“What’s going on ma? I thought this was going to be a party or something, but I don’t know any of these people.”
Aria only recognized one person and that was the reverend from the local church in town. It did not make sense for him to be there. Her mother’s green eyes kept shifting away from her and that made her more nervous than any of the other strange occurrences of that day. Her mind flitted back to Keith in the living room and his comment of hearing so much about her. She wasn’t sure why he’d have heard anything about her.
Beverly looked up at her youngest daughter and she almost had tears in her red-rimmed eyes. The woman did not know how to say what she needed to say and she knew that her news was not going to be taken well at all. While Aria had always just wanted freedom to roam, since her birth, she was shackled to a life that she did not even know existed.
“Mom. You’re starting to scare me. What is going on and why are you looking so sad?”
“I just don’t know how to tell you this dear. I have always known that one day it would come to this, but I’d always hoped that things would turn out differently.”
The woman was talking in circles and confusing Aria even more. Her mother motioned her down to sit at the table and she waited anxiously for what it was all about.
“Beverly hurry up. We have a wedding to do. Have you seen Aria yet?”
Beverly looked to the man standing in the doorway. Her husband had less tact than most and he did not seem to understand the need to handle a situation with a softer hand. The woman knew that he had tried to act like a father to Aria, but there wasn’t a bond that many had, even with fifteen years of raising behind them. Howard was just not as invested as she was and he did not really understand the situation. All he knew was that he got a bunch of money and rid of a thorn in his side.
“Oh there you are. Have you told her yet or what? There are all these people waiting out here and it seems rude to be sitting in here chatting about it.”
Beverly glared at him. “Howard we will be in there in a minute. Stop rushing me!”
As her mother got upset, so did Aria. She did not understand what it was all about and she certainly didn’t know what wedding he was talking about. Why was everyone waiting for her and what had her mother looking at her as though she had just sold her to the devil?
“You’re getting married Aria. Today.”
Aria was shocked. She asked her to repeat herself, unsure that she had heard her correctly. The words just didn’t register in her head.
“Aria, you were always promised to Keith. I didn’t want to burden you with all of this. I wanted you to live as normal a life as possible.” The older woman paused, sighing like she was releasing pressure that had been on her shoulders for years. There was also an internal struggle inside of Beverly. The inner question of how much does she say?
“I don’t understand mom. I thought I was getting a car or a backpacking trip, not a husband!”
Aria voice was raising but she didn’t care. Her mother was just too calm about it and she for one, wasn’t going to read into all of the nonsense about promises. Aria had made no such promises to anyone.
“Calm down Aria. They will hear you. Do you really want to start your marriage off on a bad foot?”
Aria just stared at her in astonishment. She was acting so emotionless about it, like it wasn’t the rest of her life she was talking about so nonchalantly.
“Mom, I am not getting married. I am eighteen now and even if I wasn’t, I wouldn’t agree to this. What are you guys talking about and who are all these people?”
“They are your new family Aria.”
“How can you do this? How can you give your daughter away?”
Aria was crying and though she knew they could hear her in the other room, she didn’t care. Beverly got up and went across the table and went to her level. “Aria you had to have known that you were different. That you don’t look anything like me and your father. You had to know that, I mean look at you?”
Aria still did not understand, though she was trying to. What did she mean that she doesn’t look like them? “What?”
“Aria you’re not really my daughter. Although I love you as though you were, it is true. The truth is, you were given to me to take care of until your eighteenth birthday. They are here to collect you now.”
“I don’t understand, so they are my family?”
“No, they are the family you were promised to as a child. It was your real parents that made it. I am only here to honor my side. They paid a handsome reward for the success of your raising, so please don’t make me look bad. You can do this Aria. I raised you to be strong. You’re meant for Keith, even if you don’t realize it yet.”
Aria couldn’t think and when she was pulled to her feet, she didn’t want to move but she did anyways. Aria was the ever obedient daughter, to whoever the woman next to her was. She was all she had ever known and now, it was all gone in the blink of an eye. Back in the other room, all eyes were on her and the one that she had spoken to earlier, stepped forward to take her hand.