Flashback: Olivia meets Melinda's family.
"The In-Laws"
Melinda went into the kitchen and picked up the car keys off the counter. "Liv" she called out, "lets go, church starts in thirty minutes". Its Olivia's first time attending a Baptist Church. She believes in God but doesn't go to church regularly, unlike Melinda, who goes every Sunday she's off.
Olivia comes out the bedroom, "How do I look?" she asks.
"You look great" Melinda says, "now c'mon we're going to be late".
"Do you think your parents are going to like what I'm wearing?"
"Yes sweetheart" Melinda says as she walks towards Olivia. "You have nothing to worry about" Melinda lean forward and gives Olivia a kiss on the lips. "Now, we don't want to be late for service, do we?" The ladies leave their apartment and heads to Mount Cavalry Missionary Baptist Church. Twenty minutes later they pull in the church parking lot. They get out the car and walk toward the church.
"Hey, there's Ursula" Melinda says, pointing at her baby sister.
"Hey sis" Ursula says, "Mom and dad are up front, you can have a seat next to me".
"Ursula, this is my friend Olivia" Melinda says, as she and Olivia take their seat.
Ursula extends her arm, "Nice to meet you Olivia. I've heard so much about you" Ursula says.
"Nice to meet you too Ursula" Olivia says, shaking Ursula's hand.
Melinda noticed her sister, Gabbie, was missing from service. "Ursula" Melinda whispered, "Where's Gabbie?"
"She came in from the club late last night, well early this morning so she's at home with a hangover" Ursula tells Melinda.
"What did mom say?" Melinda asked.
"After the club she went to Tommie's and when mom found out she went off on her".
Who's Tommie?" Melinda asked.
"Some guy she's only known for two weeks. She says, she's in love but we'll see how long that last".
Suddenly a lady behind them leans forward, "sshhh, please keep the noise down".
Melinda turns around, "Sorry ma'am" she says to the lady."
After service ended, Melinda and Olivia followed Ursula to her parents' home. When they pulled up in the driveway, they could see RJ and his wife sitting on the porch. They all got out their cars and walked towards the porch.
"Hey sis" RJ says, "I didn't see you at service".
"We were there, we sat next to Ursula" Melinda says.
"So, who's your friend?"
Melinda introduces Olivia to her brother, "RJ, this is my friend Olivia. Olivia, my brother RJ and his wife Sarah"
They all shook hands and went into the house. Gabbie comes down stairs. "Is it time to eat yet?" she asks Ursula, "I'm starved".
"No, besides mom and dad haven't made it home yet and you know how mom is about you going in her pots before she does" Ursula says.
"Well, they better hurry up or I'm going to die for starvation" Gabbie says. "So, who's the cutie?" Gabbie asks Melinda.
"Gabbie, this is my friend Olivia" Melinda says.
"Hah…friend, right" she says as she walks over to Olivia, "girlfriend is more like it. She's hot, Melinda" Gabbie says, shaking Olivia's hand. "By the way, I'm Gabbie…Melinda's younger sister".
"Nice to meet you" Olivia says.
They all take a seat in the living room awaiting the arrival of their parents. "See, this is why I don't like going to church with mom and dad" Gabbie says. "First we spend two to three hours in church and then they want to talk to everyone after church. They leave here at ten o'clock and don't get home until three o'clock every Sunday, it's ridiculous" a frustrated Gabbie says.
A few minutes later, they all hear a car door slam. "Thank God" Gabbie says, as she peeks out the living room window. "They're here and it's time to eat".
Melinda parents walks into their home and see their kids waiting on them. Melinda greets her parents with a hug and kiss on the cheek.
"Hi mom, hi dad" she says.
"Hey baby, it's nice to see you. Were you in church this morning, I didn't see you?" Melinda's dad asked.
"Yes sir, we were there" Melinda said.
"We…who's we?" her mom asked.
"Mom…dad…I'd like for you to meet Olivia Benson, she's a close friend of mine" says Melinda.
"Hi, nice to meet you sugar" Marilyn said, as she gave Olivia a hug. "It feel like I already know you, I've heard so much about you".
"Same here" Olivia says smiling.
"So, you're the Detective?" Robert says.
"Yes sir, I am" Olivia replied.
"Isn't that a dangerous job?"
"No sir, I work with special victims" Olivia says.
"Special victims?" says Robert.
"Oh come on Robert, stop interrogating her. She's not here to talk about her job" says Marilyn. "Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes; I just need to warm up the pots".
"Mom, I've already started warming the food. We can eat now" Gabbie says.
Marilyn looks at Gabbie, "I'm a little upset with you, Gabbie. You can't continue to live in my house and not go to church".
"Mom, this is the first Sunday I missed in five months. C'mon, give me a break. I'm a grown woman, you know" Gabbie says.
"You're twenty-two years old and I'll still take a belt to your butt if I have to" Marilyn says. "Now, Melinda could you please help Gabbie set the table?" Marilyn asked.
"Sure mom" Melinda says.
"Hey, do you need any help?" Olivia asks.
"Olivia, relax…you're a guest in my home. I don't expect you to do anything accept eat Sunday dinner" Marilyn says.
Melinda and Gabbie set the table while Marilyn placed the food on the table. "Okay, it's time to eat" Marilyn says. Everyone gets up and goes into the dining room. Olivia pulled out Melinda's chair and pushes her in snugged against the dining table, "thank you" Melinda says to Olivia. RJ's wife saw what Olivia did and she waited by her chair to see if RJ was going to do the same. RJ took a seat and looked up at his wife, "why are you standing there?" He asked Sarah. "Why can't you pull out my chair for once?" she asked her husband. RJ lets out a sigh and gets up to pull out her chair. "No, don't do it now. I don't want you to feel like you have to do it" Sarah says sarcastically as she pulls out her own chair and takes a seat at the dining table.
Melinda leans over and whispers to Olivia, "I think you've started something".
"Sorry" Olivia says as she shrugs her shoulders, "I was just doing what I always do".
"Okay, it time to say grace because the food isn't getting any hotter sitting on the table" Gabbie says.
They all held hands and said grace. As they passed the bowls around, Olivia piled the food on her plate. She's never eaten Soul Food before and is unaware of some of the food. She wanted to make a good impression on Melinda's family so eating Soul Food was no big deal to her. She conversed with Melinda's mom and siblings as they ate. About twenty minutes later Olivia asked for extras.
"Mel, could you pass the bowl with the chewy stuff in it?" Olivia said. Melinda reached for the bowl and gave it to Olivia.
"So, you like those, huh?" Ursula says to Olivia.
"Yeah…it's a little chewy but they taste great. What is it?" Olivia asked.
"Chitterlings" Gabbie says.
"What are they?" Olivia says as she puts a fork full in her mouth.
"Chitterlings…you know, pig intestines"
Olivia immediately stops chewing and looks at Melinda. "Don't look at me" Melinda says, "you're the one who said, it was good. You see I don't have any on my plate". Olivia slowly chews the chitterlings and swallows. "I think I've had enough of those" she says with an unpleasant look on her face.
"Olivia…how long have you been on the police force?" Robert asks her.
"About a little over four years now"
"And you made it to the rank of Detective already. You must be a super duper cop" Robert says.
"She is dad" Melinda says.
"So, tell me…how many other friends have you had before Melinda?" Robert asks her.
"Dad…don't" Melinda says.
"I'm just asking a question. I'd like to know where Olivia's head at".
"Robert, stop it. Olivia's a guest in our home" Marilyn says.
"I'm pretty sure Olivia can speak for herself" Robert says.
"It's no problem" Olivia says looking around the table. "I've had several friends before Melinda" she says.
"How many is several? More than ten?" Robert asked her.
"Yes, more than ten" Olivia replies.
"Well, well, well" Robert says, "Melinda's got herself a playa".
"Okay dad, that's it" Melinda says. "If you don't stop, we're leaving".
"Mel, it's okay. Your father is just curious about the person you're with" Olivia says.
"Anyone wants desert?" Marilyn asked, as she gets up from the table. "Robert I need your help in the kitchen" she says.
Marilyn and Robert go into the kitchen. "Robert, don't ruin this day for Mel" she says.
"What did I do besides ask a couple of questions? I don't want this one to hurt her like Kera did. Marilyn, you know how much of a mess Mel was after Kera walked out on her. I don't want her to ever go through that again" Robert says. "Now, we don't agree with her lifestyle but I'll be damned if I'm going to sit around and let what happen to her, happens again".
"Robert, can't you see Olivia loves her. She has the same look in her eye for Mel that I had for you many years ago. Lets just get through the rest of the day without any more drama. Gabbie already worked my nerves this morning" Marilyn tells her husband. Marilyn grabbed the sweet potato pie and Robert got the plates and walked back into the dining room.
"Olivia, mom makes the best sweet potato pie. You gotta taste it" Melinda says. She cuts Olivia a piece and hands it to her. "Mmm" Olivia says as she eats the pie, "it's delicious".
Everyone ate desert and went into the living room, while Gabbie and Ursula cleaned the kitchen. Robert goes into the kitchen a grabs two beers and walks back into the living room.
"Olivia" Robert says, "I'd like to speak with you on the front porch". Olivia gets up and walks out unto the porch. Roberts hands her a beer, "please have a seat" he says.
"So, how long have you and Mel been dating?" asked Robert.
"Nine months, sir"
"Olivia, what are your plans with my daughter?"
"Huh"
"What are you plans with Mel? Are you serious about my daughter or is this another fling to you?"
"Sir, it's not a fling and yes, I'm serious about your daughter" Olivia says.
"Do you love her?" Robert asked.
"Yes, I love her… I love her more than you'll ever know" says Olivia.
"Good, because she's in love with you" Robert says. "You know, her mother and I had a problem with her lifestyle at first. I mean when she told us she was a lesbian, it almost killed us inside, you know. I've always had such high hopes for Mel. It took some time for us to get use to our oldest daughter being a lesbian. But we knew if we wanted Mel in our lives, we had to make changes on how we feel about certain things. You see it's easy to break Mel's heart because she falls in love quick. Melinda is a good woman; I just hope you realize how lucky you are to have her in your life".
"Yes sir" Olivia says.
"C'mon, finish drinking your beer before it gets cold" Robert says. He and Olivia sat on the porch for an hour. They talked about work, friends, cars and other things.
Melinda opens the front door, "Liv, are you ready? It's after 6pm, it's getting a bit late" Melinda says.
"You're ready when you are" Olivia says as she gets up.
"Here, I'll take that" Robert says, reaching for Olivia's empty beer bottle. Robert goes back into the house.
Melinda embraces Olivia and kisses her passionately. Olivia breaks the kiss, "Mel, your parents are in the house" Olivia says. Olivia and Melinda go back into the house. They say their goodbyes to the family.
"Hey Olivia, it was nice meeting you" Gabbie says. "Hope you stick around, you and Mel make a nice couple".
"Thanks" Olivia says.
Marilyn walks up to Melinda and gives her daughter a hug and kiss on the cheek and does the same to Olivia. "I don't know what it is about you, but I like it" Marilyn says to Olivia.
Robert gives Melinda a hug and he shakes Olivia hand. "Nice meeting you Olivia. Remember what I said" he tells her.
"Remember what?" Melinda says.
"Oh, it's nothing Mel" Olivia says.
Melinda and Olivia left her parents' house and they headed back to their apartment. "So what did you think?" Melinda asked Olivia.
"I think your family is nice" Olivia says.
"And my father"
"Well…he was just doing what a father is supposed to do, protect his daughters" Olivia says.
"Sometimes he's a little too over protective" says Melinda.
The ladies reached their apartment."I'm beat" Olivia says, "I just want a hot shower". Olivia gets into the shower and start washing her hair. A few minutes later Melinda gets into the shower with her. "Do you mind?" Melinda says. "No not at all" says Olivia.
"So, what did you and my dad talk about on the porch?" Melinda asked Olivia.
"Oh…we talked about a little of this and a little of that" Olivia says.
"You're not going to tell me, are you?"
"Nope" Olivia says smiling.
"Maybe this will get you to talking" Melinda says, as she leans forward and kisses Olivia. One kiss leads to two kisses and three and four. A few minutes later, they are on the bed making love. After an hour of love making Olivia rolls over and cups Melinda's face. "I want you to know, I love you so much and I will never leave you or hurt you. I know we've been together for less than a year but, I want you to mark your calendar because twenty years from today, we're still going to be together with kids".
"Kids" Melinda says.
"Yes, kids. You do want kids don't you?" Olivia asked.
"Yes, I want kids. I just never thought you'd want any".
"Only with you baby" Olivia says as she kisses Melinda and hold her in her arms.