Quinn was probably overdressed for the occasion, but she knew the importance of a good first impression. She didn't know why she was so nervous. This wasn't the first time meeting a significant other's parents. She supposed it was because it was Rachel and she cared for her far more than she ever had her high school boyfriends. It was also her first Hanukkah party, and Quinn wanted to impress Rachel's relatives.
She and Rachel walked up to the front door hand in hand, with an openness that had grown over the past year. She remembered how she had been in high school, and had come a long way, especially with Rachel's encouragement. They had reconnected a couple months after their college graduations, when Quinn had gone to see one of Rachel's performances. They had been inseparable ever since. For the first time in what felt like forever, Quinn was happy.
They reached the front door and Quinn tentatively rang the doorbell. Rachel squeezed her hand in encouragement and the door swung open to reveal Rachel's beaming fathers on the other side.
"Rachel!" Hiram exclaimed as Rachel let go of Quinn and rushed into her father's waiting arms. "We've missed you."
Rachel beamed at her fathers. "Things have been hectic in the city. Thanks for coming to see me for Thanksgiving."
"We wouldn't miss it for the world," Leroy replied.
He looked over at Quinn and gave her a warm smile. "Hello, Quinn."
Quinn politely smiled back, "Hello, Mr. Berry."
Leroy laughed, "I told you, calling either of us Mr. Berry isn't going to work in this house. Call me Leroy."
She nodded in understanding, "Thank you for inviting me to your Hanukkah party, Leroy."
"No problem at all," said Hiram. He gestured inside the house. "Come in everybody's waiting." Quinn and Rachel entered the house, and Quinn handed the bottle of red wine in her hands over to Rachel's fathers. They stepped into the living room and were greeted by the rest of the Berry family. They came over and hugged Rachel before introducing themselves to Quinn. She offered them a smile, as she tried to hide her nerves from them.
Luckily, Rachel's family seemed very warm and interested in making Quinn feel welcome. It was a stark contrast to her own family, and she thought about how her father would feel if he saw her now. It surprised her that for the first time, she didn't care at all what he thought.
The youngest kids brought her and Rachel over to the fireplace and Quinn saw that they had a game of dreidel set up. Rachel had made sure to teach Quinn all of the traditions of Hanukkah before they left New York. She sat down next to the smallest boy, Joshua, and he offered her the dreidel. Rachel and Quinn spun it a couple the times but luck was not in their favor. The middle child, Marc, ended up winning all of the gelt, but he was nice enough to pass pieces around to everyone else.
Moments later, Hiram called everyone into the dining room and Quinn took the empty seat next to Rachel at the table. Rachel's aunt Martha passed her the plate of latkes and Quinn took a couple off the top before handing the plate to Rachel. She looked around the table and saw the bowl of applesauce to her right. She reached out and picked up the bowl, spooning liberal amounts over her latkes as Rachel had taught her. She politely took a little bit of everything from the rest of the plates being passed around. A lot of the items were vegan for Rachel's sake, but Quinn was relieved that there was also a mouthwatering pot roast that was definitely not vegan.
Once everyone was settled, everyone started to dig in. Quinn was surprised at how good everything was, even the vegan food. She glanced over at Rachel, who was looking at her expectantly. Quinn gave her a smile and a nod to show that she was enjoying herself. A lot of Rachel's family asked her questions about herself, and Quinn answered them. She felt at ease with Rachel's family, glad that they seemed to accept her as one of their own. Rachel took up most of the conversation, to nobody's surprise, as she talked at length about her Broadway and New York experiences.
Soon after, everyone got up from the table. Quinn offered to help clean up, but Leroy and Hiram refused. Instead, she and Rachel joined the rest of the family in the living room. The kids looked anxiously at the stack of presents for the family, hoping to get something good for the first night of Hanukkah. Rachel's aunts and uncles continued to ask her questions as Rachel rested her head on Quinn's shoulder while they sat on the couch.
Leroy and Hiram came into the room moments later and Rachel removed her head from Quinn's shoulder. Everyone gathered around the small menorah and Joshua led the room in the prayer as Hiram lit the middle and then the far right candle to signify the first night of Hanukkah. As soon as the lighting was done, the kids ran to the presents. Leroy passed out the presents to the rest of the adults.
Quinn sat on the couch, watching Rachel open her presents. To her surprise, Hiram brought her a wrapped present. "We didn't want you to go home empty-handed," he explained.
"Thank you," said Quinn, touched by the gesture. Rachel smiled over at her as she took the gift. Carefully, Quinn opened the present and was surprised to find a hardcover copy of the latest bestseller.
"Rachel said that you like to read," said Hiram as he watched her carefully.
Quinn couldn't help but smile, "Thank you so much."
Before she could look closer at the book, Rachel came over and kissed her. "Thank you," she said as she admired her new bracelet from Quinn, adorned with gold stars.
When they reached the hallway, Rachel cleared her throat nervously. She handed Quinn a small wrapped box. "I wanted to give you this in private." She took the box from her and opened up. After pulling the paper off, she gasped when she saw a key inside. "It's for my apartment in New York," Rachel explained. "Our apartment," she corrected herself, "That is if you want it to be."
"I would love to move in with you," Quinn said as she fought back tears of joy. "I love you."
Rachel smiled, "I love you too." She pulled her into a kiss and then they rejoined the party.
After dessert, they spent the rest of the evening playing games with the family. Throughout the evening, Quinn thought about how content she was with her life and that her first Hanukkah with the Berry family was one that she would never forget.