When Leah saw her father with Jacob she knew that he was asking for her father's permission to marry her sister Rachel since she noticed the
way that he looked at her. She had already seen all of her other friends marry and start their families now she had to be embarrassed in order to
see her younger sister get married while she would probably have to live with the two of them plus what ever children that they may have off their
charity as the old maid aunt. Maybe she can convince her father to give her in marriage to Jacob instead of Rachel since it would be better to live
with him as his wife instead of on his charity. She also couldn't wait to start her own family and have her own children instead of seeing those that
she had grown up with having their own children and husbands. Rachel was pretty enough and even had other guys who was interested in her so
she might be able to persuade her father to allow her to marry this Jacob fellow instead of her sister which would give her a husband and family
without having to endure the pitying look that she receives from others. She also didn't want to live on other people's charity when she got older
that she wanted a family of her own. She didn't know if this Jacob guy had spent any time with Rachel to get to know her or if he just thought that
she was pretty and he wanted to take her as his wife. Since according to their wedding traditions the bride was to be covered from head to toe
where even the groom didn't even see his bride until after they were officially married, she could take Rachel's place and marry this Jacob fellow
instead so that she can have her own family instead of watching the girls that she had grown up with starting their own families. There was plenty
of time for Rachel to get married and have her own family since there were other men in the village who were interested in Rachel but not Leah,
thinking that she was too old for marriage and children. Besides Leah knew that she wasn't as pretty as the other girls in her village whom the
men had wanted to marry. She hated to deceive the young man and her sister but she felt like she had to do so in order to prevent from being an
old maid and living off her family's charity. She immediately went to her father asking him if she could marry Jacob instead of Rachel and tell Rachel
that Jacob had asked for Leah's hand in marriage instead of Rachel's. Her father gave his permission for the switch and deceit of Jacob since he
would get Leah off his hands and there would be another guy who would be interested in Rachel. Her father realized that there would probably be
no more opportunities for Leah to marry at her age since the other girls her age are already married with children by now and even the unmarried
men her own age are interested in the younger girls. At this point in her life she was wanting to get married and start her own family she didn't
care if she had tricked this Jacob fellow into marrying her instead of her sister, Rachel. She only cared about being married and not being looked at
with pity as the old maid sister who had to live off her sister's husband's charity. Maybe she can get Jacob to forget about his desire to marry
Rachel and to love her instead. If he loved her sister he can learn to love her instead. Leah was excited about the thought and eagerly got ready
for her own wedding the next day after years of watching her friends get married it was finally her turn though she didn't care how she had gotten
married but that she was finally getting married. She was excited about her upcoming wedding even though she was nervous about how Jacob
would react when he did discover that he did marry her and not her sister. She worried that he will not throw her out when he did discover both
her and her father's deception. She hoped that he wouldn't want to sleep with her anymore so that she wouldn't have any additional chances to
have children, she had heard of the horror stories of wives who had fallen in disfavor with their husbands that they refused to even sleep with
them to give them more children. Jacob seemed to be a reasonable guy though who would not do such a thing to her. Leah was hurt when she
saw the expression on Rachel's fact when their father had told her that Jacob had wanted to marry Leah instead of her though she did get over it
when she thought about how she was finally going to have her own family. Rachel would get over this disappointment and marry another man
who was interested in her, Leah didn't have any other marriage prospects. Rachel didn't even go to Leah's own wedding and didn't even want a
part of it since she was still disappointed that Jacob had chosen Leah over her. So she had told her family that she didn't feel well and stayed in
her room during the entire wedding ceremony. Rachel's absence didn't bother Leah since she was finally going to have the husband and
eventually children that she had always wanted. She was reassured by the fact that she was no longer going to be an old maid depending on the
charity of family members to survive. She only hoped that she will be blessed with sons that she can present to Jacob as his heirs that can inherit
and support her in her old age plus help him to forget about his sister, Rachel. She was nervous when she went into their wedding tent making
sure that she left her veil on so that Jacob wouldn't discover her deception until after she had lain with him as his wife. The next morning when
Leah had gotten up she had taken off her veil revealing her true identity to her husband. She was hurt when Jacob showed his disappointment
that he was given Leah in marriage instead of Rachel. She worried that Jacob would leave her when he left that morning and hardly had looked at
her when he left. She only hoped that her father would convince him to stay even if Jacob made plans to take Rachel as his wife as well. This
wasn't the way that she had always pictured her own wedding to be but she had to take matters into her own hands if she didn't want to wind up
an old maid and be forced to live on her family's charity for the rest of her life. She only hoped that her father can convince Jacob to keep his
marriage promise to her and not leave her in disgrace. She did hope that she was pregnant from her wedding night which would hopefully would
keep Jacob with her plus at least if he didn't want to lay with her again she would have a child that can carry on Jacob's family line. If she had a
child she didn't care if she was just another wife to Jacob even though he was disappointed that he wasn't in love with his first wife like most men
were. Though at her age it would be too much to want her husband to love her and not want to take another younger wife later on since that was
the custom of their village. When Jacob returned to the wedding tent Leah was relieved that he wasn't going to embarrass her in front of their
friends and neighbors by deserting during the wedding ceremony causing her to more of an outcast rather than just an old maid living off the
charity of her family.
"Your father agreed to let me work seven more years for your sister Rachel if I agree to finish out the wedding week. We will still live as husband
and wife though after seven years I will also take Rachel to be my second wife," Jacob had reassured Leah though she wasn't too reassured of
her husband wanting to take a second wife too soon after the wedding.
Most men waited a few years in order to marry another wife instead of looking for their next wife during the wedding week. At least getting
married seven years after her own wedding wouldn't look like Jacob was satisfied with Leah as a wife and she will have a chance to make him fall
in love with her. Leah only smiled at his plan since no one else would have to know that he was going to work for her father for another seven
years in order to marry Rachel, her sister. She thought that she would be happy once she was married and not having to rely on anyone's charity
but she still felt miserable about the way that she had gotten her husband even though no one in the village will show pity on her for being an old
maid now. Besides there were others in her village who had married for reasons other than love. She wasn't the only one disappointed in the
marriage since Jacob didn't seem to come from a wealthy background since he had to work for her father in order to marry instead of paying her
father a substantial dowry. She thought that once she had married that her feelings of being alone would go away since she now had a husband.