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“If you asked her if she was related to all these rich Maxwell families, don’t you think she would feel…self-conscious?”
“Why?”
Who’s clueless now, Mother?
“Mother, I know you’re not materialistic, nor are any of us. Yet to someone who cannot afford the luxuries and pleasures we enjoy on a regular basis, it might appear as though we believe we’re…”
“Oh, my God. I would never think I’m better than anyone else,” she said, her eyes glistening with tears.
“I know that, Mother, but your words sometimes don’t reflect who you are.”
She looked at my father, who nodded. “I know I am guilty of the same,” he said. “We’ve spent so many years trying to make the right connections for not just us, but you all as well, that we may have lost sight of other things.”
“Like what is truly valuable in life,” Mother replied. “I thought I had learned my lesson before, when I met Shanda.”
I stepped forward and said, “Mother, we are all a work in progress. It’s hard to break old ways.”
Shanda was the first to her side and hugged her. “Marcy, you’re not the woman you were, when we first met. And neither am I. Growth happens on both sides. I was just as guilty of judging your family for all that what you had, that I didn’t really see the kind, loving woman you were, either.”
Mother asked, “You really think I’ve changed that much?”
“With me, yes. I truly believe you love and accept me just the way I am,” Shanda replied.
“I do, my dear daughter-in-law.”
I added, “Now all you need to learn is to do the same with your sons,” I stated. “And I’m not talking about business. I’m talking about all the personal choices we make in our lives.”
Mother looked at my father and said, “David, I think another one of our sons has fallen in love.” I shook my head. That was not what I was trying to point out to her. But no matter how much she changed, some things would always be the same. She turned back to me and asked, “Does this mean you will be bringing her to brunch next Sunday?”
I really had boxed myself into a corner. If I said no, then it would appear as though I was the one unable to change. Saying yes without speaking to Lindsay first wasn’t wise, either. For all I knew she could be working that day or just not ready to meet my parents. Things were so good between us. We were enjoying each other’s company and having fun. There was no pressure. Sunday brunch would change that.
The word ‘no’ was on the tip of my tongue, but instead I responded, “I’ll invite her.”
Mother was smiling and replied, “I promise, I will be on my best behavior.”
Clark said, “Now that I want to see.”
Mother shot him a warning look. “Don’t you start with me. I can only handle one disruptive son at a time.”
Clark laughed. “That explains why I got away with so much as a child.”
And look at you now. More interested in living life than thinking about your future.
Shanda said, “I can’t wait to see Lindsay again. You’re really going to like her, Marcy. She’s so down to earth and fun.”
“I know. What I can’t understand is how someone like Phillip ever got her to agree to a date with him,” Clark said. “Sorry, Phillip, but you’re…boring.”
Andrew responded, “Not from what I saw yesterday. I think our big brother is a…”
“Romantic,” Anne replied who had been standing off to one side with Reanna, taking it all in “You should’ve seen how sweet he was helping her into the basket.”
“What basket?” Marcy asked.
“Phillip took Lindsay for a balloon ride yesterday and Anne and I watched,” Andrew said.
“And he also brought Lindsay to Just Blown before that, and they were adorable to watch together,” Shanda said.
“If you don’t stop talking about me like I’m not here, I won’t be for much longer,” I warned them all.
