Arranged to Love

Chapter 1: Graduation Dinner

I was tempted to tell my grandparents that I would be fine to eat a nice home cook meal. After a few minutes, I felt a gust of wind behind me. I turned my head a bit to see an elderly couple who looked very upperclass. The elderly man who was in a wheelchair looked at my direction. Is he looking at me?

"Claudio?"

My grandfather turned his head to see the elderly man who had called him. "Pietro?" my grandfather said a name. Grandpa know him? The elderly man gave him a smile. "My old friend," he said to him.

My grandfather walked over and gave the elderly man a hug. Grandmother and the elderly woman greeted each other. "It had been a long time," my grandfather said to him. The elderly man nodded his head in a good mood. "Yes. It has been a long time," my grandfather said to him.

The elderly man turned his head to me. "Who is this?" the elderly man asked. I walked over next to my grandfather. "This is my granddaughter, Valeria. She likes to be called Vera for short. She had just graduated today," my grandfather introduced me to his friend.

The elderly man gave out his hand. "Pietro Minetti," he introduced himself. I shook his hand. "Vera Laurenti," I introduced myself him. "It's nice to meet you and congratulations," he said to me. I gave him a smile. "Thank you," I said to him. I met his wife who was Maria.

I turned my head to my grandparents. "Maybe we should leave. I don't mind a home cook meal," I finally said to them. "Nonsense. It's your graduation," my grandfather said to me. "I know but.." "Wait here," Pietro cut me off.

He wheeled himself to a waiting staff. I couldn't hear him because many people were talking at the same time. Soon, I saw a chef come out of the restaurant. Pietro and the chef shook hands and exchange some words. I guess they know each other. Next thing I knew, the chef was talking to a waiter. After a while, the waiter went off somewhere.

Pietro gestured us over. I followed behind my grandparents and Maria. Once we got to him, the waiter returned with some menus in his hand. "Follow me," he said to us. I looked at Pietro who was about to move the wheels of his wheelchair himself.

I took one handle and placed my other hand on his shoulder to let him know that I was behind him. "Let me," I told him. He gave me a smile and patted my hand. "Thank you Vera," he said to me. I pushed the wheelchair and followed the waiter.

We walked into a private room. I pushed him to the head of the table. "Thank you," he said to me. "Your welcome," I said to him and sat between my grandparents. "You have a caring granddaughter," Pietro said to my grandfather.

"Yes. She is very caring," my grandfather said to him. The waiter passed out the menus and left us in private. I looked down at the menu. What do I want? I was choosing between chicken carbonara, shrimp scampi, and baked tilapia with shrimp.

Soon, the waiter comeback with his order check book. "Hello. I'm Marcelo and I'll be your waiter. Are you all ready to order?" he asked us. As a start of our dinner, Pietro ordered everyone a salad. One by one, the waiter wrote our entrees from each person. After he finished writing my grandmother's entree, he looked up from his order check book at me with a smile.

"What would you like?" he asked me. "I'll have the shrimp scampi," I said to him. He wrote down my order. "Anything to drink?" he asked everyone. "Wine all around," Pietro said to the waiter. I raised my hand to get the waiter's attention. "Except for me. I'll have a glass of water," I said to him. "Certainly," the waiter said to me.

After we told him our order, he walked out of the room. My grandparents and the Minettis were having conversations. I sat quietly and listened to them speak. After a while, the waiter came back with four glasses, a bottle of wine, and a glass of water. He poured the wine to the elderly and gave me my water before he left the room again.

"How long has it been since we saw each other?" Pietro asked my grandfather. "I would say about twenty years. Your grandson would have been four at the time," grandfather said to him. I listened to their conversation. I guess they are talking about old times. I took a sip of my water.

Grandmother and Maria were having their own conversation about their husbands. The waiter came back with our salads and our entrees. I had to say that dinner was the best. After our meal, we ordered tiramisu for our dessert. Yes. My favorite dessert.

Once the tiramisu came to the table, I took a bite. It was delicious. "Vera is a beautiful lady. She is the perfect match for my grandson," I heard Pietro say. Huh? I looked up at them. "Indeed. Remember our promise?" grandfather said to him.

"Of course," Pietro said to him. Grandmother and Maria stopped their conversation and looked at them. They seemed to know something. Something didn't feel right. "You mean about the marriage between them?" grandmother said out loud to them.

Quickly, I grabbed a napkin and coughed my tiramisu into it. I was in shock.

Marriage!

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