Hold Me Now

Chapter 2: Perfect Companion

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." 

Mrs. Kirkwood's Thursday, English class started with this most famous quote. She went on to ask, "What is meant by these words? Does anyone have any thoughts on this?" The squatty teacher peered at the class over her wide, thick eyeglasses.

Ava could not believe no one was jumping to answer the question. People, this is an incredible, magnificent work of literary genius! Come on! Huffing out a breath, she realized it's her duty to answer. She owes it to Jane Austin. 

Just as she had worked up the courage to raise her hand, an unexpected voice spoke. "Plainly speaking it means rich, available men, want to be married." She turned her head to look at her neighbor. Blue eyes stared back at her. Feeling in a Jane Austin mood, she noted he had a quizzical brow.

He wasn't finished yet, though. "If you ask me that's a bunch of garbage." Rich, single men wanting to be married? Ha! There's not one guy he knows who's jumping up and down to get married. That's a chick thing.

As Johnny disagreed with the book's opener and called it garbage, Ava's mouth dropped open. Shaking her head, she had to turn away from him. Her pen tapping began. He called it garbage! Like he would know what a masterpiece is. He probably reads karate magazines. Garbage...

"Mr. Lawrence, those are harsh words for a highly praised classic work. Please explain your thinking," Mrs. Kirkwood articulated. 

Ava agrees. Yes, Johnny do explain. Garbage... He probably looks at girly magazines also. Those are garbage. Not Pride and Prejudice!

He could feel the hostility rolling off Ava from where he sat. Her pen tapping is a dead giveaway. Not caring to choose his words wisely, he declared "Men don't care about marriage." Shocked gasps were heard around the room. Chicks... seriously. "We don't. What we care about is love, respect, and sex." More gasps were heard. 

Oh well, he tore off the bandAID. "That opening line has nothing to do with men. It's just words on paper used to describe chicks. Single women are desperate. They're in need of a rich man to be their husband. And their mothers want the same, for their daughters. That's the truth universally known." Putting his head down, he doodled in his notebook.

What a bold statement. Of course, he would have the guts to back it up with an equally strong statement. Her ex is nothing if not authentic, a true original. And yet... "I disagree with you." Ava decided to be brazen too.

Eyes turned to her, including those deep blue ones she knows so well. Mrs. Kirkwood grew excited. "Now we have a real discussion here. Please do share with us your dissent Miss Green."

After letting out a deep breath, she explained herself. "Single women want more than riches. They want care, strength, love, and companionship with a partner who encompasses all of those things. And if he happens to be rich, then that's all the better. They're not all desperate either. " She felt his eyes on her. "With that opening line alone you can discern the book is going to have elements of marriage, gossip, miscommunication, and love."

She was going to be quiet, but then another thought came to her. "And also the words in want of a wife doesn't necessarily imply a wanting, but a lacking. The man lacks that which might be wanted. So, this opening line could also foreshadow the man on a path to find that which he lacks. While Pride and Prejudice is more feminine in nature, it's also descriptive of the men in the story obtaining what they want too. And it's the journey of the finding that set the two main characters apart, on their similar but different paths of change." That's it. She's met her bold quotient for the day.