“Who am I talking to?” I ask.
“Oh, sorry,” says the voice with a laugh. “I’m Jack. I’m Kanen’s best friend, and now his lawyer. He told you he was going to send your stuff, didn’t he?”
“No, he didn’t mention it.” I’m confused.
“Ah. Well he wanted me to look over your immigration status, and see if there was a possibility to remove the threat to your continued residence in the US.”
“Oh! Okay,” I say. “And?” I’m holding my breath.
“Nothing so far,” He admits. “But as far as the possibilities he’s raised to deal with the problem, the possibility of getting married would certainly help your case.”
“Married?” I say quickly. “Uh, yes, okay.” I’m so confused, and my stomach is all butterflies, but I figure I should pretend that I know what he’s talking about. I’m not sure why. Married!
“Yes, you’d have more than one argument to stay if you were married to Kanen, so it’s not the worst idea.” He clears his throat. “I would imagine that all the charges could be dropped in that case.”
I make a small noise. Married! We hardly know each other. But I do know what we have is real.
“However, the allegations against the other gentleman, a Mr. Delbert Bowman, will have to be dealt with in court.”
“And what would the charges be?”
“Attempted voluntary manslaughter would probably be the highest charge we could get him on.”
“I see.”
“In any case, ask Kanen to call me, as I’d like to get his go-ahead on any and all matters with the government.”
“Will do, thank you.” The go-ahead? As I take down his message robotically, my head is swimming. What am I supposed to write? “Attempted manslaughter, court, marriage, immigration?” I rip up the message. “Call Jack.” I finish. Simple enough for a situation that’s anything but.
So that’s why he was talking about marriage. Just to be the big man and keep me in the country, solve the problem. Not because he loves me and wants to marry me.
What’s the point?
As I stare out the window, I hear Kanen come down the stairs, and swing by me on his crutches. I never knew someone could make crutches seem sexy, but then again I never met anyone like him before. He leans down to kiss me, stacks the crutches against the wall, and in one smooth motion pivots around and sits across from me. “You want some coffee?” I say.
“Sure. What’s wrong?”
“How is it that you can nearly read my mind?” I ask, frustrated. “How do you know something is wrong?”
“It’s because you’re a very honest person,” he smiles. “Your whole mind is reflected on your face. Now what’s wrong?”
I stand up and go to the coffee machine. “You need to talk to you friend, Jack.” “He called?”
“Yep. He had some pretty interesting things to say, too.” I stir some cream and sugar into Wrecker’s coffee. “What were they?” He asks, his eyes narrowing. “Doesn’t he think you can get out of these charges?”
“Oh, he thinks I can get out of them,” I say, my voice getting a little too high. “If we get married.” Kanen is quiet for a moment. “And what do you think of that?” He asks.
“I don’t want another sham marriage, Kanen!” I can’t stop the words from tumbling out. I’ve never talked about this, but now the floodgates have opened. “My husband didn’t love me, and married me anyway! I only found out after he died that we weren’t the happy couple I thought we were. I didn’t even know!” I’m trying to breathe, I put the coffee back down on the counter and brace myself against it. Then his arms are around me, his hands snaking around to my stomach and his chin in my neck. “He didn’t love me and I didn’t have any idea! He didn’t want our child, and our child died!”
“Chastity,” he breathes. “I’m not your ex-husband. I’m a different person. And girl,” he pauses, and the look in his dark eyes is soft and true, “don’t you know I love you?”
“But I don’t want you to marry me out of pity!” I cry. He turns me around, and I notice he’s on one foot and struggling a little. “Do you want a chair?”
“No, baby.” He hangs on to the counter and slides down until he’s kneeling on that one leg, and looks up at me. I cover my mouth with my hands. “Chastity,” he says softly. “It would be the greatest honor of my life, if you, the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met, and the only one I can trust with everything,” he fishes around in his pocket and pulls out a small, modest ring, very much at odds with the opulence of everything around, “would be my wife?”
I hold out my trembling hand. “Do you mean it, Kanen?” My voice is as shaky as my hand is when he puts the ring on it.
“This ring was my mother’s,” he coughs a little. “She wasn’t much of a lady, but she did her best. This is where I come from, Canada. Not the richest people, but the poorest, most downtrodden. If you can accept me like this, then I think we need to marry.”