Daddy's Girl

I was sitting on the sofa, facing the mirror, when my father came to get me as soon as the ceremony began. He was going to walk me down the aisle after all!

He looked smart, dressed in a smart blue tuxedo, the most expensive piece of clothing I had ever seen on him in all my life. He even had his graying hair dyed black, making him look several years younger than he really was. Of course I knew Jordan's money had gone into all that too, my father would never spend such ridiculous amount of money on his physical appearance. He just couldn't afford the luxury. But my father also had very poor taste in fashion, but this tuxedo was both a fine piece and a perfect fit even for his bulky, almost obese body frame. This had me wondering if Jordan had also picked out the tuxedo for my father, and probably picked out a dress for my mother too. If that was the case, then Jordan had to be doing way too much for such an ephemeral and sham of a marriage. This also had me wondering just how wealthy Jordan really was. The Rockshires were a typically wealthy family, but then, Jordan wasn't a part of them. His only connection to them was that his sister had married into the family. And I don't think Daren's mum came from much money. I mean, her family name was never mentioned anywhere. No one knew anything about them. If her family had as much money as Jordan was showcasing, then they would have definitely been mentioned severally in connection to the Rockshires. In fact, it would have been big news every time the two families had a collaboration, because that must have been the base for their union in marriage in the first place, if her family was really that wealthy. It would have been a business deal in the guise of a marriage. And there would have been plenty of business interactions between the two families. But there was never anything like that in the news. I didn't even know she had any family members until Jordan suddenly showed up.

So, how did Jordan get all this money he was throwing all around? Or was he spending his sister's money? This had me even more curious about the man I was about to get married to. The man I knew nothing about.

My father stood behind me, and when our eyes met in the mirror, he flashed me a toothy smile that touched only his lips. I did not return his smile, I just looked away.

"You look gorgeous in that dress." He said.

"You don't look bad yourself. I guess selling your conscience off, along with your daughter, was really worth it. Right?" I said, looking up at him through our reflections in the mirror. I had wanted to remain quiet, but I couldn't hold it in anymore.

"June berry, when you say it like that, you make us sound bad." My father began to say as he took his eyes away from mine and fixed his gaze on the ground. "The good gentleman came here and told us that you two had agreed to get married. We were surprised that you didn't bring him to us by yourself, but since we hadn't been on talking terms for a very long time, we figured that was why the man had to introduce himself to us without you." He said, speaking softly.

I scoffed bitterly as I stared up at him in disbelief through the mirror. He still could not look up at me.

"A stranger showed up at your house, talking about marrying your daughter, and that was all you could think of?" I asked.

"June berry, our relationship as parents and child had not been very smooth for a while, what did you expect me to think?" He asked.

"I was expecting you to think like a human with common sense!" I said, jerking up from my seat and swinging around to face him squarely. He backed away a few paces, but I followed him. "I was expecting that you would think as a human with some brain cells, like a father. Instead you straight up accepted him. The least you could have done was call me, just to confirm first. You even went on to begin the preparations before I could even return." I cried.

"Well, Mr Jordan said that he wanted things done quickly, and he wanted to surprise you. We were only helping him out. And besides, when you came back with him, you never really argued or kicked against the marriage." My father said.

I let out a bitter laugh as tears began to run down my face.

"Is that what you console yourself with? When you lie in your bed at night, and that last bit of conscience left in your heart pokes at you, is that what you tell yourself to lay it rest? I never really kicked against it?" I asked. "Did you ever come to me and ask if I was really okay with the marriage? Did you even try to pretend to care? When you stood guard over me day and night, did it ever cross your mind to ask me how I really felt about all this? Why did you think Jordan had you keeping an eye on me from time to time? If I was so happy about everything, why did you have to stand guard over me? It never occurred to you, because you got extra credits for keeping guard? Or did you just lie to yourself, burying your conscience under large piles of self deceits? If I had told you father, if I had come to you and told you that I was not happy, would you have listened? Would you have thrown everything out? Would you have given up on the promises Jordan made to you? Would you have choose my happiness over all that?" I asked.

"June berry, you know I would have turned it all down if I had the slightest notion that you would be unhappy. It may look bad at the moment, but Mr Jordan looks like he would make you happy. Being married to him would not be so bad. He is a good man, he would take care of you." My father said.

"Because he seems wealthy?" I asked, laughing bitterly as more tears streamed down my face. "You think Mr Jordan would take care of me because he has some money? It's the twenty first century already, father, and you still sound like some glutenous middle class father from the sixteenth century, selling his beloved daughter off to some rich old man, for some money and societal status." I said, laughing again. "Mr Jordan you say. Do you even know his last name? The last name that your beloved daughter, your only child, is about to take? If he didn't have any money, would you have accepted him? Would he have seemed like someone who would make me happy? What if he turns out to have been posing all along? What if he really has no money, and he just got all the money he's been flashing around on loan? For all you know, he could be an actor, hired by some rich lady to marry your daughter away so that she and her son could get some peace! Hell, yes! Why did I never think of it like that?" I said.

"June berry, you are thinking too much right now. Stop..." My father began to say, looking up at him.

"Don't ever call me June berry again! You have no right! I don't need your pet name! The last time I enjoyed hearing that name was back when I was six! I am not longer six, father! I'm all grown now, and if you haven't noticed yet, I am getting married today!" I said, showing off my wedding dress dramatically, with a sharp smile on my face.

My father looked at me for a moment, then he looked back down at the floor.

"I'm sorry June berr... I'm sorry June." He said softly, and more tears ran down my face as I looked at his bowed head.

"You will ruin your makeup with all that crying." A female voice suddenly said, and I quickly lifted my eyes to find Mrs Rockshire, Daren's mum, standing by the open door.