The Registry Read Free

worth it once you have a baby girl.”
    Mia knew she was lying. She didn’t care about Corinna and in a short time she wouldn’t care about Mia either.
    “I don’t want to get married,” Mia repeated.
    Without hesitation, her mother raised her hand and slapped her. Mia put her hand to her throbbing cheek. Immediately, her mother pulled her back into a tight hug.
    “I am tired of this. Marriage is your most patriotic duty. There will be no more of this conversation.” She rocked back and forth. “And don’t let your father hear talk like that. You are a woman now. Be happy, you’ll be the head of your own household soon.”
    Mia nodded, but she did not agree. She knew this was not the life for her and wondered why nobody else saw that. Focusing on her swollen face, Mia made a promise to herself. She would not be a part of this vicious cycle. She knew what Corinna was trying to tell her. She was going to escape.

Chapter 2
Girls must hone their skills, such as cleaning, cooking, and sewing. These are traits that every man will find admirable and help ensure placement into a strong marriage.
—The Registry Guide for Girls
    I knew you were going to appraise high, I just didn’t think that high,” Whitney said.
    “I hate polishing day,” Mia said as she scrubbed her father’s trophies and awards with the toothbrush, ignoring her friend.
    “I mean, five hundred thousand dollars? I’m only valued at five thousand. You are literally worth one hundred of me.” Whitney shook her head as she reached for another 4-H plaque to shine. “I’m priced so low no man will ever bother to look at my page. You’re going to end up married to some rich man and I’m going to end up a government servant.”
    Truthfully Mia was surprised she had appraised that high, particularly after having bombed the test portion. She wanted to drop the subject.
    Whitney went on. “Your father must be thrilled. He’ll make three hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars from your wedding, and the government will be pleased with their cut, a hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars.”
    “How do you figure out the percentages so fast? Or at all?” Mia was impressed.
    Whitney shrugged; now she wanted to drop the subject. It was strange how much the girls stood in contrast with one another. Mia was blond and lanky, with a dimpled smile and delicate features. Whitney, on the other hand, was dark and sturdy, with a gruff persona. But Whitney was the only other girl on the property, so they were friends. Neither had gone to finishing school, and they had both studied under Mia’s mother, yet Whitney always seemed to have excess knowledge.
    Mia was growing tired of Whitney’s obsession with her appraisal amount. She didn’t feel glamorous or special just because of some piece of paper. The whole thing made her nauseous. She decided that now was a good time to change the subject. “You used to live farther north, right?”
    “Yeah, but still in the Midwest Area. We left when I was six, after my mother died.” Whitney continued polishing. “I don’t remember much.”
    Mia felt a pang of guilt. She knew Whitney hated bringing up her mother. It was not Mia’s intention to upset her friend; she did have a reason for her questions.
    “Did your father ever take you into Canada?” Mia tried to ask in a casual manner.
    “Why?” Whitney stopped polishing.
    “No reason, I was just curious about a foreign husband,” Mia lied. “I heard there is a chance a non-American can get access to the Registry. I wonder what it’s like in Canada.”
    Mia hadn’t known other countries were so close to America until last month. She’d thought of them as on the other side of the world, where the soldiers went nobly to battle. Every day Mia felt her belief in the American way slipping. Finally she had asked Whitney about other countries and found out about their two bordering neighbors: Mexico and Canada. It was then that the idea to leave had taken