Unexpected

• Chapter Twenty-Seven •

"Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful."
-Joshua J. Marine

• • •

Abel guides me downstairs through a hallway and into a door on the left leading to their dining room.

Immediately, 7 pairs of eyes turn to face us as we walk in. The only person missing, is his dad.

The empty spaces are either next to Denzel or Zane. With the way Zane is winking at me, it's a wonder why I choose to sit next to Denzel. Abel follows suit and pulls out the chair next to me.

I feel Denzel giving me a questioning glance at my clothing but thankfully doesn't comment.

Mrs Dellasandro doesn't say anything about what I'm wearing and instead lets me know that her husband will be here any second now.

For the time being, I take in the meticulously laid out assortment of food. In the centre of the table is a large saucepan filled with colourful chicken couscous. On either side, are dishes filled with salads, crusty bread and other foods I'm not familiar with. Either way, food is food and I'm practically salivating at the variety.

The sound of heavy footsteps entering the room has me diverting my attention from the delicious looking cuisine.

The man, who I'm guessing to be the father takes the seat at the head of the table.

A chorus of 'Hey dad' or 'hello' reverberates around the room.

As I look towards him, I notice his large stature covered in a sleek, black suit. His skin tone is almost the same as Abel's but a shade darker. He has a low buzz cut which looks to be a dark brown and the darkest eyes I have ever seen; in fact, the blackness of it almost covers the white parts. Put all these features together, and you have one very very intimidating man. Even more so than Denzel and that says a lot. Despite the fact that he's not related to any of his kids, he could definitely pass as the biological father for Denzel simply because of their similar facial features.

If I wasn't nervous before, I definitely am now. Taking a deep breath, I calm the anxiety building up and look towards him.

"Well who do we have here." His voice is extremely deep matching his exterior.

His intense eyes are focused solely on me as he speaks.

I clear my throat before talking and try to make sure my voice doesn't shake.

"Hello, Mr Dellasandro. I'm Keziah."

He stares at me for a second before busting out a big smile.

"The Keziah?" He starts laughing loudly while I'm sat there I'm absolute shock. "Abel here has not stopped talking about you! I'm glad we finally met. And please, call me Titus."

For a moment, I stare at him with my mouth hanging open slightly. This big, intimidating looking guy is not intimidating at all! By the looks of it, he's probably one of the happiest people I've seen. Either the serious face was all a façade or he just naturally looks like that. Wow. I am well and truly surprised. But it was a nice surprise.

Immediately, all nervousness and fear evaporates leaving me feeling nothing but content.

Titus greets his whole family before we all hold hands and say grace.

Mrs Dellasandro grabs the saucepan full of couscous and begins by dishing some out to the younger ones. While she's doing that, everyone else grabs the other dishes of food.