At the age of 30, Dave was overdue, and so it was no surprise to him when the draft notice came in the mail. It informed him that the time had come for a marriage arranged by the government. By 2060, marriage and thus birth rates in the US had fallen so low that a marriage draft had been enacted. All single men and women 18 years an older were subject to it, though there were college deferments and exemptions in the case of extreme wealth. The letter informed Dave that he must come to the Department of Love by 2 PM on Wednesday to avoid the penalty. The penalty for evading a government marriage was a hefty fine or a long spell in prison. Some men who could chose to flee the country to avoid these fates. Although Dave wanted a wife and kids, he did not want to be forced into having them at the barrel of a gun. Still, he felt it was his patriotic duty to submit to marriage if called.
Reluctantly, he trudged to the dreary government building with just the clothes on his back and the ID card in his wallet. He pushed through the turnstile, and a cheerful greeter ushered him down the right hallway. This was the moment of truth. After Dave entered his Social Security number into the computer, there were whirrs and beeps for a few minutes. This was all for show. Government psychologists had determined that the illusion of deliberation reduced the anger of the male subjects. In reality, the computer determined Dave's matches in less than a second after he entered his Social Security number. He didn't even want to look at the three matches the computer put on the screen. Politicians and bureaucrats had determined that it was still important to maintain the illusion of choice even at this late stage. There had been too many embarrassing cases of murder and suicide.
Dave closed his eyes and played the chance game of eeny-meeny-miney-mo. When it was over, his finger has on the portrait of a young woman named Pam. Nice name, he though. He hit the "accept" button and took the receipt the machine printed out. He knew that if he had refused the computer's matches, he would be stuck there until he picked one. He had read cases where some men had been detained in the Department of Love for months for refusing the government computer's matches. The receipt informed him of the date and location of his coming marriage. It was a week hence and a few miles from his apartment at a government sponsored marriage hall. Government psychologists had determined that it was best to keep the marriage delay to a minimum. Dave called a few friends to have a bachelor party. In his time, bachelor parties were more of a solemn ritual. At least one man in a government marriage would be present to encourage the groom to accept his fate.
His bachelor party was more joyous than he expected. There was plenty of beer and pizza. Dave did not have many friends, but they all came to wish him well on his journey for the common good. Towards the end of the festivities, an older married man named Steve spoke. He lived near Dave and was chosen at random by the government computer. In his speech, Steve did his best to cheer up Dave and spoke of the unexpected satisfaction he found from matrimony and the children he fathered with his wife, who had also been drafted to him by the government computer. The speech was encouraging, but not quite enough to calm Dave's lingering doubts. The day before the marriage, Dave went to rent a tuxedo at the government-sponsored marriage hall. As the tailor used his tape, Dave felt as though he was being measured for a coffin. When it was all over, he let out a weary sigh of resignation and took the tux home in an ornate box.
The wedding took place on the evening of the next day. Because of the short notice, most of those in attendance were Department of Love bureaucrats, though a few friends of Dave and Pam were able to attend despite the short notice. The first moment Dave laid eyes on Pam, he was struck by her beauty, and he could see in her eyes that she thought well of him as well. Perhaps this whole crazy scheme will work out after all, Dave thought. Because so few marriages were for love in that time and place, wedding cakes were mass-produced items. For small extra, a personalized message written in frosting could be added. Dave chose to add the following quote in frosting on the cake: death smiles at everyone; soldiers smile back. This bit of black humor was a nod to his military service and also a statement of his character. The baker also added two plastic toy soldiers the cake in lieu of the traditional bride and groom figurines.
Dave and Pam joined hands at the altar. According to the government computer, they were both Protestant, and so a preacher was appointed to officiate the ceremony. They said their vows. Strangely, they both felt a sense of relief when it was over. They held hands as they walked out of the hall and into the rental car. As the government compelled marriage, the voters felt it should also chip in for the honeymoon, which was also arranged by the state. Dave got into the driver's seat by the force of habit. He asked Pam if she wanted to drive instead, but she declined. Based on the wedding location, the government itinerary booked them a motel near Mammoth Cave, Kentucky and bought tickets for them.
"Pam, when I was in school, the teacher told me to write an essay about what I wanted to be when I grew up. The next day, I gave her a sheet of paper with one word written on it. You'll never guess what I wrote."
"What?"
"Happy."
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