The Unattractive Bride with a Dowry
“Paul, look Is that David?” Nina, digging in the garden, lifted her head at the sound of the gate creaking open.
“Yes, its him. And hes got a big bag with him,” Paul replied. He and Nina exchanged knowing glances.
“Looks like hes packed his things Did Martha finally throw him out? Serves him right, the Casanova.”
Paul brushed the dirt from his handshe and his wife had been planting seedlingsand went to greet his brother. Nina stayed behind, watching from a distance. “Let Paul deal with him. Why should I run to greet that self-absorbed git?” she thought, just about to return to her work when she noticed David waving at her with a forced, sheepish smile. She waved back, thinking, “Like a cat thats been caught stealing cream So he really has messed up and had nowhere else to goturning up here out of the blue.”
Paul didnt talk to his brother long before returning to the garden, while David went inside.
“You were right, Nina,” Paul said when he came back. “Martha kicked him out. But good luck getting the truth out of himits always her fault, never his. We know the real story, though. She finally had enough.”
“Can you blame her? She put up with his drinking and shouting for ages. And he even raised his hand to her a few times Its understandable. She landed a man six years younger, handsome, but with all his flaws. And she had a child with himafter five years of trying with her first husband and nothing. Probably scared to lose him,” Nina mused.
“True, with her looks You know what they called her at her last job?” Paul smirked. “The Wicked Witch!”
Nina raised her eyebrows in surprise.
“Really?”
“Yep. And imagineshed answer to it and just laugh.”
“Shes got a sense of humour, Ill give her that. But even that doesnt help when your home lifes a mess,” Nina sighed.
…Paul had first met Martha at work. She was twenty-eight then, a dispatcher for a taxi firm, while he handled radio repairs for the drivers. She was married to the young director of the companytheyd been together over five years but had no children. Back then, Paul couldnt understand why a charming, good-looking man like Mark Edwards would marry someone so plain and rough around the edges.
One day, Pauls younger brother David dropped by the office. It was Marthas birthday, and shed invited the lads and the dispatchers to celebrate right there. They had a good time, but an hour in, Mark was called away. Martha and David, who flirted with every woman in sight, hit it off immediatelyshe laughed at his jokes, and he basked in her attention, spinning even more tales.
Paul didnt notice the exact moment the spark flew between them, but it happened. November passed, and by March, Martha announced she and Mark were divorcing.
“Whats left for me in this marriage? My clocks ticking, and still no children I got checkedeverythings fine. But Mark refuses to see a doctor. Kids just arent in his plans. And hes cheatingI know it. Everyone looks at me like Im a fool. Pointing and whispering, Look at the Wicked Witch, what does he see in her?”
When David told his family he was getting married, his parents were thrilledbut his brother was baffled.
“To who, David?”
“Martha!” he grinned.
“But shes years older, and”
“Ugly, you mean? So what! Shes loaded. Her aunts a director at a design firm. Martha says shell get me a job there soon. Her mum and brother live in Israeltheyve got their own business. They send her packages every montheverything from socks to caviar! And her flats brillianttwo bedrooms, fully renovated. Plus, they send her pounds for bills and whatever else. The flats in her mums name, though. Oh, and theres a two-storey cottage outside London with a massive garden. Weve been there Shes a bride with a dowry!”
“A dowrys nice,” Paul said. “But do you even love her?”
“Course I do! Shes got a great personality!” David beamed. “And she cooks like a dream!”
Everyone exchanged glances. Hard to argue with that.
Soon enough, Martha and David married.
When Martha found out she was pregnant, she was overjoyed.
“I told Mark it was his fault! But with David? Three months of marriage, and here we area baby on the way!”
The little girl was born healthy, bringing joy to her parents and grandparents. Once she turned six months old, Martha and David started leaving her with Granny on weekends while they went to the cottage. The garden was huge, so there was always work to do.
But Martha once confided in Nina that David often dropped her off at the cottage and then drove back to the city, claiming work. He was freelancing then, so money was never tight. Paul and Nina sometimes visited to help Martha out.
Time flew, and soon little Emily turned three. They celebrated at a family gathering in Marthas flatDavids relatives and close friends. The table was piled with delicacies, thanks to the Israeli relatives and Marthas cooking. The birthday girl wore designer clothesgifts from her grandmother abroad. But all evening, her father kept slipping out to take calls. Martha narrowed her eyes each time.
“David, seriously? Who keeps ringing? Weve got guestspay attention!”
“Its just work, they wont leave me alone” he mumbled, avoiding her gaze.
Two years passed. David worked with Martha at the design firmeasy job, good pay. But life had more surprises.
Once, David mentioned to Paul they were all heading to Israel soon.
“Mum and Dad want to meet Emilytheyve only seen her on Skype. My mother-in-laws been saving for three years to pay for this trip. And theyre dying to see their favourite son-in-law” He grinned smugly.
The trip was a success. David raved about it to his family.
“My mother-in-law wouldnt leave me alone! David this, David that Fed me till I put on three kilos!”
“Her favourite son-in-law!” Martha said proudly, ruffling his hair.
The memories lasted through many more family gatherings.
One Saturday, while cleaning, Nina heard the doorbell. She moved to answer, but her mother-in-law beat her to it.
“Ill get it,” she said, heading to the gate.
Nina peeked out the windowa young woman stood there with two little girls.
“Charity collectors?” she wondered. “No, theyre dressed well Who could that be?” Her mother-in-law spoke with them for five minutes before shutting the gate. When she returned, she looked stunned.
“Who was it?” Nina asked.
“Oh, just looking for someone,” she muttered before retreating to her room.
Nina heard hushed voicesher in-laws didnt want to be overheard.
“Hi, Paul!” Martha called one Sunday. “Is David there?”
“No, not here” Paul frowned.
“Already left? Hell be home soon, then. Hows the tap? Fixed it before the flood?”
“What tap?”
“Yesterday? You called him around fivesaid the tap burst, needed help”
“Oh” Paul faltered.
An awkward silence followed.
“Right,” Martha said flatly. Paul knew shed caught on.
After the call, he rang David.
“If youre spinning lies, at least clue me in,” Paul scolded. “Martha called looking for you, and I had no idea what youd told her. She knows you lied. Where you wereI dont carebut how are you going to explain yourself to her?”
Their mother overheard.
“Paul, whats going on with David and Martha?” She hesitated, then confessed. “Last week, a woman named LydiaDavids old friendcame by with two little girls. She said they were my granddaughters. That Davids their father” She burst into tears. “How could he? A second family, lying to his wife? And children! Whats going to happen if Martha finds out?”
But she did find outkind souls made sure of it. Her beloved husband had been carrying on with another woman since before theyd even met. And hed fathered two children with her.
“After everything my family did for you!” Martha screamed when the truth came out. “A good job, the cottage, the car, the flat, the trip to Israel! The favourite son-in-law! And this is how you repay me? How do I even tell my mother? Pack your things and get out! Today! And find yourself another jobIll tell my aunt everything tomorrow, and youll be out on your ear!”
“Where will I go, love? Forgive me, pleaseI love you! I cant live without you” David begged.
“Youve got another familyfigure it out!”
“Lydias been with some bloke for a month now”
“Not my problem,” Martha said coldly.
…When David slunk back to his parents house with his bags, Paul thought, “What a foolto throw away a family and everything handed to him on a plate, all for his own selfishness. Left with nothing, like the dog who dropped his bone for a shadow.”
The lesson? Greed and deceit leave you with empty handswhile gratitude and loyalty build a life worth keeping.
