Telling Anna’s Parents
Tuesday, continued…
Anna dialed her parents’ home number in Warrnambool, Australia. The phone rang three times before it was answered.
“Jones residence, Meredith speaking.”
“Hi Mum, it’s Anna. Is Dad there?”
“Hi sweetheart, yes he is. Do you need to speak to him?”
“No, I actually need to speak to both of you. Are you able to put the phone on speaker?”
“Sure, let me just call your dad. I need to keep this call short as it will be costing you significantly.”
“Mum, don’t worry about the cost. Just call Dad, and I can tell you what you need to know.”
There was some rustling on the other end as Meredith called out to Stan. “Stan, come in here. Anna is on the phone and wants to speak to us.”
Anna felt the nervousness well up in her chest. She could feel Hou Yi watching her intently. He reached over, squeezing her hand. “Just go with what you told Officer Mu. Everything will be OK,” he said softly.
A few seconds later, both of her parents’ voices came through the line. “Hi sweetheart,” they both said at once, their tone betraying a hint of concern.
“Hi Mum, Hi Dad. Sorry to disturb you,” Anna said, trying to keep her voice steady.
“No worries, sweetheart. What’s going on?” Stan’s voice came through, full of worry.
“Mum, Dad, I need to let you know something. Could you please sit down and let me speak without interruption, please?”
“Anna, I will do what I need,” her mother replied.
“Mum, please don’t be difficult, just listen. I know it wasn’t a secret that I had some reservations about marrying Jinhu, but I agreed to marry him in front of his parents. However, there’s a lot more to everything,” Anna continued, her heart pounding.
She paused, taking a calming breath before pushing forward. “You know, before Jinhu asked me to marry him, I was already questioning our relationship. But when I said yes, I committed to it and pushed my doubts aside. Six months ago, things started to change for me when I literally ran into someone at the office.”
Anna paused, swallowing hard. “That encounter made me start questioning whether Jinhu was the person for me. I was in conflict with myself because of the commitment I’d already made. But the man I met—he listened to me, and one thing he said stuck with me: I needed to resolve my doubts before I married.”
“I passed by him by chance at the Australian Embassy when I was finalizing the paperwork to marry here. Just that brief encounter made me realize I couldn’t marry Jinhu. Our contact continued, and through our talks, I knew I had to be with him if I wanted a chance at happiness.”
Anna stopped for a moment, letting the words settle. “I spent days agonizing over how to break up with Jinhu before moving forward with this relationship, the one that I know will secure my happiness.”
Her voice wavered. “But before I could do that, Jinhu dumped me, entering an arranged marriage. Rather than waiting, the man I know will make me happy—Hou Yi—asked me to marry him. We decided there was no reason to delay and got our marriage certificate today.”
There was silence on the other end of the line before her parents spoke, voices raised in shock and disbelief.
“What, sweetheart?!” came both Meredith and Stan, their voices overlapping in shock.
“Mum, Dad, I decided not to marry Jinhu. I married the man I know can make me happy today—Hou Yi.” Anna could feel the tears starting to well up, but she tried her best to keep them at bay.
Before her parents could respond, Hou Yi gently took the phone from Anna’s hands. His voice was calm but firm as he introduced himself. “Mr. and Mrs. Jones, my name is Hou Yi. Please forgive me for interrupting, but Anna is struggling to contain her emotions. I fell in love with your daughter six months ago, but as she had committed herself to Lu Jinhu, I only wanted to support her, not to interfere. I wasn’t going to end her relationship if that wasn’t what she wanted.”
He paused for a moment, letting his words sink in. “She already told you what happened at the Australian Embassy, and when we spoke afterward, she immediately told me she could not marry Jinhu. She knew her happiness would come from marrying me. We agreed to marry but decided not to act on it until some time had passed from her ending things with Jinhu.”
“Today, when she found out he had entered an arranged marriage, we decided there was no reason to delay getting our marriage certificate. We wanted you to know this now, before we’ve told my family. I arranged for the formalities to be filmed, as neither of our families were present, and I’ll make sure to send you a copy for your records.”
“I know we didn’t ask for your permission before getting our marriage certificate, and for that, I am sorry. But when the opportunity presented itself, we decided not to waste a day. We wanted to start our life together, and so we did.”
“While we do not regret it, we plan to have a formal marriage ceremony in Australia so that it is easier for your family and friends to attend. My family will prefer we have it here, but they will accept our decision.”
Anna’s parents were silent for a moment before Meredith’s angry voice broke the stillness. “Anna, I cannot believe it. You should have spoken to us. You’ve just run from one situation to another!”
“Anna, I’m so disappointed in you. You have no respect for a relationship, and you should have spoken to us first,” Stan’s voice came, filled with frustration.
Anna’s heart shattered, and she couldn’t hold it back anymore. The tears started to flow. “Mum, Dad, I know what I’m doing. And I’m happy,” she managed through her sobs.
Hou Yi’s voice was firm and protective as he responded. “Mr. and Mrs. Jones, we wanted you to hear about our marriage from us first. Your anger is upsetting Anna, and I will not allow that. She is my priority, and I will protect her from all harm—even this anger. My assistant will contact you tomorrow to confirm the email with all the details.”
Anna could hear the crack in her voice as she spoke next. “Please try to understand. I did what felt right for me.”
There was no immediate response from her parents, just the weight of their disappointment hanging in the air.
