My name is Rachel and I am fifteen years old going on sixteen in four months. Today my parents have told me that I will be getting married to Avery Longworth in six months. He is considered a good catch though I have only seen him twice. The first time was at a house party when I was about ten and he, nineteen. He did not talk to me because he was with the men and I was still considered a child. I only remember him because I dropped my cake and he told his sister to pick it up for me and get another piece for me.
The next time was when he came to town to talk to my father last year. I didn't know what they were discussing and nobody told me. Not even my mother! He ate supper with us and we used our best dishes during the week. I should have known something funny was going on becasue we never use our good dishes during the week. Only at Sunday dinner or holidays. He told us good bye and I didn't think anything more of his visit. That is until yesterday.
Mother took me to town and we went to Scriff's General Store. They had a new shipment of cloth come in and Mrs. Scriff told Mother she had the cloth she ordered. It was a beautiful satin white brocade. Mother said she'd take it and then she chose a red and white gingham, a yellow with white flowers cotton, a white silk for underclothes and a beautiful robin egg blue cotton. She also bought enough cloth for handkerchiefs and scarves.
On the way home, I finally got up enough nerve to ask Mother who the cloth was for. She looked at me as she clucked to our horses, "Why you of course, Rachel. You are getting married in six months. Gotta send you off with some nice duds."
I gulped, "Married?" I knew better than to tell Mother that I wasn't ready to get married or to tell her that I always hoped that Kent Osbourne would be the one asking for my hand in marriage. Mother always told us what we would be doing and we did it. No questions asked. So that is how I found out about my upcoming marriage to a man I did not know.
Copyright © 2009 Kathleen G. Lupole
Updated 2016
Updated 2016
