Incompatible

"Don't tell me that white asshole is busking for tips at a BLM march," Daniyal said, eliciting muted guffaws from his dad.

"Reed, I blame you for his language," Hana glowered. "He's 11. Imagine if he says that to his teacher."

"Well, all she has to do is explain why that white asshole is busking for tips at a BLM march," Reed reasoned.

"Whyyy aath-ole," Zayn said, pointing to the juggler. Both Daniyal and Reed almost fell to the ground in laughter, Daniyal dropping his protest sign and Reed desperately trying to still his shaking body so as to not wake Saira.

He had been both overjoyed and relieved when Daniyal finally seemed comfortable around him a few months after he transferred to NewsPlanet's Montreal studio three years ago. Hana and Reed struggled with how to explain his dad's absence in his life thus far, but when Daniyal assumed it was because he had to work all over the world, they let it go.

Reed then made sure he'd only report from the studio and locally in Montreal, especially when it was evident Hana was pregnant after that first visit. She intended to stick to her decision to keep her life separate from her parents, but Reed couldn't wait to introduce Hana and Daniyal to his. Niagara Falls city hall was nowhere near as crowded as Toronto's for civil wedding ceremonies, plus, Reed's parents still lived there.

"You fell in love with a smart and beautiful woman and you thought we wouldn't like her because she doesn't eat meat?" Reed's father asked him when the three of them went back to southern Ontario over Labour Day weekend that first year. "I never thought I raised you to be such a dumbass."

"Stefano, watch your mouth," Antonia Poletti instructed her husband as she let Daniyal go from a tight embrace. "It's a lot of fun to be in a big family," she told her grandson. "You have seven cousins who can't wait to meet you."

"At least send your parents a picture of us," Reed appealed to Hana as his parents fawned over Daniyal. They were planning to have a simple wedding right after the long weekend and Reed didn't feel right about not even letting her family know.

"It's only an hour-and-a-half drive from Toronto," he reasoned. "Whether or not they show up on Tuesday, we'll know where they stand. For god's sakes, Hana, it's been nine years."

A few days later, Hana's anxiety kicked into overdrive when she saw her parents' and siblings from the back of the city hall council chambers. She was outside the double doors, preparing to stand with Reed before the justice of the peace.

"Let's just go home and do it tomorrow," she begged him in the chambers' foyer.

"What happened to the girl who told me, 'joke's on them 'cause I'm into that shit?'" Reed smiled at her as he held her hands in his.

"She was in no danger of introducing her draconian parents to her sexy white fiancé," Hana said, her eyes wide and her heart pounding. "What if they make a scene or object to the wedding?"

"Then we say fuck 'em and try again in Montreal," Reed said. "You're actually in a better position now than you were 10 years ago, sweetie. No matter what happens, you're going to have a huge family rallying around you, whether it's yours or mine."

In that same corridor just 20 minutes later, however, it was a flurry of crying and Arabic as Hana's sisters threw their arms around her, as did her parents and brother. Reed and Daniyal watched from a bench together.

"What are they saying, kiddo?" Reed asked his son.

"Are you assuming just because I'm half-Palestinian that I know Arabic?" Daniyal furrowed his brow as his dad stammered. "Well, I do," he deadpanned. "Mom said it would be hilarious if I did that, and she was totally right." Reed glared at his son but couldn't help cracking a smile.

"They're mad she kept us from them for so long, and she's reminding them how strict they were when she was growing up. She's saying..." Daniyal paused to listen. "She's saying unless they accept who she loves without any pressure to change--I think she means you, I dunno--she won't visit Toronto again."

"Thanks, buddy," Reed said, rubbing his son's shoulder. "I'm going to teach you all the best Italian swears and your mom won't be able to do a thing about it."

Not only was Daniyal a fast study when it came to Italian, his insistence on passing on his knowledge to his toddler brother was not something his mother was thrilled about.

"Zayn, Zayn," Daniyal caught the little guy's attention as he sat on Hana's hip at the protest, still engrossed in what the juggler was doing. "Say it like this--stronzo bianco!"

"Stonno banco!" Zayn repeated as Hana glared at her husband, who broke into fresh laughter despite holding the baby as still as he could.

"Reed, seriously, you taught him direct translations for curses?" Hana admonished as Saira woke up and scrunched her tiny face, threatening to cry. Reed immediately leaned back and swayed from side to side as he was practised in doing by now with his little girl, and Saira gave a big yawn before deciding to extend her nap.

"You're kinda turned on by how I calmed her right down, aren't you?" Reed smiled at Hana, who was still glowering at him. "You want me right now, don't you?" he pressed as the corners of his wife's mouth turned upward while she strapped Zayn back into his stroller.

"A little, yeah," she admitted.

"Okay, then," Reed said smoothly, kissing her forehead. "Your place or mine?"

***END***