To Caress My Day

Seeing Seth’s face dwindle due to Luther’s remark, Araceli dispatched a quick slug at her husband’s arm as a warning of her displeasure. Similar to her reception at first, Luther also debated if Seth proposing to their Twigs was much too soon after being together for less than six months. She was now convinced that Seth was legitimate in wanting to marry her daughter and that his intentions were nothing but true. There was no doubt in her mind that he had fallen in love with her child in that short amount of time. The idea of them getting married so soon was no longer an issue for her. “Luther, these kids are in love!”

“And!?” Luther contended, not seeing her point. “It’s still too soon for marriage if you ask me.”

Seth supposed if he planned to propose to Twigs soon he’d have to get used to this response from others. He couldn’t really blame them for it either. It hadn’t even been a year since they'd been dating and for the first time in his life he was ready to hurdle into marriage headfirst without any second thoughts. He’d been with his last girlfriend for four years and had never gotten anywhere close to procuring her an engagement ring out of the blue like he had for Twigs. Shrugging his hunched shoulders, Seth smiled softly. “When you know you know...right?”

“Exactly!” Araceli concurred with him, her eyes boring into her husband. “And keep in mind there are hundreds of people out there that have known their partner for less that have been happily married for years!”

Luther couldn’t refute that, and so reluctantly nodded in agreement. “You gotta point there, love.”

“I’ve a good feeling about them, Luther.” Araceli grinned, snuggling into his side. “I know they’re gonna be just as lucky as those couples too.”

Wrapping an arm about his wife, Luther turned his eyes to Seth and whispered. “So, when do you plan on popping the question to Tahliah?”

Seth shrugged, his smile waning. “Actually...I haven’t quite figured that part out yet. I’m still waiting for the right time...whenever that right time is.”

“That right time will be when Tahliah is ready to make your relationship official.” Araceli instructed him.

“Oh yeah, do NOT do it any sooner than that, my boy!” Luther shook his head as he chuckled at the image of how Twigs would react.

“I know, but…” Seth lamented, frowning impatiently. “That could take centuries!”

“HEY, WHERE DID EVERYONE GO!?” Twigs hailed from down the hall where she poked her head out of the kitchen entranceway. She had been occupied doing her part with the cooking and had turned her back to find everyone gone and the house soundless as death. Had her parents taken Seth outside to marvel at the river running behind their backyard?

“Shit!” Seth cursed, cramming the ring box back into his pants pocket before clasping his hands on his thighs.

Entering the living room, Twigs was happy to see that they hadn’t departed after all. She hadn’t been looking forward to braving the frigid weather outside to find them. “What’s going on in here, you guys? Why are you all being so quiet?”

“Nothing.” Luther blabbed, picking at his trousers and averting his eyes from hers so she wouldn’t see the overt deception there.

“Nothing at all.” Seth added, nodding his head as he began drumming his hands on his thighs.

“Absolutely nothing, my dear.” Araceli concluded, her brown eyes grazing her living room as if she was viewing it for the first time. When her daughter didn’t respond, she stole a glimpse of her and read the distrust on her face. She didn’t believe a word they said. Hurrying to change the subject before she began to interrogate them, Araceli cleared her throat. “Did you finish cutting up those vegetables I asked?”

Arching a brow, Twigs answered. “Almost. I wa-”

“Well then? Hop back to it, my love, before your boyfriend starves to death!” Araceli ordered her, making shoo-ing motions with her hands.

“Bu-” Twigs began again, firmly wishing to stay and delve into whatever they were discussing before she perceived their absence in the kitchen. Something fishy was going on here for neither man would look her in the face.

Snapping her fingers, Araceli pointed to the kitchen. “Tahliah Debrett Barnett, you better go into that kitchen and finish your task, young lady! Or, so help me, I’ll share some of your most embarrassing childhood memories to your young man.”

Eyes magnifying, Twigs shielded her lovely face with her dainty hands. “Mommy, you can’t! Please! Don’t say anything to him!”

Following through on her threat, Araceli turned in her seat to an interested Seth and smiled. “One time, when my back was turned while cleaning up the house, Tahliah went upstairs a-”

“Okay, I’m going!” Twigs squealed, zooming off back into the kitchen with her cheeks searing in humiliation. She couldn’t listen to THAT embarrassing story again, nor witness the look on Seth’s face either when her mother got to the pinnacle of the tale.

Releasing a breath when her daughter finally left them, Araceli discarded the story to return back to the conversation they hadn’t yet finished with Seth. “It won’t take centuries for Tahliah to be ready to come out to the public with you. She’ll break soon enough. You just need to wait a little bit longer before asking her to marry you.”

“Just imagine how much harder it would be to be engaged to her in secret!” Luther introduced with a discontent look on his face. “Every time you find yourself getting impatient just think of that. If you think it’s hard now being in a secret relationship, just picture a secret MARRIAGE where you, as the husband, demand 100% transparency and can’t have it because she’s not ready. And if you do so behind her back anyway, it could very well destroy your marriage.”

“That’s a damn good point you got there, Luther.” Seth grumbled, running a hand through his short dark hair. That would be 100% worse. It would be a life he wasn’t sure if he could live no matter how much he loved her and wanted her to be his wife. He had no choice. He had to wait. But there was another part to this that he might not have to wait for. Looking between Twig’s parents, Seth asked. “In the meantime...could I ask you two for your blessing to marry your daughter?”

Luther let out a laugh at first before grasping that he was being genuine. “Seriously, lad? Of course I approve! IN case you haven’t noticed I find you to be a flipping riot to have around!”

Slightly reassured, Seth looked to Twig’s mother next. “And you, Araceli?”

“I know you love my daughter greatly, and that if times were to get tough that you could financially support her every need and dream.” Araceli began. “If you can wait for her to be ready to accept you, and adapt to that wait, then you too will have my utmost blessing to marry my daughter.”

“Oh, thank god!” Seth praised the ceiling. Overcome with glee, he could hardly contain himself. Springing up from the couch, he leaned over the couple to embrace them earnestly for accepting him and awarding him permission to perfect his life by taking their daughter as his wife. “Thank you thank you thank you so much for this.”

“I’m done with chopping the vegetables, mom!” Twigs flagged out right before she turned the corner and walked in to see her boyfriend hugging her parents so heartily. Touched by the scene, she once again found herself asking. “Aww, now I need to know what’s really going on in here!”

Araceli waved her off from over Seth’s back before he released them. “Like, I said it’s nothing. We simply gave Seth our approval is all.”

Was that the discussion they were having before when she walked in? Twigs grin grew wider as she leaned against the doorway. “Well then, thank you for liking him too. It means a great deal to us both.”