Then Marcus’s mother, Betty, moved closer to me.
“What do you think of them together?” she asked quietly.
I hesitated.
“I don’t want you to misunderstand me.”
I lowered my voice.
“I just always imagined Kira with someone more like her.”
To my surprise, Betty nodded.
“I understand exactly what you mean.”
I turned toward her.
“You do?”
“I don’t think Marcus should marry Kira either.”
She glanced toward them.
“I always imagined him with someone who understood our family and our traditions.”
For the first time all evening, I felt relieved.
“You understand.”
Betty leaned closer.
“We cannot let this wedding happen.”
I nodded.
“No. We can’t.”
And that was how the strangest alliance of my life began.
Betty and I both convinced ourselves that we were protecting our children.
We started criticizing everything about the wedding.
She complained about Kira’s dress and argued that it didn’t respect traditions important to Marcus’s family.
