The Arrangement

Chapter One I have always been my father's obedient little girl. With two rebellious older brothers and a younger sister who does whatever she wants, I am the only reliable child he has, so he says to me. I have to uphold the family honor. He has always had high expectations of me, to do the right things, and to take over the family business, he doesn’t trust my brothers to do so. When I was born, a contract was signed, to make sure that our family business will always bloom. Like the good girl I am, of course, I have never said out loud how I hate the idea of the arrangement, but I do. My dream has always been to be able to marry out of love and not out of business, maybe that has always been my dream because I have always known that it won’t happen for me. I have known about the contract since I was ten years old. When I was younger I didn’t really know what it meant, when I got older I started to understand but I didn’t want it to be. I want to decide over my own fate, but if I would start making a fuss about it I think my father would die. He lays his hopes and dreams on me, and I don’t want to disappoint him. It’s a big responsibility but I’m ready to take it on, I hope. Right now I'm packing my suitcase, tonight my father is driving me to the airport, I will board a flight and it will take me to Germany to meet my betrothed. It seems better to say betrothed, I don't know why. We are forced into this but we haven't exactly disagreed, especially not me. I haven't even met the one I'm supposed to get married to, all I know is his name and that he's family is very rich, even more so than my family, their family business is bigger, we need them to expand and they need us to expand in the U.S. The last family dinner I will have with my family is tonight, exactly four hours before my plane lifts and two hours before I have to leave for the airport. I dread the dinner a lot, I know that my mother will cry and my father will be looking at me with those puppy eyes. My brothers are going to tease me and my little sister is going to ask me a lot of questions. If I could I would skip the dinner but I can't do that to my mother. She has never been all that fond of the arranged marriage but she knows that is has to be done. The finer name is contract marriage, but it is arranged and kind of forced. I could get out of it if I wanted but I couldn't do that to my father. I look out of the window. It's snowing outside, and the dark is light up by the streetlights. It's beautiful. I'm going to miss my home, I have enjoyed growing up here and it's a shame that my children won't be brought up here, they will be brought up in Germany where I will live from now on. But I will make sure that we will visit a lot. I'm not willing to give up my family because of this business deal. "Are you done? Dinner is ready!" I hear my sister Astra ask as walks into my room. She sits down on my bed and looks down at my suitcase like she's going to find a treasure or something. She won't though if she doesn't think that clothes are a treasure. "Almost, I only have a few things left to pack", I answer her. My sister is a few years younger than I am, she has just turned sixteen, so she's two years younger. She has always been the cute one, with crystal blue eyes and blond shiny hair, she's so much like our mother, the only thing I have gotten from our mother is her emerald eyes. My light brown hair and looks, I have gotten from my father. I'm the only one of my mother's four children who have gotten her eyes, my two older brothers have blue eyes and very blonde hair like our sister Astra. "You really take a long time packing", Astra comments, watching me fold a pair of jeans. "Are you trying to miss your plane?"That thought hasn't even crossed my mind, but it's tempting, that's for sure. I would love to miss the plane, but I don't know if that's a good idea. "No, I just have a lot of clothes to pack", I say. "Are you meeting your prince tonight?" Astra asks and winks at me. I hate it when she does this and I hate it when she calls him my prince. He's certainly not my prince, I have never met the man before. I think it's inappropriate to call him my prince like Astra does. She has always been inappropriate and she always says the first thought in her mind. ”I don't think so, I mean there's a hotel booked for me, so I will take a taxi to the hotel and meet them the day after", I say. "I will take me like eighteen hours to get there, and they are like six hours ahead in time, I think I will get there 2 pm our time and like 8 pm their time, I don't know I haven't really figured it out yet, I have to if I'm going to call you guys". "You will be tired when you get there after sitting on a plane for that long", Astra says and helps me fold a dress. "Yeah I will probably order room service and then watch some German TV and just go to bed and sleep or something", I say. I like planning things ahead, that way I feel like I am more in control of things and I like being in control. I have to be in control of situations, all kinds of situations really. Maybe that's because I'm not in control of who I'm going to marry. When Astra helps me packing the last of the clothes, I finish faster and we both head down together to the rest of our family. They are all sitting by the dinner table, waiting for us. My mother has cooked my favorite meal, chicken curry stew with rice and a side salad. My mother is amazing in the kitchen but she doesn't like hearing it, she says that she was not born to stand in the kitchen, so even though my father is a busy businessman he cooks four times a week. "All packed up?" My father asks with a smile as Astra and I sit down. I smile back. "Yes father, I am all packed up and ready to leave". "That's great Katherine!" He says and puts food on his plate. I put food on my plate and I hear my mother start to sob. Oh no. She started crying way earlier than I thought she would. Astra has always been my mother's favorite, but I know that she loves me equally even though she hasn't always shown it. But the fact that she has started to cry even before anyone has started to eat, confirms the fact that my mother loves me. "Mother, don't cry", I say. "You have known that this day would come before I even knew it". "That doesn't mean I like it", my mother says and if looks could kill my father would be dead right now. "Don't give me that look", my father says. "You were in on the decision, you know we have to expand in Europe if our business is going to survive". "Humf", my mother is angry, and in my opinion rightly so. The only thing I know about this man is his name and age. Amalrich Walter. Twenty years old and heir of his fathers' big company. I don't expect to ever love this man, but I'll be happy if I can tolerate him and live a peaceful life together with him. Love would have been a bonus. I have grown up learning that love in our world is a luxury not a right, if you want to stay successful, and I do. I don't want to bring shame over my fathers company. I want it to bloom and thrive, and if I have to give up falling in love, I will do that. Business before love. "Mother, I know my duties", I say and look at my mother, she looks at me and wrinkle her nose. "Business before love, like I've been taught and like I will teach my future children, I don't mind this marriage, it's kind of an advangure, dont't you think?" It's almost like I believe myself for a split second. I don't though. I don't believe that you have to sacrifice your happiness and love for business, but that's what I have been taught and that's what I'm going to live by, so I can make my father happy and proud. That's actually the one thing I crave. Making my father proud is the hardest task of all. But I think I'm very close. My brothers are as far away as you can get, they will most certainly never make him proud, it's both sad and funny. My sister could get close if she put herself together and stopped rebelling like our brothers, but my father says that he has always had high hopes for me and my sister, he says that he likes girls because we are clever and sneaky. He loves my brothers of course but according to my father, boys are too easily fooled, and it's funny since my father is a man who was a boy at one point in his life as well. Sometimes I don't think my father makes any sense at all, but other times I think he makes perfect sense. "I think it's stupid", my mother says but my father's eyes shines with happiness. I can see how close I am to make him proud. Should I go for it? "I don't think it's stupid", I say. "My father only does what he think is the best thing, he would never do anything to put me in danger, he knows that this is good for business and I will fulfill my duties to this family and our company". My sister kicks my feet and I look at her. She knows that I'm bullshitting, but she's not going to call me out on it. She will save it for another time if she needs it. When I finish my dinner, I can see that everyone else's plates are empty. "I think it's time we get going", my father says and stands up. I stand up and nod my head. If my father knew how much I would want to get out of this business deal I would be even further away from making my father proud than my brothers are. That's a scary thought. My mother stands up and walks around the table while my father walks up to my room to fetch my suitcase. She hugs me tight while crying once again. "I will miss you so much Katherine", she says. "It's not like we're not going to see each other again", I say comforting. I also feel like crying but it would make it harder on my mother, so I don't. When she lets me go, my brother David wants to give me a hug. No matter the high expectations and moto of this family, we are very loving towards each other, we care deeply. Troy is next and it feels like he holds me a second longer than David. Astra gives me a short hug and a slap on the butt. i sigh and she grins. "Wiggle that ass when you walk", she says. "Astra!" I whine. She is unbelievable. My father returns with my suitcase when I put my jacket and shoes on. "Are you ready sweetheart?" He asks. I nod my head and put on my hat. It's very cold outside. I look at my family when my father opens the door to put my suitcase in the car. I love my family so much and it's very hard to leave them, I wish that I wouldn't have to but I do. I wave at them before stepping out into the cold darkness as I walk towards the car.