I swallowed hard, my throat tightening with discomfort after hearing the words that had just left that man's lips. My eyes blinked rapidly, grasping for clarity-then, in the very next breath, regret washed over me. Deep, aching regret for ever offering such a proposal to a man I never imagined would accept.
Yes, I had hoped the plan would work, but truthfully, he wasn't supposed to be the key. His answer, however, unraveled my certainty. There's no way-absolutely no way Ronald Hamilton agreed to marry me.
Though I'm not his mother, I, and perhaps everyone who knows him, understand: this man doesn't joke, and he certainly doesn't lie. So when Ronald said "Yes," I couldn't help but take it for jest.
"Ye-yes?" I asked, needing assurance.
He nodded. Tossing his disposable coffee cup in the trash, he looked straight at me.
"You need your mother's approval to go to Australia, right? Fine."
Wait. Hold on!
I stopped him mid-step as he turned to leave-leaving me dumbfounded, speechless, baffled by his response. Isn't a decision like this supposed to come with an explanation? But Ronald is cold. Rigid. Indecipherable.
"You're saying yes to my proposal, Doctor?"
This is a marriage, for God's sake! Not a lunch date or a casual hangout. Not that I ever imagined he's agreed to either. So why was he so quick to say yes?
"Yes," he replied.
I waited. Perhaps a follow-up explanation would come. But no. Ronald remained Ronald.
"Why?" I asked, heart pounding with curiosity.
"You asked me."
What sort of answer is that? He's agreeing to marry me... just because I asked?
Is he... foolish?
But how dare I label this man--a man who graduated cum laude in just 3.5 years, who earned his medical specialty at 31, who aced the national medical exam on his first try and ranked top three in the country. While others struggle to find clinics, his brilliance landed him a prime position at a prestigious private hospital.
"So... if it wasn't me who asked, would you have declined?"
Wait-why did that sound like I was flirting with him? I quickly shook my head and revised the question.
"No, I mean... would you agree to marry anyone who asked?"
"I never said that."
I feel into silence. So he said yes because it was me? Is that what he meant? Wait. Why is my heart beating so fast? Why do my cheeks feel so warm?
This wasn't how the plan was supposed to go.
Ronald must have another reason. This man never agrees to anything without a benefit in sight. He calculates everything.
"Please explain it to me, Doc. I'm clueless when you give these kind of answers."
He sighed deeply. "What is it you still don't understand?"
"Why did you so easily say 'yes'? Are you joking? Are you serious? I asked you to marry me. Me. And I know you don't like me--so why say yes?"
"You asked. I agreed. That's all."
For heaven's sake! How many times must I beg for an explanation from this man?
"Doc, seriously. I still don't get it."
Ronald straightened up, folding his arms across his chest with a quiet authority that made the hairs on my neck stand on end.
"Now I want to ask you something," he said, his voice firm. It wasn't just a question--it was an interrogation, like a specialist challenging his resident during a surprise quiz.
"Why me? Why did you choose me for this plan of yours?"
"Plan?" I echoed, still trying to catch up.
He gave a small nod.
"Like I said earlier--you need your mother's approval to go ahead with your master's degree in Australia. The one requirement? A partner. Your mother had no issue at first, but things changed after your twin got married, didn't they? She worries you'll be alone. That you won't marry if you stay too long over there."
I stared at him, heart thudding. How did he know all that?
"You heard I got a fellowship in Australia. I'm still single, and I assume you've picked up on that," he continued with unnerving calm. "So your brain did what it always does--spun up a wild idea. Call it crazy if you like... but I'm not against it."
I couldn't speak. I sat there, stunned, mouth agape, eyes wide, lungs burning with shallow breaths. My whole body betrayed me-every reaction loud and clear. Shock. Disbelief.
Holy shit.
Did he just say he didn't mind?
Was he actually taking this seriously?
This man... This man was insane.
Not me. Not the one who floated the idea as a half-joke.
Ronald Hamilton must be truly out of his mind to agree to Alina Thomas' casual proposal to marry-when we don't even love each other.
Things went off the track the moment Alima Thomas married Darcey Hunter.
Not that I resented their wedding. God no--we weren't the kind of siblings who bred rivalry. I was overjoyed for her. Truly. Darcey adored her, and I wanted that happiness for Alima.
But my mother's thoughts? That's where the trouble started.
She'd been supportive--fully onboard with my plan to study in Public Health in Australia. Then Alima moved out. Just me left in the house. And suddenly, my mother's focus was entirely on me.
The late nights--common with hospital shifts. The skipped meals--classic cause of my gastric flare-ups. These became her excuses. Her reasons for worry. Enough, apparently, to make her revoke her blessing.
I had no choice but to postpone my studies. Again. For another year.
Thank God Professor Elisa Flores allowed the delay, though it meant losing the very project I'd dreamed of.
I tried reasoning with my mom. Told her I'd be fine, even alone. Told her there were plenty of Indonesians in Australia. But she didn't listen.
She maneuvered her concern into something sacred.
"I won't give my blessing," she'd said, "unless someone I know is with you. If you go with your husband, only then will I be at peace."
What was I supposed to do with that? Defy her? Not a chance.
Between my job and patients, my mind was already overworked. And now I had to find a way to earn my mother's approval.
Of course I tried. Talked about friends who'd be in Australia too. Still, she wouldn't budge.
Just admit it, I thought. She wants me married. Badly.
The problem? I hadn't even considered love or dating. My passion was my work--my purpose. I was in love with my field. Epidemiology. The reason I chose Public Health. And Elisa Flores--the most acclaimed professor in cardiovascular disease research. She was my guidepost.
So what was left?
Finding a husband. For my mom's peace. For my own freedom. Simple, right? Wrong. Harder than my anatomy final.
Picture it-- A 28-year-old female doctor, married to her job. Most of my peers were already wed. They chose love first, knowing the medical path was brutal and endless. Wait too long, and you risk being too old to even try.
Okay then. Where was I going to find a husband--not just someone to say "yes," but someone willing to accompany me abroad for two years?
Seriously--who?
Where?
Tell me. Right now.
For several weeks, I dove head first into blind dates--most of them with fellow doctors. Honestly, I'd always imagined my future husband to be Chinese-Indonesian like Alima's, but none of them felt right. Then I met a cattle entrepreneur who worked closely with Australian farmers. I was thrilled at first. But as it turned out, he was a divorcee with three children. Not that being divorced was a problem--but I was expected to stay home and take care of his kids.
That clashed violently with everything I'd dreamed of.
I grew frustrated, and there was a point when I nearly gave up--almost willing to surrender my dream and complete my master's degree here instead. But then... whether it was divine intervention or cosmic irony, Ronal Hamilton appeared. An orthopedic specialist at one of the top hospitals, and, of all things, he had just been awarded a fellowship to Australia. For two whole years.
Leaving the same year as me. Assigned to the same campus as me.
Was this fate? Or some twisted coincidence?
I would've celebrated--really--if that person hadn't been Ronald. Because if I'm being honest, there's a past I've tried to bury when it comes to him. A past that makes me think... maybe he doesn't even like me.
Knowing all that, why did I even entertain the idea of asking him to marry me?
It wasn't premeditated--though at one point, he had crossed my mind as a possible option.
Here's how it happened:
I was accompanying Alima to her final leg checkup since Darcey was abroad. And as fate would have it, Ronald was filling in for Professor Harley Oliver again. Not just at the clinic--he showed up at the hospital cafeteria while Alima and I were having lunch. Later, at the bust stop while I was dropping Alima off. And just when I turned back to walk toward the hospital, there he was--Ronald. Striding toward me, a plastic bag of snacks and a paper cup of coffee swinging from his fingers.
He was walking... directly toward me.
There was another path--he should've taken it to get back to his hospital, but no. Ronald kept walking straight. My eyes followed him, tracking each step. I was thinking about too many things at once. Mostly: "Should I ask Dr. Ronald to marry me? Why now? But he's still single... and most importantly, he's going to Australia too."
The man had the expression of a blank wall. Cold and unreadable. When our eyes met, his brows furrowed as mine stayed locked on his face. And when he stood one meter away from me, I said the most ridiculous thing I could have possibly said.
"Dr. Ronald. Is it true that you have received a fellowship to Australia?"
No introductions. No pleasantries.
Ugh, I should've at least asked where he was coming from--though, clearly, he'd just bought snacks.
He nodded. Of course. Didn't even bother replying with actual words.
"Do you have a wife or a partner?"
Perfect. Straight to the point.
He shook his head. His forehead creased like dry leather.
"Would you... like to marry me?"