Ch 14 Another Mother
Darin looked up from the lamp he had been turning on and off, who would have guessed he thought in amazement. She smiled when she saw what he was doing.
He smiled "You look nice" he said. She was wearing a soft pair of blue pants, 'jeans' he realized, and a large green sweater.
"How long until you're mother arrives" he asked breaking the silence they had fallen into.
"Maybe 15 mins." she said, a little distracted by his presence. "Maybe I should warn you, she's coming here to save me from you" she said ruefully.
"Why" he asked walking over to where she stood.
"When I was still in the hospital and it didn't look like I'd make it, my family sued the driver that hit me and the place that served him, there was a large settlement" she said.
"What's a settlement" he asked having trouble with the word, conflicting meanings confusing him.
"Well, you have courts, don't you, when people have disputes" she asked him.
"yes, I've served as judge in some while on circuit" he said.
Surprised, she glanced up to see him watching her, a slight frown on his face. "Have you ever awarded one of the parties with compensation for a wrong done to them" she asked him.
"Yes, I have" he nodded.
"Well, that's a settlement, anyway it was put in my name to pay medical bills, but those ended up not being as large as they thought they would be, so there's a lot left over" she said.
"Medical bills" he mused aloud, working through the concept. "How obscene" he remarked.
She laughed "A lot of people would agree with you" she said. "The reason my mom wants to protect me is that, she probably thinks you're trying to take advantage of me for the money".
"At least she cares" he said, wondering what he was getting into, then he laughed. "my mother wants to marry me off and yours wants to keep you away from men".
"She can't keep me from you" she said, giving in to temptation and giving him a hug.
He hugged her back resting his chin on the top of her head. He wanted to kiss her, but he had the feeling he'd better keep on his toes if he had to deal with her mother.
They had gone back to the kitchen and started the kettle for tea, after Darin had gotten his fill of playing with the gas stove trying to figure out how it worked. Anna smiled, his wonder in what was to her, very ordinary, Made her look at everything in a new light.
"You seem to want to figure out how everything works" she remarked when she caught him peering into the freezer, a slight frown on his face.
"It's a remnant from my days at the collegeum" He said.
"Oh" she said, "What did you study" she asked as she pulled three mugs down from a shelf.
"I hadn't gotten to the point where a master, had called for me, so I was only in the general classes, though I did have a strong leaning towards the steam project" he paused thinking back to that time, his face softened as he remembered. "Jeraela chose me when I was on my way to a history class, if I remember correctly".
"What's it like being chosen" she asked curious.
"I'm not sure how to describe it, I felt like something was looking at me....,the real me , deep inside, then the blue eyes, that seemed be the whole world and a voice saying you are my chosen, and the love and total acceptance and the feeling that I would never be alone again".
She started opening her eyes from being entranced in his words, she heard it again, a knock on the front door. "Oh, I bet that's Mom". She said startled.
She started to get up, when he waved her back and said "I'll get it".
"You sure " she asked in a teasing tone.
"Yeah, you stay there, she'll have to get me alone sometime" he said with a shrug.
"Call me if you need to be rescued" she said.
He laughed and went through the kitchen door to let her mother in. There was quiet for a few minutes , then she heard the murmur of voices coming from the living room. She sighed as she felt the apprehension he had tried to hide, but she stayed where she was knowing that he was right about needing time alone with her mother.