Chapter 8

Sean pretty much spent the next day, Friday at home and played with Duke all day. Megumi’s last class was over at 4:45.

His parent’s home was twenty minutes further away from Bethesda than she was in northern Baltimore city. So, to be sure he got to her house before she did, he left home for her house at 4pm.

Megumi called Sean at 4:47 as she was walking out of class and headed to her car. “Hey flyboy, where you at?”

“I’m on 95S headed to your house. Hurry up. We hafta meet with your parents, so I can beg for your tiny little hand in marriage.”

“Will you give it back after you propose?”

“Nope. I’m gonna keep it forever and ever.”

“Great! I’m marrying a dufus.”

“But I’m a loveable dufus.”

“Alright, Dufus, are we getting my rings tomorrow?”

“Honestly, you might agree that your mom will want to go along. Does she work tomorrow?”

“No. I made sure of that. You are behind the curve, Dufus. Mom and Suki are going with me to spend your money on my rings. It’s a family affair.”

“Am I still king of the castle?”

“Yes, my darling Dufus, but not the treasury.”

“Mayday, Mayday, I’ve been hit. Taking incoming,”

“Just an FYI, we Japanese take no prisoners.”

“Damn! And here we thought all the Japanese made were cars...”

“Don’t bemoan your fate, Dufus, I will love you long time!”

“Ho, ho, you are a very naughty girl.”

She blew him a kiss over the phone...

“Okay, I capitulate. What size ring did you have in mind?”

“I’m not greedy. I’d be happy with a ¾ carat princess cut diamond.”

“Not a one carat?”

“My darling Dufus. I am confident of your love and generosity.”

She heard him chuckle over the phone and asked, “Did I say something amusing, Dear?”

“No, just thinking I’m goner...”

⸟

Making dinner that evening was a family affair. James taught Sean the finer art of grilling 1¼” Ribeye steaks along with the baked potatoes. James passed on the history and waxed long and colorful about how the revered BBQ grille is the man’s domain. From rub to plate, each man develops his own secret seasonings. It’s a rite of passage into becoming a true and devoted family man.

The womenfolk did what womenfolk do in the kitchen. They tittered and giggled and chopped the veggies with the skill and speed of a Japanese Shokumin chef [expert artistic meat cutting chef].

Right before the food was served, Midori and Suki showed up. It seems that the husband of that family was left to do his thing alone, nether mother or daughter caring one iota.

Right after everyone was seated, Sean asked Suki how things with Josh were going. He just wanted to make her blush in front of the grownups. As expected, she gave him a polite bow, blushed a very pretty shade of pink, smiled and replied, “Very well, doumo arigato.”

Megumi playfully slapped him under the table. Sean asked Megumi if she’d helped Suki apply to UMBC. She replied, “I spoke to the registrar, and she said that it was too late for fall enrollment. But that she had been accepted to begin the second semester.”

Keiko, James and especially Midori looked at Suki in shock, and her mom asked, “You got accepted to an American college!?”

Suki beamed with a 1000-watt smile and said with a head nod, “Hai! I will either need to move into a dorm, or Josh said he was going to talk to his parents about staying with them. He said I could sleep in Sean’s room. If I did that, we would save 12.6 thousand dollars for room and board. The tuition will be $4,500 per semester. I wanted to tell everyone this evening and share it with those who have loved and supported me. Sean, thank you for the suggestion and for Josh’s help.”

James slapped the table and said, “Midori, your daughter is going to go to the University of Maryland, a nationally ranked college.”

Midori was wiping her eyes with her napkin. Megumi gave Sean a kiss on the cheek right at the table. Megumi caught everyone up on her progress to graduate by the end of the year, and she said it was going to be close. But probably sometime in December.

James took the obligatory head bow and thanks for the perfectly grilled steaks. After dinner, the girls made short order of the dishes. Next came the main event.

With everyone around the table, Sean and Megumi on one side, her parents sitting directly across the table from them, Suki on one end and Midori on the other.

Sean, was holding Megumi’s hand on top of the table, fidgeting for a moment, and began. James dialed a number. When he’d connected, he set the phone in the middle of the table. He said, “Your mom and Dad are listening to this also, is that alright with you two?”

Both Megumi and Sean nodded, and Sean said, “Sure! The more the merrier!”

Sean said as he began to tear up, “Mom, Dad, I feel the need to proceed after we pray as a family.”

James said. “I agree, Son. We should ask for the Lord’s direction and blessing that we are living in His will for our lives. Go ahead, Son, open us up in prayer.”

“Heavenly Father, please bless this house and this family. Please guide me and Megumi as we ask for our parents’ blessing on our request. Bless Megumi and I as we embark to fulfill your word. You commanded that a man shall leave his mother and father and cleave to his wife. They shall become one flesh: Bone of bone and flesh of flesh. We are to go together, be fruitful and multiply. Please help us to remain true to your word as we proceed in love. In, Christ’s name we pray.”

Everyone said, “Amen.”

Sean continued with, “I feel a part of this family already. But I still feel the need to be formal at this time. Ms. Keiko, Mr. James, I am so very honored to have the love of your daughter, Megumi. I truly believe that the Lord has affected events to put us together to become life partners.

“In return for Megumi’s hand in marriage. I vow tonight before family, friends and God to love, honor, cherish and protect your daughter as my own flesh for as long as either of us draw breath.”

Keiko was controlling her deeply felt emotions. She said, “Sean, I agree that I also believe that the Lord brought you two together. I will say that the most pivotal factor for me was that you are the only man besides James that has been able to put my heart at ease about trusting you with my daughter. She is my life. She is the beauty I have been graced by God to give this world.