Jude was nervous. He was going to see Sara’s parents for the first time. He wished this was something he could avoid, but he knew it was a necessity.

Of course he understood the concept and importance of meeting the parents, no matter how much he would rather do without it.

He had been the one pestering Sara to take him to see her parents because he wanted to get the wedding over with. He loved Sara and was ready to put a ring on it.

The only thing in the way was meeting the parents and he had pushed for it.

But now they were almost there, he wasn’t so sure. He was driving and could feel his palms on the steering wheel sticky with sweat.

He told himself to calm down. They were human beings and not monsters or deities for crying out loud. And they could not ignore the way he had made Sara happy in the past year since he had known her and still object to them getting married.

He stole a glance sideways at Sara who was unconcernedly surfing the net on her phone. His head told him that was his cue. If Sara who knew her parents was not bothered, then why should he be petrified?

He took a deep breath to calm himself but it still didn’t work. He couldn’t dissuade this culminating feeling of doom.

Somehow, he just felt like it was bent to end in disaster. But then again, he wouldn’t trust his intuition. He was a known pessimist and it had to be the usual pessimism coming to play here.

When they got to Sara’s house and sat down, Sara’s family treated them so well, prepared a feast for them.  Jude decided he needed therapy in the near future, as his mind keeps playing tricks on him.

And even before they barely sat, they had already been treated to different delicacies.

After getting their chow down and were all settled, Sara’s parents sat down opposite Jude and Sara in the family’s living room and took the serious stance – the stance Jude feared.

“You are welcome, my son,” her father started.

“Thank you sir.”

“Sara has told us a lot about you and I can see that she is really happy. I believe I owe that to you.”

“It is my pleasure sir. I love her so her happiness comes automatically to me,” Jude answered modestly but he was already feeling confident.

Her father nodded. “So where are you from, son?”

“Ijebu,” Jude replied with ease as Sara’s mother suddenly gasped loudly.

Sara immediately moved to him and held him as if in defiance while her parents exchanged glances.

Before Jude could ask what was wrong, Sara’s father said, “You cannot marry my daughter.”

“What?” Jude asked before he could stop himself. “Why?”

“Well, because I cannot give my daughter to an ijebu man. You people are stingy people and that is the last person I want my daughter with.”

“He is not stingy, daddy. He is different,” Sara cried but her father was no longer interested. He stood up with finality and walked out of the room with his wife on his trail.

Jude’s eyes went from them to Sara, completely dumbfounded. How could they completely judge him based on where he came from? Shouldn’t the love and happiness their daughter found in him be enough?

What do you think? Should tribal or ethnic differences be enough to stop people from being together?