A man reflects on his experience seeking permission from his future father-in-law to marry his daughter. After getting engaged, he learns he must ask her father, which makes him anxious about the potential rejection. Visiting her father's home, he hopes to avoid the conversation altogether as they chat over tea. Eventually, he awkwardly broaches the subject of marriage, prompting his father-in-law to question how he plans to support his daughter, leading to a moment of introspection about their future together.
I had to put off calling my own mother, in case my future father-in-law said no. We drove up the road to my girlfriend's father's house, where he lived with his second wife.
Then my wife turned to her father and said, Why don't you show him your extension? My wife's father and I went upstairs to examine his half-finished loft conversion.
So, I guess the reason I've come here today, I said, is really to ask your permission to marry your daughter. A considerable pause followed. I see, he said finally.
And how do you plan to keep her in the style to which she has become accustomed? I didn't expect questions. Well, I said. I sort of figured she might eventually get used to worse.
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