The Meet
" I hate Demetrius!" yelled Hermia angrily while walking back and forth. "I do not get how my father can like him that much even though I told him how self-centered and arrogant he was!"
Hermia was frowning and her arms were crossed. She had never been this mad before. It was very strange for Hermia to act this way. She was normally a sweet, kind girl, but everyone would react the same way as she did. Demetrius was a bad man. He would treat everyone in such a bad way. He would scream at someone for no good reason, he would embarrass everyone in public, and he would ignore people when talking to him. All of that on top of his drinking problems and narcissistic personality.
"I think Demetrius is nice. I don't get how you don't like him." responded her friend Helena sitting on Hermia's bed while twirling her long, black hair. Hermia opened her hazel eyes widely and shrugged her shoulders in disbelief.
"Helena, Hermia, please come downstairs. I have a big announcement to make!" said Egeus, Hermia's father.
Hermia and Helena went downstairs wondering what Egeus was about to say. Where they going on a trip? Where they moving to another city? When they got there, they saw about six other families gathered around the house. Hermia noticed a huge grin on Egeus' face. She thought something great was going to happen to her family. She had mentioned her desire of going to France to her father several times. Maybe he finally paid attention to her and made her dream come true. She thought they were going to travel and seek for adventure.
"Hello friends and family!" exclaimed Egeus with pure joy. "I know you are very anxious to know what my announcement is about."
Hermia stood there desperately. She wanted her father to announce it already. She was prepared to hear great news and feel joy.
"Well, here it is." Egeus announced "I love my sweet daughter Hermia a lot and I want the best for her. So, I decided who she will be married to. My daughter will marry Demetrius."
Hermia was shocked. She expected to hear the best news of her life and instead she heard the worst. Her dreams had been crushed. She felt sad and lonely. She felt like no one would help her, like no one would understand how she feels. She saw the people cheering and smiling, but she could hear nothing. She just shut down. Some people people hugged her and some people shook her hand but she didn't pay attention. She just stood there, saying nothing, feeling nothing. Hermia turned around and left. She went upstairs to her room, packed her most precious belongings, climbed down her window, and began running. She did not want to marry demetrius, so she escaped.
"Someone grab her!" yelled Egeus as he watched her daughter run away.
Seconds after Egeus said this demand there were guards running after Hermia. She tried to run faster, but she was too tired to do so. As the guards approached her she felt as if her life were to be over. She tried to run faster and harder but she could not. Tears were coming down her face and then she felt two arm grabbing her from behind. They caught her. Hermia tried to fight back, but the guards arms were too strong. As they took her back to her home she cried. She could not stop weeping. Egeus came up to her and the guards with a disappointed face. He moved his head slightly to the left and the guards went that direction.
"But Dad, I don't want to marry someone I do not love" said Hermia while she was thrown into her room.
"I will not let you out until the day you marry Demetrius!" he responded furiously right before slamming the door.
"Dad, don't leave me here! I promise I will not escape again!" Hermia screamed from her room as she heard her father locking her in.
Egeus heard Hermia crying. He felt bad for her daughter. He did not want to leave her there by her own. But he believed marrying Demetrius was the best for her. He believed Demetrius' money would save their family from bankruptcy and give Hermia the life she wanted. Even though she was doing it against her will, she had to.
Hermia cried for days and nights wanting to escape, but she could do nothing. There was no way out. She had to marry Demetrius.
On the other side of Greece lived a young, adventurous man named Lysander Nicoli. This young man was part of a wealthy family and had a beautiful girlfriend named Castalia.
"Lysander!," Castalia called, "Lysander, where are you?"
"I am here my sweet Castalia" Lysander said as he came into the kitchen.
"I made some Moussaka" Castalia announced as she grabbed the casserole from the oven.
"Well, thank you" Lysander greeted right before kissing her cheek.
"Sit down." she said
Lysander sat down. Castalia grabbed the casserole and put it between Lysander and the empty seat in front of him. She then sat down there.
"Lysander," Castalia said as he grabbed a piece of Moussaka
"What my dear Castalia?" Lysander spoke while cutting his food.
"Lysander, we have been a couple for about a year now." Castalia said while Lysander payed more attention to the food than her. "I come to your house quite a lot and even cook as if it were my kitchen. I was thinking I should move here with you."
Lysander stopped eating. He cleaned his mouth with a napkin and looked at her.
"Lysander, I love you, and if this relationship is going to work out I think we should continue making it work."
"What am I suppose to say, no? I can't say no to her. I don't love her, I don't want to live in the same roof as her, but she is so nice. How can I say no to that?" Lysander thought as he sat there silently.
Castalia looked worried. She was regretting what she had just said. She felt as if she had rushed things too quickly.
"So?" Castalia asked Lysander
Lysander smiled. It was a very small smile, but Castalia thought that was enough to make her happy.
The rest of their lunch they were silent. They did not speak at all. When Castalia finished eating, she picked up her plate, washed it and left Lysander eating alone. She felt embarrassed at what she had done. She felt that she had forced him to say yes.
Every member of Lysander's family wanted him to marry Castalia. They wanted them to have a happy family and grow old together, but Lysander did not want that. He felt like he was under pressure. He liked Castalia but more like a friend, not as a wife. He did not love her, he did not want to have a house with her and most definitely did he not want to marry her. Most of all, he did not want to break her heart. So he decided he would flee. He took some money from his family, a horse, and left without anyone knowing. He left to Athens where his family would never find him.
When Lysander got to Athens, he saw a man selling a house.
"Excuse me, how much for your home, sir?" Lysander asked
"50,000 drachmas." the salesman said.
Lysander entered the house and inspected it. It was not that big, but it was cozy and it was in a great location, the center of Athens.
"I would like to buy it, please" Lysander said as he grabbed the money from his pocket.
Just after Lysander gave his money to the man, he left. Lysander then tied his horse in the porch of his house and began installing a pottery shop in his front yard.
A few nights later, Lysander went to the theater, and Demetrius did too. Demetrius arrived completely drunk.
"Hey you! Yes, you, Lysander! Why are you in my seat?" Demetrius yelled in a drunken voice.
Lysander and Demetrius had met before. Their families hated each other. They both had huge pottery businesses and would do anything to exceed the other. It all began when Demetrius' family burnt down the Nicoli's shop. Since then, they have been feuding.
"These seats are not arranged. You can sit wherever you want, but not here." Lysander responded.
"Is that so?" Demetrius said right before moving his arm to punch Lysander.
Lysander had great reflexes, so he dodged Demetrius. Seconds later, Lysander quickly punched Demetrius right in the eye. Lysander shook his hand and grabbed it in order to stop the looked around him. Everyone seemed astonished. They would have never realised how a young and innocent looking man would do such a thing. He knew if he would stay a huge fight would go on, so he left the theater.
"That's right! Leave before I tear you into pieces!" screamed Demetrius while laying on the floor suffering.
Demetrius went to Egeus' home to tell him what had happened. As he arrived, Egeus seemed shocked about his black eye.
"What happened to your eye?" asked Egeus. Hermia could hear everything through her bedroom door.
"That boy, Lysander, he just walked towards me and punched me for no good reason!" Demetrius exclaimed.
"Lysander! I knew that boy was up to no good since the day I met him. I always had a strange feeling about him"
"Lysander? Who is this Lysander they are talking about" whispered Hermia to herself having no clue who they were talking about. She thought of this Lysander person was some sort of her hero.
A month had passed since the fight in the theater and it was already Hermia's wedding day. She felt useless, as if she could do nothing to help herself. People came in and out of her room wishing her good luck, fixing her hair and giving her presents. It was chaos. She felt suffocated by her wedding dress. It was huge, white and puffy. She hated it. At noon, she was ready to walk down the aisle.
"Hermia!" someone called for her, "Hermia, the carriage is here to take you to the ceremony!"
Hermia got out of her room and into the front yard. When she saw the carriage, she had an idea. She knew it was risky and dangerous but it was her only way out. She stepped into the carriage and sat down. A few seconds later, the horses began to gallop. She was nervous, she did not know if he should do it or not. She inhaled and exhaled several times and...
"Ahhhhhhh!" Hermia screamed at the top of her lungs.
"Mistress Hermia?" the chafer screamed as he stopped the vehicle violently. He ran to the back of the carriage worried. "Mistress Hermia, are you alright?"
As he opened the door to check on Hermia, she kicked him in the chest. He fell down, hit his head and became unconscious. Herma quickly jumped out of the carriage and took her wedding dress off. As the driver was unconscious she swapped clothes with him and took all of his money. She dressed up as a man so no one would recognize her. When she finished, she put the man in the carriage and detached it from the horse.
"Sorry!" Hermia exclaimed as she galloped away. She was heading to the center of Athens.
Hermia had never seen something like this. She saw people everywhere. There were people buying things, people selling things, people stealing things, all kinds of people. As she was looking through the things to buy, she saw a particular piece of pottery she really liked.
"Excuse me, how much for this beautiful piece of pottery?" asked Hermia
Polishing other pieces he was selling distracted the salesman.
"It's 1,000 drachmas" said the salesman not paying much attention to Hermia
"Ok, nevermind" responded Hermia
The salesman looked up and saw this beautiful, young women standing before him. He quickly stood up and said:
"But I can lower the price if you want."
Hermia was stunned as he looked at the salesman. She had never felt this way before. It was love at first sight.
"You know what, you can take it for free if you would like to" the salesman said
"No, thank you, it is alright" she said, as she felt that she was taking advantage of him.
"I am so sorry if this makes you feel uncomfortable but, what's your name?" he asked
"I am Hermia. What's yours?
"My name is Lysander" he responded
"Are you the same Lysander who punched Demetrius at the theater?"
"Yes I am." Lysander said in an embarrassing way.
"You are my hero. Thank you."
They both smiled at each other. They talked for a long time. Hermia told him about her dad, the wedding, Demetrius and everything that had happened to her back home. Lysander talked about his family, his girlfriend, the fight and what brought him to Athens. They felt that they have met for a long time and that they had a special connection. That's when they knew they had fallen in love.