ARMY'S ENTANGLEMENT

Chapter One: RESOLUTION

Amanda’s eyes bulged out with tears amidst the tension that had crept into her body, in a few seconds, tears effortlessly left her glands and trickled down her cheeks.

“I am sorry Amy, but I have to support your father in this one, you will have to marry him,” Mrs. Lopez said with a shaky but firm voice.

“You too mum? You too?”

“I am sorry.”

Amanda looked at her father who stood in a corner with the support of his crutches and sniffled, she didn’t see him budging, and that made her heart skip several beats.

“I beg you, Dad, don't do this to me, you are ruining my life, I am just twenty one!”

“This is the only way, Amanda, this is the only way!”

“No Dad! We can think of something else, anything apart from this.”

“Are you blind? Why are you being so self-centered?” Mr. Lopez asked with a thunderous tone, causing Amanda to shut her mouth, while she cried inwardly.

She knew her father, once his mind was made up on something, that was the end of the discussion, and that wasn't an exception.

She saw the realization of her dreams vanishing right before her eyes, and she didn’t think there was anything she could do to help herself. Her fate had been sealed!

Mr, Lopez put out his leg, and then he balanced his body with his crutches and strained toward Amanda, grunting to the slight pain he had not yet gotten used to even after a few years.

He stood right in front of his daughter, with his body balanced with the two crutches. Seeing the smile on her father’s face, Amanda turned to look at him, hoping to hear something soothing.

“Amanda dear, you really have to do this, you have to marry Mr. Bardolf.”

“But I don’t love him, Dad! I don't even know the kind of man he is.”

“Does that really matter?”

“It does Dad! It does.”

Mr. Lopez was quiet, while he struggled to deal with the vexation that came with his daughter’s stubbornness. He had seen a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and nothing was going to make him lose it.

After he had taken in enough air, he exhaled slowly, and then he returned his gaze from his wife to his daughter.

“This is not up for debate Amanda, it’s either you marry him, or I will disown you!”

“What? Finn, you can’t say that.” Mrs. Lopez said to her husband, but he had already turned and limped away with his crutches, ignoring both Amanda’s sob and his wife’s words.

Amanda’s heart sank deeper into her stomach, as she watched her father limp away toward the hallway, she sobbed bitterly like her entire life was about to crash.

“Come, come Amy.”

Mrs. Lopez covered the little space between her and her daughter, and then she gave her a warm embrace, while Amanda sank her head into her mother’s bosom, wetting her cotton dress with her tears.

“It's ok Amy, you have to stop crying now.” Mrs. Lopez said in a very soft tone, patting her daughter on the back.

After a few seconds of crying, Amanda withdrew from her mother’s body and looked at her eyeballs to eyeballs.

“Please Mum, I beg you, don’t let this happen, don’t make me marry him.” She pleaded with more tears streaming down her eyes.

Mrs. Lopez was heartbroken seeing her daughter cry, but her hands were tired, and she didn’t know a better way to make her understand.

“Please mum, say something.” Amanda continued, shaking her mother’s hands gently.

Mrs. Lopez opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out, she withdrew her eyes from her daughter’s and bent her face.

Slowly, the little expectation in Amanda died out slowly seeing the response from her mother.

“Mum? Are you really going to let this happen to me?” Amanda asked with a shaky voice, but she got no response.

“Say something, Mother.”

“I don’t know what to say ok! I don’t know what to say.” Mrs. Lopez blurted out, amidst the cringy feeling that had taken all over her.

Amanda scoffed in agony, and then she turned her gaze from her mother to the window and stared into space after she had taken a few steps to her right.

Mrs. Lopez moved closer to her daughter and touched her shoulder, but she moved her shoulder almost immediately and withdrew her body from her mother’s touch, sniffling in pain.

Mrs. Lopez sighed, and then she looked at her daughter with so much pain in her eyes.

“Look Amy, I know this is too much for you to handle, but I need you to understand the things that are at stake, we are on the verge of losing everything, the house, the land, everything! And your brother’s health is deteriorating badly.”

Mrs. Lopez paused for a while to be sure that she was making sense.

“Amy…” She continued, attempting to hold Amanda’s hand, but she pulled it away and folded it together with the other one.

“Sometimes in life, we have to make the toughest decisions, even when they seem very unpleasant. This is one of those moments when you have to show that you really love your family, do this for the sake of love, Amy. I hope you understand someday.”

Mrs. Lopez turned almost immediately after she was done talking, and walked away through the hallway, leaving Amanda all to herself in the living room.

With the sound of her mother’s footsteps becoming inaudible from a distance. Amanda sniffled, and then she turned around toward the hallway, but her mother was already out of sight.

Amanda sighed heavily, and then her eyes caught the sight of the family picture hanging on the wall, a little bit above the broken television in a corner.

Staring at the images on the frame, she thought about the words her mother said to her for a few seconds, but nothing was making sense.

Feeling her bones growing weaker, Amanda made her way toward the hallway, walking with slow but steady steps.

She got very close to a door that was slightly opened and looked, she pushed it wider and walked in.

“Hi, Amy.” the teenage bald boy with a pale face lying on the bed said in a faint voice, straining to keep his face in place.

“Hi, Carl .” Amanda returned the smile, and then she walked toward her brother and sat next to him on the bed.

“You look sad Amy, have you been crying?”

“Oh no, something must have gotten into my eyes.” Amanda lied, and then she wiped the tears off her face and sniffled slightly.

Clark looked at his sister for a few seconds, and knowing fully that she was lying, he sighed with strained breath and leaned his head on the pillow.

“I heard everything.”

Amanda turned almost immediately to look at her brother who stared at the ceiling, while he struggled to breathe properly, wheezing at the difficulty he had to breathe.

“Mr. Bardolf seems like a really nice man, he bought me a lot of things and even offered to pay for my medical bills. I think you should marry him.”

Amanda turned to look at her brother who clearly didn’t understand how she felt, she held on to his right hand and sighed.

For a few seconds, none of them said anything, the smile on Carl’s face vanished gradually and turned into an anxious countenance.

“I don’t want to die, Amy, I don't wanna die,” He said with a shaky voice, as tears slowly fell from his eyes.

Amanda’s heart stopped for a few seconds as soon as she heard the words from her brother, she looked at his face, and seeing the terror that he felt, her heart sank deeper and deeper as her body turned ice cold.

“You won’t die, Carl, I promise you that.”

Amanda looked at her brother whose clothes had become very oversized because of the weight he lost, she sighed heavily and walked away, the only thought in her mind was of impulsive resolution.

Gradually, she pulled her phone from her pocket and tested Dan ‘I can’t do this anymore, I am sorry’

Next, she put the phone back into her pocket and sighed heavily amidst the tears that flowed with her heartbreak.

She walked through the hallway until she got to her father’s room where he lay on the bed with her mother giving him his medication.

As soon as her parents heard the sound of her footsteps, they turned to look at her, their eyes filled with a little bit of anxiousness.

Amanda got into the room and then stood right in front of her father. She took in enough breath, and then she let it out gradually.

“I will do it, I will marry him.”