I, The Divine

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I have a great story to tell you. I was there. This is what I saw:

I saw a principled man regretting his past actions and attempting to correct the course his young life had taken. I saw him cruelly divorce his blameless wife. For a few moments, he had taken a risk, stepping beyond the imaginary circle Lebanese men drew around themselves in colored chalk. He had married nontraditionally, an American woman, for love, the riskiest of all. He divorced for comfort, for tradition, for safety.

I saw a young woman, still a teenager, marry a man many years her senior, for duty, to fulfill her destiny. I saw a woman who looked at the principled man finding him a worthy husband, a doctor, a provider, a father for her future family. She saw a good name, and an upward move in the community. She saw the pride in her mother’s eyes.

I saw a debonair city man choose a mountain girl for a wife. I saw him pick an uneducated girl he could train, mold in time, sculpt as his Eliza. I saw a man from a titled family decide on a peasant for a wife, someone who would always look up to him, never challenge him, never threaten. I saw a man choose a girl for a wife.

I saw a silly young woman, the butt of her in-laws’ cruel jokes. I saw an incompetent homemaker trying hard to learn on the job. I saw a horrendous cook ruin every meal, the aroma of burned food stultifying. I saw a naive girl stand for hours in front of modern appliances unable to figure out how to work them. I saw a crying girl murmuring heart-wrenching apologies for placing an electric kettle on a stovetop burner. I saw an unforgiving family snicker.

I saw an inexperienced girl look at the man’s daughters and recoil in terror at the prospect of responsibility. I saw her unsure what to do, make many mistakes. I saw a little girl take full advantage of these mistakes.