“I don't know whether to stay or run away. This marriage I'm about to enter is not the best compared to my past way of living,” Edith reminisced with her as she was about to walk into a new life.
Everyone began to call Edith as she had visited the city to visit her elder brother in preparation for her wedding. She was happy and sad at the same time. She was only hiding the tragic side of her life, taking the happiness but somehow forming a sharp smile. One of her friends followed her to the city just to help her prepare for her marriage. They sat down together, discussing life and the life she was going to enter. Comfort told her she was so lucky to have got a man who would be his husband. “I can't seem to believe that you are leaving us, but it's for good anyway,” Comfort said. Edith was lost in thought and did not listen to what her friend was saying. She had gone deep into thinking, remembering the past and how she was going to cope with the present. Her mind was not in the marriage but was just in a dilemma.
“Hey, Edith!” Comfort, she said as she noticed she was not listening to her words. Even after yelling out, she was still not listening. Edith was just focusing her gaze on the ceiling as her head was up. Although she rests her head on the couch, she is lost in thought and mind. Comfort decided to use her hand to wipe the air through Edith's face, but her widely opened eyes were not blinking. Comfort called her several times and yet was not listening.
“What would have carried her mind away from our discussion?” Comfort asked Edith as she walked toward her. “Hey Edith,” she tapped her hands, and immediately, she was shocked in surprise.
“What did you say?” she asked.
“Can you just tell me what's going on?” Comfort asked,"
“I don't get you, girl. I'm fine, as you can see,” Edith replied, forcing some smiles out of her face.
“I've known you since childhood, and I know when you are fine or not. So, you can't lie to me even if you'd like to,” Comfort said.
Edit was unable to pinpoint a word that was bothering her mind.
She began to think in her mind that she would prefer her old life in the village with her friend to getting married to a strange man. The marriage was a forced marriage and a kind of agreement between her family and one rich family in her village who lived in the city. Her father had no choice other than to release her daughter to the man she knew little about.
If her father did not let her go, it would cause pain and suffering to his home, but then Edith wouldn't want to risk her life for such a man.
They went to the church, decorating it to their taste. They had met with the pastor before now, and everything had been set. It means they are good to go.
The next day, they all gathered in the church, waiting for the bride to arrive. The groom had been waiting patiently while his family and the family of the bride were also in the mood of waiting for their daughter-in-law and their daughter to arrive. The priest was running out of patience while he wanted to raise his voice to pronounce some words; immediately he sighted the bride, who was led by some group of people. Her parents were in the queue, as well as her friends.
As they entered the altar, Edith began to look at the audience. She thought to herself that she would prefer to stay in the village with her old life than to venture into this new life she barely knew much about.
Duy Pham
She looked at her friends and forced out a smile, but then her mind was beyond the wedding ground.
“Now, you two can come forward to the altar,” the pastor in charge said. Although they were sitting close to each other when the pastor was preaching. The preaching did not have any impact and did not even get into the mind of Edith.
“It's as if your daughter is not happy,” her father said to her mum.
“She will. Maybe it's because she wants to enter a new life,” her mum replied.
They walked forward to the altar.
“Will you take this woman as your lawful wedded wife, even if rain comes or sun shines, until death do you part?” The man did not hesitate to answer, “Yes, I do.”
The same question was directed to Edith. She began to think back to her last and her old friends she would leave behind, as well as the nature of the man she wanted to get married to. She looked at her friends and her mum and turned back to the man. He gazed at him as she saw some untruthful feelings in his face. “I'm sure this man is marrying me for her selfish gain. But come to think of it, how could I leave my past to live with a man I barely know?” she asked herself.
She turned to the pastor and gazed at him; she took her hands off her face and took the cloth covering her face off. She ran out as her friends and parents ran after her. Her husband-to-be was left surprised, but Edith never came back to the wedding.
