by Cee, DW
"I'm not sure, but from the looks of it, if anyone can get her into our office, it's him. I gave him a week to bring her in."
"Shoot, that means I gotta see her every day."
"Be nice, Janey. You have a wonderful young man in Max. Don't covet what you don’t really want."
I didn't realize I'd said that aloud. "I'll be nice..." I murmured.
Max and I planned to have dinner tonight, so I rushed home and primped before meeting my man.
"Hello, my precious gem." He gave me an open-mouthed kiss as he sat next to me at the bar. "Should we just dine here or do you want to get a table?"
"We can sit here. They'll serve us dinner at the bar. How was your day?"
"Uneventful. Not much happened. How was yours? Is the house in an uproar with the wedding?"
"Yeah. Mom and all the aunts have now forbidden us from helping because all of us have too many opinions on everything. Emily's the only one who can help, but she's got the twins, and the aunts won't let her do much of anything because of the pregnancy, so it's basically the five daughter-in-laws."
"What do you get for a senior citizen couple who have more money between them than all of us combined?"
"They are not accepting gifts. They have asked for a donation to the hospital instead."
"Ok. So I've been thinking..."
Uh-oh. What have I done lately that may get me into trouble? With Donovan gone wooing Miss French-English, I'd been a good girl, or better said, I hadn’t had a chance to be bad.
"What's going on in that head of yours? It scares me whenever you say, 'I’ve been thinking...'"
“After the Montage, I can’t get you off my mind, not that you were ever very far,” Awww! “and I can’t come up with too many ways for us to be alone, so...”
“...so...?”
“My lease is up in June at the apartment. I have one year left in med school, then I’m unsure where I’ll be after that. If we...”
“Just spit out your damn thought!” This native was restless!
“You want to get an apartment together? I’d love for us to live together that last year, then we can decide where this will go once I finish med school and...never mind. I’m getting ahead of myself.”
“Never mind the getting an apartment together or never mind the thought after that?”
“I told you this weekend that I love you, and I mean every word. I have these visions of seeing you asleep in our bed when I come home in the wee hours of the morning, or of making dinner together then doing the dishes, and I definitely have vivid images of coaxing you into morning sex when you’re still drugged with sleep. Do any of those thoughts sound tempting to you?”
Yowza! That was freakin’, freakin' hawt!!! I’m going to frame that last sentence, “...and I definitely have vivid images of coaxing you into morning sex when you’re still drugged with sleep,” and put it on my nightstand.
"Um..."
"You don't have to answer now. Think about it and tell me later. We still have a few months before looking for a place together. "But..." he went for the kill and put both his hands on my neck, thumbs by my ear, nose touching nose, "I'd love to fall asleep and wake up to your beauty every day," and of course he kissed me - hot, heavy, and in public. There was another quote I'd put on my nightstand! "I'd love to fall asleep and wake up to your beauty every day." Goodness, I was dating a modern-day Shakespeare.
After that kind of kiss and those tender but erotic words, there was no need to think about whether Max and I should be roommates. I wanted to say yes immediately, but thought it wise to sit on it for a few days. We had some time before apartment hunting happened.
"Hannah!" Max dropped his hands from my face, and called out in surprise.
"Max!!!" This cute, redheaded college senior, cheerleader-looking girl ran over and hugged Max like he was her long lost brother. "I can't believe you're here. I was going to call you tomorrow to see if we could meet."
"What are you doing here? Why aren't you in Michigan?"
"I got tired of the cold and I just got laid off, so I'm staying at your house for the time being till I can get my life together. Mom and Dad, I mean, Mr. and Mrs. Davis have generously offered to put me up, or better stated, put up with me for a few months."
Hello???
"I'm sure Mom and Dad will love having you in the house. You were always the daughter they wanted but couldn't have."
"Your mom and dad are going to be here any minute now. We're meeting here for dinner."
Um...earth to Max...your girlfriend is being ignored...and oh my gosh, I'm about to meet your parents...why haven't I met your parents in all these months???
"There they are," this Hannah girl pulled Max off the barstool, and they both left me, with not even a second thought, to greet his parents.
I was a bit taken aback by the way his parents looked. Max was about six feet tall, well-built, and very good looking. His parents were both short, a bit heavy, and stern looking. They didn't break into a smile when they saw their son, nor did his mother hug him or embrace him as a greeting and show of love. Max wasn't kidding when he said his parents were not the touchy-feely type. Their conversation was brief and Max soon brought everyone my way.
"Jane, this is my mom, dad, and Hannah, a family friend. Mom, Dad, this is Jane, my girlfriend."
"Hello!" I did my best Emily welcome. "It's so nice to meet you."
All I got was a brief, "hello" from his parents. Hannah was a bit more welcoming. She acted as the spokesperson for the Davis family.
"Hi Jane. It's great to meet you. Mom and Dad didn't tell me Max was dating someone.”
Why did this girl call Max's parents Mom and Dad?
That was a question for later.
"We didn't tell you about Max’s girlfriend because Max hasn’t really told us about her,” his mom stated matter of factly.
“It’s not as though you showed any interest....” The tone of Max’s voice changed to a mixture of anger and hurt. I got a glimpse of how he must have grown up all these years. My heart broke a little when thinking of Max making every life decision without the approval and support of his family. My family and I’d have to give him some extra attention to make up for all his lost years.
“Well, if that’s what you think, why don’t we change that then?” His mother gave Max a stoic and harsh look, then softened a bit as she faced me. “Jane, would you and Max like to have dinner at our place this weekend? Does Saturday work for you?”
“We have a family wedding on Friday and Saturday, but Sunday is alright, if it’s alright with you.”
“Sunday is fine. We’ll see you at 6:00pm?”
“Sure. Thank you for the invitation.”
There was a brief nod, and that was that. They invited me to dinner, I accepted, they nodded, and then they left for their table. No goodbyes, no nice meeting yous...only a nod.
Hannah put her arms around my boyfriend’s waist, her head on his chest and hugged him longingly. “I’ll see you Sunday,” her words trailed, and she eventually let go. I got chills watching her turn back to take one last look at Max. To misquote Marcellus from Shakespeare's Hamlet, “Something is rotten in the state of California.”
March 11, 2013 (Almost) Shocking Confession!
What a weekend - a rehearsal tea on Friday, an English wedding breakfast on Saturday, and dinner with the monster-in-laws on Sunday! The secrets revealed to me this weekend could be classified as shocking!, shockinger‼, and shockingest‼! Of course I know that last two aren't words in the Merriam Webster Dictionary, but by the time you read about these confessions, you will agree that no girl should receive these kinds of surprises without any warning. Just to give you a glimpse into what's to come in the next three, maybe four, posts - Max confesses a deep dark secret to me after the tea party, Donovan confesses an even deeper, darker secret to me after the wedding, then the deepest darkest secret to rival the deepest darkest secrets, awaited me a
t Max's family home on Sunday .
So Friday - I woke up to a complete zoo in our house and backyard. It was worse than Emily's wedding because this was even more short notice than the three weeks Jake gave Mom. There seems to be something about shotgun weddings and the Reid family.
"Will you make it to the tea this afternoon?" I called Max, on my way into work. Gimpy and I were taking a half day. Gimpy had no reason to go in today, but he said it'd be much easier to work than to watch the chaos at home.
"Good morning my precious gem. Yes, I'll make it. I switched with a buddy, so he'll do my rounds and I'll take his late night one. What time should I get there?"
"I'll be home by 1:00, so come as soon as you can. We can hang out till the tea begins."
"So what happens at one of these rehearsal dinners?"
"It's always done in some sort of theme. When Jake and Emily got married, Aunt Babs turned her backyard into a Moroccan paradise with food, belly dancers, and music to harmonize with the theme. Today, in honor of our ancestors, we are going to be in an English garden with scones, sandwiches, clotted cream and chocolate fountains. And since it is a late afternoon party, I'm sure there will be heavier dinner items as well. After the food and entertainment, Gimpy has to follow tradition and get Gram something from the..." I stopped mid-sentence and turned to Gimpy to ask, "Whose tradition do you follow? Jake's, Uncle Henry's, or my grandfather's?"
"I may start my own tradition," he gave an evil laugh, then said, "I'll definitely outdo your brother's paltry earrings."
"Geez Gimpy, you and Jake are going to scare away any of our suitors with your high-rolling gifts."
"Max, you can find out for yourself what the entertainment is. I don't want to frighten you off. I'll see you this afternoon?"
"Definitely. Love you, my beauty."
"Love you too." I blushed saying this because Gimpy was giving me his English smirk.
"He's a good man, Janey. Take care not to scare him off."
"Scare him off??? Gimpy, you have so little faith in me."
When Gimpy and I got home, the backyard had been magically transformed into an English garden. Normally, our backyard is a huge parcel of grassy lot with a play structure for the twins, a gated pool in the furthermost back part of the lot, and a tennis court off to the side. Today, the play structure disappeared to who knows where, and a small pond sprouting irises, daylilies and other greeneries showed up in the pool. The gate protecting our little ones from the pool also disappeared. How they transformed a pool to look like a "pond" with flowers and green shrubbery, I could not tell you. There was a beautifully rustic wooden bench facing the "pond," and there were several swinging benches under wooden gazebos, off to the side. The tennis court was overflowing with tables ready to accommodate the catered food, and cute round and square four-tops with garden-themed chairs filled the middle of the yard.
"Wow, Gram. This looks beautiful!" Emily commented, while walking with her two little imps in tow. The imps were pushing a shopping cart into the house and "running" as fast as they could. Since James was pretty adept at walking, he led the way. Elizabeth wouldn't lose out to her brother and did her best to keep up, even though she kept tipping over. The mean aunt that I was, I laughed every time she fell over.
"This reminds me of our country home." Gram commented.
"You have another home?" I asked. "How come we've never been there?"
"It was a childhood home. My parents sold it."
"Shall we get the show on the road? I think tea is about to begin." Gimpy put out his arm so Gram could walk out with him.
"Is Max coming?" Emily asked.
"He should be here any minute now. You need help corralling the two outside?"
Emily only smiled as she gazed at the beautifully dressed boy and girl who pushed as fast as they could to catch up with the senior citizens.
"Hello, Love." My brother came over and greeted his wife with a tender kiss. "How're you feeling today?" He rubbed her barely-there stomach.
"I feel fantastic. No more nausea. I hate feeling nauseous. Did you see our babies?"
"Yeah. They clean up nicely, huh?"
"They sure do. They're so sweet when they play together, though I think we need to make sure they don't fall into the pond/pool."
"With all my cousins chasing after them, I don't think we have any worries, Love. You can relax tonight. I'll ask Laney and Nick to be in charge of the babies."
"Hey, big brother. I'm standing right next to your Love, but you've yet to greet me."
"Hey there, Brat. Where's Davis?"
"Right here. Hello, Gem!" He kissed me, both hands on my face, hot and heavy on the lips.
"You two need to get a room. That's disgusting."
"No it's not, Jake. I think it's sweet the way Max shows his love for our sister. I've always wanted one of those romance novel kisses." Emily said in a dreamy but teasing voice. "Max, you've changed since we dated." She giggled this time.
"Em..." he exaggerated the name Em. "Come here. Let me show Jake how it's done.”
Max put out his arms and Emily did not waver in walking towards him. Of course my brother hooked his right arm around her stomach and pulled her back to him. Max laughed. Emily laughed. Even I laughed!
"You want one of those kisses? I'll give you one of those kisses." The love in my brother's eyes for his wife was almost sickening to watch.
"Let's get out of here. I don't think I can stomach this before we eat." I pulled Max out of the kitchen, but before Max left, he squeezed Emily's arm and gave her the sweetest I'm-happy-for-you look. I must be growing up because this entire exchange made me dizzy with joy. Gram and Gimpy will finish their lives loving each other, Jake and Emily worked through their struggles and would live a lifetime of happiness, and I was with a man who was capable of loving deeply. No matter the environment he grew up in, his tenderheartedness always shined when he dealt with his close circle of friends. Lucky girl - that's me!
We went outside, chatted with the family, played with the twins, and got our meal. "The ladies in your family are incredible! How did they get this done so quickly and beautifully?" Max and I decided to sit on the lovers' swing under the gazebo. "It feels so authentic."
"You should have seen Jake and Emily's rehearsal dinner. Aunt Babs has a thing for themes. She's obsessive about getting every detail on the mark."
"So...have you thought more about getting a place with me, come June?"
"Yeah..." I smiled.
"And?"
"I'd love to live with you, but...what about your plans to go away this summer?"
"Crap! I forgot about that."
"Are you going?"
"Would you be okay with me leaving you for a month?"
"Max. I was dead serious when I told you that I didn't want you to miss out on any opportunities. I will be a good girl and wait for you to return, hale and whole."
"I don't want to leave you, but I'm leaning towards going. It's only a month and I figure it'll be good for us to miss each other."
"I think you should go and help as many children as you can. They need you .But, make sure you come back to me because I need you more."
That sweet remark earned me a serious makeout session under the gorgeous gazebo.
"Ladies and gents! Let's all gather around the stage. Grab a chair and we'll see what surprises Roland has for our beloved mother and grandmother," Uncle Henry called us all to the main event. "I think everyone here knows about our wedding tradition. If you don't know - i.e. Max Davis - ask your neighbor." Everyone chuckled. "Roland...take it away!"
Gimpy walked up to the stage while Nick and Doug trailed right behind him carrying a beautiful pirate treasure chest.
"When I approached Estelle's five sons a few months back and told them about my intention to marry their mother, they told me about the long-standing tradition you have in the Reid family. Though I'm not a Reid, I was told that I couldn't marry Estelle u
nless I agreed to honor and continue this tradition. Now, I don't quite fit into any category since I'm not the first child of any of your generation. Jerry picked the tradition of something old and started with a pearl necklace. Henry, the cheap bastard..." we all died laughing when Gimpy called out Uncle Henry, "picked something blue and gave his wife a blue garter. Jake, with the help of his gracious grandmother, gave his lovely wife not only the prize ring, but also a pair of diamond earrings." Of course my brother gloated and waved Emily's hand in the air to show off the stunning ring. "Since I needed to best the young man who robbed the Reid family coffer, I brought the Ascot family jewels to refill what's been plundered."
Nick and Doug carried the table that the chest was sitting on, front and center, and opened the surprise .There were aahs and oohs and whistles galore.
