In Laws

This is absolutely ridiculous! Of all the days to be stuck in traffic it had to be today. I still needed to get home and start on the desserts. After two weeks of planning a sensational menu, taking meticulous notes, going through the shopping list countless times, I’d forgotten the most important ingredient, icing. I’m normally very calm and collected but for some reason since I’d woken up this morning I had this horrible knot in my tummy. My husband and I were meeting the girl our son, Jai, was wishing to spend the rest of his life with. After a year of courtship he’d finally come to us to declare his love and wishes to marry the girl. We’d decided it’d be best if both families met and took it from there and they were coming today! 

The knucklehead in front of me was beeping his horn for probably the tenth time in the last ten minutes with no avail. After switching on the radio to traffic news this 10 mile traffic jam made sense. There had been a two car accident up ahead, fortunately no major injuries, just a case of tow trucks arriving and clearing way. There was no point fretting. Soon traffic was moving and I sped down the freeway. The uneasy feeling came back again. With one hand on the wheel I tuned the radio to something a bit more relaxing than traffic jams. As I turned the dial from one station to the next I finally settled for one. After a barrage of commercials, music came on, a song I hadn’t heard in years. 

Every time I hear this song I’m reminded of him, my first love. When we first met we’d gone for a long drive to the Mojave Valley and he played this song over and over again. It became our favourite and every time I hear it, after all these years, I’m reminded of him and our parting. Our love story was left incomplete because the circumstances at that time kept us from pursuing a future together. We both went our own ways and haven’t made contact since. The song soon came to an end and I had reached my driveway. I rushed out the car, making sure I had the keys on me and not in the ignition, a mistake I’m known to do time and time again, and rushed into the house after a quick survey of my front lawn. Jai had offered to mow the lawn today, much to my husband’s dismay, for the first time, and I must say he did a pretty good job. Soon I had the cupcakes nicely decorated and displayed on the beautiful cupcake tier stand my husband bought for me last year whilst attending one of his company meetings in France. I’d been itching to use it for a while now and today was as better an occasion as any other to make its debut. 

Cooking done and the house in order; I decided to make myself a cup of tea to relax my nerves. My daughter had already finished all the jobs I’d asked her to complete and was now up in her room making herself presentable. Jai and his dad were downstairs in the basement, and guessing from the longevity of their conversation, I had an inkling of what was amiss. Jack wanted to make sure Jai was sure this was the one. He didn’t want to see his son’s heartbroken like before. The last girl he’d fallen in love with wasn’t looking for anything long term whereas Jai was. But I knew the girl coming to our home today was the one. Every time my son spoke of her I could see the twinkle in his eye; the same twinkle Jack had when he first met me. Jack and I met at a time when I was unsure of what I wanted in life and when I was most cynical of love. But he was patient and gave me time to make up my mind until one day I decided to step out of the past and begin my life all over again with my Jack; the best decision I’d ever made. The fruits of our love and labour were our two beautiful children and the life we’d made around us. Today this life was going on to the next chapter. 

The slamming of a car door brought me back to surface. I looked out the kitchen window and saw a car had pulled up. Jack and Jai ran up the stairs, 

‘Mom, they’re here!’ Jai said nervously. 

I went over to him and gave him a hug and reassured him that everything would go well today. Lena’s parents will love our family. Jack had already opened the door for them. Lena’s mom, Rose, came in followed by Lena. She seemed very shy. 

‘Come in and welcome to our home,’ said Jack. 

Jack held the door open expecting Lena’s dad to come in, but he wasn’t there. Rose’s husband had been tied in meetings all morning but was on his way over. 

We all took a seat. Rose and Jack began talking about the traffic; it had been horrendous on their way over here. I sat across from Lena. She smiled and asked how I am. Judging by the look on her face I could see she was rather nervous. I went over and gave her a hug. Then softly stroked her face and told her how glad I was to finally meet my future daughter in law who was everything I wanted for my son, she smiled. Rose looked on smiling with tears in her eyes. My daughter wasn’t getting married anytime soon but I could imagine if I were in Rose’s place I’d feel the same; nervous for her future and glad to see such endearment from a future mother in law. 

‘Thank you for welcoming us and I do apologize for having to schedule this during the week, but we’ve got family coming down from Rhode Island this weekend,’ said Rose. 

‘Please don’t be silly,’ I replied smiling. 

‘There’s no reason for you to explain yourselves.’ 

‘We’re glad to finally meet you.’ 

I excused myself while they chatted away and went into the kitchen to prepare the tea. As I was pouring tea into the tea cups someone knocked on the back door. I slowly set the tea pot down, wiped my hands, and went over to check who it was. I didn’t think it would be Lena’s dad as I was expecting him to come through the front door. After fighting with the lock I finally managed to open the door and was met by surprise. Suddenly that horrible feeling I'd been feeling since this morning came back. He was standing in front of me, twenty years later, here he was. His hair was slightly gray, he seemed skinnier, and oh those eyes, they hadn’t changed a bit, the same sweet eyes. It felt like I was 16 again. 

John, my first love, he looked down at me and smiled. I smiled back. 

‘Are you Lena’s father,’ I asked fearing his reply. 

He cleared his throat and quietly replied yes. John looked confused and so was I and then it dawned on me; this was the reason why’d I’d felt nervous all day. This was the father of my soon to be daughter in law. Of all the girls he could fall in love with, Jai fell in love with the daughter of his mother’s first love. 

‘I’m sorry, but I think I need a cigarette,’ John said. 

John stepped back onto the deck. He took out a box of Marlboro Lights, the same ones he used to smoke back then, and lit up a cigarette. I looked behind me, glad to see them busy in conversation, and joined John on the porch. I didn’t know what to think at this point. I heard John call my name softly. I turned around. 

‘I never forgot about you,’ he said with a hint of melancholy in his voice. 

‘All these years, with marriage and parenthood, your place in my heart has remained the same.’ 

I looked at him surprised to know he still thought of me. John smiled. 

‘Marie our love story remained incomplete, we never got a chance to see what could have been,’ he said sadly. 

‘But let’s make sure our kids get a chance to complete their love story, to have the happy ending we never had.’ 

With that he put out his cigarette, came over to me, kissed my forehead, and went inside the house. I followed behind.