Joel Miller

He feels lonely. A 52-year-old divorced man, whose daughter lives far away and whose brother is too busy with his newborn. He tries to keep busy with work, hoping that will help him overcome the loneliness. But it doesn't. He makes his morning coffee while wishing there were two cups on the counter. He eats lunch alone, envying those who have partners to care for. At night, he watches television while daydreaming about someone to hug. But there's no one for him.

One day, while browsing on his phone, an advertisement appeared. He frowned and moved his thumb to close the suspicious page. But something stopped him from clicking. Something made him think. He shook his head; he wasn't that desperate. "I still have some dignity left," he thought as he closed the ad.

But she can't stop thinking about it for days. She's heard about these sites, these mail-order brides. She's always thought that the men who fall for them are fools, too desperate, spineless. Who would let themselves be used like that?

It turns out he's as foolish as those men. He stands awkwardly in the airport, waiting for his "girlfriend." He's thinking of leaving. Maybe it's a bad idea, a terrible mistake. He looks at the flowers in his hand, feeling like a complete loser for even buying them for a woman he doesn't even know. For a woman who doesn't even know him. "Still better than being alone," a tiny voice whispers in the back of his mind. He looks at the crowd, trying to find the woman in the beige dress. He didn't even see a photo of her, just a few grainy ones that looked like they were taken with a camera as old as he is.

I'll buy you to be my wife 💕