Marriage by Proxy

by Combs, Sasha

  “Well yes of course, but not like this. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure you’re probably a great guy, but Alex knew that I wanted to be a part of the decision making process.”

  “You were a part of the process Carolyn; you hired Alexandra.”

  “Well, no I didn’t hire her…I mean…well I guess I did kind of.” Carolyn could hear her words and she sounded like a babbling idiot.

  “Carolyn it sounds to me like you’re just having a little problem with the wording of this situation. Whether you hired Alexandra or not the fact is that you did want to be married. You know Alexandra and her track record with couples, which is the reason you mentioned your situation to her in the first place. Consciously or unconsciously on some level you wanted to get married and your friend Alexandra provided you with that very thing. So from this point on you simply have to decide; are you going to accept your good fate and give it a try or hold on to your fears and in the long run end up alone and unhappy with your choice.” Carolyn didn’t like being put in the hot seat in her own home, so her words were not guarded.

  “Look Misha, my happiness will not be determined by my choice in this situation.”

  “Won’t it?” Misha stood and came over to sit on the couch next to her. “Look at me Carolyn.” She didn’t want to. The fact that he was trying to make her see reason in this situation angered her and she wanted no parts of it, contract or no contract.

  “Carolyn…” His words this time were soft and gentle; not demanding as they previously were.

  “Look at me.” His melodic Russian accent made her body betray her mind; as she turned to take in a long hard look at him. Carolyn looked at his thick brown curly hair, and his perfectly shaped eyebrows, his eyes were a deep blue and she fell into them as if they were a lipid pool, his facial features reminded her of a male model; everything about him was perfect. She had noticed his muscular body build in his perfectly fitted tailored suite. Yes, she liked what she was seeing; nay, she loved what she was seeing. Misha could see the fire of anger as it was slowly replaced by something else; longing, a deep longing to love. Her thoughts were interrupted by his words; soft spoken and poignantly stated.

  “Carolyn, I’m sure you are feeling the same things that I’m feeling and we both must admit that Alexandra has yet again set up another perfect match. Why don’t you give us a try; what do we have to lose?” Carolyn thought to herself that she had a lot to lose. She had a law practice that was largely built on marriages and divorces. Even though many of her friends that practiced law had been divorced; some once - others twice, she didn’t want to join in on that statistic; but she found herself in a no win predicament. Either way she had become a pawn in Alexandra’s world; she saw no way out of it. But as she looked at him she couldn’t resist the obvious attraction. She had felt it in the restaurant, and even stronger now, as he sat close to her on the couch. Misha took Carolyn’s hand into his; reaching into his pocket he pulled out a little black box. Carolyn’s eyes widened as she watched him open the box. A perfect four carat emerald cut diamond rested on the velvet fabric.

  “Alexandra told me that you and she use to visit jewelry stores and try on the wedding sets.” Carolyn nodded as she continued to look at the ring in the box. She and Alex would stroll through the shops after having brunch on Saturdays as Carolyn would try on rings; while Alex would beg Carolyn to let her find her a husband. Misha removed the ring from the box.

  “May I?” She nodded as his soft hands placed the perfect ring on her finger.

  “Carolyn, I know I may not be what you were expecting.” He had a half smile on his face.

  “But I promise you, you won’t regret your choice to give me a chance. I know I can make you happy and I know I can make you love me.”

  Carolyn looked at Misha.

  “What about me Misha? Don’t I deserve to be loved? Shouldn’t I expect you to love me?” Carolyn couldn’t interpret the looked that suddenly adorned his face.

  “Carolyn, when Alexandra told me that she had found my wife, I fell in love with you that very day. I didn’t have to meet you, because I knew that if Alexandra picked you; you were my perfect mate.”

  “How can you have that much trust in someone else’s choice?”

  “I know Alexandra, and I trust her. When I first laid eyes on you I immediately knew that she had made the right choice.” Misha lifted Carolyn’s hand to his mouth and placed a light kiss on her palm; as his eyes lifted to meet hers in a passionate exchange.

  “Are you willing to give us a chance Carolyn?” Every ounce of sense in her body screamed No, the repercussion were too great. But Carolyn’s mouth would not say it. She was tired of being single. She was tired of the dating scene and the worthless candidates; not to mention her dry spell. According to the terms of the marriage contract she and Misha had to live together for 365 days; at the very least it would take her out of the dating scene game; but the lawyer in her knew that she’d still continue to look for some loop hole that would void the contract all together.

  Carolyn and Misha had decided not to dissect their relationship that night. She had to meet with Rachel Horn the following morning, which would required a great deal of fortitude and stamina; he admitted to having a busy schedule as well. Misha didn’t want Carolyn to feel that she had to define their relationship before the sun rose the following morning. Carolyn got the impression that he wanted to give her, her space; allowing her to ease into her new life. His accommodating behavior lead her to reciprocate by inviting him to stay the night in her guest room; due to the late hour she felt it was the least she could do.

  Carolyn stayed up most of the night reviewing her contract line by line, looking for inconsistencies, or anything that she could use to render it null and void; unable to find anything she gave into her exhausted body and fell asleep on the contract, books and note pads strewn across her bed.

  Carolyn was startled awake by her alarm clock; jumping out of bed she began her morning routine. After showering and dressing she went downstairs into the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee before going into the office. As she passed the guest room she noticed the door was opened. Peaking into the room she observed the bed neatly made and the extra comforter was folded and had been placed across the chair in the room. A note sat on top of one of the king size pillows. Dear Carolyn, Thank you for the use of your guest room; I was very tired and I appreciated not having to drive home. I enjoyed talking with you but I think we still have a lot to talk about, so I look forward to seeing you tonight. You can call me on my cell. 555-1212.

  I’ll be thinking of you. Misha.

  Carolyn rubbed her temples; her head ached from her session with Rachel Horn. She and her husband Peter had caused yet another scene at a restaurant that night. The altercation had made the morning news and it didn’t make her clients case look any better. And to make matters worse, Estelle had been beaming all morning, humming and singing some love song. Carolyn went into her office and closed the door. She had seen the worst and the best of marriage that day; which lead her to be even more confused than she’d already been regarding her own situation. She reached for her purse and pulled out the note Misha had left in her condo. She’d read it several times that day already; contemplating on whether she should call. And if she did what did he want her to say how was your day honey?

  Pulling out her cell phone, she took in a deep long breath and dialed the number; leaving things as they were was unacceptable. They’d have to set some ground rules; so talking was imperative. As the phone rang her heart began to beat rapidly; as little beads of perspiration began to form across her forehead. She was nervous, and she didn’t know why.

  “Hello this is Misha.” She loved the sound of his accent, and the harmonic tone of his deep masculine voice.

  “Hi Misha, this is Carolyn.”

  “Carolyn, I’ve been waiting for your call. How has your day been?” He really sounded as if he genuinely cared.

  “A little hectic, but I’m surviving.�
� She bit her lip. She felt her response in no way truly described her day, and a part of her really wanted to let her hair down and tell him about her difficult clients and her giddy paralegal.

  “I hope you weren’t too tired today. I know we stayed up pretty late.”

  “No, I’m use to functioning on little sleep.” She could hear noise in the background; then she realized she had not asked him if she’d called at a bad time. “Can you talk now?”

  “I’m just grabbing a bite in the cafeteria; its fine we can talk.”

  “Well I was calling to see how you wanted to do this tonight. Did you want to come back to my place tonight to talk or should we meet someplace; I think my place would be best if you don’t mind.”

  “Your place is fine. I’ll be finished her in a couple of hours then I’ll swing by my townhouse to shower and change.”

  “That sounds good. I’ll be home by six this evening.”

  Misha replayed his conversation with Carolyn as he eagerly awaited their rendezvous. As he exited the surgical suite he went to the recovery room to make one last check on his patient. Sitting at the nurse’s station he began to dictate his surgical notes on the telephone when he was interrupted by one of the surgical nurses.

  “Dr. Petrov don’t you speak Russian?”

  “Yes.” He turned his head to see a young nurse with a helpless look on her face.

  “Well we’ve just got a patient that doesn’t speak English, and we need to prep her for surgery. Could you help by interpreting for me?”

  Interruptions were not a part of Misha’s plans. He had every intention of finishing his day in a timely manner; earnestly arriving at his dinner date without delay. “What do you need help with?”

  “I have to get her admitted to the unit, and then I need to get her surgical consents signed.”

  Misha knew that this was not a quick and easy request. The admission process could take a seasoned nurse a half an hour to complete; and this nurse was new to the unit. On any other day Misha would not have minded lending his help, but not tonight. He wanted to see Carolyn. He needed to see Carolyn.

  “Have you tried to get one of the hospital interpreters?”

  “Yes, but no one is returning my calls.” The nurse looked at her watch. Misha knew that the surgical team would be less than pleased if the assessment and consents weren’t completed and signed when they came to prescreen and prep the patient.

  “Let me finish my dictation and I’ll be right with you.” Misha’s mind was filled with anxiety and apprehension. He didn’t want to make a bad impression with Carolyn especially after their first meeting. He sensed her fears regarding their marriage, and he had hoped to ally any blatant or latent concerns. Finishing up his dictation, Misha joined the nurse at the surgical patient’s bedside. An elderly woman sat looking at the nurse, noticeably frustrated due to her inability to communicate. Misha asked the patient if she had family or friends that spoke English. He was able to glean from her that her daughter was the only family she had in this country and that she was at work. Her surgery had been changed and her daughter couldn’t change her work schedule to be with her. Misha looked at the four page assessment as a knot tightly gripped his stomach. Smiling at the old woman he asked if she wouldn’t mind letting a friend of his interpret for her over the telephone. She smiled and consented. Misha then turned to the nurse.

  “I really would love to help you but I have a prior engagement that I just can’t be late for.” The nurse sunk back in the cubicle as if her world was collapsing upon her. Misha continued “But I do have a friend that is fluent in Russian, and I’m sure that she will be more than happy to help you.” Misha picked up the telephone near the patients bed and began to dial; as he waited for the phone to be answered the nurse readied herself to complete her work. When the phone was answered Misha began to speak. “Hello, Alexandra this is Misha…I need you to help me out with a big favor.”

  Carolyn flitted around her condo as she prepared herself for Misha’s visit. Reminding herself that it wasn’t a visit; Misha would have to remain again that night due to the 365 day contract clause. She checked the guest room to make sure it had plenty of clean towels in the adjoining bathroom. At the very least she wanted to make sure that he was comfortable. As she passed the mirror in the hall she checked herself for the tenth time. She couldn’t understand why she was so nervous. Carolyn had mentally prepared herself for tonight’s dinner. She’d already decided how she and Misha would live out the remainder of the contract and how neither of their lives need suffer from the match making mishap that had surreptitiously bought them together.

  Misha pulled into Carolyn’s driveway at precisely 5:55 pm. He reached over to the passenger seat and grabbed the two bottles of wine that he had purchased from a nearby Wine Emporium. As he cradled the bottles in one arm he leisurely walked to the front door. Before knocking he took in a deep breath of air. Carolyn was a very attractive woman and he needed to steady his nerves due to his anticipation.

  When the door bell rang Carolyn nearly dropped the dish as she was removing it from the oven. Looking at the clock on the wall it read 5:56 pm. “Well he definitely get’s one point for punctuality.”

  Placing the dish on the granite counter top, she went to answer the door.

  Misha stood before Carolyn; and three words paraded across her mind tall, dark, and handsome. For a few seconds they both stood silent, staring at each other, and then Misha broke the silence.

  “May I come in?” Carolyn felt extremely embarrassed. The night before she had sounded like a babbling idiot, and she had hoped to repair some of the damage by being eloquent in her diction, etiquette and intellect. Yet, here she stood, mouth hanging wide open, and making the poor man stand out on her porch in the cold.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Yes come right in.” Carolyn took his leather jacket and hung it in her front hall closet. Misha handed her two bottles of wine.

  “I didn’t know what you were preparing so I bought a bottle of red and white wine.” Smiling she took the bottles of wine and began to walk towards her dinning room.

  “If you don’t mind, I’ve already set the dinning room table, so you can come on in and be seated. Dinner is ready. I’ll bring a couple of glasses for the wine.” As Carolyn turned to watch Misha entering her dinning room she couldn’t help but be captivated by his magnetism. Their was something about him that she just couldn’t quite put her finger on; and whatever it was it had her all tied up in knots. As Carolyn placed the salads on the table Misha looked up at her and asked “Can I help you bring the food in?” His accent and deep baritone voice caused her to swoon. Quickly recovering she answered “No thank you. I’d like to serve you tonight.” After a few more trips to the kitchen, she had managed to bring in the entire meal. As Carolyn settled down, she immediately went into her attorney mode. She had practiced her speech all afternoon and she knew that if she remained focused she’d actually be able to get the words out; and in point of fact sound intelligible.

  Carolyn began by telling Misha that their situation wasn’t as dire

  as it seemed. She recounted the contracts line by line, point by point and concluded that both of their lives need not be interrupted. She proposed that they each keep their own places and could take turns sleeping at each others homes so as not to violate the 365 day clause. She continued by saying that when the 365 days were completed, the necessary paperwork could be filed to dissolve the marriage. Carolyn told Misha that she wasn’t opposed to dating him during this time but if something happened it would be because fate made it happen, not their circumstance. As Carolyn concluded her dissertation she noticed that Misha had remained unusually quiet. He mainly focused on his meal as he stared at her whilst she talked. At some points she lost her train of thought because his stares seemed as if they were boring right through her, then she’d quickly recover and continue her deliberation. Carolyn looked at her plate and noticed that she’d hardly touched any of her meal. On the othe
r hand Misha had finished his soup, salad and the main course. Carolyn ventured to ask him a question.

  “Misha, I know that I can be long winded at times but I’m not opposed to being interrupted especially if there is reason to interrupt me. And given the circumstance I’m sure there had to be plenty of points that concerned you. Can you tell me how you feel about this whole situation?” Misha tilted his head and gave her a half smile. He took a sip of wine then wiped his mouth with the white linen napkin. He pushed the chair back and came to a standing position. As he came around the table to stand along side Carolyn, he offered her his hand to stand. Cautiously, she accepted his hand and stood in front of him. Misha looked down into her hazel eyes as if he were searching and peering into her soul, or maybe allowing her to search his eyes for the answers that seemingly eluded her. As she looked into his eyes they spoke volumes. And at the very moment she decided to speak, Misha placed his hands on her face and slowing planted a soft kissed atop her lips. Carolyn released a low moan as her body leaned into his. Misha kissed her again; as his lips captured hers he felt Carolyn’s body as she leaned even closer and rested her hands on his chest. His kiss began to softly and slowly explore her mouth as she relinquished her restraint and allowed her body to merge with his. Every thought that went against this arranged marriage began to slowly dissipate point by point. And just when she thought she would have given Misha whatever he desired, he released her from his overpowering hold. Carolyn stood there, eyes closed, with moist red lips, paralyzed, and unable to move. Rubbing his fingers across her lips he said “I’m fine with things just as they are.” Misha gently grabbed her by her arm and guided her to return to her seat. Once she was seated, he returned to his seat and resumed his assessing gaze upon her. She was beautiful and he’d wanted to kiss her from the moment she opened the front door. He knew that a single kiss would have the power to seal things for him, and as he sat gazing upon her, his notion now confirmed, he thought to himself Carolyn, I am yours and you are mines.