“They’ll have to learn to make due without you, hun. Besides, once you and Robert marry and begin having children, you’ll have to resign anyway. They might as well start looking for someone to fill your role now.” That statement had come from one of Robert’s mother’s friends. Suzanne, I think her name was but couldn’t recall.

I didn’t know what surprised me more—the fact that she’d actually said those words to me with a straight face, or the fact that every other woman in the circle nodded their heads in agreement.

“Quit my job?” I questioned, looking around the circle.

“Yes, of course,” Robert’s mother answered. “There’s no way you can work full time, be a mother, and hold up your duties as a wife to a man in a position such as Robert’s.”

“What position is that?”

“There’s all types of events and charity organizations that will need your time or request for you to make an appearance.” Janet shook her head. “Robert should’ve gone over all of this with you.” She moved closer, taking my left hand into both of hers. “We’ve all been through it, dear. It’s a bit of a shock in the beginning, but we get used to it. Besides, no woman attends a prestigious school like Stanford not to find a husband. Am I right?”

I glanced around to find the rest of the women nodding their heads in agreement.

Pulling my hand from hers, I opened my mouth to tell her that she had this all wrong, but that’s when I was saved by my fiancé.

“Excuse me, ladies. If you don’t mind, I need to steal my fiancée.” Robert didn’t wait for any of the women to respond, including myself. With his arm around my waist, he led me away from the other women.

I was more than happy to leave their presence, still stupefied at their beliefs.

Robert led me down a long wall that turned off from the mansion’s dining space where most of the engagement party was being held.

I stopped abruptly and turned to face him. “I did not go to Stanford just to marry a rich guy!” I insisted.

He paused, obviously stunned at my outburst.

His eyes read mine. “Okay,” he stated cautiously.

“And I am not quitting my job, Robert.”

His forehead wrinkled. “Did I ever ask you to quit your job?”

“No, but just in case you had those thoughts. You can just discard them right now. I’m not leaving Glamour Cosmetics.  I will continue to work.”

He nodded. “Okay, anything else you need to get off your chest?”

I thought for a few seconds, my eyes roving up toward the vaulted ceilings before they landed back on him. “No, that’s it for now.”

He nodded sharply. “Good. Now that that’s settled, let’s get married.”

I gave him a wary look. “It’s way too early for you to be going senile, sweetie. You’ve already asked me to marry you. And I agreed. I know this because otherwise, I wouldn’t be standing in your parents home, wearing this pink sequined gown—”