Monday, February 20, 2012

Christmas


After breakfast, I went into the room and called my mom. I had missed her so much. I wanted to wish her the best in this Christmas day. It was the first time that I was not around family during such an occasion. I got a chance to also talk to dad and my brothers.

“Hey dear.”  My dad called out.

“Hi dad, merry Christmas.” I said.

“Merry Christmas to you too.  How is everything going on?” He added.

“Its great dad. The family is really nice and I am enjoying the visit.” 

“That’s good. We will talk to you later on.”

“Okay dad.  I love you.”          

“I love you, sweetheart.” He said and hung up.

I got some texts from friends, relatives and work mates wishing me a happy Christmas day.  Ann called and told me that she was still at her parents’ home. They were having a low key celebration.

I felt a tap on my shoulders. It was Fred. He asked if I could change into something a little more comfortable. Apparently this family usually had its holidays in a big way as I was soon to find out. Around one in the afternoon, we drove up to the lake nearby where we found two of the chefs had already prepared lunch buffet for us under a tree. We indulged and made merry before some of us decided to go for a swim in the lake. It was such an impromptu decision as none of us had carried any swimming costume. It was fun never the less. I think I am getting used to this!

At dinner time, we headed to a restaurant in town. The five course meal appeared so damn expensive but none of them seemed to mind. I smiled as I tasted some of the food that I only heard about on the food channels. This is life!

Monday, February 13, 2012

Xmas Morning

It has often been said that nothing good lasts forever but as I am watching Fred sleep on the gigantic bed, I couldn’t help smile. I have been standing by the window staring at him ever since I woke up (over thirty minutes ago). I still got love for this man. He has done the most precious thing for me by allowing me to spend time with his family.

I hear the kids shouting downstairs so I check the time. It is already fifteen minutes to nine and we were to be at the breakfast table thirty minutes ago! I shake Fred out of his slumber while I rush to the bathroom. After about five minutes or so, am out. I look over the bed and the dude is still sleeping.

“Hey, wake up!” I shout at him while trying to apply lotion over my body.

“What’s the hurry for?” He murmurs while his eyes are still closed.

“We have to be downstairs right now. We missed breakfast and it is not a good thing.” I say trying to put on a bra.

“Okay. “ He says and finally agrees to shower.   
          
We walk to the dining room and notice all the utensils have been cleared up. Shit! We have to go to the kitchen. I was avoiding that as Fred’s aunt was in the kitchen alongside my mother in law. 

“You two lovebirds, you were late!” The aunt shouts. 

Damn, how did she know we were in the next room?

“Coming!” Fred replying and drags me to the kitchen.

I say my hallo’s to both of them and head to the sink to wash my hands.

“There is hot coffee on the flask, bacon and sausages in the microwave and you can toast some bread if you want to.” Aunt says.

“Thank you.” I say while serving myself to breakfast.  

Monday, February 6, 2012

Naughty Bastards


The first gift was given to Fred’s mom by the dad. It was a small beautifully wrapped box. When she opened it, there was a gold pendant necklace. The gift made everyone clap. It was beautiful! As each one of the house gave gifts to each other, the more I became nervous on how they will accept my gift to them. They were into expensive gifts while mine was so damn cheap. My fears were put aside when she received it. She was really happy.

Surprisingly, Fred’s mom had taken time to get me a gift too. It was a brightly colored small gift box with a ribbon tied to it. I trembled as I opened it slowly. I felt everyone’s eyes on me as I removed the wrap. Inside the red box, there was a ring!

“Do you like it?” She asked.

I was speechless for a moment. “Yes, very much. Thank you.”

“It’s a family heirloom. I would like you to have it.”

“What?” I mumbled

“We are honored to have you in our family.  I’ll be pleased if you accepted that.”

“I’m so honored” I said while trying to hold back my tears. I stood up and gave her a hug. “Thank you.”

As the others continued to open the gifts, I tried on the ring on my middle finger. It was perfect. I showed Fred the ring while waving my hands across his face. He smiled and kissed me on the forehead.  Later on, we had a prayer before guys went to bed. I was to share the room upstairs with Fred. I felt awkward as it seemed odd that we would sleep together in his parents’ home.

“Hey, you okay?” Fred asked tacking himself into bed.

“Yes.” I said turning to face him.

He gave me a kiss but it was so good that we did it for a couple of minutes. With the intensity continuing, we started touching each other.

“Won’t your parents hear us?” I asked still holding to him tightly.

“Nope.” He replied taking his clothes off.

“You sure?” I asked.

I never got the answer.

Christmas Eve

Arriving back, we found everyone on the pouch having drinks around a tree. We joined them by sitting on the logs of trees that were laid out in a circle. Alcohol was amongst the drinks laid out but I chose some fruit juice. I didn’t want to be judged on the choice. Fred took a malt drink.

Was this family this joyful or was it the drinks that contributed to the effect? I had never laughed this hard before as the family cracked jokes on some past events. Fred and his cousin were the center of the topics and I enjoyed this as I didn’t know some of the things about him. The kids were playing some random games that involved running around and something close to hide and seek.

The awkward moment came when Polly started asking us about the wedding plans. We looked at each other with a blank stare as we didn’t have an answer yet.  Some more probing by the family on my wishes on the wedding day was tormenting enough. This is what I was going to deal with in the coming days. Fred tried to save the moment by telling them the date would be set once we go over my parents’ home and tell them about the good news but it didn’t work out as expected. My soon to be mother in law changed the subject when she noticed I was getting uncomfortable to work related stuff. I breathed a sigh of relief.

As the time moved on, it started being chilly so we all moved back into the house only to find some hot cups of tea and coffee already prepared. Each of us took a cup as we waited for dinner. The smell of chicken in the oven mesmerized me and I smiled broadly while walking to the family room. Those chefs know their work! The Christmas tree had been set up which gave the room a festive feeling. Some gifts were set up under the tree and this reminded me of mine that I had bought. I ran upstairs and got the gifts back to the tree.

We had an early dinner on the dining table after which we sat on the couches. The head of the family, Fred’s dad then started the family tradition of opening the presents on Christmas Eve.