Chapter 2 Marriage proposal

When Sophia gets home she meets a visitor in the living room discussing with her mother. They stop talking immediately she enters the living room.

The man looks up and smiles at her "Hello Sophia."

Sophia recognizes him, he lives two blocks away from her house.

"Good evening Doctor Manny. Good evening Mom," she greeted wondering why he was at their house.

"I was just about leaving," he said rising to his feet.

"Have a good evening Mrs morales," "Sophia ," he smiled nodding toward her.

When he had left, she gave her mom an inquisitive look "Mom?"

"Come sit down Sophia," she gestured to the chair opposite her.

Just then her sister comes down and sits beside her mom and they give each other a knowing look.

"What's going on?" She asks growing apprehensive.

"You're getting married to Doctor Manny," her mother said looking at her point blank.

"What?" she blurted her eyes wide in shock and unbelief.

"Why?"

"Because we need money in this family. The meager money you earn is barely enough for this family, and seeing it's your fault we're in this situation you'll be the one to remedy it."

"Mom are you selling me?"

"Oh shut up you ungrateful girl," Mrs morales snapped.

"Dr manny is ready to support us, all you have to do is get married to him."

"That man is old enough to be my father, and he is widowed how can you ask me to marry him?" she spat out.

"Ohh please Sophia! He's just fifty-five and he's rich. You should be grateful. He's more than you deserve," Samantha chipped in looking at her in disdain.

"After what you did to your father and the pain and suffering you caused us, we still accepted you as family and how do you pay us back?" She asked advancing toward her.

"But mom..." Sophia cried.

"Oh shut up you stupid girl."

"I can't marry Dr manny, I won't! I ca..."

"You ungrateful bitch," Mrs morales spat out in anger cutting her words with a smack across her face.

Tears streamed down Sophia's face as she held her hands to her face.

"You'll get married to dr manny and that's final," she said and stormed out of the living room followed by Samantha.

Sophia collapsed on the chair and cried her eyes out. How could her mother and sister be so cruel to her? At that moment she wished she was dead she was so tired of it all. She got up and made her way to her small dingy room and thought of what to do about her new predicament. She knew she could not marry dr manny but her mother was set on it so what could she do? She thought of running away but where would she go? This house was all she knew. She continued like that until she eventually drifted off to sleep.

Over the next few days, Sophia tried to avoid her house as much as possible. She went to work very early and came back late and went straight to her room. Dr manny kept coming over to the house, sometimes to dinner, and this frustrated Sophia. Her mom and Samantha even went ahead to start planning a wedding and Sophia knew she had to do something but she was still at a loss on what to do. Maybe she should run away because she can not see herself marrying that man. She wished her father was still alive. She won't have to go through all of this, and her mother and sister won't hate her this much.

The ding of the elevator brought Sophia back from her thoughts. She stepped out still absent and bumped into someone. She looked up and saw it was her boss Mr Blackwood.

"Oh I'm sorry," she gasped and realized he was holding her to him and staring at her intently, the kind of look that gave her butterflies.

"Mr Blackwood?"

"Ohh sorry," he apologized, releasing her.

"Are you okay though?" He inquired. "You seemed lost in thought,"

"I'm fine," she replied nervously, smoothening her skirt.

"You're super early today."

"Yes sir, I have some work to finish."

"Alright," he said and walked straight to his office.

She stood there looking after him. She knows she won't be able to concentrate much today. She was going to think about this moment all day. She would ponder over and over again why he held on to her and didn't let go even though she knew deep down it meant nothing.

"Ohh Lord save me," she muttered.

Se walked to her office and sat on her desk ready to immerse herself in work.

It was 7 pm and Sophia was still at work. She planned to stay one more hour and then head home. Her boss was still in his office, he was always the last person to leave.

Thirty minutes later she heard the door to his office open and he stepped out holding his briefcase.

He looked surprised to see her there since she was supposed to close 2 hours ago.

"Still here, Miss Morales?" he asked standing in front of her desk.

"Was about to go home sir," she lied.

"Have dinner with me," he said smiling.

She wasn't sure she heard well. She looked at him as though she could not comprehend what he just said.

"I'm going out to have dinner and I want you to come with me. Unless you have to go home now."

She couldn't believe her ears Ethan Blackwood wanted her to have dinner with him.

Was she dreaming? She pinched herself to make sure, but he was still standing right there waiting for her answer.

"Of course. Sure," she replied smiling nervously.

"Alright then, after you," he gestured to the door.