Marriage?

28: The dinner, and the chaos.

Chapter 28: The Dinner, and the Chaos.

Bella Richards.

"HEYYY!" The voice of a woman boomed as the door to the room opened. Our heads snapped to the direction, and I saw a woman — probably in her early 20s — and a man standing there with smiles on their faces. I recognized their faces because I had met them at the wedding, but I don't remember the name, as usual. If I'm correct, they are his cousins. Calvin walked over to me and gently held my waist as we took small steps towards them while his sister ran towards him.

"I missed you so much, I swearrrr. Uni is too harsh." her words made Calvin chuckle as he returned the hug. His brother walked to us with a smile as well.

"University is going to be challenging, Ris. Not quite like brewing a pot of Earl Grey, I'm afraid." Calvin said with a chuckle as he broke the brief hug. Oh I remember now! It was Clarissa.

"I, so, agree. You're too dramatic." His brother said with a playful roll of eyes.

"I know, whatever. Heyyyy bella!" his cousin beamed as she hugged me as well, a tight one. I hugged her back with a chuckle.

"Hey, how are you, Clarissa?" I said as she broke the hug.

"I'm great. Studying has me sobbing. What about youuu?"she said, linking her hands with mine, "and also, you look stunning!" she said with a proud smile. I smiled, the corners of my eyes crinkling, as we both walked out to the garden from the play room.

"Thankk you!!" I returned her compliment and she smiled, starting to talk about her university and her studies.

We went to the little space that was created in the middle of the garden. I sat down with Clarrissa, beside Calvin's mom and dad, while he sat down with his cousin, near his uncle and aunt. I remember well that Clarrissa and that other were siblings, and their parents were Calvin's aunt and uncle. While he sat down, his eyes lingered upon mine for a while and then looked at his uncle as he engaged in a conversation. We all talked about various things — the little fun adventure Calvin's Dad had in the kitchen, trying to brew some soup but ended up with the hot soup spilled all over the kitchen counter, the news that the United States were just facing, some stories from their past — creating a very light atmosphere. I noticed that the female members of the family were equally intelligent and modest as their partners. In a way, I felt happy that they spoke, put their opinions in a family discussion, had them discussed, had their partner's support, and always had a charming opinion.

"Right then, dinner ought to be ready! We should head off, I'm feeling peckish." His uncle said as he got up, while his Dad chuckled.

"You're always feeling peckish." Everyone chuckled at that as we all got up.
The workers at his house escorted us to the dining hall, with the elderly cracking small jokes as they stepped inside. Even so, he and I were sitting at a distance before we got up, he still, silently, found his way beside me — a soft presence beside me as we walked, not leaving my side. As we stepped inside the huge dining hall, my eyes were stuck at the beautiful intricate Victorian designs on the ceilings, and the beautifully painted walls of the room. The painting of Christ centered the hall, speaking the essence of their religious beliefs. I followed Calvin to our seat, sitting just beside him, while he sat adjacent to his father, being the eldest son of the house.

The conversations went on, with the both of us speaking a little whenever necessary to continue the flow of it all. Even though the air was not heavy, there was something unusual about everyone present there, as if the friendliness was just a show. I decided not to meddle about the vibe I got. Yet still, it just felt odd, especially from Calvin's side. He was not very talkative, about which I knew, but he was surprisingly silent with his own family and seemed as if he wanted to escape the place. His father, a friendly man as so, didn't seem as affectionate to Calvin, as the both didn't talk much, neither did his step mother. And the fact which shocks me the most is that, how on earth did the media not talk about this much? The death of the wife of such a sensational businessman got no coverage seemed very fishy.