Maung Tun Thu - Start with a cry, end with a smile

Chapter (1 )

In a city in a state in the Midwest of the United States. The city has a modern university, but the city hall is an outdated building. The corridor of the city hall is long but not well lit. Dark shadows fall on the benches that line the walls. Next to each bench is a copper pipe. Although there are now few people who smoke or chew tobacco, the system of copper pipes has not disappeared.

A young man named Karl and a girl named Annie were sitting on a bench. Next to Annie was a brand new red suitcase. Annie seemed to be very fond of the suitcase. She often touched it with her hand. Karl was smoking a cigarette.

Carl Brown began his life as “ Carlton Bryman .” “ Carlton ” came from his father’s employer . His father, Mr. Bryman, had been working for Mr. Carlton since he was twelve years old. The work was hard. The hours were long. The wages were extremely low.

Whenever Mr. Bryant wanted to give him a raise, Mr. Kalkan would pat Mr. Bryant on the shoulder and say, “Don’t worry, son.” He would also say things like, “Put me in charge of this.” When he died, he would probably write something in his insurance policy to William Bryant.

Mr. Brayden's employer, Mr. Carlton, died when his son was six years old. When the officials opened Carlton's safe, they found nothing left for William Brayden. Mr. Brayden was upset that things had not turned out as he had hoped. He replaced the name "Carlton" he had given his son with "Carl."

Then came World War I. People gathered in the streets and shouted, “Down with the Kaiser!” Mr. Brown, who had been born and raised in Germany, changed his name to “Brown,” and his son was given the name “Karl Brown.”

Annie was not like that. She inherited her surname from her grandmother, who was German. Her grandmother's last name was "Magary," so her name became Annie Mary. Although her father was of German descent, her father was born in Dublin, Ireland.

Karl is a handsome man. He is tall, has blond hair, and a masculine face. Because of his calm face, many people think that he is in his twenties. In fact, he is only almost twenty. The clothes he wears are cheaply made, but he is neat and dignified. All in all, Karl is a very attractive young man.

Annie is eighteen years old, but I don't know if it's because of the clothes she's borrowed from her sister, but she looks like a fourteen-year-old girl. She's a small girl with a slender body, beautiful skin, and a delicate face. Her blue eyes are filled with sadness and longing. If she suddenly looks like a broken leaf like me, no one will pay attention to her. However, when she talks, everyone's attention is focused on her.

The two young men were sitting close together. They were holding hands. They were waiting to get married. Karl would throw his cigarette into the holder as it ran out. Every now and then, a loud crackling sound could be heard. Then Annie would squeeze Karl's hand and whisper, "What's wrong, are you so excited?"

“Oh, nothing. How is Annie?” Carl asked. “Not much, just a little,” Annie replied.

At that moment, Carl stood up when he saw a clerk walking towards them. “Do we have to wait long?” he asked, looking at his watch. “I’m afraid we won’t make it to the football game.”

"Judge Kalamazoo doesn't usually come on Saturdays."

"But I'll make an exception for you," the clerk replied. "You'll be here in a few minutes. Where are you from?"

“I’m from Brooklyn,” Carl said. “But I’ve been here for almost a year.”

"He's in college," Annie said proudly.

“Law school,” Carl said.

"good for you"

"The clerk replied appropriately and turned to Into and asked.

"You're here too..."

"Only two hours left"

Annie replied.

"He just arrived from New York by train today."

Carl explained.

"Then our Midwest will remain green in your eyes."

"Oh, no, I've read the books "Weissburg, Ohio, and Main Street." So in my eyes, the Midwest scene is no different from Brooklyn."

The clerk was looking at Annie as if she were looking at a stranger. “Oh.. is that so..?” she tried to mumble, but her voice was confused, unable to make out something. As she returned to the office, she glanced back and said, “The judge will be here soon. He must have had some unexpected problems, so he didn’t show up all of a sudden.”

“I understand,” Carl replied.

Annie looked like she was having a hard time thinking. "Hey, Karl... is there something wrong with what Annie said?" she asked in a worried tone.

"No, my love," Carl replied. He didn't want to tell the truth. In fact, the clerk was amazed by Annie's accent. Annie had always had an Irish accent when she spoke English, hadn't she?

Annie saw Carl's expression and understood the situation. "He's so funny. And the way he talks is so funny," she muttered in a mischievous voice.

"If you talk to them more often, you'll get used to listening, my love. In time, you'll be able to speak as fluently as they do."

Carl said.

Annie is not satisfied. "I know that sometimes I speak incorrectly, Annie. But Annie is not easy to talk to. I always practice carefully. Annie can learn anything quickly and easily, you know?"

Annie pursed her lips. She started to ask, "What, is Carl embarrassed for Annie?" But she quickly controlled herself and changed the subject. "Is Carl worried about Annie?" -

"You should be worried, right? Why should you be worried, Annie? You're already good at it."

"Don't be ridiculous, it's okay, Karl. Annie only went to school until the eighth grade, so I think that's a little low. But wait, Annie will study."

"Don't study too much, or you'll become a man who can't keep up with your wife. And I want to see you just the way you are now, and love you," Carl said, kissing Annie's cheek softly.

"I've been waiting for too long. I can't wait any longer. What time is it now... huh?"

"It's already ten minutes past eleven. It's only a matter of time. The football match starts in half an hour. We still have lunch to eat."

"I want to play soccer too," Annie said.

"I've never watched a football match before. This is the first match I'll watch."

As soon as Annie got off the train, she gently stroked the yellow chrysanthemum that Karl had pinned to the chest of her coat. She raised the blue flag that Karl had given her and waved it three or four times. She whispered, "Rah... rah... rah..."

At that moment, the clerk who had arrived earlier announced that the judge had arrived. They got up and left happily.

The small, narrow office seemed to be filled with only one judge. Annie had expected to see a man sitting in a long robe, like she had seen in the movies. But that wasn't what she expected. The judge she saw was wearing baggy pants. His coat wasn't even buttoned up. The judge sent the clerk to call Ms. V. He still needed a witness to sign the marriage certificate, didn't he? When the clerk left the office, the judge asked Carl for the marriage certificate and went behind the counter.

The judge, wearing his glasses, read the contract. He read each clause carefully. As he read, he raised his head every now and then, looking at Carl and then at Annie.

There is a lot of speculation about who is the culprit between these two.

Annie's mind was wandering. "Is this really happening?" she thought. "Where is it? The white dress the bride is wearing... There is no church... There is no piano playing... Where is mom... I can't see mom, who is so happy that she is in tears."

God knows best, I thought. So I tried my best to get married in a church. I made sure my mom and my brothers were there. And I thought about having Arlene as a bridesmaid. I told my mom. But.....

"Mom, my daughter is turning eighteen. I want to marry Karl."

"Don't talk nonsense, you're still a child."

"I stopped being a child when I was fourteen. I started working at that age. If I get married, I want to get married in a church. I want my mother to be around."

"You need to get that idea out of your head. You can't get married in a church either. You can't get married anywhere else."

"Mom, please don't let my daughter get married alone in court."

"Don't talk about what you've seen. You haven't even met that guy in a year."

"He was here all summer last year, Mom."

"Oh...really? You went out on a date with this guy without telling your mother, right?"

"I didn't tell my mother because I was afraid she would tell Dan, Mom."