150 Words: The Right Answer

I swallowed hard and waited. Mr. Lopez, as imposing a man as I’d ever met, stared at me. Rosa hadn’t wanted me to accept her father’s summons and I was beginning to see why.

“So, you’re the boy who wants to marry my Rosa?” he said finally.

I decided to believe that he called me “boy” because of my age and not because of my race. “Yes, sir.”

He eyed me as if he was trying to decide how best to kill me. “And why do you think this is an acceptable idea?”

I swallowed hard again and then looked him in the eye. “Because we love each other.”

The old man stood up and loomed over me. He almost smiled when he put his massive hand on my shoulder. “That’s the right answer, son,” he said, his voice suddenly warm. “It’s the same one I gave to Rosa’s grandfather.”