Fanny shook his head in the affirmative and became all smiles. His eyes sparkled.

“You are welcome to my humble family, my adorable sister-in-law,” Kate intoned, with a lop-sided grin.

Kate was the second eldest daughter of the Fanny’s. She was chubby, short and with pink cheeks that often smiled. Her hair was auburn. She kept smiling and shaking her head just like every other person except Eva.

Her nostrils flared,“Who is she? And who is her family in Rio Hondo?” Eva asked, gritted her teeth, shot her go-to-hell stare at me and walked around me as though I was some laboratory specimen.

“No, no, Eva”, Opula, the eldest protested with her hand gesturing at Eva, she protested yet further, “You don’t have to raise up that issue right now. I have not invited this pretty girl to be assessed by you.”

Eva raised a brow and squeezed her lips; that face of hers held thunder as she cast a menacing stare at her sister and then at me.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Eva queried Opula “You can’t choose this dirty, poverty-stricken girl for our brother!”

Opula stood to her feet with hands on the waist. She had already gone crimson. She kept rolling her eyes and sighing.

Opula snarled, “And since when did my egocentric sister become interested in the family’s affair, uh? You never wanted a wife for Brian! Possibly you enjoyed the way he is being attended to by nobody and goes the whole of Rio Hondo naked and being mobbed!” Opula barked radically.

Every other person became on looker as they quarreled at the tops of their voice.

Her nose wrinkled. “I have better plans for my brother not this,” she gestured her fingers at me, “Poverty-stricken, disgusting girl. We are the richest family in Rio Hondo. Poverty and wealth have nothing in common. Do I need to remind you, sister uh? I thought you were going to fetch a model, a movie super star or a musician for our brother. Come on think big.”

Opula interjected in fury, “She may be poor but she is very presentable than the ugly wealthy bitches you presented earlier…” She wanted to speak yet further when Fanny intervened, “Enough!”

Everywhere went cold at once at the groaning of his voice, “Is this how you girls want to welcome our new wife?” Fanny barked, and cast an appreciative stare at me.

My head bowed just then as I averted my gaze.

Wife? What is happening? Have they made me a wife already?

A wife to who if I may ask? I came here to see if I could borrow the money needed for my mother’s hospital bills and here I am donning diamond bracelets and jewelries, clad in a Turkish luxurious gown which I may never afford in my entire life.

As I looked myself from head to toes, I wondered if I could summon the courage to question their actions, and why am I being given as wife to a man I know nothing about and wasn’t in love with.

Something must be fishy. Are they mistaking me for someone else?

“I am confused please” it almost sounded as a whisper but by some reckless courage it sounded loud enough for everyone to hear.

Fanny smiled at me, and then stood to his feet. His face flushed with uncertainty.

“You see, my dear, for more than four nights now, my family has been in search of the rightful bride for my lovely son. I don’t know how my eldest daughter found you, but I must commend you look presentable and beautiful for my son. If you agree this minute to become the wife to the only son of the richest man in Rio Hondo, I promise you your poverty is over. You will have anything that is under the sun. You can be rest assured that hence forth your generation shall know no poverty,” he said and burst into a radical laugh.

Every other person smiled except Eva who was busy fighting me with her quarrelsome stare.

But Eva wasn’t my problem now. My problem was how it all happened suddenly. I had come to borrow the half a million dollars needed to commence treatment on my mother and not to be given as wife to any son.

I was losing it now. These billionaires could be so annoying. They felt everything was answerable to them and because they were wealth and influential nothing was impossible for them to achieve.

Come on! Things are not done that way! How could you just see someone at the gate, and the next you get her all expensively dressed, just to be given as wife to your only son? A son I knew nothing about?

I protested, “Sir, I am here to see if you could lend me money for my mother’s medical bills. My mother has auto…auto,” I stuttered as I couldn’t recall the name of the disease doctor called but I just managed to say, “She has kidney disease and the doctor is requesting for half a million dollars to save her life. She has just twenty four hours to live if that money is not provide,” I intoned, went down on my knees, and bowed my head, “Please, my mother is all I have. Heave mercy on a poor girl like me. That is my reason for coming to your mansion and not to marry your son.”

Fanny’s face held a huge grin. His jaw clenched. I knew he might be wondering what gave me the guts to visit his mansion in the name of borrowing money. I was young and naïve. I wondered what could be more important to me than my mother’s health. Marrying his son or whoever was out of it.

He pointed, “You see that artifact over there, it is worth twenty million dollars. Do you see that artwork with diamond stones? It is worth thirty million dollars. Money is not my problem.”

He dug his hand into his blazers and slid out a credit card…

Fanny was unhesitant, after sliding out the credit card. His eyes gleamed and his jaw sparkled.

A beam of smiles clouded his face before he flashed the credit card at me.

Instantly my avarice increased at the sight of the credit card, and I winked nervously, wished he would gift me the card without conditions.

“This is a credit card for half a million dollars. It is for you,” he sounded, with an emphatic chuckle that sounded from him.

I was abandoned to doubt and argument within me. I gave a half-smile before a lopsided grin. My cheeks couldn’t stop curving. My hands fidgeted. I swallowed hard and winked more than a million times. This must be a dream! I scratched my eyes and confirmed that reality was actually smiling at me. It wasn’t a dream after all. A credit card for half a million dollars all for me! Fortune has fallen down to me. Mom, wherever you are start girding your loins to recover, because not only will I sort out your medical bills, also our family status is about to change for good. No more poverty; I thought, smiling cheek to cheek at the entire Fanny’s.

While lost in the shallowness of my thought, I went on my knees, shut my eyes and started rendering all manner of appreciation. I eulogized Fanny Luis and felt within my head that I had emptied my praises.

“Oh thank you, so much, Sir! This is just an answered prayer. What would I have done without you? You are indeed known in Rio Hondo for your generosity. You are the savior of the poor. I can’t describe my joy over what you just did but I want you to know that the God of the poor will pay you in hundred folds. You will continually be the richest man in Rio Hondo…” my voice hung over the sitting room amidst tears.

I was yet speaking when Fanny interjected, “May I know what you do for a living, dear? He demanded still holding unto the credit card. At the time his mouth that had curved into a smile had given way for his hardened expression.

That question spiked my heart in such a trice that I wondered from where came the sweat that trickled from my armpit.

Was I ruffled or what?

I exhaled fearfully once I gazed upon his sullen countenance. “I am a poor vegetable seller,” I replied coldly and bowed my head in shame. “Poor vegetable seller”, he retorted with a grotty scowl hanging on his face, “How do you intend to pay back half a million dollars by selling cheap, dirty vegetables, uh?”

Those words by the billionaire tingled me so badly, that I searched for saliva to swallow down my throat. My excitement had over shadowed my thinking faculty that I forgot I was going to repay the loan.

What even came over me to think that I would be able to pay back half a million dollars by selling vegetables, even if I sell all the vegetable in the world, and given more than a century, I didn’t think I would be able to repay back that money; it was just too much for poor Melissa to repay.

“Speak up, young lady!” he barked and his jaw set before he narrowed his eyes at me.

At that, the girls and the maiden were staring at me with bated breath, save Eva, who gave me a morbid stare.

I flinched and my excitement was nowhere to be found within me. Reality left my head hovering.

“I…I…” I stuttered, smacked my lips and said yet further, “I am eager to be your servant or be your slave for life as repayment for that money. Please. I don’t mind being enslaved to you as a maid without salary, Sir,” I uttered, still bowed my head.

“No, no,” he jerked his head in disapproval, “I am surrounded by maidens, security and slaves. I have no need for them anymore. Listen up, young girl, I can’t risk my half a million dollars, my hard earned money on the altar of generosity. You have to figure out ways to repay me or I will figure it out for you,” his voice beamed at me.

Quickly I shook my head, “I am ready for anything Sir, anything sir,” I repeated, still niggled by the fact that the money wasn’t yet mine.

Did I actually hear myself? Anything? Hmmm.

“Security,” Fanny snapped, “Bring out my adorable son, Brian,” he commanded and held a huge smile. The smile would have been contagious if not for the situation at hand.

I bowed my head as I was still on my knees, lost in my imagination of what he intended to do, when the rustling sound of chains being dragged on the floor ravaged the entire place. Soon after the party of security dashed out to fetch his son, I heard voices.

“Out! Out! Now!”

That was the shrieking yell of men, who seemed to be struggling with something and yelling at someone.

“Out! Out! Now I said!”

“Please don’t whip him! Drag him out gently,” Fanny commanded yet further.

The yell came again, and I raised my head wondering what was happening. I thought the billionaire ordered the security to bring out Brian, his adorable son, so what was keeping them and what on earth would make Fanny give out such orders if his son was sane.

Suddenly one of the securities ran out and whispered in the ears of Fanny.

“If he refuses to wear his cloths, then whip him and drag him out!” the billionaire beamed and shot his reddened, angry eyes at Brian’s chamber before returning his gaze on me.

Kate raised a furrowed brow before protesting, “But father that will not be nice. I suggest they take it easy on him and not whip him. Brian will wear his cloths,” she said and almost became all tears.

Those words tinkled in my ear. Whip? He refuses to wear clothes? Why would he refuse to wear his cloths? Why would they whip him? And who is actually this Brian.

Those questions dazed me so much that I couldn’t wait to see what the billionaire was up to.

Finally the billionaire’s order was carried out. Brian refused to wear his cloths.

“Ah! Ah! Ah! Aye!”

He groaned and wailed at the tops of his voice and I perceived they were whipping him now.

But why would a rightful thinking person refuse to wear his cloths? And why would they whip a grown up in his right senses. I was beginning to suspect mental derangement.

“Ah! Ah! Ah! Aye!”

The wailing ravaged the entire mansion, and Opula was forced to go on her knees and pled on his behalf.

“Father, please, I beg of you. Have mercy upon Brian you know his condition. If they continue to whip him with such callousness, they will hurt him and he doesn’t need to appear distraught since today is his day. I suggest we opt for gentler way of bringing him out…”

Fanny interrupted her, “Enough of that!” his voice frisked. “That boy has cost me a lot pain and impairment. He has embarrassed me before Rio Hondo. He has dragged the name of my family in the mud and if he is not careful, I will disown him and send him to the home for the insane. Yes I can do that!”

Fanny ground his jaw as I could see thunder and brimstone etched on his face. His expression hardened as he gazed upon Opula, who was still on her knees.

Opula bowed her head, “No father you would do no such thing,” decorum possessed her voice “Permit me to go right away and bring him peacefully,” she demanded.

Fanny gazed upon her with a mesh scowl on his face, as though he was reminding her that he would inflict more annoying pain on Brian if he should refused to come out with her.

“You may go and bring him if only he will cooperate with you”, he ordered.

At the time, the securities were still struggling with him and whipping the hell out of him. Brian’s heavy wailing and gnashing of teeth hung over us. And once Opula got there, every struggle came to an abrupt end and the wailing stopped. The whipping paused and gently she came out with Brian, and stood holding him by the arm.

The image struck in my head; those thick, pink, kiss-it lips, watery, blue eyes that smeared like the sky above, body that seemed skinny yet with traces of muscles and ridges he earned at the gym. Yet with those traces of cuteness, he was still looking unkempt with scraggly unshaven beards and saliva gathered around his mouth, just like the other day at the market.

I shouted, “You!” I pointed at him and felt like demanding for repayment of my vegetables which he squandered at the market

Everyone glared at me, and Fanny shot his frown at me in bewilderment.

“Wait a minute. Have you met my son before? Do you know Brian Fanny before now? “Fanny queried me and shot an obnoxious star ate me.

I pointed at him and broke down in tears. “This is the same mad boy that ate my raw vegetables at the market while I was fast asleep! It is him!” I wailed.

“You keep shut!” Opula barked at me, “How dare you refer to my only brother as mad, uh? What insolence,” her jaw clenched.

Fanny interrupted with a chuckle.“Steady on, daughter,” he said to Opula, and then burned when he flashed his scowled face at me. “He had a huge grin and continued, “For the record, his name is Brian Fanny, my only son. He became mysteriously mentally deranged and we as a family can’t sit back and watch him deteriorate and live an abnormal life that is why we are trying to give him the best out of life. Your mother is ill at the hospital. She needs half a million dollars to survive. My son is mentally deranged. He needs a companion to keep him warm at night and take care of him whenever he needs a heart and a hand. My lawyer is here,” he pointed to a lanky, tall, ponytail, Caucasian young man in twenties. “Barrister Coleman can you advance to the front please,” he beckoned and kept at his grin.

The barrister advanced just then and brought out some documents from his brief case.

“Melissa,” Fanny called yet again “You will sign to a contract marriage with my son this minute. You will become his legally married wife and be bound by the contract, and in return, I will give you this credit card of half a million dollars, which I believe will sort out your mother’s medical bills. He repeated himself more emphatically, “I will give you the money but you must sign a contract marriage with my mad son.”

I swallowed hard and rolled my tongue within my mouth to swallow hard yet again but couldn’t find any saliva. My entire body shook in fear and disgust. Balls of sweat had wet my brow and delivered chilled nervousness across my skin.

Me? Melissa? A virgin? What in the name of thunder would make me sign to a contract marriage with a mad man! What were they thinking? Were they thinking I would jump into the agreement because I was a poor vegetable seller? Or did they believe I would have no option than to accept the marriage because my mother was dying in the hospital?

I looked at Brian and I became even more irritated; his hair had turned gray, unkempt and thong-like. His hands were scraggly, grisly and beards unshaven, all over his mouth was saliva and each time he smiled, his once-white dentition flashed at me. The blisters and reddened fresh wounds on his body were in their numbers. His cloths were torn, and rumpled as rags. He often gave a toothy smile and scratched his beards and hair, even slapped his cheeks at interval.

Obviously this boy was violently mad and this rich family wanted me to sign to a horrible contract marriage because they knew I was earnestly in need of money.

No. it can’t be!

I raised my head confidently and said, “Sir, with all due respect I am not interested.

All eyes flashed at me…