The Arrangement Day

Jimmy and Jane had never met before however their parents were family friends from way back. Jimmy’s father and Jane’s father were friends from high school and their friendship continued to college. Jimmy and Jane’s mothers also became close in college because of their husbands’ friendship. The four had been in a close friendship for many years before Jimmy and Jane were born but had lost touch a couple of years before their children were born. Jimmy and Jane were age mates and their families both only had one child due to the one-child-only policy in their country.

Jane’s parents wanted to have a daughter so much because they believed a daughter would bare them several grandchildren easily. In order to secure this wish they planned to raise enough money to send her abroad to live a life were having more than one child would be possible. Jimmy’s parents also wanted to have a daughter for the same reason just as was the case for many parents in their country but Jimmy’s parents bore a son instead. Jimmy and Jane had moved oversees to pursue their college education and perhaps to settle for good as planned by their parents.

After Jimmy and Jane’s parents had met again they realized that their children happened to be residing in the same country abroad. With that they decided to bring Jimmy and Jane together for marriage. This was going to be a win for both families as the marriage of their children would strengthen their longtime friendship. But most importantly the marriage would ensure that they all got the many grandchildren they desired. All four of them however agreed not to tell Jimmy and Jane about their longtime friendship.

“Hi, I’m Jimmy and you must be Jane?” He asked.

‘Yes Jane it is’ She replied.

“Great, Jane. Please, take a seat”. He said as he pointed to her seat with both hands

‘Thank you’ she responded as she smiled.

“So what beverage can I get you?” He asked again.

‘Well I guess I’ll have a coke’ She replied as she slowly rearranged items in her handbag.

“Nice choice, I’ll have that too” He added.

Jimmy was smiling all along. He went to the counter and got them both canes of coke and returned to their table.

 “There you go, just the right temperature I hope” said Jimmy as he handed Jane a cane of coke.

‘Oh thanks, its ok, I’ll take it anyway, as long as its coke’ She responded. They both laughed shyly.

‘So Jimmy what do you do in this big city?’ Jane asked.

“Well I am an associate auditor with Citywide Auditors. I studied accounting at the State University here. What about you?”

‘I am still a Medical student, I’m specializing in woman’s reproductive health at Merlin’s Medical School at the State University, and same University you attended yes’ she smiled.

“Ah, wow so we went to the same University but never met till this date?”

They both laughed as they drunk their beverages.

‘Well actually I seem to remember you, you used to play football in college right?’ she asked as she raised her eye brows in curiosity.

“Yes you caught me there, I played some football” he covered his face as a gesture as if to hide.

‘You were famous in college I’m sure a lot of girls knew you, so you can’t blame me’ She blushed

“I guess I was known” he responded.

‘I must say though that you were disciplined, not the type that went partying and drinking. My friends and I admired you. I hope you are still that way?’ She chuckled.

They both laughed to that question. At that point the ice broke and their conversation took another turn.

“Well I could say I am still that way, but don’t you want to find out for yourself?” he asked.

‘I am 27, a September baby, only child and we come from the same country’ Jane said

“No way! No way! I am also 27, born on the 5^th of September 1993” Jimmy responded with awe.

‘You are kidding me, are we twins? I was born on 5^th September 1993 too!’ She shouted.

“Who are your parents Jane?” he asked

‘Peter and Janet Lee’ she replied

“They are not my parents, mine are Arnold and Karen Wang” Jimmy said.

‘So no we are not from the same family, it’s safe for us to date then’ Jane responded and they both chuckled.

“Not just yet, lets dig up a bit more about our parents just in case either of us still has some doubts” He added.

They both laughed and the atmosphere lit up more. They were beginning to enjoy each other’s company as they talked about their origins.

“You may go first Jane as a matter of courtesy, tell me all about your parents. I am very interested in knowing who they are” He smiled.

‘Thank you your Highness, with pleasure. Like I said I am the only child they have because of the one-child-only policy of our country. My parents enjoyed and loved western culture, whenever we would watch western movies they would always tell me about how much they wished our country had those western freedoms. But one thing they kept on repeating throughout my time living with them was that they wanted me to live that western culture that they never had a chance to experience themselves. So I guess that’s how I ended up here, they saved up for my college and startup here’.

As Jane was speaking this Jimmy kept nodding and raising his eyebrows in astonishment not of surprise but of curiosity. It was as if he was hearing her talk about his own parents.

‘My parents would tell me that when I came here I would be able to have as many children as I wanted and that would be a consolation to them, the grandchildren’ she said.

“They must be desperate to prolong their family” Jimmy joked about it and they both laughed.

‘Yes I guess that’s what most parents go through in our country right? Sometimes I really feel for them, they are like pets helplessly locked in a cage. What are your parents like?’ She asked.

“Honestly when you were talking about your parents I couldn’t believe it because that’s exactly what my parents are like. All you said about them admiring western freedoms, saving up for college and life abroad and bringing them several grandchildren all that is what my parents talked about when I was growing up. Wow and we say our parents are not one and the same people? Well this is interesting” He said.

Jimmy and Jane were now beginning to wonder how this coincidence was possible. They stared at each other as different thoughts ran in their heads. Their eyes locked for a prolonged time than they had done before, they were at the brink of falling in love. Jane suddenly blushed and turned away, and turned back with a question.

‘Jimmy what if our parents know each other already, like maybe they are friends from the past maybe like they grew up as friends or schoolmates? Jimmy where did your parents live in their early days, which schools did they attend?’ Jane asked, her face was lit with curious excitement.

“You have a point. My Dad, grew up in Montai most of his childhood life, he went to school there till he left for college in Shainu at the University of Shainu where he also met my mom they…”

Jane interjected.

‘You have got to be kidding me, no way! My Dad is also from Montai and he also studied at the University of Shainu, how come? I’m starting to feel strongly that this is not a coincidence at all. I think our parents know each other very well and may have just been the ones to have set up this date for us’ she paused and her hand covered her mouth in amazement.

‘Now that you say so I feel it too. They must have used our friends to hook us up not that it’s a bad thing, I’m enjoying your personality and company but I’m just surprised why they couldn’t just hook us up by themselves without having to hide behind our friends’ Jimmy responded.

“If they were to hook us up by themselves then that would be an arranged marriage right, but our parents wanted us to experience real freedom like the freedoms they spoke about available here in the west. So I’m thinking they didn’t want to come and impose anything on us but they wanted us to properly go through the process of dating and falling in love by ourselves if we get to that point’ Jane chuckled.

“Splendid Jane, you are remarkable, you’ve explained it better than I would have thought, I like you, care for another drink?” he asked in a dramatic gesture as if to bow to her.

They both laughed loudly and that created some attention for themselves from the tables around them.

‘Well thank you for the kind gesture but I’ll pass. I like you too Jimmy. I really do like you and that’s perhaps the reason why I didn’t want us to share parents in any way’ she giggled and they both laughed again this time restraining the noise within themselves.

“So thanks to our parents for the arrangement. Coming to think of it a blind date still is a form of arranged marriage but with more freedom perhaps. It’s remarkable” jimmy said.

‘I couldn’t agree more, I guess they are one and the same since they are both meant to bring two people together for a relationship’ Jane added.

“Yes that’s true. Would you support arranged marriages now?” Jimmy asked.

‘Honestly I would but only if they allow the participants to go on dates together first. Who knows they might just end up falling for each other, I mean I’ve just seen it happen today’ she chuckled.

“That’s right Jane, I see it too, so we are looking at an arranged marriage for us?” He asked and laughed.

‘Well it sounds awkward when you put it that way but I guess we are looking at an arranged marriage’ Jane responded.

“It’s really interesting what just happened to us today. Would you like to go for a walk? I would like to show you around. It’s usually quiet this time of the day and fun to walk. By the way, my office block is just a few blocks from here, you will love it” Jimmy said.

‘Sure, I would really love that’ She replied.

Jimmy and Jane had just fallen in love from an arranged marriage disguised as a blind date.

The End