Chapter Four

 “Why didn't you tell me, Dad? It’s not fair! This is my life you toyed with, my future and you sold me without my knowledge.”

 Tasha paced the wooden floor of the dining table, unable to sit down any longer. Usually, she was the coolheaded and reasonable one but the situation at hand called for violence. She had waited till after dinner, barely managing to chew her dinner to discuss the disturbing topic with her parents. She was angry and her soul wanted retribution for the wrongs done against her. Henchard, her younger brother watched them curiously, eating his dinner in silence. Spencer held his head down in shame and her mom patted his back, sharing in his pain.

 “Henchard, would you mind finishing your dinner upstairs in your room?” May requested in a suggestive voice. The young man frowned, letting his spoon drop noisily into his plate. He had thought they would not notice his presence in the midst of the hubbub. It was not everyday one saw Tasha lose her temper.

 “But why? You guys never let me know anything. Ain't I a part of this family?” he countered, folding his arms across his chest. 

 “You are, sweetie,” May amended, “ but the grownups want to have a very important discussion. You can come down later.”

 “But. . .”

 “Henchard!” his father thundered without raising his head. “Listen to your mother and do what she says. We don’t have the time to deal with you right now. You will go upstairs and finish your meal there.”

 “Whatever. I've lost my appetite anyways. Let them have it, sis,” he declared, pushing his chair backwards and stormed out of the room. The stomping on the stairway revealed how pissed he was before they heard the loud banging of his door. Tasha felt sorry for ruining his dinner but it was her parents’ fault. If they hadn’t been keeping secrets from her, there would be absolutely no need for the current difficult conversation. She pointed to the piece of paper opened neatly on the dining table and directed her question at her father.

 “Just tell me why, Dad. Why did you. . .”

 “Enough, Tasha. I will not take one more rude word from you! I did what I did to prevent you all from going to jail. The time allocated to me by the bank to pay back the loan has expired and they were planning to imprison each of us. My furniture store is dying and I was desperate to save it. Do this for your family, Tasha. Marry Nelson and end our sufferings forever. He might not love you the way you want but you can win his respect and once you have that, our troubles are gone. Please, Tasha.”

 “Look me in the eye, Father and tell me that you did not sell me for money.”

 “Tasha, you are being too extreme! You are speaking to your father in such a cruel manner,” her mother rebuked her at once.

 Tasha stood dumbfounded, looking from one parent to the other. Her mother avoided her question, meaning she was a part to the deed and had let her stumble blindly in the arrangement. She had already signed the marriage papers and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Arguing was futile and would turn her family against her in the long run. On the other hand, her dreams of furthering her education would remain dreams forever when she got married. Tears ran down her cheeks and she let them be, her fists balled by her side. 

 “If I’m to get married, I would need a dress and I want Virginia to be my bridesmaid,” Tasha finally murmured, resigning herself to her fate. There was no use struggling with the wind or believing in fantasies. If she could control some decisions at her wedding, perhaps, it would not be as terrible as she pictured it in her head. However, her parents exchanged suspicious looks and it was her mother that spoke eventually.

 “Tasha, Mr Radcliffe has already made all the arrangements. He asked us not to worry about anything except getting you to the wedding. Distant cousins of his will make up your bridesmaids and your maid of honour would be an old classmate from when he was in collegr. We are only allowed to fix a date that would be suitable for us. I'm sorry, Tasha but Virginia cannot be your bridesmaid. Only your immediate family is invited.”

 “But we have been friends since forever and. . . now I have to get married without her by my side?”

 May shrugged and patted her daughter's shoulders tenderly. Even she had not gotten married at the age of twenty-two but some circumstances had forced her to agree to give her young daughter away to Nelson Radcliffe. Tasha would live the wealthy life she deserved as a reward for sacrificing her freedom for her family and they wouldn't have to go to jail courtesy of the bank. Desperate situations called for desperate methods and they would not be the first parents in history to give their daughter away within the constraints of an arranged marriage. It was for the best and the end would justify the means hopefully. 

 Tasha stepped back slowly, holding her head amidst the latest developments. She wanted to scream at the world, at the moon, till the earth stopped spinning. Screaming might not solved anything but it would help to relieve some of the weights she bore on her chest. They were choking her—her worries, her fears— and she needed to come up for air lest she sank beneath the waves of despair. It was the end of the road. Her dreams, her hopes were dashed and her life was going to be dictated for her by a rich billionaire whom she had only gotten to know more about through the internet. She felt like she was a dream, a terrible nightmare that she couldn't wait to wake up from. Soon, her vision turned blurry and narrowed, her stance swaying left and right. At last, she fainted, falling to the ground in a crumbled heap.