The Unwanted Promise (New Cover, Same Story)

07. Traditions of the New and Old Pt. 2

I was caught off guard. I was so happy in the moment, to be sharing this little moment of heaven with my sisters, cousins and crazy but funny aunts. I forgot that there were others who wished ill on me.

“Nou Hli,” said I voice I knew too well, “How are you?”

“Aunt Houa,” I said, trying to sound as happy as I could, “I’m good. How are you?”

As Aunt Houa makes her way over to me, the room gets quiet in anticipation for what is about to go on. Some of Aunt Houa’s younger daughters are in the room, and they start to shake their head at what they knew their mother was about to do.

“Good,” Aunt Houa said, “Good. Are you happy, married? Were you not mad when your parents said for you to go marry your husband?”

“It’s not like that, auntie. I am happy,” I said in response.

“Are you sure?” she said back.

“It’s true,” I said. I didn’t want to talk to her too long, and as much as I hated myself for it, I kept my responses short.

“It seems like you were mad though. You were crying when you came. I heard that you didn’t want to leave home too.”

“I miss my mom and siblings. I cried at seeing them,” I told a half lie. I did miss my family, and was happy to see them again.

“Okay. If you say so,” she said.

I make a move to turn back to my greens. I was hoping that this would be enough for her. There was no reason for us to keep conversing, as I was busy and she should have been busy herself. As much as I wanted to respect the aunt for being an elder, her actions said otherwise.

“Did you know,” Aunt Houa refused to lose my attention, “My Ellen was supposed to marry Bee. She has a better age for him and she was ready. If only she wasn’t going out with that white boy.”

That was it. I was willing to play nice, but she was being too much.

“Aunty Houa, Ellen loves her boyfriend, and he loves her. She is willing to marry, but if only you would approve of her marrying Nate. Nate is a good guy, he has a good job, he is good to you and uncle. She could be happy, if only you would let her.”

“Don’t talk to me like that,” Aunt Houa countered, “Don’t you have any respect? You don’t know anything. Stop talking. She should be the one having a wedding right now.”

“Houa,” her husband, and my Uncle Ben yells for her, “Stop fighting like a little child and get over here. What is wrong with you, didn’t we talk about this? Leave them alone and go help out Jia Lia’s mother, she is too busy to be doing everything.”

Aunt Houa rolls her eyes, huffing at her husband. They start to bicker, moving away from the kitchen. I was glad for Uncle Ben coming when he had, the thought of our conversation continuing would have turned out for the worse.

“Wow,” Chia commented.

“Yeah,” I replied.

We continued to clean, almost done with the job.

“Luna don’t listen to her. She is crazy right now,” one of Aunt Houa’s daughter said to me, “She has been acting up over the last few days.”

Another cousin of mine scrunches her face, “I don’t even know where she heard that rumor. I asked grandma and she never heard of it either.”

Shaking my head, I don’t comment on the information.

My family was just one big ball of mess, and it never got better.

While I had been doing my own thing, the wedding progression had been going on. Negotiations were being made. Parents were talking, representatives chatting. My grandmother and Bee’s grandmother sat at chit chatted with other little old ladies. Beer was passed around, and children chugged their soda.