1.
The wedding car had barely stopped at the gate before Anita Sears's mother was smiling and holding out a red cushion to me.
"Felix James, the way we do things around here, when a new son-in-law marries in, he has to kneel to the family's big yellow dog."
"It's a blessing. Means you'll hold this whole family up in the years to come, and never walk away."
"Come on. Kneel to old Roy there."
Tyler Sears was smiling too. "It's the old rule. Any man who marries into his wife's family has to do it."
I looked at Anita, asking her with my eyes to step in.
"Anita, say something."
She glanced away and dropped her voice.
"Oh, come on. It's a happy day. A grown man like you, and you're going to make a fuss over this?"
"They're my parents. My elders. Just put up with it."
She looked completely unbothered, and something in me went sour.
"Anita, I really don't want to kneel to a dog."
Tyler's face went hard as he scolded me.
"What kind of man is this. A son-in-law marrying in, and he's got the nerve to be difficult and put on airs."
The warmth in me cooled, and I said it flatly.
"What a coincidence. Where I'm from, we've got an old custom too."
Tyler frowned. "What old custom?"
"The first step a son-in-law takes into the house, the father-in-law has to bow and pour him a drink. Means the son-in-law runs the household from then on."
"…"
The moment I finished, Tyler's face went red with fury.
Anita's mother was even sharper and meaner about it. "Good Lord, are you marrying in as a son-in-law, or coming in as the emperor?"
"If you ask me, that's no custom from your side. That's you being a troublemaker."
"Today, if you don't kneel and bow to Roy, don't even think about coming inside."
When she finished, Tyler turned to the relatives behind him.
"Everybody come have a look. Let's see whether this son-in-law of mine can kneel or not."
"You young ones, don't just stand there. Circle Felix up. I want to see what he thinks he's going to do."
The ones close to Anita's own generation swarmed in around me, all guys in their twenties.
I looked at Anita again.
She was in her wedding dress, her makeup done fine and pretty, but there wasn't a trace of the softness she used to show me.
She glared. "Felix, what are you doing? It's our wedding day, and you have to blow it up into something big?"
"Hurry up. Apologize to my parents."
My breath went tight. I asked her, "Did you already know about this the whole time?"
Her face turned awkward, and she didn't dare meet my eyes.
Right then, I understood all of it.
Anita was afraid my stubborn streak would kick in, so she went half-threatening, half-coaxing.
"What is the matter with you? Do you know how many men are still single out there? Do you even want to get married anymore?"
"Roy's lived with me seven, eight years. He's practically my little brother. What's the harm in kneeling once?"
I clenched my fist, the ring on my finger digging into me.
There were two brothers in my family, but we were comfortable.
We had two apartments in the city.
If Anita weren't an only daughter, and if I didn't love her so much, I never would have agreed to marry in.
And this whole grand wedding, the luxury fleet of cars, my family had paid for all of it.
The only thing her family had put up was probably that cushion in front of me.
Because Anita had said we'd hold the wedding twice, few of my relatives came to the banquet on her family's side.
I'd planned to throw a big reception for my own relatives back home.
But my parents and brothers, who were close to me, had been stuck in the cars behind, since we weren't riding together.
A wedding is already loud and chaotic, so they probably never imagined I'd be cornered like this.
I gave the crowd a small smile.
The Sears relatives thought I was about to give in, and they just settled in to watch the show.
I took the chance to get back into the car, leaned over, and hit the lock.
Only then did I tell the driver, "Back it up. Get us out of here."
The driver was part of the wedding photo crew. He'd seen what I was going through and felt for me, so he shifted straight into reverse.
Tyler realized something was wrong and threw himself in front of the car.
"Felix, what a sorry excuse for a man. Running out on your own wedding?"
The driver hit the brakes, still rattled, and looked at me, at a loss.
The Sears relatives went straight at the tires with scissors and fruit knives.
Someone else was trying to jab a sickle through the window glass.
Anita glared at me, her whole face furious.
"Felix, you keep saying you love me, and then you try to run at my family's door?"
"You want me to put you online? Want your whole family dragged through a smear campaign?"
