Disclaimer: I do not cheat or steal.

Sacrificing Hoboe

By: Renachi

The anxious in my heart rose again, stealing my breath away as I took a good look at my father's silhouette in the doorway.

"Come in Musa." His voice was more inviting than I had expected, yet I could still sense the foreign sound of graveness in it. He didn't call me Muse like he usually did, reminding me of our broken relationship.

He led me into a room, and politely urged me to take a seat, as if I were a new guest in the house I grew up. He had left everything in the house just the way it had been when I left it: the piano, furniture, and the various historical antiques he collected as a hobby.

I couldn't help but notice the musty atmosphere of the house, which signaled that no one had properly cleaned the house for a while. A thin coat of dust had settled down on the piano, and I could see mold growing in the corners of the walls. My dad had never liked cleaning.

"Wait a minute. I'll go serve the tea," he told me before disappearing into the kitchen, leaving me alone to struggle with my thoughts.

It couldn't go back now. I had already made my decision. I chose Riven over my dad, plain and simple, yet I couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow in my chest.

I shouldn't have visited home, but it was Father's Day. Even though my dad disowned me and refused to attend my humble wedding with Riven, I couldn't cut the man who gently nurtured me as a child out of my heart. Not even his burning words that stung me painfully, marking me with a torturing, permanent scar, could scare me away.

I watched as she watched one of the important men in my life stumbled out of the kitchen with a tray trembling in his withered hands. I realized the weakness in his body even though he still carried the same, stubborn, fierce spirit that he had shared with me when I was a little.

He handed me a cup of herbal tea with his gnarled fingers, and I noticed the affects of severe arthritis. I couldn't help but worry.

"Are you taking care of yourself?" I asked with a tentative sip of tea.

"Nothing for you to worry about," he easily dismissed, his lips quivering as he fell into expression of frustration as if he was wrestling against a force in his mind. Finally, he spoke again, "How is that man?"

"Riven is doing well."

"I have a room in this house for you to live in if you ever divorce him."

I felt my throat clench and burn once again, just like that time a year ago when he had expression his extreme objection to marrying Riven. The event replayed itself in my mind.

"Muse, you can't marry Riven. He won't take care of you."

I trembled defiantly. "Hoboe! I love Riven more than you can imagine, and he loves me! Why can't you just accept that I need him?"

"Musa! You listen to me!" I jumped at the loudness of my father's voice. I had never heard his voice with such a violent tone. Hoboe raised a stern, trembling finger at me as if he wanted to hit me, so I back away at the fierceness in his coal black eyes. "That man will not take care of you like a husband! You just wait. In a couple of years, he'll leave you. If you marry him, you'll just regret it."

I tried to swallow the tears building up in my eyes. My throat burned, and I could feel a tingling sensation flowing to my nose as I tried to hide any show of weakness.

"I'll would rather take the risk. I'll never know till I try."

"And ruin your life? I don't think so."

"You want me to marry a doctor right?" I grimaced. "You've always been this way. You just want me to marry someone wealthy."

"And what's wrong with that? A wealthy man would take care of you and provide you with everything you need like love, food, a house over your head, and clothing."

"But I love Riven!"

"Love?" he scoffed with sharp bitterness lining his lips. "You mean lust? You mean passion? Such things are so fragile and disappear after a few years. You'll definitely regret marrying because of love. Right now you just don't know because of your naivety and youth. You've just graduated."

I tried to act calm and composed so I could reason with the intolerable man, even though my inside were convoluting with anger and pain. "Why do you hate him so much?"

"He's a bad boy. He's exactly the type who would discard his wife once he got tired of her. He's doesn't even have a family. Plus he's from a different culture."

"Culture?" I spat. "You mean he's a different race. Get over your damn racism!" I knew I couldn't hold back my fury any long, and it all came spewing out like a broken dam.

"Why can't you accept other races that aren't from this planet? What's wrong with you? I'm sick of your unreasonable ideals and prejudice about who I should marry and your faulty reasoning that everything in this world is attributed to money, money, money, money! And now you are trying to stop me from marrying Riven just because you want me to marry a richer husband with a stuck up attitude who would probably treat me like a plaything, an ornament, or even a little trophy of his! Marriage isn't all about riches and race. Can you give up those outdated beliefs of yours?"

I struggled to catch my breath, gasping for air, and suddenly felt dehydrated after I cried out the gushing streams of tears. I carefully studied my father and his enraged expression and made sure that every word of my speech had left a lasting impression. I wanted him see things my way. However, my little walk with words had left my father in shambles. He had given up, but not in the way I wanted him to.

"I'll give you two choices." He paused for a moment as I studied him carefully. "You either pick me or Riven."

At first, I froze, not being able to believe my ears, but once I escape from my delusions and denial, I grew furious. Blinded by anger, I chose Riven without hesitation.

Now, the same man who offered me that life-changing ultimatum stood in front of me. Looking back, I thought I made the right decision. If I had chosen otherwise and later on in life regretted leaving Riven, I would have definitely blamed my father for my miserable life. But now, I started to think differently. I had been so stubbornly confident back then, but now with my broken father in front of me, I started to have second thoughts.

"Sorry…" The word accidently escaped my mouth like a free bird. Once I realized my action, I couldn't take it back. I curiously glanced at Hoboe to hear his reply, but it never came.

Hoboe's face grew pale, and translucent, and he started sweating profusely as he clutched chest and gasped. I immediate flew to his side to grab his hand to take a pulse. I immediately noticed the clamminess of his whole body and his continual struggle to breathe to stay alive.

"Dad!"

After a quick phone call, the paramedics rushed over to the house. Tears of panic clouded my vision, as I watched paramedics hook him up to machines and take his vital signs. My dad had gotten a heart attack.

Happy Father's Day.

This definitely isn't my best work. I only spent a short time writing it and proofreading it, but since Father's Day was quickly approaching, I published the oneshot anyways. This was suddenly inspired during the time right before I go to bed when I'm half-asleep when I muse. I usually get all my ideas during then.

Anyways, the main purpose of this oneshot is to show the attitude of some parents. I don't want to make a sweeping generalization, but I'm observed on many cases that several strict East Asian parents, specifically parents from Chinese, Japanese, or Korean descent, pressure their kids to marry within the culture. They also emphasize marrying someone rich, hopefully a doctor (as in my case), lawyer, or a business man. My parents are a perfect example of a case like that because I, myself, am Chinese. In order to marry outside their race, children end up breaking relationships with their parents, and I've seen this happen many times before.

Now here is the big question for tonight: do you support Musa decision on marrying for love or Hoboe's decision on not marrying? You have to pick one. I would pick Hoboe because even though I don't agree with his view on marriage, I believe that Musa shouldn't marry Riven so early in life. Once you get marry and have babies, you are forced into adulthood and the fun ends. Plus, I doubted Musa and Riven were mature enough to survive in a marriage (as shown in the show). Research proves that many marriages that begin when the couple aren't matured end in divorce. I think that Riven needs to wait till he matures even if it takes a decade (men matures slower than women...sorry men). Plus a lot of interracial marriage also end in divorce sadly. It is hard to learn someone else's culture and adapt, and not everyone can do it. It takes patience and perseverance. As you can see, I love talking about relationships.

What do you think? So don't be shy and please REVIEW to tell me what you think. I wanted this oneshot to start conversations and debates about relationships and marriage. That's my ulterior motive.

And Happy Father's Day. Free brownies to all the fathers and future fathers out there. Sorry mothers and future mothers. I got nothing for you except love.

Renachi