Episode 74 - Meeting the Family

"Hello! Happy New Year's Eve!" Amanda greeted her sister as Alma invited her and Meghan inside. "Is Judith ready?"

"She's up in her room," Alma answered.

"I'll go get her," Meghan offered before bounding up the stairs.

"Are you sure you don't want to join us on our girls' shopping trip?"

"No, thank you," Alma declined. "Ed needs me at home today."

"I'm sure he can manage for a couple of hours," Amanda scoffed as she followed Alma into the living room. But when she saw Edward sitting on a lounge chair, elevating his bandaged leg, Alma's comment suddenly made more sense.

"Oh! What happened, Ed?"

"I slipped and broke my tibia," he said with a frustrated sigh. It was embarrassing to admit that he had injured himself doing something so simple.

"He forgot for a moment that he's no longer a teenager," Alma remarked.

"I was certainly given a harsh reminder."

"I'm sure you'll be up and about in no time," Amanda assured him cheerfully.

Amanda's positive attitude did not spread to Alma and Edward who exchanged a sullen look. An injured limb was one thing, but the worse problem was with his heart. Edward and the doctors at the hospital had been more concerned with his shortness of breath and tightness in his chest after his fall. They were still awaiting test results, but he was warned not to overexert himself, especially while out in the cold weather.

"But it's a terrible way to start the new year," Amanda admitted. "I hope it didn't ruin your plans for this evening."

"A quiet evening at home with the kids was all we had in mind for tonight anyway."

"I'm glad for that. Thanks for letting Meghan stay over tonight. I'm so looking forward to spending the night out with Ben. We've both been so busy with other things, we haven't had much time lately to go out as a couple. A romantic night out with dinner and dancing is just what we need."

* * * * *

When Meghan walked into Judith's room, she found her cousin studying herself in the mirror.

"Getting one last look at your old self?" she asked.

"Maybe," Judith replied as she pursed her lips uncertainly.

"Don't tell me you're having second thoughts."

"I don't know," Judith sighed.

"I think changing your look is a good idea," Meghan insisted. "A makeover would be so much fun."

"Yeah, but maybe I should start small. Too drastic and my parents might freak."

"I thought that was the point."

Judith couldn't deny that that had been part of the appeal, but her resolve to ice out her parents had started to thaw after her father's trip to the hospital. His new health concerns had her worried. If something tragic had happened to him, she wasn't sure if she wanted their time together to end this way. "I don't want to shock anyone into a heart attack or anything."

"That won't happen," Meghan scoffed. "But if you've changed your mind, I guess I can tell my mom we don't want to go to the mall. But is there even any point in me staying the night if we're not going to do a makeover?"

"I didn't say I didn't want to do it at all."

Meghan shrugged, unbothered. "It's up to you."

Judith thought a moment before making a decision. "It can't hurt to go to the mall and see what options there are."

"Great! Let's tell my mom we're ready to go."

* * * * *

Reese anxiously paced around the house, making sure everything was perfectly in order before their guests arrived.

"Relax," Simon said, seeing how anxious she was. "Everything is perfect and even if it wasn't, my family is going to love you."

"I just want to make a good first impression."

"You will," he assured her with a kiss. "I promise they are going to love you as much as I do."

"I hope so."

Simon could tell Reese was still distracted. "Is there something else bothering you?" He asked tentatively, "Is it about the wedding?"

"Yes," Reese admitted quietly. "Do you think we're rushing things? Is the wedding too soon?"

"I don't think so, but do you?"

"I don't know," Reese said thoughtfully. "I don't know what else we would be waiting for . . ." Her voice trailed off as she left the following "but" unspoken.

"I hope I didn't push you into anything," Simon said apologetically. "I only suggested setting a date because it seemed like a good time to start making plans while you were off work. But if you aren't ready, if you have any doubts at all, we can postpone or cancel. I don't want you to be unsure."

"But everything is set for tomorrow and your family is on their way-"

He cut her off. "None of that matters. There's nothing planned that can't be canceled or rescheduled. My family is excited just to meet you. They won't be disappointed if this turns out to be just a visit and not a wedding. I don't want to marry you if you aren't sure about it. I don't want you to feel pressured or have any doubts."

"It's not that," Reese insisted. She was having trouble putting what was bothering her into words. "Something just feels . . . missing when I think about the wedding. I don't want to call it off, but I can't put my finger on what it is that seems . . .not right."

Before Simon could reply, they were both startled by the doorbell.

"Are they here already? I thought you were going to pick them up later," Reese said with alarm as she followed Simon to the front door.

"That was the plan," Simon said with a shrug before opening the door and happily greeting his family as he welcomed them into their home.

"I'm sorry we didn't call first," his mother apologized as she greeted him with a hug. "But our flight came in early and we just couldn't wait to see you."

"We're so happy you're here," Simon assured her before making the introductions. "Reese, these are my parents, Alan and Marna, my brother, Oswald, and my sister, Claire."

"We are so pleased to finally meet you!" Marna said as she greeted Reese with a hug.

"Simon has told you so many wonderful things about you. We feel like you're already part of the family," Alan added.

Reese felt put on the spot and speechless, but she managed to say, "Come in. Sit down."

"So, Simon tells us you're a lawyer," Alan said excitedly to Reese as soon as everyone was settled in the living room. "I was a judge before I retired, so I'm looking forward to having another legal professional in the family to discuss the field with."

"Yes," Reese answered. "My firm has had some recent problems, so I'm not working at the moment. Right now, I'm taking some time to regroup and decide what my next move will be."

"That's smart," Oswald chipped in.

"Smart for her because she's had a career," his father said sternly. "I think you have spent enough time regrouping and need to start moving on to the making a plan stage."

"So, I take it your plans to open a record store fell through," Simon asked.

"No, that was two jobs ago. Vinyl is on its way out again. I'm looking for opportunities in the tech field now."

"I don't know how you live like that," Claire muttered. "Jumping from one thing to another on a whim."

"It's the only way to truly live," Oswald insisted.

"How is medical school going, Claire?" Simon asked.

"Amazing. I'm about to start my psych rotation. I can't wait."

"You have a teenage daughter, don't you, Reese?" Marna asked.

"Yes, Natalie. She's upstairs."

"Does she have any plans for after high school yet?"

"She's only a sophomore," Simon replied.

"Oh, but it goes by faster than you expect."

"I don't think she has any definite plans yet."

"I'm sure she'll figure it out when the time comes," Alan said reassuringly. "Simon does nothing but sing her praises about what a remarkable girl she is and how well you raised her."

"We are so looking forward to her becoming our first grandchild," Marna beamed.

"Why, thank you."Reese blushed at the praise. She had never thought about how she and Natalie would fit in with Simon's family and never imagined they would have welcomed Natalie as one of their own without even meeting her. By marrying Simon, they weren't just gaining a husband and stepfather, but Natalie was also getting grandparents and an aunt and uncle, something neither of them had had in their lives before. The thought was somewhat overwhelming but exciting as well.

"I should tell Natalie that you're here," Reese said and quickly excused herself.

Reese took a quiet moment alone to compose herself before knocking on Natalie's bedroom door. When she opened the door, she found her daughter staring at her phone.

"Are you busy?" Reese asked.

"No, not at all," Natalie said as she quickly put her phone away. She had not received any more strange texts from the mystery number or any other unknown number since she received the message asking her to meet at the park, but she was still feeling unnerved by that message and she knew she had to stop obsessing over it.

"Simon's family is here and they are excited to meet you."

"Sure." When she looked at her mother she noticed that she looked a little uneasy. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yes, I'm just nervous," Reese insisted. "This might seem silly at my age, but I've never met a boyfriend's parents before. The only other person I dated was your dad and he didn't have any family either."

"Do they seem nice?"

"Yes. Very."

"Then it should be all good, right?" Natalie said as she smiled confidently at her mom.

"Yes, I think so," Reese agreed as they started downstairs together.

When the pair entered the living room, Marna was the first to rise and greet Natalie warmly. Both Marna and Alan were delighted to meet Natalie. They were full of questions about Natalie's schooling, her friends, and her extracurricular activities on the yearbook committee and the school's literary magazine. Natalie and Claire seemed to hit it off right away and Natalie was intrigued by Claire and Oswald's college stories, even though it was clear that Oswald's stories were watered down for his audience.

For the first time, Reese understood what it must be like to have grandparents, to be a part of a larger family, and she was suddenly overcome with emotion.

Simon noticed the tears welling in Reese's eyes and made an excuse for them to have a few minutes alone. "Reese and I are going to grab some refreshments from the kitchen. Any requests?"

Once they were alone in the kitchen, Simon asked Reese, "Is everything okay?"

Reese nodded vigorously. "Your family is great."

"See. I told you, you didn't have anything to worry about."

"What I said earlier . . . I think this is what I was missing about our wedding. I can't wait for Natalie and I to become part of your family."