Sufferable Acceptance

Twelve

Amelia

The room fell silent when I approached the table. People who I assumed were the rest of the Romano family all stared at me. Mr. Romano was the first one to speak up.

"Amelia, so glad you could join us for dinner. Please have a seat." he said.

I was having a hard time figuring out why so many people had complained about the terrors of this old man, he seemed delightful.

I sat next to a young girl with an empty seat to my left. Theresa walked in with one more bowl of food and sat it down on the table. She took her place across the table from me next to her husband. The food was on the table getting cold, but no one moved a muscle. I looked around the table and saw a man probably in his early twenties, the girl sitting next to me, and a young girl and boy who I assumed were the twins. Theo had told me all about his family, but it felt odd to actually see them in person.

"I'm not waiting for someone who doesn't have the basic manners to show up to dinner on time." Theresa spoke to Mr. Romano.

"You're right darling. Kids dig in, let's eat!" Mr. Romano announced.

Everyone was grabbing and passing plates and bowls and causing a commotion again. I wasn't used to family dinner. I remember sitting down to eat as a family when my mom was still alive, but that only happened on holidays. I think the girl sitting next to me could sense my tension, so as she handed me a plate of chicken she smiled and told me her name.

"I'm Sophia! I'm the one studying to be a lawyer!" she said excitedly.

"I'm Charlie" said the young man sitting across from me. "You'll probably be working with me the most. I spend most of my time with Alfie or doing whatever Dad needs help with." he said.

The two oldest children at the table looked most like their father. They had dirty blonde hair and the definitive face structure of Mr. Romano. They were both tall and slim.

"My turn!" one of the younger children spoke.

"We are Ava and Oliver, but you can call me Oli" the boy said proudly.

"And how old are you Ava and Oli?" I asked them.

"Nine!" They shouted in unison. "But I'm four minutes older," said Ava.

"Wow you guys look so grown up! If I had to guess, I would say you guys are in the fourth grade?." I asked.

"Yup we go to Saint Mary's Academy! It's the best. We have like 100 friends there." Oli explained.

Oli and Ava began talking non-stop about their teacher, and their classroom and all their friends at recess. They told me how once they got to fifth grade they could officially join the soccer team and the swim team. If not for Theresa putting a pause to their stories I thought they might never take a breath.

"Eat your dinner first, you two, then you can tell Miss. Monet all about your school stories." she said to them. Looking at Theresa she gave me a chuckle and motioned me to start eating. We were fifteen minutes into dinner when someone else decided to join us.

"You're late Theo." Theresa said coldly. "Would it be too much to ask of my family to show up for dinner on time? I don't think that's unreasonable."

"Sorry.." he mumbled, sitting in the empty seat next to me.

Without making eye contact with me he asked for the sweet potatoes. I handed them to him quickly.

"Are you not even going to say hello to our guest?" Mr. Romano asked.

"Hi", Theo said, taking a sip of his wine.

I should be upset, disappointed maybe, by his cold greeting, but it would be easier to ignore Theo if he continued his frigid behavior.