A Promise to not keep the promise

Margot brusquely pulled her hand away from Ted’s penurious grasp. If one were to be subject to this grasp, they would know intuitively that the hold came from the depths of lack: of both wealth and attention. And this depth might as well have been like a pit of quick sand- the more one tried to hold onto it, the quicker it slithered away, leaving the striver more indigent than before.

Sighing his way further into the pit of depravity, Ted looked away to conserve the remaining bits of self-respect only to give them away at another fitting time. Margot on the other hand glared squarely at the expensive yachts on display, the likes of which her father could afford to buy but his stingy disposition would disapprove of. However this was one of the more trivial matters that bore the brunt of Margot’s wealthy father, Mr. Tewksbury’s disapproval. A major candidate for the reception of his refute was Ted. Ted was the son of a clerk who held the philosophy that every human was predestined to either have a wealthy life that was devoid of true happiness or have a truly happy life while letting go of the manmade artifices of delusional bliss.

Still trying to keep up with Margot, Ted found himself struggling to keep his balance on a floating wooden plank that led to one of the display yachts. These days the skill of balancing had become unfamiliar to him and often times this was a cause of trouble in Ted’s life. He frequently found himself oscillating between extremes, an evidence of which was visible in his ideas about wealth. Whenever he was with Margot, making a fortune seemed like the only thing to do. But when he went back home, his father’s defensive take on an unattainable prosperity seemed to be most rational. Ted’s father believed that money was a form of trouble that came with false promises of a better life, often controlling a person’s life.

With one foot on the edge of the plank and one foot still floating on a cloud of contemplation, he let the apt time slip away. By now Margot had already taken her foot off the plank and gracefully climbed the yacht, leaving Ted on the fiercely rocking plank. And before Ted could think of anything, he had made a splash into the icy cold waters. Gasping for breath, when he emerged from the water peals of laughter rang all around him. Every bystander seemed to have had a good laugh at his expense except Margot. For she was too busy conversing with the unattractive yet pompous yacht owner, holding onto his puny arm.

Margot glanced at Ted but left him to deal with his clumsiness. She had become increasingly immune to the growing state of tardiness that Ted had begun to display. Two years ago when she had first met him he was confident and displayed his acumen with ease. Despite being just another employee at her father’s company, the rare balance of good looks and intelligence had drawn her to Ted. Although her father would have preferred for her to look for a man of equal financial status as her, she had failed to find any of them intriguing. But now, two years later she was beginning to question her choice. She had probably underestimated her father’s wisdom and now with every passing day her decision to leave Ted was becoming clearer. She just had to muster the courage to let him know.

Two weeks had passed since the incident and Margot had just returned form her luxe vacation in the Mediterranean islands. Before leaving for the holiday, she had made up her mind to let Ted know about her decision. Now that she was back, she had invited Ted to have tea at her home. She was expecting it to be a short and simple revelation of her decision but the afternoon saw a different turn of events.

At 3:00 pm that afternoon Ted sat across form Mr. Tewksbury and Margot, his shirt stained form the tea he had managed to spill just before proposing marriage to Margot. A shocked Margot let her father do the villainous deed of rejection. But this favour from her father came with a price. He made Margot promise that she would only and only ever marry a man of equal stature as theirs. Margot agreed. She knew that her father was a proud man, almost egoistic and it was probably best to not hurt him.

Two years passed since the dramatic day and Ted had not set foot in the town where his pride was crushed. But it was probably the best thing to have happened to Ted for since then he had not only moved to another town, he had also found employment at a rich business tycoon’s estate. Ted had been able to quickly regain his dulled acumen and had entered the tycoon’s book of favourites. In an unfortunate turn of events Ted’s old bachelor employer had been partially paralysed, leaving Ted to handle most of the operations. Wealth was now flooding into Ted’s life, making him increasingly confident and proud. And with this new development in his life, he thought once more of Margot.

One summer afternoon, Ted stood in a smolder of bewilderment as a destitute Mr. Tewksbury blew smoke from his old pipe. He had just finished narrating the unfortunate turn of events that had led to his state of bankruptcy. After taking in the unhappy news Ted impulsively asked about Margot, expressing his wish to marry Margot and possibly help them out of their situation.

That evening, Ted stood at the edge of the pond with his father near their home. he was in a state of utter confusion as Mr. Tewksbury’s words relayed in his mind, “Margot is living in the city with her aunt for now…I am sorry son but I cannot let you marry Margot. The reason is simple but I stand by it. I have been a man of my word and I cannot have Margot marry a man who does not hold the same status as ours. As of today we do not have the same financial status just as it was two years ago. And I am too proud to have a boy who was once my employee to tell the world that he saved me from my misery. My decision is final…”

Ted was still absorbed in his thoughts when his father spoke in a solemn voice, “Son…I was thinking of your offer to move with you to your employer’s estate. But you know I am a man of my words and I will not try to find happiness in the manmade artifices of ideas of happiness. True happiness is not victim of money…”

Just as his father was speaking a gust of wind hit Ted and threw him off balance, letting him slip into the murky waters of the pond.