108a: Dinner

I can’t,” I said.

“Come on,” he said. He had his pants on, and was holding out his hand to me. “We need to take a shower before dinner. “

‘I can’t,” I said, “I can never leave this room again.”

“Roberta Michelle Jones,” he said, throwing me a bathrobe. “You will put that bathrobe on and come with me to the shower, or I will go tell your mother you are being disobedient. Now, I open the door in ten seconds… nine… eight…”

He moved over to the door and I leapt up and wrapped the robe around me. He grinned and opened the door, holding out his hand.

We made it to the door and into the bathroom without seeing anyone. I relaxed and took off the robe, which turned out to be a mistake, and it was another few minutes before I got in the shower… before we got in the shower.

“Caleb?” Came my mother’s voice from the door, “Your parents are coming to dinner. I told your mom to bring you a change of clothes. I will put them on your bed.”

“Thanks mom,” he shouted.

“Dinner will be in fifteen minutes,” she yelled again.

“Thanks mom.”

“Oh, no,” I said. “Your folks, my folks, I can’t do this.”

“Well, he said, “if you aren’t coming to dinner I will stay up with you while they all sit and wait for us at dinner. I’m sure they won’t mind. Newlywed couple doesn’t come down to dinner. They will understand.”

I blushed, and got out, drying myself frantically.

—

“Caleb, Bobbi,” His mother said, kissing me and hugging him. “Is that the ring? Oh, it is beautiful. Look at the ring Dear, isn’t it nice?”

Caleb’s father took my hand and looked at the ring. “Wonderful,” he said, kissing me. “Welcome to our family, Bobbi. Your mother-in-law has been waiting years for this moment. So, what are you going to do about school?”

I turned to Caleb. “We haven’t talked about it. I hope I can talk her out of ‘pre-med’ anyway.”

“Dinner is served, “Mother said.

“Frank,” Father said, “If you could say the blessing?”

“Our Lord,” Frank said, “We thank you for this meal, and for the new family that you have made. We ask that you make them fruitful and a blessing…” I heard the quaver in his voice. Four miscarriages, and that was the ones I knew about. I hoped I could have them the grandchildren they desperately yearned for. I still remembered the day I had first found out that Caleb was adopted. I had been shocked. We had grown up together. I couldn’t imagine life without Caleb next door, or that Caleb wasn’t really their child.

I squeezed his hand under the table. Caleb put food on my plate while I answered various questions about our shopping trip. I think it took me ten minutes to stop blushing. Finally the meal was over, and we moved to the kitchen. In both houses we had the same tradition, we always did the dishes together right after the meal. We had just gotten started when the phone rang. “Jenny?” Mom said, and passed the phone to Jenny.

“Ralph? Hi.” She said. “Tonight? Umm, just a second.” She put her hand over the phone, “Mom, can Ralph come over and sing with me tonight?”

Mom looked at me, “Sure, we can all sing some, no? It will be fun.”

“Sure, Ralph, come on over.”

I, personally, think it was unfair of her not to tell the poor boy what he was walking into. “Ralph,” Mother said, when she went to the door. Come on in. We are having a celebration. Caleb and Bobbi got betrothed today. See her ring? We are going to sing with you tonight.”

He came awkwardly in. “betrothed?” He said. It was a little hard, having my father. I was always having to explain our strange ways. I didn’t’ have to this time, as Jenny came forward to do it. “We do it differently, you see. Caleb came and asked my father for her hand yesterday, he bought her the ring earlier today and… now they are betrothed,” she said, all in a rush. Ralph still looked confused, but my father called us over to the piano.