It is a romantic story but I can't remember the name or the author
I believe C Stanton Leman?
He had Child Brides of India which is similar to what you describe, where his father's business associate tried to arrange a marriage between the son and the associate's daughter (and the boy ended up marrying both daughters).
He also had one where a boy ended up 'forced' to marry a muslim girl whose life he saved from 'morality police' in Iran, IIRC.
So, I suspect you combined the two stories in your memory.
his father's middle East iridescent
Either dad had a shiny, rainbow colored "something" from the middle east, or spell-check strikes again. Would be interesting to know what was intended.
Would be interesting to know what was intended.
Descent would seem to best fit the context.
Descent as in ancestry, where his ancestors were from.
Would be interesting to know what was intended.
It depends on the story he was talking about. In Child Brides... 'associate'
The other, I believe his parents were on a archaelogical dig? So that's a little more up in the air as to what was meant.