A/N: Just a short piece I wrote for my Religion paper.
"I have found a solution to the problem!" my father cried as he walked in the door.
"Mmhmm." I barely glanced up at him, entranced by the picture I was drawing. My father was always finding a solution to some problem or another and then he'd go on and on about how brilliant he was for weeks afterward. I'd quickly learned the valuable skill of pretending I was listening, while really allowing my mind to wander elsewhere.
"What problem did you fix this time, sweetheart?" my mother asked, poking her head through the archway that led to the garden. Unlike me, she actually paid attention to my father's words.
"Our problem! Our daughter's marriage problem!" he answered excitedly.
"What?!" I exclaimed, dropping my charcoal and staring at him.
"You are to be married to Pharaoh's right-hand man, the man in charge of all of Egypt. Could you do any better than this?" he asked, still looking gleeful.
"But Father! You said I could have some say in who my husband would be!"
"Yes, well none of your suitors seemed very pleased with you, did they? As I recall, the last one muttered something about you being a 'stubborn mule' as he stormed out."
I gave my father my worst glare, but he just laughed and said, "Don't give your future husband that look. He seems a nice man, but I doubt he'll like you being as headstrong as we've let you become." With another chuckle, he left me alone to sulk and went to discuss the wedding plans with my mother.
I heaved a sigh as I plopped onto the chair beside me. My life had changed so fast. By the next full moon, I would be a married woman.
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"Asenath!" my mother called, waking me from my dreams. "Get up, child! We must start preparing for the wedding!"
I grumbled, but obeyed. One didn't argue with my mother when she used that tone of voice. We had been "preparing for the wedding" for days now, but finally the time had come. All the preparing I had to do that day was to be bathed and dressed and made into a bride. The very thought of overly-sweet flowers in my hair disgusted me.
I groaned when I heard the many giggling and chattering women enter the house. They were headed my way… and I could smell the flowers already.
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As I approached the place where my father awaited me, I kept my head high as my mother had told me. Even though I still resented him for coming up with this idea, I was feeling quite proud and elegant. True, the women had covered me in oils and flowers and paints, but every girl loves to see herself beautiful at least once in a while.
My thoughts were interrupted as I saw my husband-to-be, Joseph, for the first time. Despite my skepticism of the days before, he turned out to be rather handsome. Fine, very handsome. He smiled at me, and I could feel myself blushing. After that, it seemed a long time, though it must have been less than a minute, before I reached him.
I kept my eyes down as I stood by Joseph, my father between us. I couldn't concentrate on what he was saying, and mumbled my promises when he prompted me.
I'm acting like a little girl, I realized, and suddenly felt angry with myself. I raised my eyes to look at Joseph, and was startled to see only gentleness and love in his eyes. Entranced, I stared at him.
I didn't realize the ceremony was over until he stepped forward and kissed me, and in that kiss, I forgot everything. It didn't matter that I was being forced to marry this man against my will, it didn't matter that I thought I hated him, and it didn't matter that I would be leaving the only home I had ever known. Everything was right in the world, and it felt wonderful.
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Before I met him, I thought I would never truly love Joseph, but he was kind and loving, and over time he became my best friend and loyal husband. We had two beautiful children, Manasseh and Ephraim, and have been quite happy with our life.