Chapter 5 Getting To Know Mason - Part 2

• I continue my conversation with Sarah; she's a very pleasant girl. She forbade me from calling her "Mrs." as she says her mental age is equal to or younger than mine. That made me laugh.
• "Mason is a good guy, although if you tell him I said this, I will deny it for the rest of my life. I've known him for too many years, which leads me to tell you that you won't have any problems with him whatsoever. But if you lie to him and betray his trust, you'll lose all the love he feels for you," she says, stopping her smile.
• There's something in the way she tells me this that makes me question what she's not telling me. I don't ask anything. We're supposed to be in a real relationship with Mason, and no one should know about the contract that brought us together. It's better to leave the details as they are.
• "I have no intentions of hurting Mason, and if there's one thing that characterizes me, it's my honesty. I believe it's one of the things that made him notice me," I nervously comment.
• "We're going to get along very well. Sometimes those idiots talking about business would make fun of me for not having someone to talk to while they had their work meetings. Now I won't be alone. Thank you for agreeing to come; I know it wasn't an obligation, and yet you did," she smiles as she says that.
• "No problem. It's helping me relax. Afterward, we're going to meet his mother, and that's making me nervous," I say without thinking.
• "You haven't met Emily yet? You have nothing to worry about. She's a lovely person. She'll adore you and show you photos of Mason's childhood. I'm sure the two of you will get along great. Don't think she's one of those mothers-in-law who adores her son and defends him from everything. On the contrary, she'll always be on your side, and best of all, you'll have a mother/friend who will be the best of all. Imagine that I feel more like a mother to her than to my own," she tells me with laughter.
• "That's quite reassuring," is all I say.
• "When you have more time to talk, I'll arrange a girls' outing with the three of us. Emily is the best mother-in-law you could have; I wish I had one like her. She's very adventurous and lively, not one of those women who care about money and interests. But let me advise you," she looks around as if about to tell me a secret, and I lean closer to her face, which she tilts towards me, "Don't accept going on a girls' outing with her unless you're prepared to dance, sing, or stay awake for hours." I look at her, not fully understanding what she's saying.
• "What?" I ask, confused.
• "You see, if she suggests a girls' afternoon/night, be ready to dance and sing until dawn. She's very cheerful and extroverted. She won't take you to fancy places; on the contrary, it's something that always annoys Mason's father because she doesn't like luxury. She's happy with simple things. She hates fancy gatherings and prefers to shop at a local store rather than an exclusive boutique," Sarah continues talking.
• I'm surprised to learn so many things about Mason's mother. On the other hand, I'm relieved to know that she's the complete opposite compared to my own mother, who only sees money before anything else.
• Unbeknownst to me, Mason appears, smiling, with Ethan by his side. As they approach us, Ethan goes straight to his wife to hug her and kiss her on the cheek. Mason does the same, but without hugging me. He sits beside me and kisses my cheek.
• "Sorry for the delay, but we can go now," he tells me, looking into my eyes, searching for a clue about what Sarah told me about him.
• "Alright, let's go then," I reply, smiling.
• "Yes, please. Emily has called Mason about three times asking when you two will arrive," Ethan comments, causing me to nervously finish the remaining drink in my glass in one gulp.
• "I don't doubt it. You can't blame her. Who would have imagined that someone would put up with her baby to the point of marrying him and getting serious?" Sarah says, winking at me.
• "Very funny. Thank goodness you're my friend. Imagine how it would be if you weren't. That's why I always avoid letting you meet my mother," Mason responds, doing something I never expected from him.
• He sticks out his tongue as if he were five years old. They both laugh, and she responds by sticking out her tongue too. Ethan looks at them and tells me, "You'll get used to their behavior," pointing at them, his wife, and my fiancé. "It's just a matter of time," she adds.
• We say goodbye, promising Sarah that I'll visit her sometime to talk about "girl stuff." I know she said it just to tease Mason, who surprises me with his response.
• "Believe me, I'll avoid that meeting as much as possible," I roll my eyes.
• Ethan laughs while Sarah says that remains to be seen. We get into the car, and I can't help but feel nervous about meeting his mother and father, although I'm not sure if both of them will be there. I didn't ask Mason. I look at my outfit and think that if my mother saw me like this, she would have a fit, especially knowing that I'm about to meet my in-laws. I sigh and wipe my sweaty hands on my jeans, trying to dry them. I hear Mason chuckling, and I want to punch him for enjoying my torment.
• "Keep laughing… because I'll have my turn later" I mut.
• "Don't worry, my parents are super laid-back and simple. Sometimes I wonder how they were friends with yours, no offense. But when you meet them, you'll realize they're completely different from yours," he tells me, contemplating his own words.
• "It doesn't offend me. Maybe I'll end up liking your parents and give you mine after tonight," I comment, putting my nerves aside.
• "Believe me, my mother would gladly switch with me. She always wanted a daughter but couldn't have one," he says sadly.
• "Then we're both only children," I say, looking straight ahead.
• "Yes, my parents couldn't have more children after me. They wanted to adopt, but due to their busy schedules and work, they don't want to leave a child with someone else. Now they support various institutions where they help children, and it makes them feel better. I've never been left alone or with babysitters. My mother has always been with me. Now that I'm older, my mother accompanies my father on all his trips. I think they're reliving their courtship. They love each other so much, and they share that love with several children during the visits we make whenever we can," he tells me, blushing slightly.
• "I'd like to go with them one day. You know I don't have siblings, and I don't have close friends to consider as family either. I've always been in top schools, so I've met girls who are like my mother, which meant I didn't get along with any of them. I won't deny that I spent time with them, but it was always more out of obligation than anything else," I say, lowering my gaze to my hands.
• "Just to show you how excellent I am, I'll give you Sarah. She's not such a good friend anymore now that she's met you. She'll drive me crazy supporting my mother, and I'm sure the three of you will team up to annoy me. It's a fact," he says, confident in his words.
• "Thank you, I'm no longer nervous. What I don't understand is why you're single. You're not a bad guy. Why don't you have a partner?" I ask him.
• When I see his smile fade and his gaze become distant and sad, I regret asking. I didn't want him to stop smiling. What an idiot I am. Me and my curiosity.
• "Listen, you don't have to say anything..." I say, trying to fix things. "Just forget that I asked you this," I say, looking at his expression.
• "I'm not ready to reveal things from my past that aren't happy. For a moment, I thought Sarah would tell you things about me, but I see that she respects my decision to keep unpleasant events of my life to myself. Maybe in a few months, days, or weeks, I can tell you, but not now," he tells me seriously.
• "Of course, I understand, and I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable with my question. Sometimes I don't think before I speak, you know, the brain-mouth connection isn't fully connected," I say, managing to make him smile.
• "It's something not everyone can achieve, you know, connecting the mouth to the brain. Maybe when you mature a little more, you'll manage it," he says, laughing and returning to being the cheerful Mason I've known so far.
• "Alright, Mr. Mature who sticks his tongue out at his friend," I say, laughing and making air quotes with my fingers as I say that.
• "In my defense, she annoys me and brings out that childish side of me," he replies, raising his hands in surrender.
• I see him stop the car as we arrive at a large house, but not quite what I expected. I truly thought we would arrive at a mansion, in the style of my parents. However, it's a beautiful house. Mason gets out and opens the door for me, just like the gentleman he has been since I met him. I hesitate to get out; great, the nerves are back. Before I even touch the ground, I hear a shout, and for a moment, I'm startled.
• "Finally!" exclaims who I believe is Emily.
• After that, I see Mason move to the side, being pushed by a slender woman who doesn't look older than 50. She looks at me with a smile, and there's no doubt that she's Mason's mother. She has the same blue eyes as him, and hers shine with happiness upon seeing me. She helps me out of the car and hugs me tightly, I mean, really tightly. Mason comes to my rescue and tells her,
• "Mother, you're suffocating her." Upon hearing him, Emily lets me go, but only a little.
• "I'm sorry, dear. I'm just so happy. You can't imagine how thrilled I am to meet you. Let's go inside and talk," she says, taking my arm and leading me inside.
• As I enter, I'm amazed by everything. The house feels so cozy, beautiful, and familiar. There are photographs on the walls that showcase all the years of Mason's life. There's even one where only his young parents are featured, and Emily's pregnancy process is also documented. I envy the life Mason had with his family; I wish I had even half as caring a mother as Emily.
• She guides me by the arm to the backyard terrace, which has a huge patio. It's all green, with a pool and hammocks for sunbathing. I look around, and behind the house, there's plenty of open space. I'm lost in taking in what the moonlight and the lights of the house allow me to see. There's a row of small lights that give off a yellow glow. Everything I observe gives me the sense that this home would be ideal for raising grandchildren, with kids running around. What the heck am I thinking? Grandchildren? Seriously, I don't know what I'm thinking. Maybe it's because this family is making me feel so many things.
• "I truly feel so happy to meet you. I know this is an arrangement, but that doesn't mean I'll treat you like a stranger. I don't have daughters, and I want to get along with you. I'm sure my clueless son will be single forever. You're my only hope for having a daughter-in-law, and even if this ends in the three years that stupid contract my idiot husband made lasts, I want to continue treating you genuinely. We don't have to pretend," she says sincerely, and I can tell she means it because I see it in her eyes.
• I don't even realize that Mason is standing next to us until he lets out a loud sigh, grabbing our attention.
• "Mom, I'm here too," he says, annoyed.
• "I know, son," his mother replies, looking at him while shaking her head.
• She separates from me to greet her son, and as she does, Mason's father arrives. When he sees his wife, his gaze lights up, and I understand my fiancé's words from a few minutes ago. They have so much love between them. I wish that at some point, a man would look at me the way Mason's father looks at Emily.