who looked shocked and frozen in place. What is the police doing here and what do the want?