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That was the way things worked in their family. Everything centered on family.
“I’ve only known him for a couple of days. My company is featuring an article on him and Jaden.”
“Let me see your cell phone,” Ann said. “I know you have a picture of him.”
Ann knew him well. As a kid, he was always taking pictures of them. Chance pulled out his phone, found a picture, and showed it to her.
“Ooh, he’s dreamy,” she said. “So is the kid.”
His phone made the rounds around the dinner table before making its way back to him.
“He has a great smile,” his grandmother Ethel said. “It’s a sign that he’s a good man.”
“What does his family do?” Michael asked.
“He has no other family, and it was his sister’s last request that he raise Jaden.”
“A child is going to make dating hard,” Chad said. “Especially a young one.”
“We took him to a park near my place yesterday,” Chance said, putting his phone away. “Derek packed a picnic lunch and we listened to music.”
“This Derek sounds pretty amazing,” his mother said. “But I’m sensing some hesitation on your part.”
“I’m not hesitating,” Chance said. “We just met. It’s too early to tell if we click. Derek’s a pretty busy man with work and his nephew. He’s basically a homebody and I’m…”
“Hot to trot,” his grandmother Grace said.
Everyone laughed. Nana Grace was a hoot.
“Yes, I like hanging out with my friends and going to clubs. Derek isn’t able to do these things.”
“He sounds like a pretty responsible guy to me,” his mother said. “Either you forget about dating him or you give up some of your free time to be with him.”
“Yes, I know. It’s all I’ve been thinking about since I met him. I want to be there for him. Jaden is a good kid, but I’m just thirty. I don’t know if I’m really ready to settle down.”
“I had all five of you by the time I was that age,” his mother said. “A child is a big responsibility. Are you ready to dedicate eighteen years to help raise him?”
Chance shrugged. “I don’t know. Eighteen years is a long time, but I’d like to give it a try.”
“Just don’t rush into anything,” his mother said. “Give yourself some time and get to know Derek. You might decide you like parenting over clubbing.”
The conversation finally switched to sports, giving Chance a time to eat his food and think. He loved the time he spent with his family, but had moved away from them because he needed his space. After dinner and surprising his parents with their anniversary gift, Chance said goodbye to everyone and headed back to his condo. Once there he showered and went to work, tweaking Derek Webster’s article.
*****
Life went back to normal on Monday for Derek. After Harriet arrived, he drove to work and went from one meeting to the next. Mondays were usually their busiest days. He and the Board of Directors usually went over the previous week’s sales, company complaints, and sales strategy for the upcoming week. This was followed up with answering emails and meeting with his staff about employee hiring, firing, and problems. Lunchtime found him in a restaurant with Matthew and some important Japanese clients who were interested in stocking their new chain of pharmacies with Webster products. Derek got distracted when he saw Chance enter the restaurant wearing a suit and accompanied by a guy just a little older than him.
“Are you listening, Mr. Webster?” Matthew asked.
Derek put his attention on his lawyer. “Yes, no, sorry. I have a lot on my mind,” he said. A waitress had seated Chance and the other man nearby.
“Mr. Aioki wants to know how such a young man as yourself is able to run a billion-dollar company.”
“It was difficult at first,” he said in fluent Japanese. “But I get plenty of help from the elders. They like bossing me around.”
Mr. Aioki and the other distinguished gentlemen laughed at his joke.
“We have the same problems with our elders,” Mr. Aioki said. “But we try to listen and be respectful.”
