Race the Clock
by Michelle W.
Here’s the title of your post: “An Offer I Couldn’t Refuse.”
Set a timer for ten minutes, and write it. Go!
My father had written a letter to R (my late husband), accepting his marriage proposal. He died three months later. My elder uncle became my guardian. Uncle, and my aunt decided to reject R’s proposal, and they wrote him a letter of refusal soon after my father’s death.
Six months later, R’s father came to insist upon my marriage to his son. Uncle refused, and told him that he was marrying me to his own son, so he should search for some other girl for R.
When R’s father came for the third time, my uncle decided to ask me. I was young, and naive, and afraid of a wrong decision. I told uncle that I couldn’t make a decision, so whatever decision he took was fine by me. Uncle refused saying that he wasn’t my father, so any deciding that had to be done should be by me.
What did I do?
I took two pieces of paper, and wrote R’s name on one paper, and on the other one, my cousin’s name. I folded them, recited Bismillah (b-ismi-llāhi r-raḥmāni r-raḥīmi بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ “In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful”) over them, and closed my eyes to pick. My fate got decided this way.
Flowers and Breezes 