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When my father heard me say that, he thought I was just being stubborn. He sighed, and the look he gave me was full of ache.
"But Peter, just now, he... won't this whole thing leave a bad taste between you two?"
I shook my head. "The fireworks have nothing to do with him. We're changing grooms today."
His eyes went wide with shock. "That phone call earlier — you meant it?"
"Sweetheart, this is not the time to be stubborn. I heard the call you made. Even if the wedding really gets canceled today, your mother and I can accept that. You don't have to grab just anyone to come fetch you out of spite."
"Marriage is a lifelong thing. If Peter won't do, we can wait a little longer. Your mother and I aren't afraid of the gossip. We're only afraid you won't be happy."
His words made my eyes sting at once. He had never been a man of many words, and here he was, defying tradition for the sake of my happiness.
Our village clings hard to its customs. If the wedding fell through today, there was no telling how the whole village would talk about my parents, how they'd twist it around.
I don't live at home for work, but my parents would be the ones facing the rumors day after day.
I couldn't let them worry over me any longer. And the man I'd chosen shouldn't be a bad pick.
I stood and looped my arm through my father's, keeping my tone light. "Dad, I didn't make this call carelessly. This man is good. Better than Peter. You'll be pleased with him."
Seeing he still looked uncertain, I smiled. "If you're not happy with him when he gets here, I just won't get in his car. Simple."
Only then did my father let out a breath. "If you're this set on it, I'll go light the fireworks. Otherwise, if the party arrives before the fireworks go off, they'll think we don't respect him."
The colorful bursts cracked open, one after another, ringing out for nearly ten minutes.
Around here, fetching the bride comes with a welcoming ritual: before the bridal car arrives, you set off fireworks to greet it.
The more fireworks, the more it means you're pleased with your son-in-law.
To show how much he valued Peter, my father had prepared a hundred and twenty tubes well in advance, the highest honor our village could offer.
Afraid the delivery people wouldn't be careful, he'd driven his own three-wheeler back and forth, hauling every tube home with his own hands.
And yet all that had been thrown back in his face. The man on the other end never cared about his heart at all, and now he'd flung it on the ground and ground it under his heel.
Just then, Peter called me again.
When I picked up, his voice was thick with anger. "I told you to hold the fireworks until I arrived. Joanna wants to see them. Now you've set them off early — what's she supposed to look at when she gets there?"
"Today is our big wedding day. Can you not make a scene?"
"There's still time. Have your family go buy more, right now, so we can set off another round once we arrive."
I let out a cold laugh. "Peter, so you do remember today is supposed to be a joyful day."
"You sent the bridal car to pick up Joanna first, then turned it around for her, and now you're demanding I delay the fireworks — all because Joanna wants to watch them."
"Don't you know there's an auspicious hour for fetching the bride, and an auspicious hour for the fireworks too? Today is our wedding. But have you put our wedding first at all?"
He paused, maybe realizing his attitude really was off, and his voice softened. "All right, say I was wrong. I just didn't think it through. The fireworks are set off, they're set off. I won't make you buy more."
"But you'll have to wait a bit longer. Joanna's dress got dirty, so I'm taking her to the mall to buy a new outfit first. The moment we're done, we'll come straight over to get you."
"And the hotel ceremony might run a little late. Find some excuse and let people know."
I wanted to tell him again that the wedding was off, but suddenly I decided to hold it back. I wanted to see the look on his face when he arrived and there was no bride to collect.
"Fine."
At that, he breathed easier. "I knew you'd be reasonable about it."
The moment I hung up, cheering broke out from outside. "The wedding party's here!"
