On our way Jude once again took me through his family’s likes and dislikes. It was quiet simple really. He was the only child. His mom was a dentist and had quit practice a few years ago and now helped his father sometimes. She loved chocolates and he stressed on it quite a few times. So I went out and bought her a huge hamper of chocolates. His father though tough on the outside was a major softy inside.
Though his father was the decision maker he never made any decision without consulting with his mother first, which was sweet really. As we kept nearing his home I felt myself become nervous, my hands grew clammy and I wiped them on my jeans. Jude must’ve noticed it so he told me to relax and not get worked up and that his parents would love me. Jude glaced down at my hands once more then went pale and suddenly pushed the brakes. The car halted with a squeal and I looked at him in panic.
“What’s wrong?”
“Natasha we are supposed to be engaged!”
“I know, so?”
“You don’t have a ring!”
“Dear God! How did we forget that?”
“I don’t know. What am I going to do? Now dad will know something is fishy, if he doesn’t think something is fishy then he will definitely lecture me about not getting you a ring and bringing shame to the Smith family!”
I laughed out loud, “That’s ridiculous!”
“Trust me I am not exaggerating!” Ok now he had me panicking too. I looked at him worried. Then suddenly he took his cell phone and called someone up. I tried asking him what he was doing but he held a hand up signaling me to shut up. I glared at him when he spoke up, “Sean buddy! I need a favor!” He got out of the car and started speaking. I could barely make out any words but I did hear the word ‘ring’ often.
He finally came back and started driving again, I looked up incredulously and he just smiled at me and said, “It’s all sorted!” I shrugged and sat back and enjoyed the drive.
The scenery was beautiful we passed a field of daffodils, a stream and saw a lot of mountains. A few minutes later we pulled into the driveway of a beautiful home. Did I say home? My bad, it was a freaking mansion! Its architecture was based on a Greek theme. The whole home was white on the outside and looked gorgeous. There was a beautifully kept lawn.
The entire plot was surrounded by tall bamboo trees that formed a sort of fencing around the whole mansion hiding it from the rest of the world. I remember Jude mentioning they had a tennis court and a swimming pool and also a Jacuzzi. As soon as we got out of the car a group of people approached us. I saw an elegant woman with blonde hair twisted in a knot on top of her head and sky blue eyes approach me. She had a warm smile on her face and I guessed it was Jude’s mother. The resemblance was uncanny. I smiled and leaned forward to hug her.
“You are as beautiful as I thought you would be Natasha! Even more if I say so myself!” I blushed and murmured my thanks.
“Now Elaine let the rest of us meet your future daughter in law!” We turned to see a distinguished looking man smiling at us with twinkling blue eyes. This had to be Jude’s father. I moved forward to shake his hand but he pulled me into a hug.
“Welcome to the Smith family my dear!”
“Thank you” I felt tears pricking at my eyes as I felt a pang of guilt. I blinked my eyes several times.
“Hey! I am your son! Don’t I get a hug?” We all laughed at Jude as he scowled at us. His mother pulled him into a hug while his dad caught him in a headlock. The two of you goofed around a little. All this while I had kept my hands stuffed in my jacket pocket as instructed by Jude. As everyone walked in Jude and I stayed behind to retrieve our bags. Jude quickly pulled my hand and slipped a beautiful ring on my engagement finger. I stared at in wonder.
“It’s beautiful!” I whispered.
“Yeah Sean is good at this stuff!”
I smiled humorlessly; even my fake engagement ring wasn’t picked up by my fake fiancé. It was a huge solitaire that had tiny sapphires surrounding it. It must’ve cost a lot. We walked into the house and I stared at my surroundings.
A man wearing a butler’s uniform took our bags from us. He looked so intimidating like the butler from the Adam’s Family! But when he smiled his face transformed into a kind one and he didn’t look like a surly butler anymore.
“Gerard! How are you?”
“I am fine thank you Mr. Jude. How are you doing?”
“I am fine too and how many times have I told you not to call me Mr.”
“My apologies Mr. er sorry Jude.”
“Gerard meet my fiancé Natasha!”
“Pleased to meet you ma’am!”
“Glad to meet you and please call me Natasha!”
“Let me show you to your room”
Jude and I followed Gerard. “This is your room Natasha”
“What! She and I are in different rooms?”
“Well yes Jude. You do know that your parents are old fashioned.”
“I am going to have a word about this!”
I looked at him amused and giggled while he glared at me.
“Jude its fine really!”
“No its not!”
He stepped forward and grabbed my hand and said, “You know I don’t like spending a moment apart from you!”
I looked in shock at him as winked at me slightly. I realized then that he was putting on an act for Gerard who was looking at us with a fond smile and his eyes were glistening with tears! Gerard walked out discreetly closing the doors of the room. As soon as his footsteps faded I kicked Jude in his shin.
“Ow! What was that for?”
“He was crying!”
“So?”
“What do you mean so?! We just keep digging our graves deeper every day!”
“Natasha can we not focus about the end? Let’s just think about the beginning which by the way is going to be beautiful.”
I just scowled at him and looked around the room. It was beautiful and had antique furniture. The window over looked a beautiful garden that had colorful flowers growing in it. I put our clothes in the closet. Putting Jude’s on one side and mine on the other. There was a knock on the door and Jude’s mom walked in. She smiled at me then turned to Jude and said, “Gerard said that you have a problem with the living arrangements?”
“Not a problem per se but yeah I don’t want to stay in a separate room.” He looked up at his mother with puppy eyes and she immediately melted.
“Oh alright then! Now freshen up quickly and come down. Everyone is waiting to meet you two!”
Jude and I nodded. We freshened up quickly and walked down the stairs to the dining room where everyone was waiting for us to start with brunch. I quickly counted and saw that there were twelve people seated not including Jude and I. We quickly sat down and the introductions began. I was seated between Jude and another boy.
He looked about my age and had dirty blonde hair, brown eyes and looked like a model. I guess it ran in the family! He smiled at me and said, “Hi I am Sean!” I smiled at him widely and shook his hand. “Sean! Its nice to meet you finally!” Sean looked at me in surprise and said, “Well I guess Jude has been talking about me”
Then Sean started introducing me to the others, “The beautiful lady on Aunt Elaine’s right is Elaine’s sister Maria also known as my mother” he added. I smiled and nodded.
“That’s uncle Harvey!” Sean said a little loudly.
“It’s not Harry boy! Its Harvey!” I looked at Sean in confusion, who explained that Harvey was hard of hearing and both of us stifled a giggle.
“Seated next to Harvey is aunt Mathilda” I nodded and the kind looking woman who smiled back.
“The stern looking gentleman next to Jude’s dad is Jude’s paternal uncle Jacob” Jacob scowled at Sean but smiled and nodded to me.
“And next to him is his wife Martha” I nodded at a regal looking woman in her 50s. She nodded back at me.
“Those four there are our cousins, Leah, Annette, Jerome and Jared”
I nodded at all four of them trying my best to remember all the names and faces.
“Now let’s eat!” Everyone laughed and started eating.
It was a delicious spread and had cold cuts, sandwiches, scrambled eggs, fruit juices, coffee and tea, buttered scones, puffs and toasts. I ate in silence occasionally talking to Sean while Jude caught up with his cousins. They swapped stories about what they had been doing while they were away. His cousins were only a year or two younger than Jude.
I looked around and felt warm inside. This was the closest I had to a family. Even if it was only for a year I was determined to enjoy it as much as I could. After all it was only the beginning why bother about the end right now? After we all ate the men went outside for a smoke while I stayed inside with the women. Sean stayed back with me and made me comfortable.
“So Natasha have you decided on a wedding date?”
I looked up in panic to see all the ladies staring at me expectantly.
“umm not yet”
“Well honey you’ll have to decide soon because it would require a lot of preparations and we need a lot of time” smiled Elaine.
“Well I will talk to Jude about it tonight?”
“Aw isn’t that sweet?” said Martha or Maria I couldn’t remember. I smiled and pretended to blush.
“Hey come on let me show you around” said Sean and I sighed in relief.
He took me out the front door, we saw all the men sitting on chairs in the lawn. Jude looked at me confused but I just waved back at him. Sean took me around the back and showed me the pool and the tennis court. Then he took me to the gym and recreational area.
The gym had every fitness equipment imaginable and the recreational area had a fooseball table, a pool table, a few video games and an xbox 3. I stared in awe at my surroundings. Sean shut the doors of the recreational room and locked it. I looked up at him questioningly and Sean looked at me with a serious expression and narrowed his eyes and said, “Ok what’s going on here? And try not to lie to me!”