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Bernadette’s mother came into the room then, a smile on her warm face as she surveyed the table.
“This setup is excellent,” she remarked to my mother.
“Well thank you, it’s one of my newest acquisitions. I remembered that tulips were one of your favorites and wanted to show it off for you. If you want to get one like these, I know a place that has a great deal.”
My mother winked, and Sarah let out one of her real laughs.
I looked over at Bernadette with a smile, squeezing her hand tight under the table. Things were going well so far, and I was glad of it.
Then Sarah got a very serious look on her face.
“I’ve been realizing lately that I was quite overprotective of Bernadette, especially when she was younger. I want to apologize for assuming the worst of you. It wasn’t right of me, but I hope I can make things right now.”
My mother gave her a gracious smile. “Of course, please don’t worry about it. I can understand being protective of your child, especially when she’s as lovely as yours. The point is that you’ve come to understand us now and we can put aside our differences to be there for our children.”
“Yes, I would have to agree with that.” Sarah nodded solemnly. “I’m hopeful for what this new relationship will bring for all of us, and the time that we will get to spend together. And that roast duck also smells amazing.” She turned to my father with a smile.
“Well thank you, just roasted it myself,” he said, looking awfully proud of himself. “I figured a home cooked meal was the only proper way to welcome our new prospective in-laws. I wanted this dinner to be a special one.”
“It certainly is shaping up to be one already,” Sarah said with a laugh. “I look forward to seeing what else you’ve prepared.”
“Want to help me finish things up? It should only take a few minutes.”
She shrugged. “Why not.” And then she followed my father into the kitchen.
“Well, this is going unexpectedly well,” Bernadette said, leaning over to whisper in my ear. “I at least expected there to be a little more tension, but she seems to be handling everything really well.”
“Your mother is quite something,” I agreed. “I don’t think we really have anything to worry about.”
Several minutes later, all the main courses for the meal, including dessert, were brought out. There were fresh dinner rolls with butter, mashed potatoes, roasted duck, salad, and an autumn harvest soup. Then for dessert there was a fresh apple pie with homemade vanilla ice cream.
My parents had labored over the making and setup of the dinner all day. They wanted it to be perfect, as they knew the importance of making a good impression on both Sarah and Bernadette. I tried to tell them that it was okay, they didn’t have to do so much, but they had just waved me off.
So, dinner was nothing less than lovely. The food was delicious, and the conversation was even better. There were a few moments where Bernadette and I exchanged looks, but it was overall very good.
Then after dinner and a hearty dessert, the five us retired to the living room to play several rounds of cards. This was where we discovered that Sarah was astoundingly good at poker and won almost every match, she played in.
Though I was much better at Hearts, and my father dominated Go Fish with his incredible memory.
It was a fun time, and we ended the night promising that there would be more, another dinner perhaps, or even a tradition of dinners altogether, rotating who hosted of course. I couldn’t put all that pressure on my parents.
In the car, Bernadette and I talked about how it had gone.
“That went…really well actually,” I said.
“I know, I wasn’t expecting anything like that at all. I mean, I knew that my mom would at least be civil, but I expected a few more loaded comments than she actually made.”
“And my parents were forgiving, which I’m sure was also very helpful for your mother.”
She nodded. “I think they did a very good job of making her feel comfortable. I’ll have to thank them for that later.”
“I’m sure they would appreciate that.”
She sighed. “I’m glad things are finally falling into place. It feels nice that everybody is on good terms again, and my mom is being so accepting and supportive. Really, it is more than I could have asked for.”
“But it’s definitely what you deserve,” I said, wishing I could lean over and kiss her in that moment. “You’re so lovely, and so good to this world. You deserve to have peace and support. I’m glad that you’re finally getting it.”
“Thank you,” she said. “You’ve been with me through all of this, I really appreciate it.”
