Green Neon

31 Engagement !

A millstone hung around Tom's neck as he crept into his room. Timidly, he looked out the window, then lay down on the bed, where he spent the longest half hour of his life, because it was so long before the doorbell rang. He wanted to hide behind Stephanos when Christina opened the door, but manfully he positioned himself next to his hostess.

Sophia's father, in a blue suit with a snow-white shirt and a blue tie, greeted Christina, Stephanos and Tom very seriously and formally, and of course without hugging. Behind him came his wife, in a festive, blue dress, followed by Sophia and Georgios in their "blue and white costumes". Sophia shook Tom's hand without looking at him. Georgios punched him amicably on the shoulder. There wasn't a smile on his face, his expression looked more like a crooked, bashful grin.

Tom's heart sank with a "thud." He prepared himself inwardly for the talking-to of his life. What came next exceeded his worst fears. Everyone sat down in the living room quietly and with serious faces. Christina brought water to the silent company – the guests had gratefully declined wine.

Then Sophia's father started a speech in Greek. He addressed his words to Stephanos, the head of the household, but Tom knew it was about him. When he had finished, Stephanos snapped at Tom:

"To the kitchen!"

He obediently followed his host, who closed the door behind them and whispered:

"Be careful, I'll be screaming now!"

Suddenly he yelled:

"How stupid can you actually be? You kiss a girl and let her father catch you? Are you completely insane? You just don't do that, you idiot." He picked up speed. "You can't steal a Greek father's daughter. What were you thinking? Didn't your friend Nikos tell you what will happen if you get caught doing something like that? Didn't Christina warn you? But no, the young man knows better. How am I supposed to explain to your parents that you are coming back to Germany betrothed?"

"What? Betrothed?" stammered Tom.

"That's what they want," shouted Stephanos. "You are now engaged and you must marry her. You brought shame on her family. There's only one way to make amends. Today is the day of the engagement and next year will be the wedding. Congratulations, idiot!"

The silence that spread through the kitchen was deafening. Tom's head was spinning. So that was the plan. That's why Sophia's father had been silent until today. Wedding!

"I can't get married, I'm 15," he stuttered.

"Perhaps you should have thought of that a little earlier," Stephanos said much more calmly. "But that's the rule, and you've known that all along. Christina told me she admonished you, didn't she? The thing is as simple as that: Sophia's father is right, you have to get engaged to her."

"My parents are going to kill me."

"Then you know roughly how Sophia feels now."

Tom hadn't even thought of that. Tears welled up in his eyes. He was ashamed. No hole could be deep enough for him to sink in.

"What can I do? I can't just get engaged," he sobbed uncontrollably. Stephanos looked at him in silence for a while. Then he yelled again:

"What a poor creature you are! First kiss Greek women, and then cry like a girl."

Tom's tears ran down his cheeks in streams. The first drops fell on the kitchen table. Stephanos lowered his voice again.

"Of course there is another solution," Tom heard him say. A faint hope rose in him. "If you don't love the girl and don't want to marry her, then you can ask her father to give up the engagement. However, this means that you need to pay their parents a decent amount of compensation."