“His accident?” I say, practically screaming now. “He overdosed on illegal drugs! He could have died! The restaurant keeps Narcan on hand just for him! How can you want me to be with someone like him, much less MARRY him?”
My mom and dad exchange looks.
“Now Primrose, it’s not so bad,” Malcolm begins.
I gawp, my eyes blinking like an owl.
“Not so bad? What are you talking about? He’s a drug addict who needs serious intervention! Have you guys gone insane?”
My dad shakes his head.
“No, absolutely not. We just want you to be taken care of, Primrose. You’re a very eligible young woman, and he’s an eligible young man from a nice family. Now, we were thinking of a wedding before the end of the year.”
I jump out of my chair, throwing my napkin down in a frenzy.
“Are you insane? Marriage? Have you heard anything I’ve said? Why are you forcing this, anyways? What’s in it for you? Because it sure as hell isn’t what I want!”
Mom sighs while reaching for her napkin.
“Yes, we’re serious, Prim. Now stop with the dramatics because Marianne Coleman had the engagement ring sent over, and you’ll just die when you see it. I think it must be at least five carats!”
With that, she produces a tiny velvet box and passes it to me. I open the box with trembling fingers, and sure enough, there’s an enormous diamond ring sitting there, so huge that it’s gaudy.
Mom smiles beatifically. “Goodness, it’s large! How much do you think that cost, Malcolm? Six figures? Put it on honey.”
I look at her smiling face, then down at the ring.
“Put it on, Prim,” my father encourages. “That’s the right size diamond for a daughter of mine.”
I merely stare at them, shoulders shaking.
“You’ve got to be kidding. Samuel’s hospitalized at this very moment because he’s a drug addict. A drug addict. Again, how is this good for me? How can you want this for me?”
Tears begin to prick my eyes and yet my parents just look impatient now.
“Primrose, please be realistic,” my mom finally says in a low voice. “A girl like you won’t meet too many men of the same social strata, especially since you’re a bit on the larger size. Now Marianne and Frederick Coleman have promised to gift you that island they own in the Caribbean once you’re married, and also one of their vacation properties. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they gifted you Windswept, the house they keep in the Hamptons? It’s enormous, honey, and you wouldn’t even see Samuel if you lived there because it’s so big.”
I stare at her again.
“You want me to start avoiding my own husband? What is wrong with you? I give up!”
Then with a choked cry, I drop the ring, which falls in the steak juices pooling on my plate. With tears running down my face, I dash from the dining room and stumble up the stairs before flinging myself into my bedroom. Why are my parents so hell-bent on marrying me off to Samuel Coleman? It’s not even just the fact that he’s a drug addict with serious problems. I just don’t want it. I don’t want to get married at all. I’m only twenty, and I want to do things with my girlfriends while seeing the world. I want to live a little and to let my wings spread.
But how do I get out of this? At the moment, I’m completely dependent on my parents and Victoria and Malcolm have already decided to marry me off to this odious man-child. What do I do? It feels like a nightmare, and even worse, I can’t wake up.
3
Prim
I text my best friend Chrissy as tears stream down my cheeks. Chrissy will understand because we’ve been through everything together. Back in the day (meaning before she got married and had a baby), we’d get up to no good by sneaking out late at night to meet up with guys; shoplifting nail polish from the drugstore just for kicks; and even accidentally dating the same boy once, although we stopped when we realized what had happened.
In short, I know all her secrets and she knows mine. There’s no one I trust more than Chrissy because we tell each other everything and I don’t know what I’d do without her.
My phone beeps and I press “answer” as Chrissy’s face materializes on the screen.
“This must be serious,” she says, her eyes sympathetic as she takes in my tear-streaked cheeks. “Are you okay, Prim?”
“About as okay as a heart attack,” I respond in a broken sob. “I don’t know what to do. My parents are forcing me to marry Samuel Coleman. You remember him, right? The stuck up, self-centered asshole you met at that party two years ago?”
She bites her lip, trying to remember.
“Which one?”
“The pool party over at the Nicole Aston’s place. Remember how I introduced you to a good-looking guy who I said was a family friend? And how he barely paid attention to us?”