Lin Fey breathed out, trying to expel each and every nerve that knotted up his stomach. The fan overhead made a broken whine. Otherwise, the room felt stuffy and silent. His own heartbeat might explode out of him and reveal his deepest secret. The Match Eastern agency existed to bring all the beauty of an Asian wife to Western men with money. They talked about love and match-making, but no one on either side bought it. Lin Fey knew exactly what game they played--mail order bride. And to many Chinese woman, it was the only way they could get into America and a life they could never otherwise have. Lin Fey was exactly one of those except one detail. He wasn't a woman.

A noise made him look up, tucking one of the long strands of his black hair behind an ear to hide his nerves. Faint conversation came down the hall and for a half second, he sat stiff. Was this it? Did his future husband walk toward him now? Even the blue and purple silks he wore might not save him up close. Blush, whitening cream, thick lashes around his wide, dark eyes, he went to these ends to become a wife on paper. It couldn’t last long though. He just hoped it lasted until they left this office. At least then he would be an American. Cooling his face, he turned to see the handle of the little room’s door open. An older woman stepped in, her face so thick with makeup it looked like a mask of rouge and bright red lipstick. He tried to smile in response.

“Lin Fey Wong, I’m sorry for such a wait. Ah, your English?” the woman paused, already flipping through papers and looking back to the hall where voices still murmured. Lin Fey ducked his eyes.

“Ah…English is good,” he murmured with the sort of overdone pronunciation of a non-native speaker. He understood even more than he could speak though which was fair and certainly more than some other mail order wives. After all, communication wasn’t necessary and he wanted to hide behind that language deficit at least a little bit. He could disguise his face, but his voice didn’t come near as easy. He forced back a feeling of bitterness and depression. The woman just offered him another of her too big smiles though.

“That’s wonderful. Just a minute more okay? Ah-” A knock sounded on the door. “I think that’s him.” She turned away and Lin Fey squeezed his eyes shut again to steel his nerves. This was it. Time to meet his husband.

Immy: