And No One Stopped Them | Part 21
Why This Stubborn, Abused Girl Got Engaged at 15
Blinded by my hatred for my toxic family, nothing else mattered
“Absolutely no way in hell you’re going to be engaged! She’s 15 years old!” my father shouted, slamming his fist down on the arm of his chair.
“I’ll be 16 in 23 days,” I interjected. Nothing like being a kid to make every year count like a decade. Like when you were four, but then you aged considerably and now you’re four and a quarter. And then four and a half. The all-important fraction changes everything.
And I was, of course, about to experience that gigantic leap to sudden wisdom and maturity in 23 days when I would become 16 and know absolutely everything in the universe. I would be so much more grown up — and ready for an engagement — than I was at a mere 15 and three quarters.
Richard managed to remain calm. “We’re not asking permission to be married; I want her to finish school first. We both want that. We just want to be engaged. I love your daughter and she loves me.”
“Oh, good grief! What do you know about love at your ages?” my mother asked, belittling our feelings as she looked down her large nose at us. Well, Mother. I could ask you the same thing. I sure as…
