My Lovely Family

Chapter 22 - Exchanges

Thirteen years have passed. The Bunnies were living in Boston now, following in their mother's footsteps when she went to college. Cassandra, Gwendolyn, and Gabriella had already finished their master's degree. It was Kenny's graduation year. That day he was talking to Shanti by a device that resembled a more advanced computer. They could see each other as they spoke.

She wore a beautiful blue sari and beautiful gold jewelry. Shanti's college was near Keystone, so she didn't have to move. Already Kenny could only return to the city on vacation.

"You're lucky to be home already," he said. "I'll just get my degree tomorrow."

"Look on the bright side: you already finished and soon you can come back."

"Baruch Hashem! I can't wait to go back. I have a surprise for you."

"Oh really? Oh, Kenny, thank you so much!"

"You're welcome! I think you will like it."

"I hope so," she heard her mother coming. "Well, I have to go now, talk to you tomorrow."

"Okay then. See you another day. Bye!"

"Bye!"

After turning off the device, Shanti bowed her head sadly.

"I'm sorry, Kenny!"

(Opening theme)

Hema entered her daughter's room.

"Shanti! Oh, thank God! You are ready. Come, my daughter, the boy's family is about to arrive."

"But Mamadi, I don't want to do this…"

"Ahre, Shanti! After all the work Shadchan had to find a good guy around there you come to tell me something like that? There's no such thing as not wanting to do. We will at least meet the boy."

"Mamadi, please, I do not want…"

Harshad entered the room.

"Shanti, are you ready?"

"Baldi, please don't make me do this…"

"Shanti doesn't even want to meet the boy, Harshad," Hema complained.

"Daughter, I understand that you are nervous. Your brothers were too, but look how happy they are today with your sisters-in-law…"

"Baldi... Niraj, Karan, and Anuj didn't like any girls before they met them, it's different from my-" - she interrupted herself.

"Shanti, darling…" - Harshad thought a little - "So let's do this: let's just meet the boy so it doesn't get a bad impression, then we say they made other proposals and we will analyze each one before deciding."

"Oh! Todah rabah, Baldi!" - Shanti hugged her father gratefully - "Todah rabah*!"

"You're welcome, daughter! But later, you will tell me who your chosen one is."

(*Translation: "Thank you very much" in Hebrew)

A little way away, Ben and Gwen were fighting the Circus Freak Trio. They were much stronger than before. It took the Humungousaur to stop Thumbskull. Frightwig's hair was stronger and managed to hold Gwen for a while, but the heroine's energy was able to burn the ends that held her. Acid Breath was stopped by a joint action from Goop with a spell of Gwen.

When the couple returned to headquarters, they found Max talking to Cassandra in the main room.

"We'll work it out, Cassie! For someone who has defeated so many villains, this Ryan guy will be easy."

"The problem is people like when I hit the bad guys, great-grandpa. Already with Ryan, they get pain... Aaaaah!"

"Cassandra!" exclaimed Gwen. "What are you doing here, my daughter?"

"Shouldn't you be in the race?" asked Ben.

"Um, apparently you had to go out to fight at the time, and didn't see what happened," she replied.

"Cassandra had a problem with one of the drivers," Max explained. "And a bad problem."

"What happened, daughter?" asked Gwen.

"That idiot Charles Ryan threw the car at me and got us out of the race. Then he cursed me on the radio and said, 'This is not a woman's place'. Then I turned Four Arms and punched him in the face."

"In front of everyone?!" Ben was amazed.

"Yes, Dad! In front of everyone. And the worst is that now everyone has his pain, not even think from my side."

"The boy's fine before you ask," Max said. "But Cassie left a mess in his face."

"It's all black," Cassie said, smiling.

"And now she's mad because she's sure an annoying TV commentator will criticize her for that."

"He talks bad about everyone who defends itself against an annoying one. I'm sure if it was with him, he would have done even worse."

"Yeah... Will Harenga is dead, but he left heirs…" Ben lamented.

"Look... I shouldn't do that, but I'll help you," Gwen cast a forgetfulness spell, affecting television commentators from around the globe.

"And if Ryan comes with 'Cassandra attacked me', I swear I break all his bones."

"Calm down, Cassie…" - Ben reassured - "You did very well" - Cassandra smiled - "This guy is the combination of two types of people that is good to keep away: the envious and the poison tongue."

The elevator door opened and Natalie entered the room.

"I'm heeere!"

"Here's an example of the second type…" Ben said.

"Mom!" - Gwen rushed to hug her - "What a surprise!"

"I came here to visit my daughter…" - Natalie looked at Cassandra - "and my dear grandchildren. Hi, Cassie! Are you all right?"

"Grandma!" - she went to her - "I was telling them what happened today."

"Oh, I saw it! Cassie, you did very well! Picture this: the guy threw the car on her, then he started to curse. She did a good job of hitting him. Next time, call Grandma to help you" - after congratulating her granddaughter, Natalie went to greet her father-in-law.

"And how are things, my daughter-in-law?"

"Very well, thank God! Frank wanted to go somewhere before coming here. I decided to come right to see how you are doing. Since my grandchildren went to college I see them less and less."

"Lucky them…" Ben said in a voice of regret.

"Oh really? So why didn't you go to college instead of bumming around, Ben?"

"For your government, mommy-in-law, while your daughter was studying, I was saving the world."

"Of course ... with so many wars out there, I see you did a great job!"

"Snake!"

"Drunk!"

Kenny lived in the same house as his mother when she was in Boston. His younger sisters lived with him.

"Shanti will be so happy," Karina said.

"I hope so!" he replied. "I cannot wait to see her again."

"Apparently it was written in your destiny that you were staying with Shanti," Talitha noted.

"Haha, hopefully!"

Since he thought he was too young to like anyone, Kenny has kept Shanti as her friend since he was 10. When he had to move to another state, he kept contacting her, but only as friends. During his Boston years, Kenny had four girlfriends, but they all disappointed him. Shanti also had other boyfriends, but the situation was the same. After a while, he concluded that she was the one he really loved, but never found the right time to say that.

In the living room, Shanti was sitting facing a young black-haired, brown-eyed Indian boy like her. Her parents and siblings talked to his. Everyone said about the qualities of the girl.

"Shanti is a great cook," said Harshad. "She can make the typical foods of every holiday. And all who taste are greatly admired."

"Oh, this is wonderful!" exclaimed the boy's father. "We were looking for a good cook to be Anik's wife!"

"And besides, she's a very cultured and intelligent girl. She knows all the main values of our people and the prayers and blessings of Shabbat. Ohhhh, and Shanti's Hebrew... you have to see... it's impeccable! Simply perfect!

She kept listening to what her father said about her to Anik's parents. From time to time she looked at him and he at her. Anik was a handsome boy, no doubt, but not even close to Kenny.

"And what's very important to know about Shanti... she's a friend of the Tennysons!"

The boy's parents exclaimed in surprise and happiness.

"She's very close to the Bunnies. Everyone likes her very much. Imagine, about 13 years ago, Ben Tennyson himself came here just to invite Shanti to a party there! We all went, and we saw how much they liked her."

"Ahre Baba! So she befriends the greatest heroes in the universe! Ohhh, I knew, I knew Shadchan was right to refer her to our son!"

"And Shanti was the big attraction of the day. She pleased everyone with her dance. It delighted the eyes of the guests. Come on, daughter," - Harshad called you into the center of the room - "show them the dance you did for the Tennysons."

She obeyed. Danced beautifully. To calm down, she imagined she was dancing for Kenny. Anik and his parents were amazed.

"It's her, Baldi!" claimed the young man. "She is the one I want!"

"Ahre, Anik! We haven't even finished talking about her and you already decided?"

"Needless to say," he got up, went to her and took her hands. "She's perfect!" - Anik looked her right in the eye - "She is the wife I want!" - Shanti pretended to be happy.

"Tiki heh! It's decided then! We accept the girl! Shanti Songavkar is the chosen one. When do we schedule the wedding?"

"But already?" - Harshad looked at his daughter, who was trying to indicate to her father that he did not want to marry the boy - "We are in no hurry to marry our daughter…"

"Oh, but our son liked her so much... why wait? She is 23 years old, at a good age to marry."

"Well, other boys made proposals too, but you can rest easy. We will only receive them for education. We are seeing that Shanti also liked Anik very much."

"Yeah, soooo…" Shanti thought wryly as she gave a discreet yellow smile.

"We'll get the others just to not make a bad impression and then we will call you to arrange the wedding. Combined?"

"Combined!" Anik's father shook Harshad's hand.

"AHTCHA! AHTCHA! AHTCHA!" the four parents exclaimed.

Later, Shanti returned to her bedroom, followed by her father.

"See, Shanti? It was not so bad! Now tell your Baldi who is the elect of your heart."

"Baldi…" - she was happy for her father's understanding, but at the same time nervous about revealing the truth - "... well, I don't know if I can tell."

"But why not? I want to help you, make things easier for you. But to make the wedding, you have to say who he is."

"But, Baldi... we don't have to schedule the wedding now. We can expect more…" - Shanti interrupted herself when her mother entered the room.

"Shanti, the deal was that you were getting married when you finished your studies."

"I know, Mamadi, but…"

"I didn't have that stewardship. My parents arranged my marriage when I was 18 without further ado."

"Hema…" said Harshad. "If Shanti feels better marrying someone she already knows, what's the harm in accepting it? Tell, daughter, who is the boy?"

"I can't tell, Baldi," she said with her head down.

"But why Shanti?" the father began to get impatient.

"I... I…"

"She likes Kenny, baldi," Niraj said.

"Niraj!"

"Kenny? Which Kenny?" asked Harshad.

"Kenny Tennyson," said her brother.

"Ohhh, it can't be true…" - Hema said. "It can't be…"

"Shanti, my daughter, tell your Baldi: is the boy you like really Kenny Tennyson?"

"Yes, Baldi" she lowered her head again.

"AHRE BAGWANDHI!" he exclaimed nervously. "A GOY!* A GENTILE, SHANTI! Are you aware of what this means? Want to marry a goy?"

(*Translation: "goy" is the Hebrew term by which Jews call non-Jews; it is NOT a pejorative term)

"But... Baldi... he is the one I love…"

"Shanti, you know very well, mixed marriages are forbidden! Forbidden! You marry the son of a Presbyterian couple, so how it gets? Will you leave your people? Your belief? Your faith?"

"No, Baldi, but…" Shanti was scared, with tears in her eyes.

"See, Harshad? That's what we get when we are too soft to them"

"Don't be unfair, Hema. Our children married whom we arranged for them. With Shanti, it will be no different."

"Baldi, please…" - Shanti tried to hold back the cry - "Kenny can convert…"

"Conversion must be done from the heart, not because you are interested in a Jew, Shanti. And you know this."

"Imagine…" - Hema complained - "just because Ben spent three years in Israel and speaks a little Hebrew, she thinks she can marry his son…"

"That's not true, Mamadi... I know they not Jewish, but…"

"And you still have 'but'?" Harshad asked. "Even though he's the son of superheroes, Shanti, you can't marry a goy. That is the law!"

"But Baldi, our people no longer make arranged marriages for years and…"

"And what did we get from this? Mixed marriages and assimilation. Just problems. I will not have diverted grandchildren, Shanti!"

"But I don't want to marry Anik!"

"Would you rather marry a gentile than a wonderful boy who liked you at first sight?"

"Baldi, we are in America. That's not logical…"

"We are here," Hema said, "but we can't forget where we came from and who we are. It is decided, Shanti! You will marry Anik and end of chat!"

Shanti begged her parents to let her stay with Kenny, but they were irreducible. Hopelessly, she spent the rest of the day locked in her room, crying.

Five days later, Kenny arrived from Boston. After spending time with his family at headquarters, he went for a walk with his board. He found Shanti sitting on the shoulder of the Ben 10,000 statue. He came quickly to meet her.

"Shanti! Here!"

"Kenny!" - she looked at him hopefully and gave him a tight hug.

"Finally! I was missing you!"

"Oh, Kenny! Glad to see you again!" - only then she noticed that he was wearing a kippah, a tallit, and had a Magen David hanging around his neck - "Kenny, what does all this mean?"

"It's your surprise!" - he took a paper from his pocket - "See this here."

She started reading the document. When she finished, Shanti grinned and turned to her friend.

"You mean that…"

"That you're looking at a new person!" - Kenny said excitedly -" I converted while I was in Boston. You are now looking at Kenny Tennyson: Hebrew name David ben Avram."

"BARUCH ATA ADONAI! BARUCH ATA ADONAI!" she shouted as she hugged Kenny with all her might and cried emotioned.

"Ohhh, I knew you would be happy. Now you have a little Jewish friend!"

"Thank God, Kenny! You came at a good time! My parents are about to make me a disgrace," she said desperately.

"What?!"

"You're the only one who can help me!"

Kenny took Shanti to headquarters and she explained everything to the Tennyson.

"And now they want to marry a boy I don't even like," she cried again. Kenny hugged her.

"Poor Shanti!" exclaimed Max. "There must be some way to reverse that."

Natalie called Shanti to talk.

"Come here, child!" she caressed her. "Don't cry, Shanti! We are against it too, but your parents are not mean. They just want your good... you know, honey, there are parents who don't want their daughter to marry…" - she looked at Ben - "with a fret!" - her son-in-law waved his hand like a snake.

"Mrs. Natalie, what should I do?"

"Explain to them that you do not feel well marrying a stranger."

"But I've tried... they don't want to hear me."

"Honey," Gwen began. "You're not getting married obligated. We will help you!"

"Thank you, Mrs. Gwen!"

Suddenly there was a new attack on the city. Zombozo had a new weapon that sucked people's energy and made them zombies. The Tennysons rushed to the scene. Shanti went with them

Using XLR8, Ben tried to reach the villain, but Zombozo's device caught his movements and managed to deflect. Gwen tried to use her spells but got no results. Cassandra used Ghostfreak and Kenny Ditto. The other sisters, even having Omnitrix, preferred to use spells. As much as the Tennysons tried, it seemed that nothing beat Zombozo.

Shanti's parents spotted her and took her to a safe street where Anik and his family were. The boy put her in his arms.

"Don't worry, Shanti, I protect you."

But when Zombozo tried to hit Kenny with a shot from his machine, the shot came close to the girl's fiancé. He ran scared.

"Great hero, no?" she said wryly as she looked at her parents.

With a punch, Zombozo hit XLR8 and Omnitrix brought Ben back to normal. He was down. Gwen went to help her husband and created a mana barrier to protect them from the villain. The Bunnies tried once again to stop him but failed. But when it seemed that Zombozo's victory was inevitable, he was hit from behind with a flying fighter. Falling to the ground, he left his machine exposed and the person who hit him motioned to Kenny. It was Shanti. With all six Ditto's casting the spell at the same time, the device was destroyed, people regained their energy and returned to normal. The villain has been arrested by the Plumbers.

"You were amazing, Shanti! Saved us all!" congratulated Kenny.

"Thanks! I wanted to help too."

"Now you know who to call when you see a clown, Cassie," Gwendolyn joked.

"Yeah! None of them beat Shanti!" she answered.

"Welcome to the club!" Gabriella congratulated her.

The Indians were at headquarters with the Tennysons.

"And that's it…" Shanti explained to her parents how she felt. "I don't want to let you down, but I'm not comfortable with another man," she hugged her friend. "My heart belongs to Kenny."

Harshad and Hema analyzed the young man's certificate of conversion.

"You converted according to Halacha*, Kenny," the girl's father said. "You're officially a member of the Jewish people. So... there is no obstacle to keep you from being together."

(*Halacha = Jewish law)

Shanti and Kenny smiled. She ran into her father's arms.

"Todah rabah, Baldi! Todah rabah!"

"You're welcome, my love!" he kissed her on the forehead. "We want you to be happy!"

"Next to an honorable hero like Kenny," Hema said.

Shanti returned to the beloved's side.

"And... do we need to get married so soon?" she asked.

"No... get married when you want!" answered the father.

"So... do I have your blessing?" Kenny addressed Harshad.

"Absolutely!" he replied.

"And me, yours?" Shanti asked Kenny's parents.

"It will be my pleasure to have you as a daughter-in-law, Shanti!" answered Gwen.

"And we hope you are very happy!" wished Ben.

"You got along, Shanti!" Natalie said before looking at her son-in-law. "You'll get a GREAT mother-in-law!"

"Quite different from mine…" he lamented.

Kenny lifted Shanti off the ground and spun three times. They kissed as everyone shouted "MAZAL TOV!".

Author's Notes

1) "Mazal Tov" means "good luck", but it is used by Jews to congratulate someone.

2) This chapter doesn't aim to discriminate ancient Jewish customs (the author herself is Jewish).