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Katy giggled. “Yeah, Mom, I’m still staying with Brennon. And I actually like it a lot more than I thought. Yeah, it took some getting used to, for sure, but there’s something kind of charming I guess you could say about living in the city. I can look out the back window and see downtown. I must say the city certainly is pretty in the snow.”
“Yeah, I can imagine,” Linda said. “I used to not mind the snow, especially when it fell at night and they had the streets cleaned up by morning, which was actually one of the things that was kind of nice about being near the actual center of the city.”
Katy talked about her experiences so far living in the city. She was surprised at how talkative her mother was; she could pick up on how much she missed her. However, at the back of Katy’s mind, she wondering what the catch was. She could tell by the tone in her mother’s voice that she was
working her way up to something else.
“Well, that’s good to hear,” Linda said after Katy talked about how nice it was to live within walking distance of two grocery stores. “I’m glad to hear that you’re out on your own and you like it and whatnot. Don’t forget you still have your bedroom here with me and your father.”
“No, I won’t,” Katy said. “Glad to hear the house is still standing, though.”
Linda giggled. “Yeah, for now.” There was a long pause. “Well, Katy, I was calling because your father and I wanted to know if you and Brennon would like to come out to the house for dinner tonight. Or it can be tomorrow night too, I guess, if that would work for you two.”
Katy couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She almost wanted to ask her mother to repeat herself, but she knew exactly what she’d said. Had her mother come off of her high horse? Had her father finally looked passed the age difference and come around to the idea? Had the family looked beyond Brennon’s long-standing relationship and connection with them and seen love is the only thing that matters?
“Dinner? Tonight? Me and Brennon? And you and Dad?” Katy’s mind was whirling with confusion. “Mom, are you serious?”
Linda chuckled. “Yes, Katy. I’m serious. And so is your father. So, what do you say? Do you think Brennon would be up for something like that? And look, I know what we said. And I won’t lie to you...there are still some feelings, let’s say, lingering, but this isn’t one of those kinds of dinners or anything like that. Take it from me, dear…. Your father would love to have you two over for dinner.”
Katy stared off into space for a moment then smiled. She loved the idea of her parents accepting her relationship with Brennon, even though she was still a bit weary. “Okay, Mom. Well, Brennon should be here any minute now, I guess. Let me run it by him about tonight and see what he says.”
Linda explained again how much she missed having Katy at the house before they finished up the conversation and hung up. Katy sipped her tea then set the mug down on the coffee table and stood up. She was still in disbelief, but this was certainly a good sign. She texted Eve, filling her in on this invitation to dinner. Just as she’d been reading Eve’s response, she heard the apartment’s back door open. A cold wind rushed inside, making its way around to the living room, then the door slammed and a loud groan came from the kitchen.
“It’s getting colder out there!” Brennon shouted then chuckled. “Or maybe it’s just getting windier.”
“Hey!” Katy said from the couch.
Brennon sounded as if he were setting some bags down by the kitchen door then he came around to the living room. Like a mischievous little boy, he peeked around the corner and smiled. “Hey there.”
Katy laughed then motioned for him to come over to her. “You won’t believe who just called.”
“Who?” Brennon asked.
“My mother,” Katy said, sipping her tea and raising her eyebrows. “And she and my father, supposedly, want to know if you and I would live to come over this evening for dinner. She said about seven o’clock. So, I told her I would check with you and see what you say.”
Brennon looked a bit confused. “Really?” He shrugged. “Well, I guess so. That’s fine with me. And your father too? He’s….He’s… He’s really okay with something like that?”
Katy shrugged, standing up. “That’s what she said. Well, if you’re okay with going, I’ll go ahead and text my mom letting her know that we’ll be there at like seven.”
Katy breezed past Brennon and into the bedroom. She pulled drawers open and yanked open closet doors trying to figure out what she would wear. She noticed Brennon standing in the doorway. “You okay?”
“Yeah, just waiting on you to get ready,” Brennon said. He then stared off into space.
Katy noticed then approached him, putting her hands up around his shoulders and smiling. “What’s wrong? Really, Brennon, what’s wrong? Are you sure you’re okay with this? If you’re not, then we just don’t have to go.”
“You don’t think this is going to be some dinner where they let us know how much they don’t approve of this?” Brennon asked. “I guess that’s what I’m thinking about. I told you what my dad said when he found out about this. I just can’t imagine your father being okay with this so soon.”
Katy shrugged. “I don’t care if he’s okay with it or not, really.” She smiled, finally feeling free to be grown woman and live her life how she wanted. “Truly, I don’t. And I doubt this is some kind of ambush. They would just tell us what they think over the phone and stuff like that. I think it’ll be okay. My mother even sounded more upbeat about it.”
“Yeah, that’s how she sounded,” Brennon said. Katy then pulled away, going back to getting dressed. “But, okay, maybe you’re right.”
Ten minutes passed then they walked out into the snow, pushing against the harsh wind to get to Brennon’s car. They climbed in then headed for the interstate. For most of the car ride, they talked about how Katy’s father might react; how her mother Linda would try to be as happy as possible. Katy picked up on Brennon’s reservation about going to her parent’s house for dinner, but she appreciated him going anyway. After calming his anxiety down a bit, Katy glanced at the time then stared at the road ahead. Now she had to get her own fears subdued. She would be looking into her parents’ eyes for the first time in nearly a month – while her father’s cousin’s older half-brother was sitting at her side.
***
At just a few minutes before 7 o’clock that evening, Brennon pulled into the driveway. He pulled forward slowly then into the roundabout and parked. Katy looked over at him as she undid her seat belt. “You ready?” she asked.
Brennon shrugged his shoulders, looking up toward a house he’d known so well for so long. However, this time certainly felt different. “Yeah,” he said, climbing out of the car. “I guess so.”
