When We Were Young

IX: marry that girl

Sixteen

"Now that that's settled, why don't you come in, Grayson." She pulls me out of the doorway so that Gray can step in.

He hasn't been inside my house since I was ten years old because of mom. I'm actually a bit excited to see her irritated expression when she learns that grandma was the one who disobeyed her rules.

As Grayson's hanging up his coat, grandma whispers to me, "Your boyfriend is certainly easy on the eyes."

My eyes pop open wide. "Grandma, he's not--"

I don't finish my thought because Gray is walking up behind me and I don't want him to feel more uncomfortable than he probably already does.

The three of us move to sit back down with Evelyn and Walter, but mom calls us from the kitchen, letting us know that dinner is ready.

I hear my brother and cousin scrambling down the stairs, giddy laughter in their train. Grandma rushes off first, wanting to help my parents set everything up, and probably to get a good spot at the table.

"I feel so out of place," Gray tells me as we walk through the doorway of the living room.

He glances at Evelyn and Walter in front of us. "Everyone is dressed so nicely." Evelyn wears a red traditional dress and Walter has on a dress shirt and pants. Gray's just wearing blue jeans with a plain, army green long-sleeved shirt.

I plaster a smile on my face as encouragement and pat his chest lightly. "You look fine."

"I look fine?" He grins teasingly. "That really inspires confidence, Rick."

As we walk into the dining room, my mother's eyes practically bulge out of her head. She's wearing an apron and carrying out a plate of dumplings, my dad following closely behind.

"Grayson, what a surprise." She composes herself.

"I hope you don't mind, Mrs. Young. Mrs. Chen was very insistent that I join you all for dinner." I can hear a little bite in his tone, but I don't think mom picks up on it. Instead, she just purses her lips and gestures for us to sit.

Dinner starts with a lot of talk about the company and grandma bursting with pride as she goes on and on about how Evelyn is grooming herself to become a great future CEO. Evelyn, in typical Evelyn fashion, takes in the compliments smugly, as her boyfriend gleams proudly over at her. Must be nice having your life figured out.

"What about you, Maverick, any plans for university? The time is approaching, after all," Uncle Ted prods.

"Um, haven't really figured it out yet." I cover my chewing mouth with my hand.

"Probably business undergraduate, then law school," Mom chimes in.

The adults glance around the table at each other with approving nods. Mom and I have talked about university-- well, it's more like she's talked and I've had really no opinion. There's just not anything I'm really passionate about at school.

Gray looks at me with surprise. We haven't had a detailed conversation about post-secondary yet and from what I've told him, he probably thought that I hadn't made up my mind.

"Ev loved Wilhem, you should consider it. The business school is one of the finest in the country," my cousin, Anthony, informs me.

I look at him with annoyance, knowing he just opened a can of worms with my mom. Anthony has always been a source of pride for the family, though he was lucky enough to escape working for our grandparents. After finishing his undergraduate in engineering, he won the Rhode Scholarship, so he spent a few years studying at Oxford University, where he met his wife, Bella. If that wasn't already enough, he founded a non-profit that runs out of New York City, where he now lives. Needless to say, he really made it difficult for the rest of us.