11 – The President’s Thoughts

"What nonsense," President Goldstein and Hamir said at the same time.

Both father and son had almost identical looks of anger on their faces.

"Little Qaya, if you are not good enough for my Hamir, do you think there is a second woman in the world that is half as good as you?!" President Goldstein asked, clearly annoyed with Qaya for disparaging herself. "You are the child that I taught and practically raised for the last ten years. I will not let anyone put you down, not even yourself!"

Qaya looked at the image of her mentor on the screen, too stunned to speak or even cry, let alone respond.

"Papa is right," Hamir piped up. "I've seen you at work for a very, very short time, and yet, I have to say that I am extremely impressed. It is all thanks to you that Colossus is growing so well!"

A rosy blush suffused Qaya's cheeks and she wiped her eyes quickly.

"Work is work," she said softly. "I know I'm good at it. But personally…"

"Personally, what?" Hamir snapped.

Qaya sighed. "You know how they call me the icewoman…" she muttered. "It is true enough. I don't have a say in not having a family – but I don't have any friends, either, and that's out of choice. I am not suitable for human relationships."

"What nonsense," the father and son duo snapped immediately, again at the same time.

Qaya couldn't help but be amused. A corner of her lips twitched.

"If you don't have any friends at all, then what am I? The neighbour's goat?" Hamir demanded, his gentle voice full of annoyance and a hint of despair.

This time, Qaya couldn't hold back her chuckle. "How can there be such a handsome goat?" she teased.

"Oh, good, so you find my boy to be handsome, little Qaya?" the President jumped in immediately.

Qaya resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "President, anyone with eyes can see how handsome he is," she pointed out. "Half the office is mooning over him already."

Hamir flushed.

"Good, then you need to move faster, little Qaya, and grab him before someone else does!" the President said happily. "Now, I know that the two of you haven't really known each other for very long, so what I propose is a contract marriage for one year. Spend a year together like a proper married couple, and if, by the end of the year, both of you feel that you're good and want to continue your relationship, then that's great – and if you feel that you two can't live with each other, then you can get a divorce, with no hard feelings on either side. It'll be like an arranged marriage of traditional families, but I am adding on a free exit option for you at the end of the trial period of one year. How does that sound?"

Qaya shot a panicked glance at Hamir, silently imploring with him to turn down the offer.

But before Hamir could speak, the President threw in a deadly parting shot. "Think of it as the dying wish of a tired old man who just wants his children to be happy," President Goldstein said softly.

"You're not dying!" Hamir hissed.

"You can't die!" Qaya cried at the same time.

The President gave them a wan smile. "Who knows what will happen…" he murmured. "Hamir, Qaya – I won't force you. All I ask is that you consider my proposal seriously and properly before taking a decision instead of rejecting it outright. I will accept your decision either way. After all, I have no desire to encroach upon or ruin either of your lives…"

Hamir and Qaya fell silent.

"President," Qaya said finally. "I owe you my life. Without you, I would have been dead or worse, ten years ago. You not only saved my life, but you saved my psyche, my existence. Everything I am, everything I have achieved, all of it is only because of you. You are the only father figure I have known in my entire life. You have every right to dictate my life, even though you have been generous and kind enough not to do so all these years."

President Goldstein sighed. "Child, you give me too much credit, really. But I am glad to hear that you consider me to be a father figure," he murmured.

Everyone fell silent.

"Papa, Qaya and I will discuss your proposal seriously, and we will let you know in a couple of days. Is that acceptable to both of you?" Hamir asked after a long pause.

"Yes," Qaya said quickly.

"All right," the President said. "That sounds good." He was originally planning to give them two weeks to decide, but if Hamir said two days, wasn't that better? And if the two of them turned down his contract marriage proposal – well, President Goldstein had other weapons in his arsenal. He wouldn't really force the two youngsters to get married – but he really did want them to at least date for a bit. He felt that the two of them were really compatible – of course, that may be because he was really fond of both of them. Perhaps if he had brought Qaya to his home, to Z Country, ten years ago, and let her grow up with his other children…

President Goldstein shook his head internally. No, if he had brought her home back then, she would have become his adopted daughter, and once that happened, there was no way he could keep her in the family after she had grown up. No, better to raise her in another country and then bring her home as his daughter in law!

Besides, President Goldstein had another – more selfish – reason to propose this contract marriage. He knew how much Hamir loved his chosen career, and how brilliant a doctor he was. If he could help it, he didn't want his son to enter the murky waters of business at the cost of sacrificing the career he had worked so hard to build up.

But Qaya – she was a natural business leader, and she loved her work. If she could take up his mantle instead…