While Casandra was carrying out her daily activities in the village, such as washing cooking utensils, dirty dishes, and clothes in a nearby river, the women and girls of the village gathered there to chat and wash their belongings.
At first, Alexander didn’t allow her to join them because he didn’t want to be left alone. However, when he wanted to join, Casandra stopped him, as there were no men present at the river.
All the men in the village were busy in the fields or rice paddies. Besides, a worker named Robert had come to renovate their house and entrusted the building materials to a knowledgeable local.
As a result, Alexander sat quietly at home, supervising and giving instructions on their tasks. While he was sitting on the terrace, a man approached.
Alexander sighed heavily, welcoming the man who turned out to be Yones. Yones looked well-dressed in jeans and a tucked-in shirt, with neatly styled hair using lots of pomade.
Alexander wanted to laugh, but they were strangers to each other. Yones had a crush on Casandra, and he had to remember that.
“Where’s Casandra?” the man asked. Alexander responded curtly without inviting Yones to sit first.
Nevertheless, Yones sat down in front of Alexander on a wooden chair, so they both had the table between them.
“If you allow me to sit here and wait for Casandra. I’ve missed her a lot these past few days, busy with my younger brother’s circumcision, so I haven’t had any free time,” Yones honestly expressed from the depths of his heart.
He had been trying hard to find time to talk to Casandra, but unfortunately, his mother always caught him and brought him home. Yones knew he couldn’t talk to Casandra until his work at home was completed entirely.
“It’s not my concern whether you’re busy or not. It’s better to go home instead of wasting time here because I’m not sure if Casandra will come home early today.”
“Where did Casandra go that she’s taking so long to return? Don’t even try to lie, I know how she is. Most likely, she’s at the river washing clothes. Ah, let me just go there and follow her rather than talking to someone as cold as you,” Yones retorted, about to leave but…
“Just wait here; I’m sure Casandra will come soon.” Alexander gave in and allowed Yones to sit in front of him rather than following her to the river.
Alexander couldn’t go because he had so much work to do there. Even though it was just supervising, he still needed to ensure the tasks were completed on time. Remember, Alexander believed that time is money.
“Well, if you really want it that way,” Yones smirked, raising one corner of his lips, feeling victorious over Alexander.
“Oh, yes, Casandra and I have been in a long-term relationship. Can you divorce her so we can get married?” Yones casually asked a question that greatly unsettled Alexander.
“You’re asking me to divorce my own wife? Are you crazy or what? There’s no reason for me to divorce such a good wife like Casandra.”
“Exactly, because she’s so good, I want to fight for our relationship that was put on hold due to her trip to the city,” Yones explained.
“Hold on, our relationship, you mean?” Alexander furrowed his brows, starting to feel uncomfortable hearing Yones’ story. He was 100% sure that everything coming out of that man’s mouth was not the truth, as Alexander was certain that Casandra wouldn’t be interested in someone like Yones, considering his appearance.
Not that he wanted to be conceited or self-absorbed, but Alexander knew he was far more than anything Yones could ever be.
“Casandra and I have been in a relationship for a long time, we were dating, but I haven’t been able to take it to the next level of marriage. Because Casandra wanted to take care of her father’s recovery first. I know I don’t have much money, so I decided to wait and let Casandra fulfill her duties as a daughter. However, my mother just sold our land yesterday. She said it’s time for me to get married, and Casandra is the one I choose.”
Alexander chuckled. “Oh, I see, so your mother sold the land just to fulfill your wish to marry Casandra, is that right?” Alexander wanted to make sure his hearing was not mistaken.
Yones nodded quickly. “Yes, that’s what you said. I have a lot of money, about $5000, which should be enough to propose to Casandra, right? So it’s better to divorce her so we can be together soon. Pity Casandra, she’ll be heartbroken, forced to marry you and forget about me.”
Alexander couldn’t hold back his laughter. “Do you really want to propose to Casandra with a dowry of $5000? Are you sure?”
“Absolutely, that’s a lot of money. $5000 is a significant amount,” Yones explained.
Alexander held back his laughter. “Alright then, before I divorce Casandra, please take a look at the car next to the house. Find out how much that car costs. Once you know, come back here and compare it with the money you have. If you can match what I have for Casandra, maybe I’ll consider it because I don’t want to give my wife to someone worse than me.”
Hearing the challenge from Alexander that could determine whether he could marry Casandra, Yones hurriedly got up from his seat and went to the car indicated by Alexander. He quickly searched the car’s brand on his phone’s search engine. His eyes widened in shock as he saw the price listed there.
“Five hundred thousand dollars,” he murmured, looking back and forth between his phone and the metallic black car. His hands trembled as he stared blankly at Alexander, a man who looked simple but owned a car with a fantastically high price.
“Well?” Alexander called out from his seat, waving his hand for Yones to return to his place.
Yones shook his head, “No, thank you. You can have Casandra. I don’t love her,” he said, walking away with heavy steps. He was truly upset with Alexander.
If the man’s car alone costs five hundred thousand dollars, what about his other wealth? Yones was sure he could never compete, even if he had to sell all his parents’ wealth.
Alexander couldn’t stop laughing at Yones’ furious expression towards him. He found it so amusing that he even shed a tear from the corner of his eye. It was truly entertaining on this cloudy afternoon. It didn’t take long for Casandra to arrive, carrying the laundry she had finished washing and the cooking utensils.
“Lex, why are you laughing by yourself?” Casandra asked, puzzled to see Alexander sitting on the terrace.
“It’s nothing, there was just a funny moment, but you’re not allowed to know what happened.” Alexander welcomed Casandra’s arrival and helped her with her belongings.
“Why can’t I know?”
“You’ll find out later.” He gazed at Casandra from head to toe. She was wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt and a long skirt, with colors starting to fade. Suddenly, Alexander fell silent. He was slapped by the reality that his wife was far from being well-dressed.
“Lex, what’s wrong?” Casandra waved her hand in front of Alexander’s face. She was puzzled since he had been in a happy mood earlier, laughing to himself. Now, he seemed to be gloomy.
Alexander shook his head. “Just get ready, we’re going to the market.”
“The market? Why, Lex? I already cooked earlier.”
“Yes, but I want to buy something at the clothing store. I didn’t bring many clothes. It might rain again, and I’m afraid they won’t dry.”
“Is that so?” Casandra entered the house. “I feel like you have a lot of clothes, Lex.”
“That’s just your feeling.”
Casandra arranged the dishes and cooking utensils on a wooden shelf. “Okay then, I’ll hang the laundry and get ready.”
“Change your clothes in the bathroom, not in the bedroom, because there’s a repairman on the roof.”
“Okay, Lex.”