Tua Aeng

The Discussion

Briinnnggg....Briiinnnnggg

"Hello...Sawadee ka." The voice on the other end answers.

"Sawadee krab Mae. This is Mew."

"Hello N' Mew. How are you doing? Has Nong been giving you trouble?" Mae asks.

"No Mae. Is Por home this weekend Mae? I was wondering if I can come over. I have something I would like to discuss with you both."

"Yes Nong. I will let Por know that you will be by this weekend."

"Mae. Can you not tell Nong that I will come see you? I will tell him myself after we talk. Ok khrub?"

"That's fine N'Mew. We will see you this weekend."

That weekend, I let Gulf know that I have an urgent project to review, then I drive to his parents' house.

I knock on the door and wait for a response. Mae opens the door and peers out. "N'Mew. It's so good to see you. Come inside." She says ushering me inside. I hand her the bouquet of flowers. "These are for you."

She escorts me to the living room. Por is already waiting inside. He stands to great me with a hug. "Would you like something to drink N'Mew?" He asks. "Thank you, Mae, Por, I'm fine."

"Please have a seat." Por says. "Now, what did you want to speak to us about?"

I am nervous. My palms are damp, and my mouth is suddenly dry. I really wishing I had accepted the offer of something to drink. I take a deep breath and start.

"Mae, Por, as you know Nong and I have been living together for several months now, and I love having him with me. We still have so much to learn about each other, to work out, but the one thing we are sure of is that we want to spend the rest of our lives together. I know that I made a lot of mistakes along the way and I have hurt Nong badly. I admit that. I was scared that we were misinterpreting our feelings, and that I was taking advantage of him. I feared being hurt again if he changed his mind, and I was scared that being with me would ruin his career. I am asking you to forgive me for hurting your son. I know we will make more mistakes in the future because we are not perfect, no one is, but I hope that both you, and my family, will be there to support us and our relationship. N'Gulf...he has brought so much light into my life. Without him, nothing I accomplish feels worthwhile. So, I am asking you, please, can you give me permission to spend my life with N'Gulf. I know that we can't legally marry, but I would like to have a commitment ceremony to formally make him my family. I am, very aware how the relationship may affect our jobs, and N'Gulf and I will work together to figure out how to best handle it. Please Mae, Por, let us spend our lives together."

"N'Mew." Por says placing is hands on mine. "The truth is, we have discussed this so many times over the past 3 years. We have been here every step of the way, watching your relationship. We have seen how Gulf has grew, changed, and most of all, we have seen how he responds when he is around you. Gulf has always been reserved, quiet, slow to attach to strangers. Tough, face like ice." He chuckles. "We were worried that he would struggle in this business because of that. You were one of the few who made the effort to know him. You pulled him out of his shell, took an interest in him. I know that, in the beginning, your intension was to mentor him, but your support for him eased the burden on our hearts. From the beginning he surprised us all. I can still picture the shock on your face when he said that you would protect him in that first interview. We were surprised too. That he would put so much trust in you said a lot. We have watched how being with you challenged him to be the best he can be, to put himself out there and try new things, to make friends. We have watched how he supported you in every new venture. He has never done that for anyone outside of family. His demeanor changes whenever he talks of you, thinks of you. We are so proud of what you have accomplished, who you have become together. We still have a lot of reservations. We know how mean the world can be, but we know we cannot protect you from everything. At some point we must let you go so that you can grow and stand on your own feet. We believe that together, you and Gulf can work though those difficulties and we will be here for you if you need us. As for your hurting Gulf...son...we know that your intentions were good, and that you have learned a valuable lesson from this. We trust that you now know the importance of communicating effectively with your partner. We have seen what you and Gulf can accomplish together, and we hope to see more happiness and success in the future. Yes. We agree to give our son into your care, and we would like to welcome you into the family as our son."

I lower myself to my knees. "Thank you, thank you so much Mae, Por." "Thank you so much." I say, tears of relief running down my face. They assist me to my feet and hold me as I cry, welcoming me into their family.

"I will arrange to transfer the dowry." I tell them blushing. "And I will let you now when I make the arrangements to ask N'Gulf for his hand. I want the whole family to be there to celebrate with us. Thank you so much for accepting me as your son."

Over the coming weeks I think of how to surprise gulf then I come up with the perfect solution. I pick up the phone and make a call. "Mae." "I need you to help me arrange a birthday dinner for Gulf." I say with a smile.