Child Brides of India

By C. Stanton Leman

Chapter 74: The Proposal (MggF, rom, cons,)

As Monaavi readied herself to leave, Priya came home. Monaavi set her things down and asked to speak to Priya privately. Priya feigned ignorance and we let the two women talk in peace in the living room.

After they had spoken for about thirty minutes, we gave Monaavi our cordial farewell salaams and she left for home. Dinner, to say the least, was excited. Mom was bouncing in her chair and just kept singing to herself as she ate, “I just can’t wait, Oh I just can’t wait!”

She recovered enough from her jubilation to say, “I’m gonna call your father after dinner, he’ll just shit himself!”

Wondering what that vague comment meant I replied, “Yeah, I can’t wait to hear his response!”

Leeya, the snot, had the cogs turning in her tiny little head and said, “Well… If you marry Monaavi, she’ll still be my teacher, but she’ll be third wife: that means she’s under me, right?”

“Nice try, Munchkin,” I answered. “She may be third wife at night, but during the day she’s your teacher and you’d better listen to her, or else.”

“Jeez!” she quipped, “Can’t a little girl dream?”

Mom stuck out her hand and said, “See? I’m so excited I’m shaking!”

“Calm down, Mom,” I requested, “she hasn’t said yes yet.”

Mom got a look of certainty and stated, “Oh, she will! You can bet on that!”

The way Priya, Leeya and Mom talked, I was a shoe-in but deep inside, my insecurities kept me anxious with the possibility of rejection. After dinner was finished, Mom leapt to the study and the phone. Priya, Leeya and I sat at the table and talked.

I asked Priya, “Well, if Monaavi does say yes, how is this going to proceed? I think there’ll have to be a courtship so that we can get to know each other better. She knows a hell of a lot more about me than I do about her.”

“I’m not sure,” Priya answered. “Her mother will probably want to be around when you two are together, but Monaavi works here. Maybe Monaavi will end up bringing her mother to work with her every day. I don’t know.”

Looking at Leeya, Priya continued with, “To be fair to Leeya and me, we could go into that three day rotation. On our days, things will be the same. On Monaavi’s days, you two can court. Does that seem fair, Leeya?”

“I don’t mind,” Leeya replied. “She isn’t going to bed with him so Sean can still see her on my days as long as he shares time with me at night.”

“Of course I would, Snot,” I retorted. “I certainly won’t be taking her to bed.”

“Yeah but you’d wanna,” Leeya observed. “Will you sperm her good and put a baby in her tummy?”

Priya and I both laughed and I replied, “Priya’s the boss and she told me to make her belly as big as this house!”

“Oh goody!” Leeya chimed as she rubbed her hands together, “A baby!”

Mom stepped into the dining room and said, “Your father’s on the phone and he said, “Thank God, at least this one’s legal!” No seriously, he’s extremely happy about it.”

Looking at my wives I replied, “So far so good.”

Leeya left the table to play with Tina as Priya and I continued to talk. Curious, I wanted to know what Priya and Monaavi talked about so I asked, “I had to politely twist Monaavi’s arm to get her to agree to come this Thursday. I think she only accepted because I invited her parents. What did you two talk about?”

“I can’t really say,” Priya noted, “but I hope she stays calm long enough to stay until Thursday at least.”

“What?” I asked in shock, “She’s thinking of leaving?”

“Yes,” Priya revealed. “She says it’s becoming harder to concentrate on work with some things on her mind and she feels that she’s short-changing the girls by not being fully focused.”

“What’s on her mind that she’d want to leave?” I asked.

Priya sighed and replied, “I really can’t say, Sean. Just try to keep your contact to a minimum until Thursday, alright?”

“Done!” I responded. “She just can’t leave — not now!”

“Stay calm,” Priya advised, “and pray. If this is meant to be, it will happen.”

Now my insecurities seem to compound themselves as I shuddered to think that she’d leave. If she did, I’d get on my knees and ask her outright before I’d let her get out the door.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights the three of us fucked like rabbits. My nuts hurt from cumming so much! I took turns nailing each wife as she pleasured her sister. The weekend orgy took its toll on Leeya and she truly walked a little funny down to breakfast on Monday morning.

Monaavi hadn’t arrived before I left for work and Priya and I thought she was probably avoiding me. To ease Monaavi’s apprehension, I purposely stayed late at the office and delayed leaving for home.

On Tuesday, Ravi came to my office to see me. He asked if everything was all right and I told him of my fears. He laid his hand on my shoulder and said, “I shouldn’t be telling you this, but do you know why Monaavi might be acting this way?”

“I don’t have a clue,” I admitted.

“Now mind you,” he began, “I’m just her father and am only telling you what I observe, but it seems to me she’s deeply in love with you. I think she believes that her love for you will always be an unrequited love and it’s becoming increasingly unbearable to be around you knowing you will never return her love. Hindi and I are practically forcing her to come to dinner.”

“I hope you’re right, Ravi,” I replied. “Just two more days and we’ll know for certain”

After my conversation with Monaavi’s father, I called Mom and suggested that Monaavi take the day off Thursday. That might ease her stress and she’d be more amenable if she had time to prepare and get ready for dinner. Mom said that it would be harder on her because of the kids so I told her I’d take the day off and play referee.

Tuesday, Monaavi called in “sick”. She was very polite on the phone but it sounded like she’d been crying. I offered my encouragement for her to get better, gave my parting salaams and we disconnected.

When I informed the girls at the breakfast table, they were very upset. I asked Priya if she could talk to her and she said, “I can try, but I’m in the middle. I can’t reveal her confidence and I can’t tell her why she’s got to be here Thursday. What should I say, Mom?”

“Tell her…” Mom started slowly, “Tell her that she’s proven herself to be a very mature and capable woman with her duties as a caregiver and teacher. Explain to her that we need to be adult about things and do our very best even when it’s difficult. Sometimes, we need to put our feelings on hold for the benefit of the girls. Empathize with her and tell her you understand that she’s going through a difficult time, but to hang in there: there’s light at the end of the tunnel.”

“Okay,” Priya replied, “I’ll do my best.”

As she rose from the table to call Monaavi, she asked, “Wish me luck.”

We sat at the table with fingers crossed as Priya spoke on the phone. She returned a few minutes later. Priya sat quietly saying nothing and Mom asked, “Well?”

Priya answered with, “Well, I did as you asked but she didn’t bite so I went out on a limb.”

“Jesus, Mary and Joseph, girl!” Mom exclaimed in desperation, “What did you tell her?”

“I kinda told her the truth,” Priya replied, “but not really.”

“Priya Michaels!” Mom loudly said pointing her finger, “Start talking now, out with it!”

“I told her,” Priya said, “that Sean knows she’s unhappy about something and might want to leave and she said that she kind of felt that Sean knew something was wrong and was up to something. So I said to her, because he cares about you so much, he’s found you another position, one more permanent.”

“You didn’t?” Mom asked in shock, “What’d she say?”

“She was shocked,” Priya responded, “and she asked me if I knew what the position was and where.”

Mom, rolling her hands in a circle demanding more clarity asked, “And?”

“I told her,” Priya answered, “Sean told me in confidence and I couldn’t reveal his any more that I could reveal hers.”

Mom got a cheese-eating grin on her face, smiled and said, “Oooh, you’re gooood girl! A true businesswoman! Nice job!”

“She’ll be here tomorrow,” Priya said proudly, “but Sean, I think you’d better be gone when she gets here, okay. She’ll be off Thursday before dinner, right?”

“Done!” I replied affirmatively, “And yes, she has the day off.”

I think we were all wound as tight as clock springs and made a collective sigh.

I left for work right after prayers Wednesday morning and was met at the office by Ravi. I invited him into the office and we sat and talked. I asked him, “Well, how is she?”

He threw up his hands and said, “Now she’s crying because you found her another job and doesn’t want to leave your employ! She thinks you want to get rid of her. What did you tell her?”

Shaking my head at the incomprehensibly fickle nature of women, I said, “When Monaavi called in sick Tuesday, she kind of hinted to Priya that she might quit today so Priya told her I’d found her a job that was more permanent.”

Throwing his head back in laughter, Ravi replied, “I’ll say! That was a good one!”

I jokingly said to him, “Just do me a favor: do whatever you have to do to get her there — even if it’s kicking and screaming — just make sure she shows up!”

Laughing and holding his sides he quipped, “I’ll drag her in chains and present her to you as captured slave, how’s that?”

Being honest, I quipped back, “You may be her father, but that’s a very tempting idea!”

“Oh well,” Ravi sighed, “such is the way to a woman’s heart. Even Mohammad had his troubles with women. Are we immune?”

Once we’d calmed ourselves, Ravi jokingly warned, “My Monaavi, she’s as sweet as a desert flower, but she can be a real cactus at times, but you’ll find that out in due time.”

Ravi gave a teasing chuckle while I pondered how many thorns this cactus might display. I told him that dinner was at seven and he said that was fine. Having finished our man-to-man, Ravi left for his office while I worried about tomorrow.

It was sheer torture waiting around the office until five before leaving for home. When I’d arrived home at six, naturally Monaavi had left for the day. As soon as I sat at the table I asked anyone “Well, how was she?”

Mom smiled and replied, “Ripe for the pickin’! She told me she was so ashamed by her behavior and she’s terrified that she’ll lose her job. I told her that you had a job that might be more to her liking and more permanent too. I sloughed it off by saying that she could always refuse.”

“Oh, Mom, you stinker,” I said empathetically, “why tease her?”

Raising her eyebrows Mom replied, “This is your plan, Sean, We’re just trying to keep the secret long enough for you to execute it. Think of it as a strategic delay.”

“Damn!” I retorted, “Marrying an adult woman sure isn’t easy, is it?”

With a cheese-eating grin Mom chided, “It sure ain’t but we’re damn well worth it!”

______________________

Thursday morning, I was so nervous my stomach was in knots. The girls didn’t help matters much either. Tina was a living terror, getting into everything she could while Leeya and Attiya, happy about the day off from school, ran roughshod through the house.

Mom took a break from her meal preparation and sat at the table with a glass of iced tea. I commented to her that I couldn’t, for the life of me, understand how women can control these little she-devils. How does Monaavi do it?

“See,” Mom pointed out, “just ‘cause they wear panties instead of boxers doesn’t mean they can’t be a royal pain in the ass. In fact, they’re probably more so than boys.”

“Why’s that?” I asked.

“You’ll learn,” she warned, “when Tina gets older. With a boy, you only have one dick to worry about. With a girl, you have to worry about all of ‘em.”

“Gee, Mom,” I replied, “Just what I needed to hear.”

“As pretty as that little girl is,” Mom added, “you’ll be beatin ‘em away from the door with a baseball bat!”

Getting serious I revealed, “I’m scared, Mom, I’m afraid I’ll make a huge mess of things and blow it.”

“Oh don’t be,” Mom responded. “Just say what’s in your heart; she’s dying to hear it. She’s probably dreamt of hearing those words every night when she goes to bed.”

“You really think so, Mom?” I inquired.

“Trust me, Son,” Mom encouraged, “this is gonna happen.”

“I hope you’re right,” I replied, “I hope you’re right.”

“I’d better get back and check on the turkey,” Mom said as she rose. “Its four O’clock: maybe you should get the two older girls in the tub and dressed so you can give Tina her bath. You have to get ready also, lover boy. Don’t want to make a stinking impression do you?”

“No, Momma,” I replied boyishly, “I’ll take a bath, put on clean underwear and use deodorant.”

“That’s a good boy,” she teased. “Now run along.”

As she turned and left for the kitchen, I yelled out, “Leeya? Attiya? Bath time!”

Two sweaty urchins suddenly appeared all out of breath and whined, “Do we hafta?”

“Yes,” I teased as I tickled them both, “you hafta.”

“Are you gonna wash Tiya’s coochie?” Leeya asked.

Shaking my head I replied, “No, I think Tiya can wash her own coochie, don’t you?”

With a coy smile she shyly asked, “Wanna wash mine?”

“You are a little harlot aren’t you?” I teased.

“Well, she answered kind of seriously, “Once you start flirtin’ with Monaavi, you might forget what mine looks like.”

Taking her by the arms, I pulled her to me and assured her, “You are so important to me, no one — and I mean no one — could ever take your place. You’re my wife and I love you with all my heart. Don’t you ever think that, deal?”

Reassured, she smiled, kissed me sweetly and confirmed, “Deal!”

With that the girls scampered up the stairs to Leeya’s room to bathe. While preparing their clothes, they were making the usual giggly girl sounds when it got quiet all of a sudden. I knocked on the bathroom door and asked through the door, “Is everything okay in there?”

“Yeah,” Leeya replied, “I think so.”

Puzzled I asked, “What do you mean you think so?”

“Maybe you should come in here” Leeya responded.

As I opened the door I said, “Okay, here I come.”

As soon as I stepped inside, I saw Attiya standing in the tub looking towards her groin. She saw me and her eyes shot open wide, covered her fat little pudenda with both hands and fell into the tub with a giant splash.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

Leeya replied, “We were playing around and Tiya cut her thigh on the tub spout and she’s bleeding.”

I flipped the lid down on the toilet, hoisted her out of the tub and sat her down. “Where, where does it hurt?” I asked her.

She opened her legs and she had a small gash on the inside of her thigh about two inches down from her vulva. She was noticeably embarrassed to be exposed like this so I reached up and grabbed a face cloth and covered her privates. She smiled appreciatively and let me attend to her cut. One band-aid later and several towels to sop up the water on the floor, they were ready to get dressed.

I showed them how I’d laid their clothes out for them and left them to dress. I now went searching for my little she-devil and found her in the study pounding on the computer keyboard. I snatched her up with a giggle and took her upstairs for a bath.

After bathing the little beauty I dressed her in a cute blue dress trimmed in white. Priya showed up just as I was putting the finishing touches on Tina and I exclaimed, “Boy, this Mommy stuff is harder than putting in a full day at the office!”

“Complainer!” she teased, “Are you ready for this?”

“I’m scared,” I admitted, “but I’m ready.”

“Don’t be,” she encouraged. “It’ll be alright. God, This waiting is killing me! I wish it was eight O’clock and it was over.”

“You and me both,” I agreed. “I’d better take my shower so we can say prayers. Want to join me?”

“Sure!” she replied, “Take a shower with me then ask another woman to marry you two hours later. You’re such a letch!”

“Yeah,” I snickered, “don’t you just love it?”

Leeya peeked in the door and I said to her, “Just in time, little mommy, keep an eye on Tina while we shower.”

“Oh all right,” she replied grudgingly.

Priya and I showered and dried off. I put on a pair of shorts and T-shirt and we then said prayers. After prayers, I dressed in a blue business suit, crisp white shirt with a matching tie.

When we got downstairs, Mom was upstairs getting ready. Nervously I looked at my watch: six-fifteen — “T” minus forty-five minutes and counting.

Priya wore a shimmering blue sari with white hand-painted doves on it. Leeya wore her lemon yellow sari with the peacocks on the pallu. Mom came downstairs wearing a powder blue sari with the pallu draped over her head in a loose veil. All the women looked absolutely lovely!

Mom went to the kitchen to check on dinner and gave Pita some final instructions. It was six fifty-five and everyone waited in the living room on pins and needles. I looked out the window just as Ravi’s car pulled into the drive and said nervously, “They’re here.”

We moved to the hallway and I opened the door as Monaavi and her parents were coming up the walk. Ravi entered first wearing a black suit. Hindi wore a lavender salwar kameeze and Monaavi wore an emerald green hand painted sari with yellow flowers on her pallu. She had the pallu wrapped in a fairly tight veil covering her hair and only exposing her face back to her ears. She was absolutely stunning!

After giving our greeting salaams, we retired to the living room for tea. Monaavi sat on the couch in between her parents and was shyly quiet, giving polite smiles every so often. Mom commented to her, “Monaavi, what’s wrong dear, why so quiet?”

Monaavi smiled and replied, “I was just thinking about all the wonderful times I’ve had in this house and the joy of teaching the girls. You’ve opened your home and your hearts to me and loved me like a daughter. I guess I’m just struggling with my life right now and wondering where it will all lead.”

“You need to understand something, Monaavi,” Mom answered softly with a smile, “You are like a daughter to me and a member of this family. As such, our only desire for you is to be happy. Sean, more than any of us, realizes this and wants more than anything for you to fulfill your dreams.”

Monaavi looked at me shyly, blushed and replied with a hint of sadness, “If only that were to be.”

I was tongue-tied and couldn’t speak. I was so nervous I could only give a nervous smile. Seeing my vacillation, Mom stood and said, “Well, Sean has an idea. We can discuss it over dinner. I think everything’s ready so let’s move to the dining room. I hope all of you enjoy the meal, it’s a traditional American meal that celebrates a time of thanksgiving for all the blessings we’ve received over the past year with hopes of continued blessings.”

Mom had strategically made the seating arrangements so that I was sitting at the head of the table with Priya to my immediate left, Leeya next to her followed by Attiya and Mom at the other end of the table. Pita was to sit next to and on Mom’s left. She seated Monaavi next to me on my right, followed by her mother then Ravi next to her.

Mom helped Pita serve dinner as I carved the turkey. Hindi commented that the bird was an unusually large chicken and asked where Mom got it. Mom chuckled and replied that it was a turkey and that she’d had it shipped from the U.S. along with the other trimmings.

The bird carved, Mom asked me, “Sean, will you say grace?”

I folded my hands in prayer and lowered my head as everyone else followed suit. Once ready, I began to pray: “Praise God and His tender mercies. You have brought this family many trials and with it many blessings. We give thanks and praise to you Allah O Holy One for bringing us together tonight. In Your wisdom, we ask that you continue to bless our families and bring us even closer in love.”

Mom said, “Amen.”

Everyone followed her lead and responded the same.

Ravi and I made a little small talk about work and Hindi commented on the meal. About five minutes into dinner, I said to Monaavi, “You know Monaavi (She puts her fork down and turns to listen to me), a lot has happened over these past few months.”

“Yes it has,” she agreed.

“We’ve seen a lot of heartache and pain with the passing of Emmy and our ordeal with Tina, but through all of this, that pain has been eased by your presence in our home (tears start to roll down her cheeks).”

I nervously began moving the food on my plate with my fork and continued, “You have opened the doors to Attiya’s mind and we’re beginning to see her flower. You’ve enriched the lives of everyone in our home with your loving presence (She covers her face with her napkin as she cries).”

Continuing I say, “For some reason, you seem to be unhappy and we, especially me, hate to see you like this. I have a suspicion that you are considering leaving us, is this true?”

“Yes, Mr. Sean,” Monaavi confirmed through her napkin, “it’s becoming increasingly difficult to devote my complete attention to the girls. My life seems to be in a mess right now.”

I sighed and now my nervousness really kicked in and I began to babble: “Well, uh Priya and Leeya love you and uh Tina called you Ma first and uh Mom loves you to death and uh I love you and uh Attiya loves you and uh…”

“Wait!” she cut in, “What’d you just say?”

“About what?” I asked.

“About you… You know?”

“Oh yeah,” I stumbled, “I said that I love you too. Anyway as I was saying, with everybody loving you uh I’ve decided uh that uh I can’t uh let you leave and uh…”

“But, sir,” she interrupted, “let’s just say if I wanted to leave? How could you keep me here?”

“Well uh,” I responded (I’m really on a roll aren’t I?), “I was talking with your Dad and uh then we talked with your mother and uh, uh, we decided uh…”

“What do my parents have to do with any of this?” Monaavi asked.

“Umm, that’s a good point,” I replied. “We’ll see, I was thinking and uh your parents sort of agreed with me that uh, uh, if you were uh, unhappy in your current position then uh, maybe I should find you a new one and uh since uh I uh can’t pay you to uh stay, I’ll just have to uh, uh marry you to stay and uh…”

(Intended’s eyes bug out) “EEEEK! OHMYGOD! WHAT’D you just say?”

(Keep talking idiot) “Uh, I know uh that you’re older than me and uh, uh you’d probably wanna uh marry an older guy and all, but I’m uh cuddly and uh, cute and uh…”

“Sean?” Intended says.

(Keep talking!) “Uh, I was thinking that uh…”

“SEAN!” Monaavi hits idiot in the face with napkin and demands, “SHUT UP!”

(Voice taper off to a whisper) “And I’m uh already trained…”

“Sean!” Monaavi demanded, “If you’re trained then shut up!”

“What?” I asked in a daze, “Was it something I said?”

“What did you just ask me?” Monaavi asked frantically.

I awoke from my babbling stupor, gave Monaavi a tender loving smile and rose from my chair. I moved and stood next to her and she looked up. Out of nervousness, I took the napkin from her hand and gently wiped the corner of her mouth with her napkin saying, “You had some gravy there.”

I handed her the napkin and said, “Here’s your napkin back.”

Taking the napkin without breaking eye contact, Monaavi asked softly with imploring eyes, “Sean, please tell me again, how can you make me stay?”

I got down on my knee, looked up in her eyes like a boy first smitten with a girl and asked, “Monaavi, I’ve realized that I love you and want you in my life always, Will you marry me? If you don’t, my wives are gonna divorce me, Mom’ll leave me, then if you leave…”

“Sean?” Monaavi asked nicely.

“Then I uh,” Idiot stammers on, “Won’t have a nanny and …”

“Shut up, Sean!” Monaavi ordered as she gently slaps my face.

She grabbed my cheeks in between thumbs and fingers like one would do with a child and said, “If you’ll just shut up and let me speak, I’ll answer your question!”

“Marry me, Monaavi, I love you!” I said plainly with love.

She wrapped her arms around my neck and laid her head on my shoulder as she wept. She kissed my neck, sat up in her seat as she wiped her eyes, smiled and replied with deep emotion, “Sean, I’ve gone to bed every night for the past six months dreaming that I’d hear those words from you. Yes I’ll marry you! This is my wildest dream come true, I just can’t believe this is happening to me! Yes, yes, yes! I’ll marry you!”

I exhaled an audible sigh. For the first time since I started my rambling, I looked around the table. Everyone was silently crying with joy, Attiya was chowing down on a turkey leg while Tina looked like she as happy as a pig in slop was wearing her mashed potatoes.

“Thank you, Darling,” I replied with a loving, relieved smile.

To break the silence, as I sat back own in my chair I asked her “How’s the turkey?”

Everyone broke into laughter and clapped their hands. Priya asked her new intended sister, “Well, Monaavi is this new, more permanent position what you were looking for?”

Monaavi still had years of joy falling from her cheeks and shook her finger at Priya and replied, “You! You were in on this, weren’t you?”

Priya laughed, nodded and revealed, “We all were, including your parents.”

Monaavi looked to her right at her parents and they looked back smiling and nodded. Leeya put in, “You may be older than me, but I’m second wife: that means you hafta listen to me.”

Monaavi smiled and replied firmly, “You may be over me in marriage, but I’m still you teacher (shaking her finger at her) and you’d better listen to me — or else.”

Giving Leeya a look of confirmation, I said, “See? I told you so.”

“It was worth a try,” Leeya conceded.

Swallowing a bite of food I said, “To make this official, let me offer you a proposal for your dower. I will provide you with the same dower Priya and Leeya have: a trust fund of ten million U.S. dollars that is yours to do with as you wish. I’ll change my will to equally provide for our children the same as any of my children that I will have with Priya and Leeya. Is this acceptable to you?”

When I said ten million dollars, Monaavi, Ravi and Hindi dropped their forks and gasped wide-eyed.

“T-t-t-ten million dollars?” she replied in awe.

“To do with as you will,” I confirmed.

“Can I give half to my parents?” she asked unselfishly.

“Whatever you want,” I assured.

Still reeling from the figures, she sighed and firmly stated, “Good! That’s what I want.”

“Done!” I confirmed.

Still in shock over the dower, I changed the subject by saying, “Let’s make this official. Why don’t we go shopping tomorrow and buy your rings?”

Monaavi looked at her mother and Hindi nodded with a smile. Priya said, “We’ll all go and help you pick out a nice one, alright?”

Monaavi sat back in her chair, put her hands in her lap and looked at her left hand saying, “This is all so unbelievable! Someone pinch me and see if I’m dreaming all of this!”

With dinner finished, Mom topped off the meal with apple and pumpkin pie. As we ate and laughed, Priya asked Hindi, “Mrs. Rupak, what arrangements would you like to make concerning their courtship?”

Looking a Monaavi then at me she turned to Priya and answered, “I could come to work with her everyday but I don’t think that’s realistic. I think that I can trust Joan and you to properly chaperone Monaavi and Sean. This is my first experience with multiple marriages; do you have any suggestions?”

“Well,” Priya replied, “Leeya and I were talking. Although they would see each other in the morning and evening, there isn’t any time for courtship. We have agreed that if it’s to your liking, they can court for a few hours in the evening and three nights a week they can meet at your home. Does this meet with your approval?”

Ravi nodded and Hindi answered, “That seems reasonable.”

Looking at Monaavi, her mother asked, “How long of a courtship do you think is necessary?”

Looking at me Monaavi blushed and replied shyly, “Not long, maybe a month or two?”

Monaavi suddenly gasped and thought out loud, “Gosh, I’ve gotta go to the doctors to get on the pill.”

Smiling at her I asked, “Why? Didn’t you want a baby?”

Her eyes got as big as the turkey platter and gasped, “You mean?”

I gave her a warm confirming smile and nodded.

Putting her hands on her stomach she started crying again, sighed and whimsically said, “Oh – my – God, a baby!”

“Yeah” I confirmed, “and your Dad’s new job title is President In charge of Grandchildren!”

Everyone got a laugh out of that. Mom said, “Well, it seems my seamstress is getting a fortune’s worth of business from me, I’ll make the appointment for next week. I’ll get together with Hindi and we’ll make the arrangements for the wedding. Let’s set a date: how about two months from now, that’ll mean a late January wedding. How does that sound?”

Shaking her head in continued disbelief Monaavi blushed and nodded shyly. Priya added, “That’ll be right between Leeya’s and my birthdays! “Boy! What a birthday present: a new sister!”

Monaavi smiled at Priya and said, “Sister… That sounds so lovely!”

“And you too, little sister!” Monaavi added to Leeya.

Now it was Leeya’s turn to blush. Tina dropped her plate on the floor and we all turned to look at her. She had gravy and mashed potatoes all over her face, hands and in her hair. She looked at all of us staring at her and smiled. We broke out in laughter at the sight.

I nudged Monaavi’s hand and when she looked at me I pointed to Tina and said, “She’ll be your child too!”

With a happy giggle she quipped, “I love children — the more the merrier!”

After an exciting dinner, a babbling idiot proposing to a beautiful woman and with the knowledge that Monaavi would join our family permanently as my wife, we joyfully retreated to the living room for tea. I guess Monaavi was having a strong case of the Expectant Doting Mother Syndrome, or EDMS, and insisted in cleaning the dinner that Tina so playfully wore.

While we were in the living room, Priya and Monaavi attended to Tina. They returned with our smiling child and Priya asked out loud, “Can we have your attention for a minute?”

Everyone turned and became silent. Having everyone’s attention Priya said, “Monaavi and I were talking and we were wondering if we might change the wedding date.”

It didn’t make a difference to me and I said so. Mom asked, “Why? When do you propose?”

Priya looked at Monaavi expecting her to speak but my new fiancé flushed a rosy pink and covered her face with her veil. Priya chuckled and said, “Well, we were thinking. Monaavi said her periods are so regular you could set your watch by them. So, I suggested that she get married when she’s… ripe? If she’s lucky, she’ll get a wedding present, he, he, he.”

Mom chuckled and asked Monaavi, “Well, soon to be daughter, when will you be… ripe?”

Still covering her face, Monaavi replied barely audibly through her veil, “The second week in January.”

Mom, always one for a good tease quipped, “Second week of January it is! You and Sean can practice all week!”

Monaavi turned around embarrassed while Ravi smiled and chuckled, Hindi covered her smile and blushed and Leeya retorted, “Oh goody, goody, goody! We’re gonna make a baby!”

Priya playfully slapped Leeya’s arm and said, “Not we silly: them!”

“Oh yeah,” Leeya agreed, “them!”

After some more playful fun, we decided that we would pick Monaavi and Hindi up at ten the next morning and go shopping for her rings. None of us really wanted the evening to end, but it was now ten and getting late.

The women and girls exchanged familial hugs after which we offered our parting salaams to my future in-laws as they readied to leave. As Monaavi stood in the doorway to leave, she turned, looked back at us and said, “I still can’t believe it. One day soon, I’ll enter this, my new home, as a wife. I love you, Sean, more than you’ll ever know!”

“I love you too, Monaavi. Goodnight, Darling. We’ll see you in the morning.”

Still in dreamland Monaavi shook her head, smiled and said, “I’ll never get to sleep! Goodnight, Sean.”

She started to leave and turned back quickly and added “Oh and goodnight Priya, Leeya… and Mom.”

Mom’s eyes welled up and quipped, “It’s about time you stopped being so damn formal! Goodnight, Sweetie!”

With a giggle Monaavi turned and walked to the car and her waiting parents. We stood in the open doorway as they drove off. I shut the door and we turned to go back to the living room. As we stepped into the living room, Mom slapped me on the back and chided, “Well, lover boy, you were really suave and ‘deboner’ with that eloquent proposal, let me tell you!”

“Jeez, Mom,” I whined, “I was so scared she’d say no, my tongue was stuck in my throat!”

Priya giggled and retorted, “Yeah, and so was your brain!”

“Shut up!” Leeya shot back defending me, “I thought it was kinda nice!”

“Thank you, Munchkin,” I acknowledged, “I knew I could count on you.”

“Shut up, stutterer” Mom ordered. “Go to bed and get some sleep. Tomorrow girls, we’re gonna spend some serious money! I just love shopping for jewelry!”

Since it was late, and this was supposed to be Leeya’s night, Priya, Leeya and I decided to sleep together and Leeya would have tomorrow night. Once settled in bed, Tina was dry nursing on Leeya’s tiny breast bump when Leeya asked me, “What’s it feel like to be marrying a full grown woman?”

“I don’t know why,” I replied, “but it’s kind of scary.”

Priya commented, “She may be fully grown but inside she’s a lot like Leeya: still a kid.”

“I ain’t no kid!” Leeya shot back. “I’m just a tiny little woman!”

“You tell her, Sweetie,” I agreed.

“Sorry, Leeya,” Priya said, “I forgot you’re a nursing mother now.”

“Alright girls,” I refereed, “let’s get some sleep. I need to rest up and prepare myself so that you ‘women’ can spend a big chunk of my change tomorrow.”

“Goodnight, Sean,” Leeya said.

“Goodnight, Letch,” Priya added.

Goodnight, my little darlings,” I replied.