The Arrangement

The Arrangement_1

{{Lila}}




"Daddy be nice." I instructed my father.

"This is the third guy in a month you bring to meet me, Lilliana."

I rolled my eyes, I hated when people use my given name.

"Just be cordial." I pleaded.

He remained silent so I guessed the conversation was over.

I retreated back into the kitchen to help my mother with the dinner. We worked in a tense silence and I already knew the night wouldn't go well.

Two hours later, I told my "friend" goodbye, he kissed my cheek and insisted he would call me later. But based on my parents cold demeanor, I knew he wouldn't.

I closed the door with a sigh.

"I expect that is the last we'll see of him?" My mother asked in mock innocence.

I only looked at my mother then went upstairs to my room.

The next morning at breakfast the table was silent as my father read his paper and my mother sipped her coffee.

But the second my father closed his paper it was as if he had signally an ambush. Both of my parents started bombarding me with questions and statements about my life.

"You are 27, you've graduated from College and yet you have no career, you have no husband or children. What are you doing?" My mother harangued me.

"We love you, but we will not be around forever and that's why we must say that unless you get a job and find a suitable husband we will cut you off."

A husband?

"Why can I just get a job for incentive?" I asked.

"Because Lilliana, you will walk out of here today, with no ambition an apply for any job just to get us off your back." My mother filled me in. "Plus a job is only part if the problem, correct me if I'm wrong but I'm sure I listed three things that need fixing. And a man will help with two of those things, all three if we're lucky."

I rolled my eyes, my mother's practically been planning my wedding since the day she found out she was having a daughter.

"You will have one month to settle into a new job worth your time as well as find a guy," my father announced.

"So you'd just have me marry some random guy?" I asked trying to make him feel guilty.

"Lillypad, at this point I would be happy even if you announced you were a lesbian with a girlfriend. Then i'd know you weren't going to en up alone in life."

I couldn't believe my father was talking about lesbians. But before I could fully comprehend what my parents were pushing me into, my mother dropped an even bigger bombshell on me.

"If you fail to find a guy you can truly see yourself with, we will result to my families old traditions and you will be placed in an arranged marriage."

Now I was near tears. This isn't the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, hell i'm only one fourth Arabic, there is no way they could do this. I'm American this should be illegal.

"The young man will come from a very prestigious family. He will be the penacle of perfection when it comes to a husband."

"Mommy, this isn't fair!"

"Not fair is the way you've behaved all these years." My mother raised her voice. "You have a sense of entitlement that your brother never had."

Her words slapped me, my parents don't talk about my brother, ever.

I could tell her words had effected her as well as she immediately turned to leave the room. My father remained silent but followed her out
...



"Don't get me wrong, I love my parents but all of this is bullshit!" I said as I filled my best friend in.

She looked at me as I spoke, but as soon as I quieted for her response she looked down. She suddenly grew very thirsty as her green Starbucks straw was practically glued to her lips now.

"They are being unreasonable, right?" I questioned her.

Elise sighed, "not completely."

My mouth fell open, how could my best friend side with them on this.

"Well Lila, you do kind of take advantage of them." Elise spoke up now. "Ok, I don't agree with the whole arranged marriage thing. But come on, your 27 and you live at home with your parents."

I never understood what the big deal about moving out was, who would want to when your parents buy the food, cook the food, and you don't have to pay any bills.

"I mean really, how much do you spend in a week?" She asked a little harshly.

When it came to Elise she was always a schtickler when it came to money management, then again her mom was a single mother and didn't have as much money as my parents did.

"I think it's time you grow up and find out what the real world is like. God forbid your parents lost everything tomorrow, what would you do?"

I sat in silence as I couldn't answer her. We ended up parting ways a short time later, I had a lot to think about.




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A/N:
Character list

Lilliana "Lila" Schwartz- a dark haired beauty who's world is suddenly tilted off course as her parents tell her grow up, get some responsibilities and find a guy.

Elise Wright- best friend and complete opposite of Lila. Fair haired and bubbly she is also driven with ambition to "have it all since she didn't have such a great childhood.

Jonah Schwartz- Lilliana's older brother (and only sibling), loving son and brother, great student an amazing athlete, his sudden death after graduating Highschool left a huge hole in Lila, one that she desperately tries to ignore with indulging herself by using her parents bank accounts.

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