After telling Mom that I met someone and wanted to set up dinner with our family for her belated birthday, she couldn't believe it and cannot wait to meet Benjamin. I haven't told her the details because I want to surprise her with our family. I spend money to dress Benjamin in designer clothes of a grey button-up shirt tucked in with black pants. He's more handsome than anything.
I told my family to meet at 6:30-knowing they will be late due to their jobs being 15 minutes late. I'm wearing a long-sleeve olive green v-neck (doesn't show much cleavage) bodycon dress with belt, and nude pumps along with my trench coat for a chilly night. My hair is a little the same style with less wavy and wearing my diamond earrings studs and a simple diamond necklace.
As I'm waiting at the table, Benjamin is waiting at the bar for my signal to come to the table. In 5 mins after, my mom walks to the table, wearing a black blouse and letting her hair flat iron like mine (how alike we truly are). Mom's smile is all I need today and she's beaming.
"Hi, Mom!" I hug her. "You look so beautiful..."
"Thank you... You too, my darling." She smiles and sits beside me and looks curiously. "Where is your lover?"
"He's waiting for the rest of the family to come... Mom, you will love him, he absolutely changed my life." Mom smiles and suspects that I was changing and happier than ever. "He is so handsome, and charming, he reads."
She laughs, "Well, we both know you longing for someone who reads."
We both laugh and finally my oldest brother, Patrick in his lawyer suit walks to our table as we were laughing.
"Hi, Dahlia." He hugs me and hugs my mom. "Hi, Mum. Happy birthday." Mom gives thanks to Patrick, who looks so tired than he usually is. Probably his baby giving him the early wake-up calls. He points to Mom, "You look-" He hesitated and I finished his sentence.
"Nice?" My mom laughs and he nods without laughing or smiling; there is really something wrong with him, he is depressed. So I decide to ask him how his family is, "How's Eimear? Your daughters?"
"Well, sis, they send granny their love." He pushes his gift bag to Mom that looks like a jewelry gift. Can a guy give anything meaningful? I just bought a bouquet of lilies and the first editions of War and Peace for Mom. Patrick asks Mom, unexpectedly, "Did Dad get you anything?"
"Can we not? Not tonight..."
"Just tell me he got you a present?" Wow, Patrick looks really depressed.
I ask Patrick, "Why would he, Patrick? He divorced Mom a few months ago!"
He ignored me, "He at least got you a card? Just tell me at least he got you a card?"
Mom put her hands on his hands while looking at him seriously, "I don't want a card from him. I don't want anything from him. I just want to have a nice evening that was arranged by your sister. With no mention of that fucking man." Patrick and I look at our mom with shock at the f-bomb. Good for you, Mom! She opens her gift, and of course, gold earrings. "You're a good boy." I look to see how Benjamin is doing and he finishes his martini by dropping a stick in his glass.
Della enters the building and walks to our table. She gives Mom a hug, "Happy birthday. Hey, sis." I smile at her, she is probably the only person in the family besides Mom who accepts me as her sister, not an "adopted sister." She is the best sister that anyone could ask for. Patrick looks at her, reminding her that she was a little late, "I'm not that late."
Leo walks to our table and I look at my mom smiling at his baby son here with her and our whole family together. Leo sits beside Patrick in front of us, "So, what are we eating?" He looks at Patrick telling Leo that we were waiting for him to order. Leo looks at the menu, "Wait, no longer, my friend." I roll my eyes to Patrick and he gives me a look as Leo mentions a lobster.
Della informs him, "It's 50 quid a kilo."
Patrick tells Leo, "We're having the set menu."
"It's Mum's birthday dinner," said Leo, "Belated birthday dinner, so it's up to her to decide. Do we have to order the set menu?"
Mom looks at me questioningly, knowing that I will be paying for dinner, and I nod. She informs Leo to have anything he wants. I look at Benjamin smiling telling him that this is my family and he smiles back. Mom looks at me eagerly, wanting to meet Benjamin. I smile at her and turn to my family. "Um, there's something I need to tell you all, and I would appreciate it if you didn't pass on our Dad."
Leo interrupts me, "You're not dying, are you?" I look at him knowing he's joking with me.
"No, Leo, I'm not dying." I laugh, "I arrange our dinner together to celebrate for our Mom." I look at her and held her hand nervously, "Our mom is happy to know that I met someone." They all look at me shockingly. I signal Benjamin to come.
As he is walking to us, Della asks, "Like a romantic someone?"
I nod to Della smiling, "Yeah, like a romantic someone..." She smiles at me.
Leo being Leo comments, "Well, it's better than you dying, I think."
Della punches Leo, thanks Della, "Don't be a dick, it's much better."
Benjamin appears waiting, arms behind his back. Patrick says to him, thinking he's our waiter. "Uh, we're not ready to order. I'll let you know when we are."
"Oh, no, he isn't, this is someone. Benjamin. This is Benjamin... " He smiles at the family as I smile at him. My family was in a state of shock and surprise, in a good way, I hope. He sits beside me to my left and he orders the waiter his drink of choice and mine, water in a wine glass.
I introduce my family, "Benjamin, this is my oldest brother, Patrick." Patrick smiles at him smugly. "That's Leo, my second youngest brother and this is my sister, Della." Della smiles at Benjamin awkwardly as her own self, "This is one right here, is my mom, Julia."
Benjamin wishes her a happy birthday and my mom smiles... I don't know much about meeting the parents, but it shouldn't be more awkward silence there, right? For now, Mom asks with anticipation, "So, how do you two meet?"
"We met in a library, looking for the same book, Pride and Prejudice. Lia's favorite." Benjamin smiles at me as he puts his arm around me. "Let just say, Julia, meeting your daughter change my life."
Benjamin's POV
After a short while, we finished our dinner. I comfort Lia in any way I can to be there for her. I noticed she was a little nervous about telling our story. Seeing her telling our story makes me smile, knowing she belongs to me. I see some sense with her family having a disconnection about us. I think I understand why. Our age and our interracial differences. But I didn't care about that... All I want to do tonight is to be there with her.
Lia's older brother, Patrick, asks Della to freshen up in the restroom. Della asks her mom and Lia to join. As they walk away, I watch Lia exit with them and knowing I would be alone with her brothers.
"So tell me, Benjamin." Patrick leans over to get closer to me, "What kind of cushy work number have you got that allows you to be prowling public libraries in the afternoon?"
I answer, "Copywriting. You kind of set your own hours hence the prowling."
Patrick smiles (not amused), "Sounds almost too good to be true..." He really wants to play the game. I grab my company card from my back pocket and hand it to him. "Very nice. Very cool. Us lawyers don't do cool."
"Well, I'm sure that there are other-", I start to lean over to get my card back, but he put in his side pocket, "perks."
"Yes, there are. Wolves kept firmly from the door." I lift my wine to him, accept the phrase, and gaze back at him. I'm hoping Lia can come back soon so he can stop interrogating me. "What part of the world is it that you hail from?" I answer Kent. "Kent's a big place. Where exactly?"
I try to, aside from giving too much information about my past, "Tiny village, you won't know it." He won't give up... "It's called Newenden." The second he asks about my family, I ask him if he's gonna finish his unbitten brownie cheesecake since I shared one with Lia. He offers his cake to me.
As I take a bite of his cheesecake, he comments on the tattoo on my right forearm. I'm getting a little irritated with him and I pull down my right sleeve and decide to ask Leo. "Leo, Lia tells me that you've moved back home with your mum, temporarily."
"I'm back home temporarily."
"Yeah, no, I just mean I get it. Can't be easy for your generation to try to" he interrupts me.
"I wouldn't say you're far off from my generation, Ben."
"It's Benjamin." Ok, I'm ending this in a nice, calming way to make them understand. "Look, why don't we just address the colossal elephant in the room?" Patrick denies that he doesn't know what he means which clearly he does. "I understand that this is awkward for you. I be the same. She's your sister. You're rightly protective of her."
Patrick points, "Well, thanks for your permission."
"Then you see this older, white guy, and you're thinking, 'What's his game?'" I lean over to look straight back to his eyes, telling the truth, "All I say to try to reassure you, is I'm not going to hurt her."
Leo warns me, "Good, 'cause if you did, we'd kill you." I glare at him, knowing hiding my past will be the hardest thing. I pretend to smile when I hear the ladies coming back as Lia's brothers are minding their own business.
As Lia sits beside me, I put my arm around her to comfort her and she smiles back. The waitress returns with the paycheck. Lia looks for her wallet to pay before Patrick stops her to let him pay for dinner. She comments back that it's nice for him considerably. He look back at me as he put his card down. I wink at him, letting him know that I won.
Lia belongs to me, no one else.
Dahlia's POV
After saying our goodbyes to my family, I say this night has gone well. The first impressions are not always right. Benjamin and I return to my home, getting ready to bed.
When I say getting ready to bed, I mean making out with Benjamin. I guess he couldn't handle the urge to not kiss me during our dinner. Kissing Benjamin melts me all the way. He pulls me closer to deepen our kiss. As I am under him, suddenly his right hand was on my thigh.
I pull back, "Um, we should take a breather." It takes me to breathe as I sit up.
Benjamin laugh, "Yeah, we should." He sits along against my headboard, looking at me. It's hard to say what he is thinking right now, and I know I made a promise to tell him the truth. Even he wouldn't accept me.
I start to take a deep breath, "Um, there is something I should tell you... and it's gonna be hard." I look down at my hands, " Because you will be the first person I have told the secret on."
I start to feel his hands on mine and I look up at his eyes, "It's ok... you can tell me."
I start to feel the water in my eyes as I wipe them away to talk to him clearly. "Um, I was an orphan. When I was 11, I was adopted from my mom and moved to Devon to meet the rest of the family. Including my dad. One night, when the rest of my family were sleeping, or I thought. I couldn't sleep with the excitement knowing that I have a family. I went downstairs to get water and..."
I take a shaky breath, feeling my tears again, and my voice cracks. "My dad was in the kitchen, waiting on the table, seem to know that I was coming down... waiting for me. He offers the water to let me drink ...for one suggestion. A blowjob."
I look at Benjamin, his face is in shock and hard to take in the news. "He guides my hand, not knowing what it was, and he... unzips his pants and..." I sob. I hate how I cry my ugly tears in front of Benjamin but it's too late for that. "After that, when he came into my mouth, he thanked me for his satisfaction and kept it a secret."
Benjamin's eyes are full of sought with little tears, watching me how I react to my trigger. Crossing my arms. "I have been sexually abused by my adopted dad for 8 years. Not my family knows this, not anyone till you."
I look at him, and he answers my question with a hug. He hugs me so tight that I let him sob on his new shirt. He mutters me comfortably, saying it's ok, I'm here. I take a deep breath to let out this darkness inside me and finally feel a huge relief for Benjamin.
"I'm so sorry, Lia. You don't deserve this..." He let me look at his eyes, holding my face, "I am here, with you. I am not gonna let anything happen to you." He wipes my tears. He understands where I come from, knowing I have held this secret for so long. He accept me and give me a sense of relief when I told him my secret, a deeper communication of trust in time.
After my tears have gone to shed. He told me that he would wait until I am ready to devour him, and I accept the promise. I dress in my white nightgown and Benjamin's waiting for me to join my bed for sleep. He dress in his grey pajamas shirt and pants and wore his reading glasses. He grabs my new book from Benjamin and begins to read our favorite chapter when Mr. Darcy confesses his love to Lizzie.
Hearing him read gives me comfort the way I haven't been for a long time with a man. I hope one day, I would hear him confessing his love to me in time... my thoughts collided as I went to sleep with Benjamin.