Winter's Rime

Chapter Eight

Alex was nervous about meeting Sara's parents.

Because of new airport security, he and Sara had to wait down in the baggage claim for her parents. Passengers started to fill up the area and Sara squeezed his hand in reassurance that everything would be just fine.

"They're going to love you," Sara soothed, knowing that was a complete lie. Her parents never like any of her boyfriends, especially when they were of…culture.

Her parents were the most uncultured people she knew, and they didn't take too kindly to anyone with a different background. They weren't racist or anything, it was just that they were in an area where they didn't see minorities too often and they lived by stereotypes. Sara closed her eyes, hoping that nothing would go wrong over Christmas.

Sara had to plaster a smile on when she saw her parents approaching her happily. She nudged Alex in the ribs so that he would know to smile too.

"Oh my God," Sara's mother said with a huge smile on her face. "Sara, you look so wonderful."

Sara hugged her mother and then she saw her father.

"Hello darling," he said, pulling her into a tight hug. "It's good to see you."

Sara smiled nervously and pulled away. "Where's Shelby and Tyler?"

"Oh, Shelby came down with the flu and decided to stay behind," Patricia explained. "And who is this gentleman?" Her mother asked.

"Mom, dad," Sara began. "This is Alex Vartan. Alex, this is my mom, Patricia Wellby-Dupont, and my dad, Harold Dupont."

Alex extended a hand to her father first and Harold shook it firmly.

"It's nice meeting you," Alex said as he shook Patricia's hand. "And you, Mrs. Dupont."

"Nice to meet you too," Patricia said. "Are you two dating?"

"Yes mom," Sara said. "A month now."

Sara was surprised that her mother wasn't acting like she usually did when she met her boyfriends. She was actually quite friendly and understanding.

"Well that is wonderful," Harold said. "Sara's a beautiful young woman."

"That she is," Alex agreed, taking Sara's hand. "Um, I'll go get your bags."

Alex went over to the carousel with Harold as Patricia stayed behind with Sara to chat.

"So, is he…" Patricia began.

"Yes mom, he's Mexican," Sara sighed crossing her arms. "Don't start mom, okay?"

"What darling?" Her mother asked defensively. "I'm not starting anything. It's just a question."

"No mom, it's never just a question with you," Sara said, dropping her arms to her side and walking away. "Look, I happen to like Alex, maybe even love him okay? Please don't make this Christmas miserable. I really am looking forward to your vacation here with me but if you're going to be the same Patricia Wellby-Dupont that I left in Boston ten years ago, then you can forget spending Christmas with me."

Deciding that she'd given her mother a good ultimatum, Sara walked over and assisted Alex with the bags.

"Daddy, how much did you pack?" Sara asked. "How long are you planning to stay?"

"Well Sara, we just decided that we wanted to stay in the city for a while," Patricia said. "We're thinking about retiring here," she sighed. "It's your father's silly idea."

"Hardly silly," Harold said defensively. "This city grows on you after a while."

Sara and Patricia looked at each other and sighed.

Harold patted Alex on his back.

"Let's get this show on the road," Harold said cheerily.

O-O-O

Alex looked over to Sara as they approached her home. Sara was wringing her fingers in her hands as she waited for the right moment to tell her parents that she had bough a house.

"Sara, I thought you lived in an apartment?" Her mother asked.

"It's not a boarding house is it?" Her father assumed. "Don't worry Sara, you don't have to be embarrassed, we'll give you help if you need it."

Sara sighed in frustration and rolled her eyes. Her parents could be so embarrassing. Alex would not survive her family, nor would her parents survive his family. This was not going to be a pleasant Christmas, she knew. Alex would drop her like a hot potato after spending two weeks with her parents.

When Alex stopped, Sara bit her lip.

"Who lives here?" Her mother asked.

"I do," Sara said with a sigh. "I bought a house mom."

Patricia looked out the window and smiled.

"I'm very proud of you sweetheart," she said happily. "It's absolutely beautiful."

Sara smiled faintly as she stepped out. Her mother was in an unusually chipper mood. Sara knew that something was up and she wanted to know what as soon as she had a moment alone with her mother.

Patricia Dupont was at the ripe age of forty five, (but didn't look it for a second) and she had long, silky, dark hair that was pulled back into a tight bun, most likely for traveling on the plane. She was a healthy woman and comfortable in a size ten, and she dressed conservatively. She had beautiful chocolate eyes and a complexion to die for. Alex noticed that Sara looked nothing like either of her parents, but that could happen.

Sara knew her mother well. She was always serious and stern, being strong in any situation. Sara was surprised that her mother didn't like Vegas. She would fit right in.

But this time, her mother had a strange glow about her, and she seemed happier and less stoic.

"Okay, who are you and what have you done with Patricia Dupont?" Sara asked as her mother hugged her again and hooked her arm in Sara's.

"Oh darling stop being so dramatic," her mother insisted. "I'm fine. Nothing has changed."

Once everyone was inside, Sara helped her parents settle in.

"Here's your room," Sara said, opening the door. "It's the purple room. The bathroom is through this door, and the closet is right here. Alex and I will be down the hall, and fresh towels are in the laundry room."

Harold nodded and then furrowed his eyebrows.

"Wait, you aren't sleeping in the same bed are you?" He asked.

Sara looked at Alex, who was red as a pepper. Deciding to be bold, Sara grinned.

"Yeah," she said. "If you need anything, just knock. Come on Alex. We'll let you get settled and then we'll have some dinner."

Harold looked to his wife who was in her own world as she sat on the bed and looked after her daughter.

"Isn't it wonderful Harold?" She asked as she took off her sweater. "Our little girl is just beautiful. She's grown up so much."

"Wait a minute," Harold said sitting next to her. "You're okay with her sleeping in the same bed with a man she's not married to?"

"She's a grown woman honey," Patricia said. "I'm not saying its right, but she looks so happy and in love. I don't care much how she does things, as long as she's happy."

Harold put an arm around his wife's shoulders and hugged her close.

"So, he's uh…"

"Mexican, yes," Patricia finished for him. "But don't say anything about it to Sara. Besides, he looks like a nice respectable man."

Harold looked at his wife with an expectant look.

"You approve?" He asked, and she nodded.

They sat on the bed for a few minutes, taking in the scent of lavender in the purple room. They were jetlagged completely and wanted to just go to sleep, but Patricia needed something to eat.

"So, do you think we should tell her?" Harold asked.

"Do you think that she's ready to hear it?" Patricia asked. "Harold, she doesn't need to know. She's had a rough couple of years already."

He nodded and kissed his wife's forehead. She sighed and looked down at her finger nails.

"Alright," she surrendered. "She needs to know the truth."

Harold stood up and held his hand out to his beautiful wife and she accepted, letting him pull her up into his arms. She smiled and let down her hair. They kissed sweetly. Patricia laughed sultrily.

"Hmm," she began. "I'm starting to think that we should have stayed in a hotel."

Harold smiled devilishly as he squeezed her butt.

"Just be very, very quiet," he whispered.

Patricia laughed again before they headed out.

O-O-O

Harold Dupont was forty nine years old, and he was successful in the banking business. He had worked his way up for twenty years to earn chairman of the board of trustees to the Bank of Boston. He'd given his wife and daughters lavish surroundings and he enjoyed the social status. Of course, his love for his wife never faltered.

The more successful he got, the more deeply in love he fell with Patricia. They had a passionate relationship, and he never loved his wife more than he did at the present time.

Sara wanted that kind of relationship. She hoped that she would have it with Alex.

Her parents seemed extra loving and touchy feely this time. The Duponts were a very private couple, and for them to kiss and cuddle openly was not something Sara was used to seeing.

When she was a teen, the most affection she ever saw her parents give each other in front of her was a peck on each other's cheeks. But this was different many moons later: they were kissing each other fully on the lips and caressing each other under each other's coats. She could see where they were touching, they weren't that slick.

Sara smiled in spite of herself. It was cute, actually. Alex seemed a little uncomfortable, unsure if he should be seeing her parents' PDA in the backseat.

"So, where are we going to dinner?" Harold asked after kissing his wife once more.

"Romanini's," Sara said. "It has the best Italian in the city."

"Oh, Italian?" Patricia asked. "I don't know if my stomach can handle Italian."

"Mom, you can order a salad or something," Sara said. "They have great soup if you're not that hungry."

"Sounds great," Patricia said rather reluctantly.

Sara looked at her mother strangely.

O-O-O

"So Alex, what do you do for a living?" Harold asked as he dug into his steak.

Alex put his fork down and wiped his mouth before starting.

"I'm a detective for the Las Vegas Police Department," he said.

"Wow," Patricia said. "That must be very exciting. So, you deal with all the dead bodies and whatnot?"

"Um, no," he chuckled. "That's Sara's job. I just ask the questions."

Sara's parents nodded.

"He's a nominee for a chance to be Lieutenant," Sara added proudly.

Alex turned bashful as her parents nodded in interest.

"So, how do you two balance?" Harold asked. "It's got to be rough working in the same kind of career path."

Sara and Alex looked at each other.

"Um, well," Sara began. "We're just kind of taking things in stride. We'll think about that later."

"Yeah, I mean, lately we've been spending every available moment together," he explained. "We take our breaks together too."

"Ah," Harold said, not quite understanding, but okay with the answer they gave.

Patricia sighed and put her spoon down.

"I can't eat another bite," she said.

Sara frowned.

"Mom, you've barely eaten anything," Sara noticed. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine darling," she sighed.

"She's more than fine, actually," Harold said with a small smile. "Go ahead and tell her honey."

"Do I have to?" She asked with a groan.

Sara smiled.

"Tell me what?" She asked. "It's not bad is it?"

"No dear, hardly," Patricia laughed. "It's actually quite funny," she began to giggle. "I mean, who would have ever thought, at my age…"

Sara and Alex looked at each other, fearing the worst despite her mother's reassurance.

"Mom, what is it?" Sara asked rather impatiently as her mother began to flat out laugh.

Sara loved her mother's laugh even though her mother drove her insane half the time.

"Oh," Patricia stopped giggling. "Darling, I'm pregnant."

Sara thought she may have heard wrong over the rather loud music.

"Excuse me?" Sara asked. "You're what?"

"I'm pregnant," Patricia said with a bright smile. "Can you believe it?"

Sara was completely dumbfounded.

O-O-O

When they arrived home, Sara and her mother went out back to have a talk. Harold and Alex stayed inside to have a conversation.

Patricia came over to her daughter and sat next to her on the swing. Sara sighed and looked up at the stars. Her mother gazed up at the sky with her daughter. Patricia hadn't seen skies as clear as this since her childhood in Montana. It reminded her that life was beautiful and that anything was possible. Sara looked over to her mother and rested her hand on her mother's still flat belly.

"How far along are you?" Sara asked.

"The doctor said that I'm only six weeks along," Patricia said in a voice that indicated that she was in some far off place. "He's a good doctor. I fired the last one because he told me that it would be impossible for me to conceive. He predicted that the "change of life" would be approaching over the next few months," Patricia dabbed at her eyes. "Harold and I believed him and we kind of went crazy. Shelby moved back out with Tyler, and we had the house to ourselves…"

Sara nodded and rubbed her mother's back as she began to cry.

"At first, when I started feeling more tired and faint at work, I thought that I was starting to go through menopause," Patricia explained. "But when I threw up my teriyaki chicken and rice noodles, my favorite meal, I started to suspect. When I started throwing up every morning at work, I knew that something was amiss. Harold insisted that it was the stomach flu."

Sara hugged her mother as she cried harder. It was amazing that her mother was going to have a child. Her own flesh and blood after so many years.

"I didn't want to fool myself," she cried. "I thought to myself that it would be so cruel to even think that I may be pregnant. I didn't want to tell you father anything until I made absolutely sure. So, I bought a pregnancy test and snuck into the restrooms at work. The first one said positive. I told your father and he was shocked. I took a second test, not believing the first one, and sure enough, positive."

Sara hugged her mother.

"I think that's wonderful mom," Sara said. "It's truly a miracle."

"I don't know if I can do this Sara," Patricia cried. "I'm forty five years old. I'll be sixty five by the time this child is twenty. Oh God, I feel so old."

"Mom, you're obviously not too old for a baby if you're having one now," Sara chuckled. "You've been a great mother to me and Shelby. Now you can be a great mother to your baby. This is your baby. Made of you."

Patricia sighed and wiped her tears.

She was having a baby.