Totally Clueless

Chapter 39

The weeks rolled away. They seemed to move more quickly now that dreaded days approached.

They hadn't tried the date again.

It had seemed so unnatural the first time around, they just kept avoiding the issue. But with just over a week to go before the twins birthday they all set into panick mode. Decisions had to be made. Serious ones.

Reid refused to talk about Shahine, and Kayla hounded Josh about going to his father and pleading with him like he said he would. It was a moment Josh feared and avoided as long as he could. It would be his greatest challenge and his worste nightmare. Even so, he had to speak up, if only for her. He had to try to convince him to call off the wedding, then maybe everything would go back to normal. If not, they'd go out on the fearfully anticipated 'real date' to explore romantic interests because they'd have no choice.

Their lives layed in the balance of this one discussion .

So Josh waited until it was evening when he knew his father, like clockwork, would be sitting alone in the small parlor, sipping a cup of the most superb chai Reena always made him.

It was now or never.

Josh exhaled deeply before stepping in. The room seemed to shrink to half its size when he entered. If it weren't for Kayla he'd turn around and leave.

He poured himself some chai from the teapot and sat at the table adjacent to his father.

Sai thought it was the strangest thing and he looked up from the newspaper he read.

"What is it?" he enquired.

"I just wanted to...have tea with you."

Now Sai put the paper aside.

Something had to be dreadfully wrong with his son. Josh never felt like sitting with him to sip tea and Sai accepted that as one of the things that never was and never would be.

" What did you do?"

"Its nothing like that...I...Kayla..." He took a deep breath. He didn't know where to begin. He sipped the tea.

"You want to talk about the marriage?"

Josh felt sick at the way his father had said the words as if it was a business deal of some sort.

"Yes." He cleared his throat. "...Kayla and I have known each other for so long. She is like my sister. And she's so frightened about this....marriage. Maybe if we had a bit more time..."

"There is no more time. You have to put your foot down and let her know what needs to be done."

"But I don't want this either."

"You don't want to get married?"

"Maybe...just not next week, and not to her."

"This is tradition Josh. This is how it's been done in our family for decades."

"I know, I understand, but over time things change, even tradition."

"So you look down on the traditions now...you think your above them?" His pitch raised.

Here we go. Josh thought. This is where we take the inevitable turn for the worst and the "iron fist" will show he isn't to be bargained with.

"No. That's not what I meant. All I'm saying is, shouldn't we at least have a say? At least that?"

"There is no one more suited for you. It's a perfect arrangement. You only need to accept that this is how it is."

"Accept? How can we just accept it?"

"Because it's the way things are done. You dare to challenge that..."