Dinner
938 Words
Summer stopped as she heard someone call her name. When she turned around, Sophia was standing there donning a huge grin.
“Sophia!” She smiled brightly at the little girl who was blossoming into a beautiful woman. “Oh, my God!” she said, wrapping her in a hug. “You were, what? Five, the last time I saw you?”
“Seven, but I was short. Still am,” she giggled. “I can't believe you're here! Wait. You're not leaving are you? Mom is cooking tonight. You have to stay. Maddox, tell her she has to stay.” She stopped rambling as her brother entered the room.
Summer looked up when Maddox walked in, her heart sinking as she stared at him.
Maddox wasn't about to let the opportunity pass. “You are, of course, welcome to stay,” he said.
This time he couldn't keep the emotion off his face while he looked at her. She still took his breath away.
Memories of their last night together tried to push their way back into Summer’s mind, but Sophia, it seemed, had made up her mind for her.
“Ok,” she nodded. “I'll stay.”
Sophia squealed again. “It's settled. Let me show you around. I am sure things have changed since the last time you were here.”
Maddox watched as Sophia led Summer away and it was nearly an hour before they returned, his sister still babbling away. By that time, they were being beckoned for dinner and they gathered in a large dining room where a spread of roast chicken, fresh bread and an array of vegetables were laid out on the table.
Maddox's mother put her hand to her chest in sincere surprise when she saw Summer walk into the room. Her look was a mix of concern and regret.
“Hello, Summer,” she said, shooting a look at Maddox. “What an unexpected and lovely surprise.”
Summer smiled as soon as she saw Maddox's mother. “Hello, Mrs. Altera. It's good to see you again.”
“Am I late?” came another voice from behind them.
Maddox's mother looked up. “Fashionably. As always, Francis,” she said to the young man who entered.
“And who is this?” he asked, giving Summer the once over.
He couldn't hide his embarrassment when Sophia reminded him with a smack to the head.
Summer blushed a light red hue of embarrassment when Francis acted like he didn’t know her. It's not like she hadn't seen him before, but it had been a long time and he made that very clear with his query.
Francis turned to Maddox, “I thought dad forbade…”
“Francis, just sit down,” his mother interjected.
Summer picked up on Francis' words ‘dad forbade’ before his mother managed to interrupt him and it left her with so many more questions; questions she was afraid might go unanswered. She looked up at Maddox, her heart breaking even more. It was painful to be so close to him, knowing he left her without so much as a goodbye, just when she had given him all of her. Tears started to fill her eyes, but she blinked them back.
“I'm sorry if I'm interrupting, Mrs. Altera. Sophia invited me to stay and she seemed very adamant, but I should probably just go,” Summer said with a polite smile.
“Of course not, there is plenty for everyone. And please, call me Adelle. We're all adults. Now, everyone sit and eat.”
Summer smiled at Maddox's mother, “Of course, Adelle. Thank you.”
She took a seat across from Maddox - not really by choice, but that was where his mother had set an extra place setting.
The first few moments of dinner were quiet, even Sophia who had been hard pressed to breathe between sentences for the past hour fidgeted as she picked at the food.
Maddox glanced periodically at Summer and his heart swelled, but the heavy burden of regret weighed at him. He had hurt her terribly and there was nothing that could change that.
Summer knew the deafening silence was because she was there. There was no way a family got together like this to eat dinner and not talk during it. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She saw Maddox peak at her now and then, making her wonder if he had ever thought of her again until today. She thought about him everyday. He's the reason her relationships have always failed. She still loved him and couldn't seem to let him go.
Finally, Adelle broke the silence. “Summer, it was such a tragedy to hear of your mother's passing. I only met her a couple times, but she was a wonderful woman.”
Summer was brought back to reality when Adelle asked her about her mother. Her head snapped up and she looked at her confused.
“Umm...yes, she was amazing and pardon me if this comes off rude, but…how did you know she passed away?”
Maddox seemed to flinch at his mother's question and Adelle returned Summer's query with a confused look as well. There was an awkward silence until Maddox finally sighed.
"I told her,” he said. He paused for a moment, considering. There is no going back now. “Just before I went to the funeral.”
Summer accidentally dropped her fork and it clanked against the dinner plate, bounced off of the table, then landed on the floor with a light thud.
He did what?
- Writer
