Opening the Floodgates

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"Sab," Sabine heard her mother calling her softly behind her. She let go of her hold on Gael and both of them looked sheepishly at the older woman.

"Sorry, Ma. I was just surprised."

"Sorry, Tita."

Amy just nodded. "I understand, you two are young and excited to be together."

"Oh, before I forget, I brought food for all of us to share, Tita," Gael said. "Babe? Lunch?" he swung the hand he was holding.

"Ma, maybe we should take a break first?"

"Okay, I'll just get things fixed out here. Why don't you set up the table."

Sabine went back inside the house followed closely by Gael. As soon as they were out of her mother's sight, he held onto her waist with both hands and walked behind her. He helped her get plates and glasses from the cabinet while she grabbed their silverware from a drawer. It didnt' take long for them to set up the table and transfer their food out of the cartons and into serving dishes. Amy walked in just as Sab was transferring the last of the dishes. Gael pulled out the chair for Amy at the head of the table first before doing the same for his girlfriend then sat next to her. Amy led the group in saying grace before partaking of their meal.

"Gael, thank you for bringing us lunch," Amy said kindly.

"Sure, not a problem, Tita. I really wanted to visit with Sab today, and also meet you and Tito."

"Well, Bob is at work today, so you'll have to meet him some other time," Amy smiled again. "How did you meet Sab? My daughter doesn't get out much, I always say her beauty is wasted on bread," Amy laughed.

"Ma!" Sabine said and blushed.

"Tita, we met at a coffee shop one morning. Some kid accidentally spilled some coffee on her shirt, and I happened to be nearby and helped her," Gael recounted.

"Oh, I remember that day! That stain never did come out, even with bleach," Amy recalled.

"What a waste of a perfectly good shirt," Sabine somewhat felt bad. "Oh well, accidents happen," she shrugged and smiled.

"And after that, I learned that Sab worked the graveyard shift at Flour and Eggs. I was worried about her working alone in the middle of the night so I took it upon myself to be her bodyguard, and our relationship just blossomed from then on. Tita, I know you don't know me yet, but I promise you, I have no bad intentions towards Sab. In the short span of time I've known her, I've learned so much about not only her, but also myself. She has inspired me to be a better version of myself, and continues to teach me to not take anything for granted, to be grateful for all the things I have," he said while looking at Sabine admirably. "I fell in love with such a beautiful person, and one day I hope she can reciprocate the feelings I have for her," he squeezed her hand.

Sabine looked back at him with shimmering eyes, holding back the tears that threatened to spill. No one had ever talked about her like that, and it made her heart swell.

"Gael, as you can see, we're just simple people, and you, you look like you're from a well-off family," Amy said taking note of Gael's expensive looking clothes. "I'm not making your declaration trivial, but I just want to make sure that this is not just a game for you. I'm sorry I have to play the overprotective mother role, but Sab is our only daughter, and you are her first boyfriend. I know that this is a part of life, a part of growing up, but I have to make sure that you won't intentionally put Sab in harm's way."

"I will try, Tita. It doesn't matter what you're background is. You have raised an amazing daughter. I don't love her because she is rich or famous. It scared me, too, Tita, that Sab would push me away. Sab is very headstrong and very independent. I was afraid that she wouldn't think I was being real with her. But I can assure you, Tita, that I will always protect Sab, first and foremost."

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