Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23981 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23981 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
While trying to sleep - ‘You’re more likely to win the lottery if you have an arranged marriage, Tara, did you know that?’
I must have been worn down and sleep-deprived from all of the nagging, because I finally threw my hands in the air and shouted, ‘Fine! I’ll marry David just leave me alone!’
She wasted no time in setting it up. She wasn’t about to give me a second to regroup, recharge, and realize that this was a horrible idea. David was at my house (with his parents) for dinner three days later.
It was strange to say the least. It felt like we were the main exhibit in a freak museum with all four of our parents watching us like hawks all night. Every time we tried to talk, they would stop their conversation and lean in to listen, so we barely said a word.
The next week, my parents and I were at their house. We had some alone time while we set the table. We talked about five things:
1. Pretzels (he likes them but prefers chips)
2. The napkins on the table which belonged to his grandmother (they were painfully ugly)
3. The weather (it was cloudy)
4. The dinner (should be ready soon)
5. His fantasy football team (I don’t or won’t ever give a shit about fantasy football)
There was zero chemistry. Zero fireworks. Zero interest.
Looking at him made me feel as much passion as looking at a stalk of celery lying on the dirty tiled floor of the grocery store.
But things were in motion—our mothers working quickly behind the scenes—and all of a sudden we had a wedding date and my mother came home with a dress and the invitations were sent out before I even knew they were ordered.
And now I’m stuck in the backroom of the church with my sister, trying to fight back a panic attack.
“I can’t marry him, Cynthia,” I say as my hands start shaking. “Mom said he had beautiful eyes. They’re not even that nice!”
“There’s more to him than just his eyes.”
“There was no spark,” I say, feeling the panic bubbling back up. “I need some kind of spark at least. Is that too much to ask? You know me, Cyn. I cry at love songs. I watched The Notebook at least a hundred times. I want a passionate love affair. I want a man who will sweep me off my feet! I want to be around someone I’m so into that it’s a struggle not to rip their clothes off whenever I look at them. I don’t want boring David and his stupid fantasy football team!”
“Hate to break it to you, Tara, but every guy out there has a fantasy football team. It’s an epidemic.”
“I can’t marry him!” I screech. “I know I said I would, but I can’t.”
“Let’s just breathe slowly,” Cynthia says as she walks to the door and grabs the handle. “We’ll walk over to the aisle and when you see your handsome groom standing at the alter, I’m sure you’ll change your mind.”
“I won’t.”
“Let’s try.”
My eyes narrow on her. “You’re my maid of honor, Cynthia. Do your job.”
“I’m trying to,” she says, huffing out in exasperation. “I’m trying to calm you down.”
“You shouldn’t be trying to calm me down!” I say with my voice rising. “You should be getting me car keys and distracting everyone while I climb out the window and make a run for it.”
Her shoulders drop and she looks at me. For the first time today, she’s really looking at me.
“You really don’t want to do this?”
I shake my head.
“Alright.” She bursts into action. The panic in me starts to subside now that she’s on my team.
“Take my car,” she says as she grabs her purse and pulls out her keys. “You’ll need this too.” She gives me all the cash she has on her and I shove it into my bra. “I have clothes in my trunk that you can change into.”
“Thank you!” I say as I grab her hand and cling to it. “I’ll never forget this!”
“Where are you going to go?”
“I don’t know,” I say as my mind races. I never thought past getting out of this room.
“Go to those cabins in Montana that we used to stay at,” she says. “In Caldwell. Remember those?”
“Yes! That’s perfect.”
“They’re about two hours away,” she says as she hurries me over to the window. “Lay low there for a couple of days until Mom cools down.”
“I don’t have my phone!”
“It’s okay,” she says as she gives me her credit card. “For emergencies only! I’ll call the main desk and ask for you when everything has calmed down.”
“You don’t mind breaking the news to everyone?” I say as she opens the stained glass window. Cold winter air hits us like a slap in the face.
“Do I mind going into that full church and announcing to everyone that you left?” she says with a laugh. “What do you think?”