Kiss On The Bridge Read Free Page A

happier.”
    “My mother married you for your money,
nothing more.”
    “I beg to differ.”
    “My mother whispered to me on her death bed
whatever happens never marry someone for his money. Above
everything love must come first. On her last breath she made it
clear to me I should always follow my heart.”
    “She didn’t mention it to me,” admitted
Darryl.
    “In case you’ve forgotten, my mother’s name
was Eloise. She died of cancer three days after my seventh
birthday.” Anneli walked to the door. Instead of rushing outside
she turned to face her stepfather. “Has this idea of yours ever
been written down on paper?”
    “My word is my bond. I expect others to
mirror my example,” Darryl yelled.
    “What if they don’t?”
    “You mock me. I don’t expect any resistance
to my ideas.”
    “Has it ever dawned on you I might want to
find my own husband?” questioned Anneli.
    “What do you know about finding the perfect
man? The one who will keep you well fed and warm on cold
nights.”
    Anneli shrugged. “Not a thing. Has it ever
occurred to you it is part of the love process?”
    “Why say such a preposterous thing?”
    “I think everyone on the face of the earth
should have a choice on which person they want for a lifetime
partner.”
    Darryl marched across the grey carpet to the
door. “You are too young to know when the right choice is staring
at you in the face. For a carefree future you have to be guided
along the correct path.”
    “Whatever happened to free choice?”
    “I forbid it.”
    “For once, why don’t you trust me to make the
right decision? I won’t make a bad choice.”
    “Financially you have to be looked after.
I’ll judge myself worse than a failure if you didn’t marry a rich
man.”
    “Is it such a bad thing?”
    “Yes. I will not have you go through life in
poverty.”
    “Is this marriage contract the only reason
why you entertain the radical idea?”
    “Yes.”
    “You expect to match me to someone of your
choosing, providing he’s rich,” Anneli folded her arms in a defying
gesture.
    “You make it sound worse than it actually
is.”
    “If this farce actually germinates it’ll be
the start of my nightmare. I should love the man before I give him
something I can never take back. Once I have given myself the first
time there is no going back or changing my mind. I have always
wanted my first time to be precious. The moment will be of my
choosing, not yours or anybody else’s. It’s my choice. God forbid
the choice I make be taken away,” yelled Anneli.
    “You’re grandparents chose my first wife.
After she died they insisted I marry her sister; your mother.”
    Tears started to fall down Anneli’s cheeks.
“You make out you were buying a prize head of cattle.”
    “Your mother and her sister were both
beautiful women. Granted, it took me time to realize I loved them
both equally. Once I did I could not have been happier.”
    “Tell me, when you were twenty, did you or
did you not want to decide for yourself the girl who you considered
could be the perfect wife, someone who might grow to love you and
not be ordered to love you?”
    “Stop talking rubbish,” yelled Darryl.
    “This is the start of 1974. Can’t you
understand why your youngest stepdaughter wants to be married to
someone of her choosing,” asked Anneli.
    “You will marry the man I have entered into a
contract. The agreement is unbreakable. If you insist on going
against my wishes you will not receive a single Australian dollar
from the family. You will be on your own. When you choose to see
things my way, all will be reinstated to you. Be warned,
financially you will be ruined for the rest of your life if you go
it alone. Take hold of what your eldest sister has done. The
relationship between her and Dirk is going great.”
    Anneli stared at her father. “Is it? Be
honest. Have you actually sat her down to ask Meredith?”
    Anneli and her father stood for a long time
glaring at each