The Fake Bride

ANNA

My eyes sprung open, only then did I realize it was a dream. Although the chances of this dream coming to pass are high. 

I yawned as I rolled over to the edge of the bed and I picked up my phone, I had gotten a message that gave me clarity that my nightmare would soon come to pass. 

The message was from the loan sharks my mother had borrowed money from, a threatening message at that, the content of the message contained things they would do to me if I didn't meet the deadline. 

I dropped my phone, cupped my face in my hands and I let out a loud sigh. What did I ever do to be birthed to someone like my mother? 

I have always felt out of place and unlucky ever since I was born. My father worked as a security guard, he lived his life as best as he could, although he had his faults. He sometimes came home drunk or ran into debts sometimes, only later did I realise it was to keep up with the mounting bills. 

He died in a motorbike hit-and-run accident, an autopsy proved he was drunk so the case was closed quickly. My dad wasn't the best anyone could ask for, but he did make sacrifices for me and my mum. He would help with my school fees whenever he won his gamble and also buy fashion items for my mother. The little he did made me wonder if he would have been a better version of himself if he had been rich or if he didn't drink on the particular day he had an accident.  I sometimes think the death case wasn't fair enough, but there was little a poor person could do. taken the self-improvement counsel seriously. 

I would rather choose my father over my mother a hundred times if I had the chance. All my mother knows to do is to cause a ruckus, more than my father did. I often reminisced on how tough growing up was, I've never had anyone truly care about me. 

I lost my father at the age of sixteen and my life has been from frying pan to fire ever since. My mother would always drink and gamble into debts I had to settle from the menial jobs paid at such as young age. 

I thought I had seen it all after I managed to finish my high school education, my mum broke it to me that she would be getting remarried and would leave town. 

I didn't know how to feel after I heard it, a part of me wanted her gone because she had always been trouble, while a part of me reminded me she was the only family I had left. My opinion didn't matter to her, she got married and fled with her new husband, Derrick. She left me with her debts to settle as the creditors would not stop pestering me. 

Times have passed slowly, it's been seven years since I last saw my mother, I was almost getting over her absence until a few months ago when I received a call. I just knew my mother had done it again, she gave out my information as the guarantor to pay her debt if she couldn't. 

The loan sharks proved unreasonable as they started threatening me to pay up the money within a short period. I rose from the bed, walked to my window and drew the curtains, 

"What the hell did mum do with fifty thousand dollars, how am I supposed to pay it back", I mumbled to myself. 

I have been working in a five-star cafe for two years now, it's the longest I've been at a job. Although I served wealthy people, my pay was peanuts compared to how fancy the cafe was painted to be. I do have a cheerful personality which made it easy for me to get tips from regular customers. 

"Do I ask a customer for help?", I asked myself as I stepped out of the bathroom but I cancelled the thought immediately. It took me quite some time to get this job through a friend, I could be fired immediately if I'm caught doing such a thing and I wouldn't risk being sacked for something like that. 

I slid into my black fitted pants, tucked in a rose pink top and paired it with a black flat shoe. I've never really bothered about high-heeled shoes because of my height, I am 5'9 and it has always been admirable. 

I have always preferred to change into work outfits at the cafe, my neighbours would think I get a high pay if they found out I work in a five-star cafe. 

I packed my hair in a ponytail and smacked my lips to rub in my gloss. I looked at myself in the mirror, my light blue eyes shone brightly, and my well set of teeth revealed as I smiled brightly at the mirror and admired my beauty. 

I've had a few clients tell me I am beautiful, some would even say I could pass for a model. I rarely did makeup which makes the flatter more appealing. 

I did a quick turn in front of the mirror, the pant is one of my favourites for a reason because they show and define my curves and long legs, my bust was just the perfect size every lady would ask for. 

The thought of the loan sharks is heavy on my mind, I haven't been able to think of a particular way out of this mess, the deadline is getting nearer, and different thoughts came to my mind but I just brushed it off and headed to work. 

I had about ten minutes to check out of my shift, a tall man in a suit walked in and I knew he'd be my last client for the night. I attended to his order, I went to the changing room to change my outfit. 

I snapped my neck and stretched my hands to relieve the joint pains from standing and working all day. 

I grabbed my bag and walked out of the cafe, my phone buzzed, and I swiped up to check my notification. The message was from my mother's creditors, "You have just two weeks left, or you are going to have your organs out of you".