“No, I flirt with you.”
“Stop it,” he said, scowling at her, staring at the one eye that didn’t seem to focus on anything in particular, just frozen, then moving slightly, then freezing and nudging to the left in the orbit.The eye reminded him of a spy camera he had spotted in a militia store in Buenos Aires.“Are you willing to learn Spanish?”
“Why?”she asked, attempting to flirt with him again, the lazy eye aiming towards his crotch.
“Good grief, stop talking to me,” he said, walking away.Many of the eyes in the room were on him as he grabbed a glass of water and gulped it down.He'd barely set it down when candidate number two made her move.
Rosa Benitez, the cousin of Irena Villareal of Paraguay, couldn't wait to get close to Micah.She approached him, her hips forward, as if she were offering him a ride on the fun train.
“Damn, you sure are fine,” Rosa said in a low tone.“I was told you were special needs or some shit.You look healthy to me.”
He didn't blink as he stared at her.“Señorita Benitez, what may I ask are your hobbies in your free time?”
“Shopping.I have a big TikTok following on my weight loss journey and how to use GLP1s,” Rosa said.
An eyebrow arched as he pressed his thumb into his palm behind his back, trying to stay centered.“What do you know about coffee?”
“I like to drink it with lots of sugar and cream,” Rosa said, smiling at him.
“My life is in Colombia, not here,” he told her.
“What?You mean to tell me if I marry you, I don't get to live here, but on that cocaine farm in Colombia.Oh nope.Nope.Nada for me,” she said, walking away.
Micah's eyes searched the room, finding Alita nearby.He shook his head no and looked at the stairs.She shook her head no and looked at the last candidate, Sofia Rossi, who didn't make the move towards Micah.The young woman made eye contact with him, and to her surprise, Micah went to her.
“Señorita Rossi, it is a pleasure,” he said, accepting her hand, bending over it.
“Finally, we meet Micah Delgado,” she said softly.“Tough night for you.”
“Understatement,” he said.“Now that you see me in person, are you ready to bolt for the hills, considering the past four years of your life have been geared towards me.Did you have time during your schooling to focus on the things you enjoy in your down time?”
“Not really,” she said softly, raising her hand for the young man with the canapes to come over.“I know more about chemistry and bugs and which oils kill pestering bugs than I could use currently, but I am told this will be helpful in your research.”
“This is true, but my question is, where does your true interest lie?I mean, you know what my life will be, and it won't necessarily be here,” he told her.“I much prefer the quiet life on the farm and being in my lab.”
“I will adjust, plus the children will keep me busy,” she said.
He pulled back, up righting himself as if he’d received a slight shock.“Wait, what children?How many children?”
“As many as we can afford or my body shall give you,” she told him.
“And your education?”he asked, his head slightly cocked as if he had to adjust to hear the rest of her plans to stay knocked up and make babies.
“I have enough schooling for now.My role as your wife is to see to your needs and care,” she offered.“Over educating myself would feel like I would be competing with you.Jockeying with you is insane, so my position shall be one of support.I comprehend what you do and understand your goals, which I back.Your bed shall be warm at night, and your children will become part of your legacy.”
Micah stared at her.He circled back to the children.His hands came from behind his back as he held up one finger, “Wait, how soon are you talking about having these children?”
“Right away,” Sofia answered, giving him a smile.“Children will make us a family.”
“Don't you want to travel first, see a bit of the world, learn a skill to make money of your own?”
“Why?Your job is to take care of me, and I in turn shall see to your needs and take care of you,” she told him, staring him in the eyes.
Her father, The Yarará Grande or Crossed Pit Viper of Uruguay, slithered his way over to the young couple.He shook Micah's hand with entirely too much energy.He hugged his daughter nearly squeezing a boob out of her low-cut dress.Martín Rossi spoke of the joining of the families, the deals for the beef he would secure from Eleon, and how many grandchildren Micah and Sofia would provide to him.
“I have waited 18 years for this day,” Martín hissed.He yelled across the room, “Eleon, they like each other; let us sign these papers to join our families.”
Micah saw the disdain on his grandmother's face.He saw the shock on Alita's.His next move surprised them all as he excused himself and headed towards the kitchens, followed by Alita.
