I halted my step and could hear voices whispering from ear to ear over the reason for my tears. Fanny Luis's jaw dropped upon seeing my teary face and I doubted if it was for me or for his reputation.
The voices were as the chirping of innumerable bees; they were murmuring about my fallen countenance. I just wish I could chin up and be matured before these gusts.
"Why is she all tears?" a voice among the guest queried.
"Isn't she happy?" another replied coldly.
"Oh it could be tears of joy," another suggested.
"Who wouldn't be emotional? She is fortunate to marry the billionaire's mad son," that was another voice which sounded even more offensive than all the voices.
The guests whispered among themselves, while the waited for the next line of action.
I stood in my gloom, locked and pressed my hands in front, with my gaze lowered, at least with the intent to hide my sullen teary face from any careful onlooker.
All of a sudden a lush silence hung over the entire building as piles of chains clanked on the floor, as though someone was dragging some chains on the floor. In a jiffy the large Mahogany door opened and the chains kept clanking without any appearance of anything or anyone.
I could see the anticipation that decked the faces of the guests; even most of them that knew the mental status of my husband were left gaping as they watched out for him.
I was lost in thought, in my mystery, my sullenness, in my fate of being the wife to a billionaire's mad son, when thunderous clapping possessed the entire guests. When I looked closely around the door Io and behold, there he was, all suited in a pair of black tuxedo and white sleeves and bow tie that barely fit. Piles of chains were hanging from his waist, hand, and feet, and a two macho, hefty men whom I perceived to be the security, flanked about him to control his excesses and violence.
At a point he would halt his movement and make a violent move not to step any further. The heft security would drag him until he succumb and then make a little more movement. At interval he would laugh within himself, and then frown and the next thing he would spit out…
Salsa stared at me and I stared back with pity on her face differentiating us. I knew she had one last wish for me.
"Be of good cheer, Melissa. Getting married to the billionaire's mad son is the price you pay to save your mother. Everything has a price to pay, even life, most times its price is death," She sounded, winked at me and focused on the occasion of the day.
At this time, the macho men were busy stopping Brian from unbuttoning his tuxedo and sleeve. He was laughing at the tops of his voice and scratching his hair to scraggly now. The macho men could only hold at a spot but they couldn't stop his noisy clattering and chuckling.
The Fanny's stared at their son with discontentment. I could see the looks on Fanny himself. His looks were like the ones on mine; disappointment and devastated
"Brian!" Fanny's voice beamed and then called him to order and Brain quietened and pointed his fingers across the guests in one moment of seriousness before breaking down in laugh again. The guests seemed to be entertained as everyone stared with rapt attention and unblinking eyes. My wedding suddenly became an embodiment of humorous entertainment.
From my stand point one could tell I was jaded and wary of life. My eyes were swelled up with tears. Salsa who was having my hand in hers all along quickly unhooked hers and cupped her jaw as she stared at Brian with pity.
"What is my fate?" I asked in whispers and Salsa gave me a speechless look, "A marriage of no return, am right?" I added afterwards when she wouldn't give me any reply.
Salsa threw a menacing gaze at me. "The moment you sign that marriage agreement paper he becomes your husband. You can still buck off now, unless you believe in your fate."
"Which is?" I queried anxiously, feeling as though my solution rested on her lips and those shoulders of hers.
"True love and survival, or neither. The question is what do you see?" She asked, smiled at me and threw her gaze upon Brian, who was earnestly struggling to come off the hold of the hefty men now.
"I scowled my face, and felt ill-luck dragging down my jaw, "He is violent. Those hefty men will not always be with us in the bedroom. All I see is destruction and ill-luck. There is no true love and survival in this toxic marriage" I intoned regrettably.
"That is your fate then," she sounded, her gaze still on Brian as she joined the quests to laugh at him. "It is time to move forward to sign your marriage papers, Melissa," she added, grabbed my hand like a prisoner and pushed me along.
"Is the marriage paper necessary? Isn't it obvious that I am the contracted wife of a billionaire's mad son," I said swiftly, staring Salsa in the face to give quick reply.
"It is a contract marriage, Melissa. You are bound by agreement which must be fulfilled by the both of you. You must put your signature and name on the agreement paper so that tomorrow you don't sue the Fannys over nothing." She paused, stared in my face and queried, "Do you have first grade education?"
"My mama told me I have but I can't recall the four walls of education in my life. Why do you ask?" my voice was shrill and uneven, and my gaze was still upon the man I would call my husband till whenever.
"You are going to give repeated signature and name which must be the same. I don't want to help you with that art," she mumbled and cast a glance at the papers on the table before us.
Suddenly Fanny trudged confidently to us. "You are going to sign to this contract marriage papers, Melissa. Once you sign, you become the legitimate wife of my son. Then I can give you the half a million dollars for your mother's hospital bills and extra half a million for her upkeep. My mother-in-law must not suffer anymore," he sounded and forced a smile.
Barrister Coleman who was standing opposite the paper, smiled at me and gestured at me to come forward and sign.
While I struggled to push myself, Salsa nudged me at my back to be fast about it. I picked up the pen, and signed three times on a three piece of papers, with my name inscribed below.
Salsa pulled me back, because it was time for Brian to come forth and sign.