Immigrant Ch. 03

Abdullah pats her shoulder with a kind look in his eyes. He reassures his only child that it is going to be fine, and she has no reason to worry. "They managed to raise a very good, respectful kid, so they must be decent people themselves. You know that," he reasons. Shani nods as she takes in her father's logic. "Even if they don't, you have that young man so pussywhipped he would elope with you. That's what kids these days call it, right? Pussywhipped?" he asks her just to make sure, and she laughs, showing him that his effort to cheer her up is successful.

She nods, chuckling. "Yes, dad. That is a word we use now. We'd also call him or someone like him a simp too, just so you know." Abdullah laughs, telling her he already heard of that one before. He embraces his daughter tightly and she tells him "Thank you for everything, dad. I think we should set the wedding date for after I graduate and before we go off to university." He nods, voicing his agreement with her idea.

....

Henry is with his parents right now. He feels slightly anxious, knowing that the two of them might not approve of him getting into a teenage marriage. But he still has to do this, both for Shani and also because he wants to. "I have to tell you guys something," he says. Taking a very long, drawn out breath, he tells them "Shani and I are engaged now. We are planning to get married after we graduate." This is something Henry never thought he would be saying to his parents as this age, but he just said it and there is no taking it back now.

His father Alan splutters in shock for a moment before recovering. Alan is a bit younger than his wife and usually lets her take the lead in everything they do. But he is a proactive father and here it shows. "You are still only 18. Don't you want to wait for a bit to see if she is the right one for you first? There is no need to rush into marriage when you are so young right now. Finish college first." He watches his son with concern in his eyes. Alan loves his son very much and is worried that Henry might be going too fast for his age, getting married so soon.

His wife places a hand on his arm and looks at him, telling him with her eyes that she can handle this talk by herself and he doesn't have to worry about it. He submits to her and lets her take the lead like always. "Honey, what you are saying sounds wonderful but your dad is right. You are still very young," she tells Henry in a gentle tone. "I know that Shani is a lovely girl but you two are still teenagers and getting married right after graduating might not be the best idea. Maybe you should wait for a couple of years before tying the knot."

Henry knew this was coming and has already prepared for it. For once, he is absolutely certain about what he has to say. He looks them both in the eye to show them how serious he is about this and then tells his parents "I've thought long and hard about this. Shani and I might still be very young but we love each other so much. Whenever we are together all we see is each other. I know we are only 18 but we also know that it is forever. It is going to work out well."

His father sighs. "Well, if you really are serious about her, then I guess I have nothing else to say. I want nothing but the best for you Henry. You know that, right?" It's true. Even though Henry was born when Alan was raped by his wife, Alan still loves his son more than anything in the world. And to be fair, Alan was pretty used to getting raped by his wife before the conception of Henry, so it's not like he was so mad anyways. He hugs his son tightly and steps back, waiting for his wife to say her piece.

Sarah sighs. She hugs Henry too, for a little longer than her husband did. "I can see now that you are really serious about marrying Shani, so I won't try to stop you anymore. Like your father, I really want you to be happy, so marry Shani. Just don't start making babies yet, okay?" Henry blushes slightly and smiles, nodding.

Several months later the entire family is gathered together as Henry and his girlfriend take their vows.

The End.