Anna's father looked away, waved his family along behind him, and walked out of the hall.
And in that moment, inside the banquet hall, I had my head tilted, watching Chris.
It was time for the toasts and meeting the family. Chris, glass in hand, was greeting my elders one at a time. He worked the room so warmly, so smoothly, that he had every one of them grinning. My mom laughed until her whole face crinkled, patting Chris's hand again and again, over the moon about this son-in-law.
I stood next to Chris, watching him get peppered with questions by the elders, always smiling, endlessly patient. When nobody was looking, I pulled him aside and whispered, "Chris, thank you for coming to help today. If you feel like you got roped into this, I'll explain it to my parents later—say you were j
