Helena's Plight

Helena I can’t believe the day has finally arrived. I have dreaded this day for the past two weeks. Two weeks ago, Uncle Carlo came home and told me I was getting married. I could not even think it was a joke because Carlo never joked, especially not with me and so I stood shell shocked, not until I heard Aunt Patricia’s shrill voice did I come out of my trance. "What do you mean she’s getting married?" Patricia screamed at my Uncle. "You were supposed to suggest Allegra our daughter, not your niece." Carlo stormed into his office without a response, he went straight for the bottle I had placed on the stool just this morning, poured himself a generous amount, downed the whole glass and poured himself another one before he turned to face Patricia and Allegra who were standing in the doorway. "He didn’t give me a choice darling, Carlo said, he insisted that the deal was he would marry a female in my family not that he’d marry my daughter." "This is the best we can do, if I refuse, we lose everything. Besides darling, it’s not like it’s a love match, this is an arranged marriage, and you don’t want our daughter to suffer through that? Better Helena than Allegra, don't you think?" Patricia still was not convinced. "I do not accept, you have to call him back and reject this offer, you tell him he must marry Allegra or there is no deal." "No! Carlo yelled back. Do you have any idea what you are suggesting? You want us to lose this opportunity all together, or what? We have two weeks to prepare for this wedding and I will not have people whispering that we have fallen on hard times, so prepare everything and spare no expense for the celebrations." He then turned to me as if just realizing I existed, he walked straight for me and pulled me closer; you will do as you are told. Understand? I nodded. This is your opportunity to repay us for taking you in and caring for you all these years since the death of your parents and so you will marry Armando and not embarrass the family. He walked out of the house and that was the end of the conversation. When I turned around I met with Patricia and Allegra’s hateful stares, I quickly looked away as the tears started to fall from my eyes. I was left standing in the hallway on my own. After some time, I went down to my room to cry as much as I could, it was the only thing I could do anyway. It was almost laughable, it’s not like I expected some fairy tale, but I couldn't imagine it would end this way. I lost both my parents at the young age of six, lived at that awful orphanage for two years before my uncle eventually came forward and claimed me. I always wondered why he finally caved in. I heard the nuns talking sometimes saying they had sent several letters, requesting he take responsibility for me but the letters were always returned and then one day after two miserable years, he finally responded and accepted responsibility for me. I thought my life would be better or at least easier after leaving the orphanage but I was wrong. From the moment Patricia set her eyes on me, she hated me, she could never hide her disdain and she taught her pretty little daughter to hate me as well. Allegra taught me that kids could be just as mean as adults, she made my life a living hell and there was nothing I could do about, even now as adults, she never fails to remind me that I would be dead if not for the generosity of her parents. Maybe this marriage was not so bad, I would be out of their house and their lives and away from their influence, but I knew that was not entirely true. Growing up, people had assumed I was the daughter of a worker, as I grew older and came into my own, the distinct Rossi features had been difficult to hide; long, thick jet-black hair and deep green eyes, and soon people began to realize I was indeed family. "Maybe I can get a position at Di Luca industries now mum, maybe even work in the CEO’s office, after all he will be my cousin-in-law". Allegra said as I was trying on wedding dresses a week before the wedding. Patricia looked from her daughter to me and replied, "I’m sure your dear cousin will be able to convince her husband to find you a good position". She said. We all knew the only reason she wanted that job was so she could be close to Armando, she had been obsessed with him for as long as I could remember. I had no idea why Armando picked me in the first place. I could not think about that now, I had to get through this wedding first. I had no idea what awaited me. Allegra would have been the perfect housewife, at least in public.I stayed up most nights wondering why he picked me. The only happy time of my life was before my parents died, we were not rich, but we were good. I had the best, and most importantly, I had loving parents. But all that changed when I was six. We were going on a summer trip to the lake house like we always did towards the end of every summer since I could remember. Dad would always drive, he liked to drive up there, just us, but this was to be our last trip because as we approached the bend to the lake, for some reason the front tire came off and he lost control of the car and we landed in the lake. The last thing I remember was the car flipping, I woke up in the hospital a week later, completely alone in the world. From then on it went from bad to worse. That was how I ended up at the orphanage. My time at the orphanage was one I tried my very best to forget, it seemed the nuns hated me passionately. Even when my parents were alive, I was a shy girl and didn’t have many friends and so making friends at the orphanage was impossible especially when they were all mean. I later met Lila and we became friends. She once said she loved the blackness of my hair and that was why she adopted me as her little sister. She could not stop our suffering at the orphanage but she made it bearable. The day has finally arrived and there is no escaping my fate, whatever that might be. I have not once in the past two weeks seen my husband to be. All the arrangements were made between him and Carlo and in a few minutes I was going to walk down the aisle and say yes to a man I knew nothing of. I said a small prayer as I brought my veil down.