Chapter 166 - The Meeting with the Parents (1/2)
The house is cozy, every corner obviously lovingly tended. And although it's far from the luxury Gabriel has grown accustomed to, there's something about it that makes him feel so at home. He stands in the living room, gazing at old family pictures. There's a picture of Claire and her sister wearing school uniforms in primary school, smiling widely. Didn't Claire say she was an ”ugly duckling,” that people teased her for looking like a clown? Gabriel's gazing at a childhood picture of Claire and he couldn't see what in hell was that ”ugly duckling” narrative was about—because here, smiling back at him from maybe a decade past, is a very cute, incredibly adorable girl who seemed to be the happiest child in the world. Her sister, Mariya, is cute, too—good looks obviously runs in the family, and he could see that both her parents contributed to that beauty.
And there's something about the way Carol, Claire's mom, moves in the kitchen, quickly preparing something for them to eat—Carol reminds him of how Claire, some days ago, before Miguel's accident, deftly prepared a dish called ”eggs benedict” for him. ”This was a recipe from my mom,” Claire had said. Now he's seeing her mom in action, and it's fascinating.
But there's only one problem in the middle of all this idyllic picture: Claire's dad, David, couldn't stop from sniffling. He's actually sobbing now, mumbling all his heartaches.
”I can't believe you'll get married without telling us,” he sobs. ”Claire, did we ever let you down?”
”Dad,” Claire says, glancing at Gabriel for support. ”We're not yet married. I told you that three times already. We're here so he can get to know more about you.”
”What? You're living together and not yet married? What would the whole town say?”
”But we're not—”
”We're not living together, uhh, Dad,” Gabriel says. ”We're just engaged. We haven't talked about getting married, but if it were up to me, I'd like it to happen soon.”
Claire looks at Gabriel—there's something about the way Gab said 'Dad' that felt wonderful. As though feathers were tickling her heart.
”Engaged? Same difference. When did you meet, anyway?”
”Uhh, l-last month,” Claire stammers.
”Last month? Are you serious? And when did you decide to get engaged with each other? Yesterday?”
”Actually it was a couple of weeks ago, Gabriel says sheepishly. ”I think.”
David rolls his eyes in that old peculiar way. ”Carol, did you hear that? Did you hear what your daughter has gotten herself into? They met just last month! And now they want to get married.”
”I heard that,” Claire's mom says from the kitchen. ”But so what? Your daughter's old enough to make decisions for her own life.”
”What do you mean 'so what'? Your daughter's still a child, for crying out loud!”
Carol appears at the entrance to the kitchen, her hands on her hɨps. ”David, stop being so melodramatic. And what are you saying that she's too young? Have you forgotten how old I was when I met you? I was seventeen, David. You were thirty-two. You were older by fifteen years. But did that stop us?”
”Well, I…” David stammers, throwing Gabriel an uneasy glance. ”But this is different. Kids these days…”
”--Know what they want, just like kids of our generation,” his wife says. ”Sorry, Claire. You know how your dad can get a bit cranky at times. And dinner will take only a few more minutes.”
”It's fine, Mom,” Claire says. ”Where's Mariya?”
”Asleep,” Carol says. ”Had a long, tiring day. We had a lot of work at the farm and your sister did tons of tasks. If she didn't wake up even with Max barking like that, then she really needed that sleep.”
”How's the preparation for her eighteenth birthday?” Claire asks.