Finally the billionaire's order was carried out. Brian refused to wear his cloths.
"Ah! Ah! Ah! Aye!"
He groaned and wailed at the tops of his voice and I perceived they were whipping him now.
But why would a rightful thinking person refuse to wear his cloths? And why would they whip a grown up in his right senses. I was beginning to suspect mental derangement.
"Ah! Ah! Ah! Aye!"
The wailing ravaged the entire mansion, and Opula was forced to go on her knees and pled on his behalf.
"Father, please, I beg of you. Have mercy upon Brian you know his condition. If they continue to whip him with such callousness, they will hurt him and he doesn't need to appear distraught since today is his day. I suggest we opt for gentler way of bringing him out…"
Fanny interrupted her, "Enough of that!" his voice frisked. "That boy has cost me a lot pain and impairment. He has embarrassed me before Rio Hondo. He has dragged the name of my family in the mud and if he is not careful, I will disown him and send him to the home for the insane. Yes I can do that!"
Fanny ground his jaw as I could see thunder and brimstone etched on his face. His expression hardened as he gazed upon Opula, who was still on her knees.
Opula bowed her head, "No father you would do no such thing," decorum possessed her voice "Permit me to go right away and bring him peacefully," she demanded.
Fanny gazed upon her with a mesh scowl on his face, as though he was reminding her that he would inflict more annoying pain on Brian if he should refused to come out with her.
"You may go and bring him if only he will cooperate with you", he ordered.
At the time, the securities were still struggling with him and whipping the hell out of him. Brian's heavy wailing and gnashing of teeth hung over us. And once Opula got there, every struggle came to an abrupt end and the wailing stopped. The whipping paused and gently she came out with Brian, and stood holding him by the arm.
The image struck in my head; those thick, pink, kiss-it lips, watery, blue eyes that smeared like the sky above, body that seemed skinny yet with traces of muscles and ridges he earned at the gym. Yet with those traces of cuteness, he was still looking unkempt with scraggly unshaven beards and saliva gathered around his mouth, just like the other day at the market.
I shouted, "You!" I pointed at him and felt like demanding for repayment of my vegetables which he squandered at the market
Everyone glared at me, and Fanny shot his frown at me in bewilderment.
"Wait a minute. Have you met my son before? Do you know Brian Fanny before now? "Fanny queried me and shot an obnoxious star ate me.
I pointed at him and broke down in tears. "This is the same mad boy that ate my raw vegetables at the market while I was fast asleep! It is him!" I wailed.
"You keep shut!" Opula barked at me, "How dare you refer to my only brother as mad, uh? What insolence," her jaw clenched.
Fanny interrupted with a chuckle."Steady on, daughter," he said to Opula, and then burned when he flashed his scowled face at me. "He had a huge grin and continued, "For the record, his name is Brian Fanny, my only son. He became mysteriously mentally deranged and we as a family can't sit back and watch him deteriorate and live an abnormal life that is why we are trying to give him the best out of life. Your mother is ill at the hospital. She needs half a million dollars to survive. My son is mentally deranged. He needs a companion to keep him warm at night and take care of him whenever he needs a heart and a hand. My lawyer is here," he pointed to a lanky, tall, ponytail, Caucasian young man in twenties. "Barrister Coleman can you advance to the front please," he beckoned and kept at his grin.
The barrister advanced just then and brought out some documents from his brief case.
"Melissa," Fanny called yet again "You will sign to a contract marriage with my son this minute. You will become his legally married wife and be bound by the contract, and in return, I will give you this credit card of half a million dollars, which I believe will sort out your mother's medical bills. He repeated himself more emphatically, "I will give you the money but you must sign a contract marriage with my mad son."
I swallowed hard and rolled my tongue within my mouth to swallow hard yet again but couldn't find any saliva. My entire body shook in fear and disgust. Balls of sweat had wet my brow and delivered chilled nervousness across my skin.
Me? Melissa? A virgin? What in the name of thunder would make me sign to a contract marriage with a mad man! What were they thinking? Were they thinking I would jump into the agreement because I was a poor vegetable seller? Or did they believe I would have no option than to accept the marriage because my mother was dying in the hospital?
I looked at Brian and I became even more irritated; his hair had turned gray, unkempt and thong-like. His hands were scraggly, grisly and beards unshaven, all over his mouth was saliva and each time he smiled, his once-white dentition flashed at me. The blisters and reddened fresh wounds on his body were in their numbers. His cloths were torn, and rumpled as rags. He often gave a toothy smile and scratched his beards and hair, even slapped his cheeks at interval.
Obviously this boy was violently mad and this rich family wanted me to sign to a horrible contract marriage because they knew I was earnestly in need of money.
No. it can't be!
I raised my head confidently and said, "Sir, with all due respect I am not interested.
All eyes flashed at me…