Of child-bearing hips and slow swimmers

"About time! What took you so long to open the door?" it was Kavan's mother. Despite her tall and lean son, Kavan's mother is plump and short. She glared at him despite him towering over her.

"Ma, what are you doing here?" Kavan asked, shocked to find his mother standing there looking annoyed.

"You should have called before coming over," he added.

"Why? Do you have something to hide?" his mother asked. She pushed him aside without waiting for his reply and stride purposely into the waiting area where Sabrina is sitting primly. Sabrina had smoothened her hair as much as she could and can only hope it didn't look too tousled.

The plump elderly woman stared at Sabrina, as if sizing her up. She looked at the younger woman from head to toe. Sabrina, knowing how Asian moms can get, kept her composure and pasted a friendly smile on her face. She stood up and tipped her head in deference to the older woman.

"Hello, aunty," Sabrina greeted her.

"Who might you be?" the elderly woman asked icily.

Kavan came in to stand next to Sabrina.

"She's my girlfriend, Sabrina Chang," he quickly said, taking Sabrina's hand in his.

"Humphh…girlfriend? Her?" his mother gave Sabrina another speculative look. "Since when? You didn't mention any girl when you last called home,"

Kavan squeezed Sabrina's hand, as if indicating to her not to say anything. She kept her silence, intuitively understanding what Kavan wanted.

"Well, er…I wanted to take her home in person to meet you and pa as a surprise," Kavan improvised.

"Hummpphh…are you lying to me?" his mother peered up at him suspiciously.

"No, ma, I won't lie to you, you will know if I lied won't you?" he replied glibly.

His mother nodded and turned back to study Sabrina again.

"Turn around girl, I want to see if you have child bearing hips and not some scrawny little chit who could be infertile," the woman ordered.

Sabrina wanted to roll her eyes. She can't believe that in this day and age, there are actual people who still believes the old wives' tale that women with large hips can bear more children compared to those with smaller hips or smaller frame. She lets go of Kavan's hand and did a sort of a swirl to please his mother.

The older woman nodded and then turned back to her son.

"When are you actually planning to bring her home? I had half a mind to start planning the wedding for you and Reesha when you refused to come back for so many months," she told him.

"Ma! I already said I don't want to marry Reesha, why can't you leave it well enough alone?"

"Humphh. Well, this girl will have to do. Have you checked if she's fertile? You need heirs, don't forget that. As many as possible. When are you planning to get married then?" she was talking as if Sabrina wasn't there.

"Ma, I'm only 32, not that old, we still have time," Kavan protested.

"Time? When your pa was your age, he has already married me and we have been trying for a baby for years! Your pa had slow swimmers you know, it was a good thing one of the swimmers made it and here you are,"

Kavan rolled his eyes.

"Ma, I really don't need to know that…nor does Sabrina," he reminded her.

"I am just saying, you might be like your pa and have slow swimmers, you need to get married early and start trying," she said.

Sabrina wanted to tell his mother that they had just been 'trying' really really hard before she turned up and tried not to smile at her own thoughts.

"Look, ma, we will get married at our own time, just let me handle everything okay?"

"Humphh…if left to you, it will be never! Don't think I don't know, you've been fooling around with countless women, living the life, honestly, time to stop wasting your seed on all those women and concentrate on making your own heirs,"

Kavan reddened at this. Sabrina stifled a laugh. That was hilarious. His mother made it sound as if all he's good for is to father children.

"Your grandpa will not be around for any much longer, you better get married before he kicks it," his mother said pointedly.

"Okay, okay, I will work on it ma," he relented to pacify her.

"I give you until next week to bring her down to our family home and introduce her to everyone and you better give me a wedding date, preferably no later than three months from now," she said sternly.

"What? Three months?!? But that's too soon…I thought you wanted a huge wedding and that will take months, to plan,"

"Bah! You underestimate your mother. I can plan any large-scale event in weeks, what more a wedding," his mother sniffed.

She turned back to Sabrina, suddenly remembering her presence.

"You have a large family, girl? Tell me your family background," she ordered.

Sabrina didn't know what to say. She can't very well tell Kavan's mother that she is a dragon shapeshifter. She didn't even have a chance to come up with a fake family background story. She obviously can't mention Dashen and Meera. That would be suicide.

"Um…I have a small family, just my parents and I…" she replied. She offered a silent apology to her parents. "My parents are dead so I am all alone,"

She only hoped her parents won't mind not being invited to an obviously extravagant wedding with Kavan. They will have to hold a different dragon wedding with her parents and fellow shapeshifters as guests anyway, as how it's been done for generations.

"Alone eh?" Kavan's mother didn't look pleased with that. Instead she had a look of revulsion on her face.

"Come here, Kavan, I need to talk to you, alone, " she said, grabbing her son's arm and dragging him out with her. She didn't even bother to close the door. They stood outside the studio door.

"Kavan, what sort of loose woman did you pick up again? Does she know you are rich? It is so obvious she is after your money! She doesn't even have a family, who knows what sort of family she came from," his mother voice can be heard clearly from the open door.

Sabrina rolled her eyes. So typical of a human and their prejudices against people of different backgrounds.

"Ma! Sabrina is a good person, she doesn't even know I am rich, she willingly stayed in the small flat with me without complaints," he told her.

That was a huge mistake.

"What?? You are living together??? What has the world come into! And she is not pregnant? Is she on the pill? You know those things aren't good for fertility, you, young people should wait till after marriage. This is why I said you have to get married fast,"

"I thought you wanted grandchildren…I mean we can start on it right now," Kavan's voice replied.

"Kavan Dalrasami Chokshi! How dare you!" her angry voice was now raised.

"Okay, okay, chill ma, I was just teasing you," Kavan's voice

"No, Kavan, I don't like her, get rid of her, you will have to marry Reesha, she comes from a nice and reputable family," his mother replied.

Sabrina's eyes widened at that. The prejudice is strong. All this just because she doesn't have nice family background. She wondered how Kavan will convince his mother.

"Ma, you are being unreasonable here, look, we will go back together next week and set a wedding date, okay?" he tried to placate her.

"Humph…we will see about that," his mother said mysteriously.

Just then, Kavan's students started arriving.

"Oh, your class must be starting, I will go now, you better call me," his mother said before she left.