ch. 18 : masquarade
His hair slicked back slightly with hair gel, and wearing an ill fitting gray suit, and a pair of black coke-bottle thick glasses, that looked similar to the one he had thrown out many months ago, He paces the large decorated hallway.
Marilyn is sitting near by on a stone bench, looking up at the 8 foot ceiling. It felt weird to be back in her parents's house. One of the things that she discovered when she started dating Odin was that she was not the only one who didn't really like the house that her parents owned. She wasn't the only one who wanted to get the hell out of Georgia as fast as she could. Marilyn watches him for a second, playing with the small diamond ring on her hand, that was intended to look more like a cracker jack prize, than a wedding ring. She turns the band, looking at it from every angle. She isn't sure if she likes a ring being on her finger. Though, Odin had promised later if she wanted he would get her a nice ring, even if they didn't get married, a ring of her choosing, to wear on whatever finger she wanted. She wasn't sure if she wanted any jewelry though. Though later on, maybe she could look for something really unique if she decided that is what she wanted. Marilyn tilts her head at him, as he walks by her again. "You need to calm down."
"I hate looking like this." The anger that always seems to be in the back of his personality flares up for a bit. He is not looking at her when he says it. But he can tell that she probably wants him to calm down. He takes a deep meditative breath, and puts on a con man sort of smile.
"Come here, sit with me."
He walks over and sits beside her on the bench. He takes her hand.
"Don't be nervous."
"I just don't want them to backfire, and have them like me."
"I know." She turns and kisses the top of his forehead softly. "Just pretend you are playing a role. Try to be what people use to think you are, not the god you really are." She gives him a soft smile.
A butler opens a door hidden from view down the hallway. He walks toward the stiffly. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Miss Marilyn. The house has been a mess lately. The guard at the gate, told me that your parents have just come back from the country club with Miss Morgan, and they want you and your new husband to join them for brunch. So, if you will follow me this way."
"Sure, Gerald." Marilyn and Odin stand.
Odin lets go of her hand, and crocks his arm slightly, so he can properly escort her into the dinning room.
Ten minutes later, they are sitting in the dinning room, and one of the kitchen staff is passing out plates to the richards, and to Odin. Mariam Richards sits at one end of the table, and Robin sits at another end. It is a small table that only seats 6, made of black teak wood.
Odin is cutting the piece of chicken that was set in front on Marilyn.
Morgan sitting across from them makes a face at her twin. "I can't believe you are letting him cut your meat!" She takes a sip of water
"I am right here you know. I am not some inanimate object or the help." Odin sends her a delibrate icy glare. They had made a plan that it would be best to be not only the geek that Morgan hated so much, but also a very over protective ego maniac. Her sister was a very big person on women's rights occasionally, or liked to think that she is. And would definitely hate him if he acted liked they lived in a century before women had rights. All they needed was for Morgan to hate him and to object to him, and she would convince Mr. and Mrs. Richards that Odin was not a good catch for Marilyn, and that while Marilyn still saw him they would have nothing to do with her.
"Why not dear sister, he is my fiance, in two months he will be my husband, there is no reason why he shouldn't do anything he wants for me. He does own me." Marilyn gives her sister a sweet smile. She likes this pretending to not know that him owning her is not something bad.
Morgan almost spits out the water from her mouth. "Did you hear that dad?" There is a whine to her voice.
Robin Richards takes a bite of the asparagus on his plates, and chews it. He takes a sip of his wine, and swallow it. "That is just a joke between the two of you, right, Philip. You don't think after you marry her that you will own her."
"It is true, that are what marriage laws are for. After we are married, I can do anything I want to her. I can even kill her, and no one can do anything." At the last part, he chuckles in a way that could suggest that he could either be joking, or deadly serious.
"What?" Morgan's eyes go wide.
"He was just joking, weren't you dear?" Miriam asks him.
"Oh, course I was, I wouldn't kill her. But the other part i mean. That is the way the vows are written, where that once we recite them, and we are pronounced man and wife, she is my property." He adjusts his glasses. He lets and you can't make me change my bigot ways smile appear on his face.