"Izumi, I had an interesting chat at work today," said George.
"Oh," I replied. "How so?"
"Liam came by when it was quiet and told me how much he liked the family portrait on my desk. Then, he spoke even more quietly and added that he wanted a similar family but didn't know how to find the right woman. He's 22 now and been looking without any luck since he started university."
"That's interesting. A few weeks ago I was approached by someone -- a friend of a client -- who's interested in family life but not the one her parents have in mind."
"What do you mean?"
"Ameerah's family's quite conservative and religious. They want to take her back to Pakistan and get her married off to a boy from the village the family originally came from. She doesn't want to marry someone she's never met. She's about the right age for Liam."
"You think we should introduce them to each other?"
"Maybe. At some point. But let's sit down with each them on their own. I want to find out why Liam wants a wife who'll cuckold him and whether Ameerah just wants to get away from her family. Cuckolding might be too big a leap for her."
---
Ameerah was intense but not angry.
"It's right there in the Declaration of Independence! I'm an American. I went to school. I know this stuff and I genuinely believe in it! We all have a right to 'life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness'."
"So one way you want to pursue happiness is with sex?" I asked.
Ameerah's passionate response wasn't quite a rant but was definitely heartfelt.
"Yes, one way. I like sex. I've never discussed it with my parents but it's great. Well, it can be with the right people. And look at the pace American society moves at. Whole industries rise and fall in just a few decades. Companies come and go. Marriages too. So if I'm going to get married -- and that seems nice -- then I want a husband who's happy for me to have sex with other men. I'm not going to waste the next 20 years raising the kids of a man I don't love. And how couldn't I love a man who wants me to be happy having sex with other men?"
"Beyond the sex, what do you want from a marriage? Do you want your husband's children?"
"You don't have to make all your decisions now," I interrupted. "But you should think carefully about George's question. No method of contraception is perfect. If you have sex with men other than your husband there's a very high probability that you'll get pregnant. Would you want to know the baby's father or is that not important to you? What if the baby doesn't look like your husband?"
"Good questions," she responded in a calmer tone. "I had been thinking about the sex and not the consequences. I'm glad I contacted you and didn't just post ads or rely on a dating app."
"You don't have to rush into anything but you do need to try and see things from other people's perspectives," said George. "How might a husband react if you become pregnant with a lover's baby. Or pregnant but don't know if the father is your husband? And how would your family react?"