Don't Test Me

Chapter 31

The weekend passed quickly and before we knew it, Sunday rolled around. Charlie had no idea Seth and I were together, so it was going to be a surprise for him. Judy couldn't wait for his reaction. Judy had left a roast of beef in the oven for me to take care of while she went to town to pick up her dad. Seth and Chris sat in the living room watching some sort of sport on TV. Though the majority of supper was already taken care of, I was trying to keep myself busy. I had already set the table but I redid it a couple of times out of nerves.

Neither Seth or Chris seemed to notice I was a ball of nerves. I re-mashed the potatoes again and stirred the dill carrots a bit more. It was so silly; I wasn't sure exactly why I was so nervous. Then I realized this was my first official sit down family dinner with the Walkers. Though we had eaten plenty of field meals this wasn't one of those. I suppose on some level I wanted to make a good impression. My own worst enemy was myself, my silly fear of not being good enough. I was working on it, but sometimes that insecurity still reared its ugly head.

Judy pulled her truck into the yard. I peered out of the kitchen window to see Charlie in the passenger seat. I smiled to myself, I was sure he would be surprised. Seth was suddenly standing behind me, he wrapped his arms around my waist, he whispered, "My grandpa is going to flip. I can't wait to see his face." I shook my head at him, faking a calm exterior.

Seth pushed my long brown hair behind my ear and leaned into me, "Don't be nervous baby. He already loves you, this is going to make his day." I blushed and nodded, he always sensed what I was feeling even when I thought I was hiding it so well. He moved away from me and took my hand. I let our fingers intertwine as we waited for Judy and Charlie to come in.

She stepped through the door first, "Come on dad, we have a bit of a surprise for you." I could hear Charlie chuckle, "I hope it's some kind of dessert. We haven't had any in two weeks. I'm so sick of the Jell-O." I smiled to myself. When Charlie came in he handed his jacket to Chris, "Hello, son, how are you?"

Christ took his father in law's jacket and nodded, "Pretty good. Seth and I finished seeding before the weekend." Charlie nodded and turned to look at Seth. His eyes lit up when he saw his grandson, "Seth, I haven't seen you in a while. I've missed you, boy. Give me a hug."

Seth walked to his grandfather and pulled him into a tight embrace. Judy moved around them and across the kitchen to where I stood by the sink. She offered me a kind smile and a wink. I shook my head. Charlie said, "What have you been up to? I haven't see you in a while. Any news boy?"

"Actually, grandpa, I have a girlfriend how. I think you may know her." He told him. As they broke apart Seth gestured behind himself to me, "This is my girlfriend, Margot. Margot, this is my grandfather, Charlie."

When Charlie's eyes fell on me, they went wide. He stared for a moment before a large smile crossed his face. I moved toward him and placed my hands on his shoulders, "Hello Charlie, how are you doing?"

"Margot? You are with my grandson? That's amazing, and wonderful. Absolutely wonderful." Charlie didn't pause, he pulled me into a hug. I let him and enjoyed his embrace. Seth smiled at me from behind his grandfather.

I chuckled, "I'm glad you approve." Charlie scoffed, "They don't get much better then this girl right here. If my grandson ever messes up, you tell me. I'll knock some sense into him." I laughed out loud, releasing Charlie from our hug.

As we sat down to enjoy our supper we all settled into an easy conversation. Charlie was thrilled about Seth and I, like we had expected him to be. We left the farm house around 9pm, Charlie was going to stay over night with Chris and Judy. As Seth and I walked across the yard he turned to me, "That went very well." I nodded, "Your family is the easy one. Mine is another story."