Today was my 28th blind date this month. It was also the worst blind date!

"Miss Atkinson, have you forgotten something?"

I was about to get out of the car when my date spoke.

No, he was no longer my date. That was because I rejected his unreasonable request to make me a housewife!

I looked at him and said nothing.

He said again, "Well, I hope you won't mind me telling you directly."

"What?" I was confused.

"Since you can't meet my requirements, is it alright if you reimburse me half the money for the coffee which I bought?"

I frowned. "It's only 20 dollars."

"That's the price of both our drinks combined."

"How much was mine?"

"8 dollars. How about you transfer me back 10 dollars? It includes the petrol money for sending you back."

I was speechless and immediately transferred him 20 dollars.

"It's my treat today. I hope we'll never meet again in the future."

Without waiting for him to speak, I got out of the car and closed the door. I immediately blocked his number.

Thinking of his ridiculous request today, I could not help rolling my eyes. I did not even have the appetite to eat lunch.

"How was your date?" When my aunt Rosanna saw me coming back, she quickly took the bag from me and said, "I see he dropped you home."

I pouted helplessly.

"He's such a weirdo. He said that I would have to quit my job after I got married. I even have to stay in his hometown and give birth to two kids for him. I am only allowed to work on the farm with his parents. He told me that he would give me 3,000 dollars allowance a month, which was enough for me to support the family. Aunt Rosanna..." I looked at her and said, "Can you guys please stop setting me up on blind dates?"

Rosanna sighed and tried to persuade me.

"Everyone's doing this for your own good. You're already 35 years old and you're still not married."

I rolled my eyes and could not help mumbling, "Why do you have to set me up with some weirdo, then?"

If I hadn't blocked his number, I would have showed Rosanna how detailed that man was in planning my future for me.

Rosanna sat down beside me and held my hand. "Alice, my only wish is for you to marry into a good family, about your parents..."

"Stop!"

The matter of my parents was something I could not get over with. I did not want to hear anyone mention about them.

Seeing my expression change, she tactfully changed the subject. "Are you going to see the other date later?"

I nodded.

I was in the same cafe again. I sat by the window and looked at my watch.

It was already 2 p.m but my date had not appeared yet.

I stood up and was about to leave.

"Ah..."

As soon as I got up, I bumped into a man. The next second, I felt warmth on my chest.

"I'm sorry, Miss. I'll pay you back for the dress." The man's deep voice sounded. He reached out with a tissue in his hand and took out a wallet from his pocket.

I frowned and looked up at the man's face.

He was so handsome!

That was my first impression of the man. For a moment, I totally forgot that he accidentally spilled coffee on me.

"There's a laundry shop up the street if you don't mind taking me there." I relaxed and said softly.

The man nodded slightly and apologised again.

On the way, he probably wanted to ease the embarrassment.

"I hope I did not interrupt anything important."

I smiled out of irony. "I was just waiting for my blind date."

I was not a person who was willing to talk to strangers.

The man was silent for a few seconds. "Are you... Alice? I mean Miss Atkinson?"

I was stunned for a moment. "How do you know my name? Who are you?"

The man suddenly turned his head and looked into my eyes.

"My name is Edward. I'm your blind date. Sorry, I'm late."

Oh, my goodness! I could not believe that he was my blind date!

I looked at him carefully again. He was driving.

He had a straight nose and a well-defined features. I still think that he was handsome, but I also had some doubts in my mind.

How could such a good-looking man be single? Was he a swindler? I watched The Tinder Swindler twice, for the record.

I was amused by my own thoughts and the man's deep voice made me come to my senses.

"Do you have any requirements for marriage?"

"I only have three requirements. A non-violent man. He has to be in good health and is ready for marriage immediately."

"Is that it? Don't you need to develop feelings?" Edward seemed very surprised by my request.

"No, I don't believe in such a thing," I replied in a flat voice.

After about ten minutes of silence in the car, Edward cleared his throat and said, "I'm thirty-seven this year. I'm still single. I've been abroad because of work. I just returned to the country and my family is urging me to get married. My requirements for marriage are very simple. The woman has to be loyal to me and me only. That's all."

"Hmm," I said no more.

The car stopped outside the laundry shop. I thought he would drop me off and drive away, but he took my stained jacket and got out of the car.

"Just wait for me in the car," Edward said as he walked into the laundry shop.

I just sat in the car quietly and watched as Edward stuffed my jacket into the washing machine. Once the washing machine started, he walked over to me.

At that moment, I had a thought. Maybe it would be a good choice to marry him.

"Oh, by the way, I have another request." Edward took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. "You can't perter me to quit smoking."

I could not help but smile. As I stared at the man in front of me, I wondered if I had been unlucky for the past 35 years just so I could meet this handsome guy?

"Why don't we give it a try?" Edwards spoke my thoughts.

"Are you sure?" I was a little surprised by his words. I went on so many blind dates in the past two week because I wanted to get married quickly, but I did basically rejected every one of them.

"If you don't have any objections, I don't mind learning more about each other."

"How soon can we get our marriage registered?"

In fact, there was only one reason why I was so eager to marry him.

Rosanna raised me since I was a kid. She had a serious illness. Her health was getting worse day by day.

Her biggest wish was for me to get married as soon as possible. It would ease one of her worries. At least, she could fulfil one of her promises made to my dead mother.

........

"I've been busy with my work recently. If you're not in a hurry, I'll update you once I've arrange for date. Is that okay?"

Edward's words pulled me back from my memories.

I nodded and said nothing.

My jacket was quickly washed and dried. When I put it on, it felt warm.

Edward did not say anything on the way back.

The radio was playing classical music. There was a faint scent of lemon in his car, which might be used to remove the smell of cigarettes.

When we arrive back at my place, I asked Edward for his number and bid my goodbyes.

I watched as the car disappear in the distance before turning around and heading upstairs.

"Alice."

I heard someone calling me.

It was Marol.

Marol was my childhood friend. He and my auntie were neighbours.

We went to the same school since kindergarten all the way to university.

To put it more exaggeratedly, we were two peas in a pod.

"What are you doing here?" I stopped when I saw him.

"Olivia told me that you went on a blind date?" He looked at me in disbelief.

I could sense a little hostility in him. "Is it that surprising to you?"

"Of course, you clearly know that I..."

I knew what he wanted to say, so I interrupted him directly. "I managed to find my soul mate. You know that I've always regarded you as my brother. When the time comes, you will definitely be invited to my wedding!"

I thought my words were very clear.

Marol was still unwilling. He took a step forward and suddenly grabbed my shoulder with both hands.

"Alice, you are willing find a stranger to marry and not give me a chance at all?"

Marol made me very embarrassed. Occasionally, some passer-bys would just cast a curious look at me.

I pushed his hand away and subconsciously took a step back.

Just then, my phone rang.

It was Edward.

He was my lifesaver. I immediately picked it up and put him on speaker.

"When would you like to meet my parents?"

A cold and deep voice came from the other end of the phone. I avoided Marol's gaze, turned around and went upstairs.

"Alice, Alice... Alice!" Marol shouted my name. "Can you not be so hasty towards marriage? I can guarantee that I will treat you well for the rest of my life. You have to trust me, okay?"

I quickened my pace and even ran.

To me, Marol was just like a big brother.

My distrust of marriage was deep-rooted. I did not think there was a man who can change my opinion of marriage.