Page 39 of Her Inconvenient Wedding Date

One by one, our mouths fall open. Next to my sister’s engagement ring is a silver wedding band. Bruce sheepishly holds up his hand as well to show off his matching ring.

“Aiya!” our mother yelps as if in shock. Or I should sayinshock. There is noifabout this situation. “Why did you do that? What about the wedding? You already put a deposit on the venue. And I already told my sisters and mahjong friends about the banquet menu. Everyone is looking forward to the big day!”

My father grunts, I believe in agreement. He looks as confused as everyone else.

“Don’t worry, we’ll still have the wedding and the banquet.” Jasmine’s tone is casual and reassuring, like she’s talking about coupons and not the fact that if she’d eloped sometime during the last two years, I wouldn’t have had to enter a marriage of convenience. She turns to me with an apologetic frown. “Thanks, Jie, for trying so hard to help me get married. I don’t know why I didn’t think of doing this earlier. But now that Bruce and I are hitched, you and Huntercan end your contract marriage. You don’t have to stay married on account of us.”

My mother clutches her chest and exclaims, “Contract marriage?!”

Jasmine nods. “Jie and Hunter agreed to stay married until Bruce and I got married. But now they don’t have to.”

“Is this true, Lily?” Ma demands. “You and Hunter do not love each other?”

“Yes…”

Hunter gasps. “Lil?”

“I mean no!” I try again. “It’s true that Hunter and I had an agreement, but things have changed. We do love each other, and we want to stay married.”

Hunter’s expression softens as he grabs my hand. “Oh, thank God. You had me worried for a second.”

I squeeze his hand and mouth the wordsorry.

“Wait, you guys love each other?” Jasmine claps her hands. “That’s awesome! I’m so happy for you, Jie! You, too, Hunter!”

My father even chimes in with his own, “Good, good,” and gives Hunter and I two thumbs-up.

The only person who is quiet is my mother. She seems deep in thought with her brows furrowed. Or maybe she’s shocked that I did something so unconventional or angry that I had intended to find a way around the rules. Whatever the reason may be, her silence is deafening. Or it could be my heartbeat resounding in my ears. The wait nearly does me in. I’m so antsy, I’m sure I put thesufferingin long-suffering.

I chance a glance her way. To my utter disbelief, my mother has a smile on her face. It’s not so much a sign of happiness but maybe pride? She doesn’t say anything to me, though. Instead, she directs her next words at Hunter.

“You be sure to treat our daughter well. She is ayouxiu nu er.”

My eyes well up. Hearing my mother refer to me as anexcellent daughtermakes me think of doing complex integrals in my head. It seems improbable and it makes your head hurt in the process, but the solution is also satisfying and worth the effort. I suppose I finally got an A in my mother’s grade book.

Hunter looks at me, then back at my mother, and says, “I will. I promise. Thank you for raising such ayou xiu nu erand trusting her with me.”

I almost laugh when I hear the phrase for a second time in a minute. At this rate, Hunter’s going to have to tear down his door to make room for my inflated head. I wave away their compliments with a grin. “Ma, now you can start encouraging Mei and Bruce to make you a grandma.”

“You are right!” My mother’s dark brown eyes sparkle as she looks at her next victims.

“Good one, Lil,” Hunter murmurs in my ear as the attention shifts away from us. “Although I wouldn’t mind planning for the future with you. We can call our kids bagel holes or maybe bagel dots? Did you know you can put cream cheese in the center of them or roll them around in sugar or dried herbs? The food, not the kids…”

My heart is completely full as I listen to Hunter talk. Who knew this dinner would turn out to be pleasant? As my gaze travels around the table, I am in awe of all the grace God has shown to me and my family. There couldn’t be a better happily ever after for this story.

I, Lily Lam, know that I am blessed and loved even though I’m not perfect. And that’s perfectly okay with me.

Epilogue

Hunter

“We're all a little weird.And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness—and call it love—true love.” ~Robert Fulghum

It’s a rainy Friday evening and the perfect time for aLord of the Ringsmarathon, but I’m checking my reflection in the phone screen instead. It’s my and Lily’s first live video together andmyfirst live video ever. This mug of mine has never been seen in action on social media before. I’m not going to lie—the thought of viewers watching my every move has me more nervous than the time I got my contact lenses stuck to my eyeballs. The only saving grace is that I know I’m not alone on this adventure. My beautiful, wonderful wife is sitting rightbeside me… looking as unbothered as cream cheese on a bagel.

Man, all these nerves are making me hungry.

“You look great, Hun,” Lily pipes up as she looks my way. “Just be yourself. Everyone’s going to love you.”

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