ARMY'S ENTANGLEMENT

Chapter Two: I DO?

Amanda stood before the brawny stranger she had just seen a few times, about to process her vows before the priest, the thoughts of uncertainty held onto her breath, but she was ready to give it all just for the sake of love, for the sake of her family.

“You can do this Amy, just breathe,” she whispered to herself, as she took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly.

“Do you Amanda Lopez, take thee, Kyle Bardolf to be your lawfully wedded Husband, to love and to respect him, till death do you part?”

Amanda looked at the man standing in front of her in a black tuxedo suit, his face was devoid of emotions, and he stood some inches taller than her.

She turned her gaze away from him, and her eyes met those of her mother, who urged her to respond to the priest’s question with a nod.

“I do.” The words left her mouth slowly, and in a low tone. She looked at her parents, and they had cheerful smiles on their lips, they were satisfied.

“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife, you may kiss the bride.”

“Oh no.” Amanda whispered to herself, hoping that the man wasn’t going to do it, but he seemed to be leaning forward toward her, still holding on to his plain face.

With her fists clutched tightly, and her heart beating really fast, Amanda shut her eyes halfway and waited for him to get over with it.

Slowly, Kyle pulled her face toward himself, and then he pecked her on her right cheek, still keeping a plain face.

Slowly, Amanda opened her eyes and sighed in great relief, releasing her clutched fists and letting down her swift worries almost at the same time.

Mr. Lopez couldn’t hide his excitement, he had gotten what he always wanted, the thought of being able to clear his five million dollar debt, pay for his son’s medical bills, and live a comfortable life made him so happy, for a minute, he forgot that he had offered his daughter’s happiness in exchange for all of that.

Holding onto his crutches, he smiled in fulfillment, as he watched the newly wedded couple walk down toward him with his wife by his side.

“Congratulations to you Mr. Kyle.” Mr. pez said with a low tone, but the young brawny man nodded slowly, with a forced smile.

“I will be outside,” he said, and walked out of the church, through one of the side exits by the left.

“Come my child.” Amanda’s mother said to her, extending her open arms towards her.

Not able to withstand her emotions, Amanda sank deep into her mother’s embrace and wept bitterly, her tears streaming down onto her mother’s shoulder, and wetting the blue silk gown she had on.

“It’s ok Amy, please don’t cry.” Mrs. Lopez said to her daughter, trying so hard not to break down as well, but Amanda continued to sniffle and whimper to the pain she felt inside.

“I feel like I have been sold, Mother.”

“Please don't say that Amy, you know that you did this for the sake of your family, just remember that, and you will be fine.”

Amanda’s mother pulled her out of the embrace, and then she wiped her tears with the tip of her fingers, smiling as she did so.

“You look so beautiful in that dress, it reminds me so much of me when I married your father, I was just a little above your age.”

Amanda had a lot of thoughts regarding what her mother said, but she lacked the strength to speak, she sniffled to get rid of the fluid dripping from her nostrils and then she sighed heavily.

“Please don’t keep Mr. Bardolf waiting Amanda, he has a long way to go.”

Amanda looked at her father almost immediately after she heard those words, but she couldn’t recognize him, all she could see was a stranger who sold her off to the highest bidder, and not her father, the same man she was always fond of.

A few seconds later, two men walked into them with their heavy boots thudding on the marble floor of the church building.

“The boss wants her.” Said the man on the left side, squabbling with the lollipop stuck in his mouth, and smacking at the same time.

“You have to go now, Amanda, please be on your best behavior.” Mr. Lopez said, avoiding his daughter’s face as it dealt with his conscience, serving him a plate of guilt for lunch.

Amanda sniffled for the umpteenth time, and then she withdrew her hands from her mother’s grip and walked away, through the space between the two men who followed her behind afterward.

Amanda turned around just as she got outside the door, her parents were the only ones inside the building, and that made it easier for her to see them.

She sighed heavily, and then she walked toward the white sleek Rolls Royce parked beside the building, while one of the men put her luggage in the trunk of the car.

“My baby.” Mrs. Lopez said softly, as she watched her daughter walk toward the car, while the man in front opened the door for her to enter.

“Get a grip of yourself, woman, before you make her change her mind.”. Mr. Lopez said to his wife, as he watched her break down eventually.

“I can’t believe you would say that to me, where did you keep your conscience?”

“Well, that doesn’t really matter now, does it? We have enough money to clear off our debts and also be able to afford Carl’s medical bills, don’t you like the sound of that?”

Mrs. Lopez was speechless, she looked at her husband for a few seconds, but his face was devoid of any form of expression.

“Let’s go home, Becca, we need to start preparations for Carl’s medical treatment.”

Mrs. Lopez watched as her husband held onto his crutches with a firm grip, and he limped away slowly toward the main exit of the church building.

She sighed heavily, and then she turned to take one final look at Amanda, but she was already in the car.

“My poor baby,” she muttered with a shaky tone, and then she kept her eyes on the car, while tears trickled down her face.

Amanda sighed heavily, while still holding onto the edge of the long wedding gown, she turned to the stranger she had just gotten married to, and he smiled at her, puffing smoke from the brown cigar that was fixed between his right fingers.

“Are you ready to go?” He asked with a resonant voice.

Amanda looked at him for a few seconds, and then she nodded slightly, as though she had a choice at that moment.

“Right, let’s go, Jimmy.”

“Yes, Boss.” The man in the driver’s position nodded slightly, and then he turned on the ignition of the car and matched the accelerator, before steering the wheel toward the road.

Slightly, Amanda coughed to the stench of the smoke from the cigar, hitting aggressively on her nose, as she waved her hand across her face, to wipe off the smoke in front of her.

“Oh, I am sorry, I will just put that off,” Kyle said, and then he pushed the button beside him to bring down the glass of the window, he extended his hand outside and knocked off the burning end of the cigar to put it off.

“There, that should make you feel better now,” He said to Amanda with a smile, but she only looked at him for a few seconds, without saying a word.

A few minutes later, while Amanda’s thoughts ran through the intricacies of the new destination of her life, the car pulled over in front of a hanger, with a private jet parked very close to them.

Kyle opened the door to his left, and he got out immediately, he moved over to the other side of the car and opened the door for Amanda.

“Come on, let’s go.”

Amanda looked at him for a while, but he extended his hand toward her and pulled her gently out of the car.

A few seconds later, they got into the jet, and the pilots turned on the aviation engine, ready to fly into the air.

Amanda gasped, watching as the buildings below the airplane became smaller and smaller until they became tiny dots.

“What is my life turning into?” She gasped as they left Denver for New York.