The Marriage Contract Read Online Free Page A

parrot?”
                  She froze, as realization dawned on her face. Turning, she ran towards the closed window at the end of the living room. Her doe like eyes watered, as she pushed past James, who stared at her in confusion.
                  Lifting up the window, tears streamed past her plum cheeks, her thin lips soaked.
                  “Plunky!” she cried. “Plunky, I’m so sorry! I forgot to feed you this morning. I’m horrible. I’m a horrible, evil, witch! I should go back in time to the Salem Witch trials and volunteer myself as a witch and get burned for treating you like this!”
                  James and I watched, as she spoke to Plunky outside the open window- the warm wind gusting through.
                  James shot me a questioning look, and I shook my head, shooting him a blank stare.
                  “Is she okay?” he whispered. “There’s no one there. I mean…is she a little….you know—“
                  “She’s fine,” I whispered back. “She’s just talking to her friend.”
                  April took a few steps back, her right arm extended before her, as though balancing a bird on her wrist. Her other hand petted the imaginary parrot, stroking its invisible wings, before feeding it an invisible piece of bread.
                  James took a step back- his lips pressed in a tight line, looking terribly uncomfortable.
                  “This is Plunky,” she told James, walking towards him. “My parrot. Would you like to pet him?”
                  April stood before him, her eyes shining brightly, hoping for him to pet her imaginary parrot.
                  I briefed a glance at James, who looked taken aback for a moment, but in the following second, extended his palm towards the invisible bird, petting its wings in a soft, downward stroke.
                  “He’s cute,” said James. “How old is this guy? He looks ancient—“
                  April smiled, displaying two rows of white teeth. I smiled as well- surprised that he was playing along. I expected him to laugh at her, or worse, give her a weird stare that most people often gave her.
                  “He is pretty old,” she said. “But I think he likes you. Wait. I was upset about something earlier. I can’t…I can’t remember. Anyways, who are you and why are you here?”
                  April suffered from severe paranoia, hallucinations, and had a memory problem, but for the past year, she’s been getting better. I was proud of her.
                  James cleared his throat dramatically, turned, and sat on the couch, his legs parted.
                  “Have a seat, ladies,” he said. “This will take a while to explain.”
                  I sat in the middle, so as to prevent April from freaking out again and doing something to James that she would regret later.
                  April continued to pet Plunky, while staring at James in a curious way, her face lit with anticipation.
                  I pressed my hands under my thighs, in a way I do whenever I’m nervous, because whatever he had to say, would surely spin my head.
                  His words, “I need you to marry me,” repeated in my mind like an old stereo that played only one tune.
                  He must have noticed my apprehension, for he gave me a stiff smile, looking nervous himself. April smiled as well, extending her arm outward, letting Plunky fly away to some other corner of our small apartment.
                  “Alright,” he said. “I’m going to speak really fast, so just keep up okay? If what I say doesn’t make sense, then just ask me when I’m done talking, because once I start, it’s very hard for me to break my train of thought, and