- 2.
Tony’s proposal arrived by helicopter. Dozens of
them, buzzing in from the Midwest, landing on
the Huntington estate.
The New York and LA elites generally didn’t
mingle with the Midwest crowd, so no one in
my circle had ever married into that world. I was
<
the first. And that was how I got to witness this
absurd spectacle.
Stacks of gold bars being lugged into the
house. Sacks of cash dumped on the front
lawn. Real estate deeds and luxury car keys
presented to my grandfather on silver platters.
Tony, finally wilted by the East Coast heat,
peeled off his outrageously expensive leather
jacket and put on a crisp, custom–tailored suit.
He marched into the house, dropped to his
knees in front of my grandfather, and boomed,
“Mr. Huntington, bless you with health! I’m here
to ask for your granddaughter’s hand! Give me
the chance to love and cherish her for the rest
of our lives.”
Thwack, thwack, thwack!
Three solid thumps on the floor. Tony wasn’t
holding back.
<
I stood beside my grandfather, bewildered. My
grandfather gaped, his hands trembling.
I whispered to soothe him, “Grandpa, it’s just a
show. Stay calm!”
He glared at me, his jaw tight. He was probably
thinking, “You are gonna embarrass me.”
But he also knew how badly Liam had treated
- me. And he couldn’t deny that Tony’s
performance was impressive. The most lavish
proposals he had seen.
After a long silence, he finally relented. “He’s
rough around the edges, but if you can handle
it, I guess I can’t say no!”
“Alright, get married. Just be good to each
other, and don’t do anything crazy.”
That night, as my grandfather’s staff tallied the
<
value of Tony’s gifts, he quietly slipped my
passport to Tony.
The next morning, before dawn, before I was
even awake, Tony stormed into my bedroom,
scooped me up, and stuffed me into a stretch
limo.
“Let’s go to city hall! Get married!”
I was still dazed and confused, snuggled in
Tony’s arms. Before I could figure out what was
happening, I heard two loud gulps. Then, his lips
were on mine, sucking the air from my lungs.
I pushed him away, weak and flustered.
He looked at me, his eyes bloodshot, and
stammered, “Honey! I’m so happy!”
I glared at him and slapped him across the
face. “What the hell! We’re not even married
yet!”
<
64
His face froze. I thought he was going to get angry, but then he gently picked up my hand, like it was the most precious thing in the world.
His voice trembled. “Honey, does it hurt? “The force is opposite, this delicate little hand must
hurt.”
“Next time you want to hit me, just say so, I can beat myself up!”
He immediately raised his hand and slapped
himself hard.
“Honey, I’m sorry. But the truth is I’m afraid of
losing you, couldn’t help it. Once we get the
marriage certificate, everything I do is fair and
square! Forgive me this once.”
“I will kneel on the washboard for you, kneel on
the glass slag for you, let you whip me! I won’t
even cry.”
