Marriage On Hold by Mark Twain 1
Chapter 1 The Prisoner of the Scale
My dad, Dorian Ravenscroft, was basically a walking scale, obsessed with keeping things in balance.
When my brother, Barnaby Ravenscroft, shattered an 80-dollar vase, I had to pay for it with my own savings.
When Barnaby flunked an exam, I had to score ten points higher next time to make things right.
Dad called it the “Shared Accountability System.” designed to instill a sense of responsibility in
So I learned to stay ordinary, afraid to shine again to tip the scale.
Then came the day Barnaby got into a fight and broke his leg.
Winona Hargrove, my mother, and Dad cornered me in the hospital hallway, their eyes cold as ice.
“Syl.” Dad said evenly. “Barny has broken a leg. Now, tell me, how should the balance be restored?”
***
I clutched the envelope with the 5,000-dollar scholarship inside. My palm was slick, the sweat soaking through the paper.
This was a national scholarship, something I had earned after pulling countless all-nighters.
But I felt no joy, only an overwhelming sense of dread tightening around my heart.
I took a seat at the dinner table, the air heavy with suffocating tension.
Mom flashed an ingratiating smile and gingerly laid a pork rib on my plate.
With a clang, Barnaby tossed his fork onto the table, his face darkening.
“I don’t even want to eat! Her face alone is off-putting! What a nightmare!”
He glared at the empty plate before him, his face filled with resentment and disgust.
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Chapter 1 The Prisoner of the Scale
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Across the table, Dad folded the newspaper with ease, his eagle eyes sweeping over me before resting on Barnaby.
Finally, they stopped at the center of the table.
Nothing was there, yet I knew he was checking his damn imaginary scale.
“Barnaby, how was your interview today?” Dad asked, his voice betraying no emotion.
Barnaby’s shoulders sagged as he shot back, “That fucking manager is blind! Not in a million years would I go to that crappy company!”
“In a nutshell, you got rejected again,” Dad stated, his voice flat and cold, like a coroner reading a death report.
“That makes the fifth time this month.”
Mom quickly chimed in to ease the tension, “Easy now! Barny just had some bad luck. A talent like him will not go unnoticed! And son, don’t worry. A good job doesn’t come overnight!”
Dad dismissed her, his sharp gaze locking onto me. “Sylvie, did you get your scholarship?”
I froze, like a struggling student called out in front of the class, and I shakily pushed the sweat- drenched envelope toward him.
Dad took out the papers, ignoring the check entirely, his eyes fixed only on the certificate with a
red seal.
“A national scholarship. Well done!” He nodded, yet his tone was judgmental.
“You’ve made us proud.”
My throat was dry. I didn’t dare to utter a sound.
As expected, his tone suddenly turned cold. “Nonetheless, our family functions as a whole! We must be on the same pace! If one side of the scale goes up, the other must come down! Now, this scale is completely off balance!”
His knuckles drummed on the table, each sound quickening my heartbeat.
“Your brother hasn’t earned a penny this month, leaving a huge hole in the family’s accounts! On top of that, his repeated failures in the job hunt have taken a severe toll on his mental health!”
He slid the certificate toward me, the red seal searing into my eyes.
“Sylvie, you do the math. How do you plan to even this out?”
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Chapter 1 The Prisoner of the Scale
I hung my head, nails digging into my palm, the taste of blood blooming in my mouth.
“I… I’ll give my scholarship to Barnaby,” I murmured, my voice barely audible.
As soon as I finished, Barnaby jerked his head up.
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His dull eyes suddenly glinted with greed, like a ravenous wolf catching the scent of fresh meat.
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