ANAYA, S POV
I heard loud banging at my bedroom door and voices shouting outside. I quickly rushed to open it, wondering what the commotion was about this early morning as it was just past five a.m.. ''who do you think you are to make everyone wait for you to wake up? Princess' Anny, we await you''. Said my mother sarcastically. She forced herself inside my room and pushed me at the door.
''You are so lazy; you are supposed to be downstairs getting ready; your stylist and makeup artist are here already.''.She said, now looking at me. ''Oooh, so all the commotion is about the wedding?''I answered unbothered. Everyone was excited about the wedding except the bride-to-be. It was supposed to be a happy day for me, but for some reason, I felt sad. Today, I will be a wife to a man I have never met, know nothing about, and a man I don't love. And maybe it is the beginning of my misery; I wondered what kind of man he is to agree to an arranged marriage to someone he knows nothing about or loves.
Maybe, just like me, he was forced by circumstance, and since none of us wanted this, we will live in misery together just because of the selfish decisions made by our parents, the people who are supposed to have our interests. I dragged my feet to the bathroom to shower after my mother left the room after checking if I had packed all my belongings. After showering, I headed downstairs for breakfast and noticed the house was full of people, relatives, and family friends, most of whom I never met. After breakfast, I was asked to wait in my room, where all the makeup and styling were done.
After two hours of preparation, everything was ready, and a motorcade to take us to church arrived. We headed outside as my best friend, my maid of honor, held my hand as she could see the pain in my eyes. I would not let the tears fall and give my mother the satisfaction of mocking me. We went outside, where my father and everyone stood waiting. I could see him from my veil, and I knew from his red eye he had been crying, so I just hugged him and whispered to him. ''Dad, it's okay, I will be okay; I promise to call every day so you won't miss me so much''.I joked, but I felt choked by my tears, and my heart was shuttered into pieces as I looked at my mother standing there smiling so much, probably happy that she didn't have to see me anymore. She ensured my belongings were the first thing in the car as my sisters happily followed her.
We left with the motorcade for the church; I could see people excited and happy from the long line of cars behind us. But all I could think of at that moment was how things came to this, how a nineteen-year-old was carrying the baggage for the family when other girls my age were busy having fun, studying, seeing the world, and working towards their goals in life. However, here I was, getting married, still a virgin never even had a first kiss or a boyfriend. ''We are here, sweety''.My thoughts were interrupted by my father informing me we had arrived at church.
I felt every emotion at once when I looked outside, and there was a crowd outside. After a few minutes, the crowd entered the church, probably for the ceremony to start. Shay and my father were the first to get out of the car, giving me time alone before I got out.
My mother was waiting outside as they were to walk me down the aisle. My father held my hand, and my mother did so for the first time. I held my mother's hands. I felt so much hate, anger, sadness, and happiness at the same time for my mother as I stared down at our hands.