3.
Joel's parents broke into smiles at once and sat down, without so much as a nod, in the seats that had been meant for my parents.
At that, my father's face changed.
He had always been a stickler for manners.
But he said nothing.
I knew it was for my sake.
I clenched my teeth, the anger rising and rising in my chest.
My father said, low and even,
"Don't let your temper run away with you. Don't forget what you once said."
I had once said, stubbornly, that Michelle was the one I most wanted to marry.
Her or no one.
My father still remembered those words.
Just then Michelle told me to hurry and serve the tea.
I picked up the cup and walked over to her parents.
Once they had finished drinking, I raised my head, only to find that Michelle hadn't served my parents. She'd served Joel's.
My mother quickly smiled and said to me,
"Lionel, I don't mind. It's all the same. Don't hold it against anyone."
After that I moved through it all in a daze.
Seeing how bad my face looked,
Michelle turned to me.
"Lionel, Joel's parents always wanted me to be their daughter-in-law when we were kids."
"Think of it as making a little dream of theirs come true."
"Once the wedding's over, I'll serve your parents another cup of tea."
My father waved his hand quickly, smiling.
"As long as things go smoothly, that's all that matters."
"We're the ones who weren't careful about hygiene. Our fault, our fault."
My mother wore the same strained smile and said it was fine.
At that, they laughed all the louder.
Then the wedding car arrived.
Only, before we left, I saw Joel lean toward Bertha and say something with a smile.
I didn't think much of it, but just as I was about to help Michelle into the car, Bertha suddenly stepped in and blocked the way.
"Wait a minute!"
"The two hundred thousand dowry gets paid before anyone leaves!"
My parents' faces changed at that.
My father asked carefully,
"Bertha, didn't we agree on eighty-eight thousand for the dowry before? How did it turn into two hundred thousand? This..."
Bertha only sneered.
"That eighty-eight thousand was just to cover the engagement. The other hundred and twelve thousand is the actual dowry!"
"Two hundred thousand all together. A penny short and don't even think about my daughter getting in that car."
My parents looked stricken.
For the wedding, the car, and the house, they had already emptied every bit of their savings, and even gone into serious debt.
I looked at Michelle, my gaze cold.
"You knew about this ahead of time too?"
A flicker of guilt crossed her face.
The hardness from a moment ago was gone, her voice softened.
"Lionel, don't blame my mom. We're not doing an engagement, we're going straight to the wedding. Everyone else pays it in two rounds. Two hundred thousand is a little more, sure, but it's still a normal expense."
"Don't worry, as long as you can come up with it, I promise I'll build a good life with you afterward."
My face went hard as iron.
"Michelle, I'm pretty sure I told you my parents already put in everything they had for this wedding. This two hundred thousand, where exactly do you expect them to find it?"
But at that, Bertha started spouting off, grabbed Michelle's hand, and shoved me aside.
"How is it any business of ours that you can't find it?!"
"You marry a wife by the rules. No money, so what kind of wife did you think you were marrying?!"
Everyone there was on Michelle's side, and they jeered at once.
"That's right, hand over the dowry, or don't think about taking our girl anywhere!"
