As a result, every family dinner turned into a spontaneous matchmaking session.
"Miley, honey," my mother, Martha, would begin. "Do you remember the Johnsons' son? He just got promoted to regional manager at his company. Maybe you could grab coffee sometime?"
“Mom, I’m not interested in dating right now,” I’d say. “I’m focusing on my career.”
“But honey,” my dad, Stephen, would interject, “your career won’t keep you warm at night. Don’t you want someone to share your life with?”
“I share my life with you and my friends,” I would reply. “That’s enough for now.”
But they wouldn't let up. It was a constant barrage of questions: "What about this and that?" and "Have you heard about this nice young man?"
One night things took a turn for the worse.
We were having our usual Sunday dinner when my parents revealed some shocking news to us.
“Miley,” Dad said seriously. “Your mom and I have been thinking about this a lot.”
“Oh my gosh, here we go,” I muttered.
“We decided,” he continued, ignoring my sarcasm, “that if you don’t marry by the time you’re 35, you won’t see a cent of our inheritance.”
“What?” I blurted out. “You can't be serious!”
"We are," Mom chimed in. "We're not getting any younger, honey. We want you to be peaceful and happy. And we want grandchildren while we're still young enough to enjoy them."
“This is crazy,” I blurted out. “You can’t blackmail me into getting married!”
“It’s not blackmail,” my dad insisted. “It’s, well, an incentive.”
That night, I ran out of their house, unable to believe what had happened. They gave me an ultimatum, suggesting I either find a husband within a few months or say goodbye to my inheritance.
I was angry, but not because I wanted money. It was more about principle. How dare they control my life like this?
For weeks, I didn't answer their calls or visit them. Until one evening, I had a brilliant idea.
I was walking home from work, thinking about spreadsheets and deadlines, when I noticed him. A man, probably in his thirties, was sitting on the sidewalk with a cardboard sign, asking for change.
He looked rough, with a scruffy beard and dirty clothes, but there was something in his eyes. A kindness and sadness that made me pause.
Then an idea popped into my head. It was crazy, but it seemed like the perfect solution to all my problems.
“Excuse me,” I said to the man. “This may sound crazy, but, um, would you like to get married?”
The man's eyes widened in surprise. "Excuse me, what?"
"Look, I know this is weird, but hear me out," I said, taking a deep breath. "I need to get married as soon as possible. It would be a marriage of convenience. I'd provide you with a place to live, clean clothes, food, and some money. In return, you'd have to pretend to be my husband. What do you think?"
He stared at me for what seemed like an eternity. I was sure he thought I was joking.
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