"We're getting married!"
As soon as those words were said, all three children went still. Not even a breath interrupted the silence as Imti, Deepti and Ari sat on the couch and stared gobsmacked at the adults sitting opposite them.
Imti's father had a grin so wide it was causing his eyes to crinkle up. Ari's mother had a small, but reserved, smile on her face as she looked at the floor.
"Wh-wh-what?" Deepti was the first to speak. She was the eldest of the three and, sensing that her brother was about to burst into tears, seemed to have taken up the responsibility of asking the questions. "What about mom?"
"What about her?" The man's smile was unwavering.
"Are you... leaving her?" The question exited Deepti's mouth as nothing more than a squeak.
In response, both the adults had wildly opposite reactions. The man laughed boisterously and slapped his knee. Mrs. Jeong, meanwhile, started waving her hands in an effort to comfort Deepti.
"Nothing like that, dear, god no!" She was trying her very best to avoid Ari's eyes.
Imti's father burst out in laughter again, causing the woman next to him to lightly slap his arm.
"Ah, sorry, sorry!" He wiped his tears away. "I thought you all would have a happier reaction! Ah, no... let me explain. You'll have two moms now!"
Even more silence greeted this response. Imti's eyes were so wide that one wouldn't be able to tell if the tears bubbling up in his eyes were due to stress or strain. The boy picked at his cuticles until they hurt as his best friend's eyes kept flitting between Imti and her mother.
"Why?" was Deepti's next inquiry.
Once again denied what he thought was an appropriate react, Deepti's father sighed in a way that sent chills up both the siblings' spines. It was the sigh he took before hitting someone.To their immense relief and surprise, he kept his hands to himself as he leaned forward. The simple movement caused another twitch to attack Imti's left eye.
"It's- sometimes, when you fall in love-" The man seemed to be struggling to find words for a few moments before his expression eased. A lightbulb had turned on in his mind. "In our religion, marriage is the second most sacred thing. The first is death, obviously, but in our book, it is said that any man can have four wives. In that sense, I'm falling a bit behind!"
He chuckled, causing Mrs. Jeong to let out a giggle of our own.
"But- Ah, no, you all are too young to understand anyways. Look, it just comes down to the fact that this is a decision our families took togetherand agreed on."
Imti finally looked away from his father to subtly examine the room for any sign of his mother. She wasn't there, obviously, but the child was hoping his father would take note of his peering and bring her up.
YOU ARE READING
FALTER
Mystery / Thriller"Do you remember what we used to say?" "Never falter." "Yeah. Forever after." When a familiar cult emerges from the shadows of Youth City, underground rockstar Imti has to choose between hiding his demons behind a mask or finally facing everyone bur...
