The narrator, Kathleen, has a long-standing rivalry with her twin sister, Jessica. In an attempt to one-up her sister, Kathleen marries her friend Rafa in India, but soon divorces him and marries again to travel to Mexico. This starts a pattern of serial marriages to men from different countries, allowing her to travel and learn new languages.
Kathleen marries nine men in total, each for a short period, before meeting her tenth husband, Lang. However, this time, it's different, and she genuinely falls in love with him. She returns home, apologizes to her parents, and starts a new life with Lang. They eventually get married, and her previous husbands even attend the ceremony.
Kathleen finally finds happiness and closure, realizing that her rivalry with her sister was pointless and that she has found true love with Lang.
Here are the key facts from the text:
1. The narrator, Kathleen, has a twin sister named Jessica.
2. Kathleen and Jessica were born three minutes apart.
3. Kathleen's friend Rafa was planning to return to his hometown in India for an arranged marriage.
4. Kathleen proposed to Rafa to marry him instead and travel to India with him.
5. Kathleen married Rafa in a traditional Indian dress and met his parents and relatives.
6. Kathleen learned Hindi while in India and became fluent in two months.
7. Kathleen met a Mexican tourist named Rodrigo in India and married him a week later.
8. Kathleen learned Spanish and became fluent in two months.
9. Kathleen ended her marriage with Rodrigo after two months and moved to Mexico.
10. Kathleen met a Frenchman named Pierre in Mexico and married him.
11. Kathleen learned French and became fluent in two months.
12. Kathleen ended her marriage with Pierre after two months and moved to Paris.
13. Kathleen met a Chinese man named Lang in Paris and married him.
14. Kathleen learned Mandarin and became fluent in two months.
15. Kathleen ended her marriage with Lang after two months and moved to Shanghai.
16. Kathleen had four fake marriages in China to travel to different countries.
17. Kathleen's parents were worried about her and tried to contact her.
18. Kathleen realized the impact of her actions on her life and parents on her 21st birthday.
19. Kathleen met a man named Lang (PNC) again and started dating him.
20. Kathleen fell in love with Lang and they started a real relationship.
21. Kathleen apologized to her parents and they forgave her.
22. Kathleen married Lang in a lovely ceremony, and her previous husbands attended.
23. Kathleen's parents love Lang and welcomed him into their family.