Chapter Sixteen: Dinner

I always wondered what Victor's first impression truly was of my family. I'm not sure I'll ever really find out.

Sunday approached much too quickly in Patty's opinion. Early that morning, her grandmother had arrived, twittering about young love and sighing, then falling into a long stretch of stony, reflective silence. It was a cycle that continued on throughout the day, as Patience and Penny worked side by side, cooking dinner. Patty, meanwhile, sat on one of the kitchen chairs, trying not to let her mind flit to the coming evening by distracting herself with a book. It hadn't worked.

Ever since she had told her mother that Victor agreed to come to dinner, Patty had been dropping nervous pleas that her mother be on her best behavior. Penny kept reassuring her she would be, but she did so in such a nonchalant manner, Patty knew better than to put all her faith in her mother's word. Her mother was, after all, so very...motherish about boys.

At five, Patty went upstairs to get ready, repeating as a mantra in her head that everything would be okay. Victor really liked her. He wouldn't let her family, her mother, get him down. After all, he had been splendid about everything so far, why wouldn't he continue to be?

By six thirty, she was showered, dressed, and downstairs sitting on the couch, twisting her hands nervously. Penny, on the other hand, was sitting across from her looking completely at ease. She too had changed, leaving dinner in the more than capable hands of Patty's grandmother.

"Mom," said Patty, feeling one last reminder wouldn't hurt. "Mom, please-"

But the doorbell rang and in an instant, Penny was on her feet. "Don't worry," she called over her shoulder to Patty. "Everything is going to go perfectly."

Patty groaned and got up to follow her mother to the door, only to hear her uncle's voice moments later and collapse back to the couch in relief. Victor wasn't early. There was still time.

Her momentary peace did not last long, as her uncle entered the room, followed closely by Gordie.

"Patricia," said Gordon formally.

"Hi," said Patty, managing a weak smile. "Hey, Gordie."

"Hi," said Gordie, sounding sullen. Now thirteen, Gordie had turned into a tall, gangly, moody boy who spent most of his time with his friends or in his room, alone. Not that he had even been the most pleasant child, Patty recalled. Could anyone, growing up with Gordon as a father?

Gordie slumped down onto the chair Penny had been in before, but Gordon remained standing. He seemed to get anxious if he sat too long, and preferred to be standing so he could pompously pace the room.

"How's school, Gordie?" Patty asked, wondering why her mother and Aunt Phoebe were still in the hall.

"Fine," said Gordie.dully. "I hate math and science, though. I don't know why they make me take them. They're stupid."

"Now, Gordie," Gordon began, but Patty cut in.

"What do you like then?" she asked. "History?"

"Nah. I like English class, actually," Gordie said. He sat up a little and seemed to exude some enthusiasm. "We're reading Of Mice and Men right now and-"

"What's that?" asked Gordon, as though his hearing weren't impeccable. "Of Mice and what?"

"Men," said Gordie. "It's wonderful. John Steinbeck wrote it. And it's not very long. I could lend it to you, if you want, Dad."

But Gordon had directed his attention elsewhere.

"Penny?" he called. "What's going on? Where are you?"

Almost instantaneously, Penny appeared in the doorway, her armed crooked around Phoebe's, leading her into the room. Patty's heart sank a little. Phoebe hadn't been looking well lately, and every time she saw her, it seemed to get a little worse.

Penny led Phoebe to sit down on the couch next to Patty and then perched herself on the arm of the chair Gordie was in. "What's the problem, Gordon?" she asked. "Did you need something?"

Gordon, who apparently had just been inquiring as to Penny's location out of nosiness, or perhaps as a way to extract himself from the conversation with Gordie, just shook his head, and a dull silence fell on the group.

"I read Of Mice and Men in high school," said Patty, desperate to start the conversation again. It kept her mind off of the only person missing from the party. "I don't remember it very well, though."

Gordie, who had sunk down in his chair when his father had ignored him, brightened up again. "I'll lend it to you then, Patty. I've got The Grapes of Wrath, too. Steinbeck's a genius."

Phoebe laughed. "You've always got your nose buried in a book, Gordie," she said with a smirk. Then her expression became softer. "And you're a very good writer. You were born for spell-work." She sighed. "Such a shame."

The others shifted uncomfortably as Gordon raised his hand, clearly ready to protest the mere nuance that his son was born a witch, but they were saved from the speech by the doorbell ringing. "I'll get it," said Patty loudly, and she sprang from the couch, grateful to escape the room.

She opened the front door and found Victor on the other side, hands jangling the keys inside his pocket. "Hi," she said, leaning up to give him a kiss hello. She smiled widely and stepped back.

"Hi," said Victor, mirroring her expression for a moment before sobering again. "Is everyone else here already?"

"Yes," said Patty. "Come on in, and just try not to get in Gordon's way. He's just bursting to lecture someone tonight, and you don't want it to be you."

She took his hand and tugged him into the house, shutting the door behind her and then steering him toward the living room. "Everybody," she said, squeezing Victor's hand reassuringly, "this is Victor. Victor, that's my cousin, Gordie," she used her free hand to point, "Aunt Phoebe, my uncle Gordon, and you remember my mom."

"Hi," said Victor, giving a little wave.

Patty gave him another encouraging smile and pulled him into the room, seating him on the couch between herself and Phoebe. Phoebe, she noticed, gave Victor a once over and nodded, clearly approving.

"I'm very glad you could come tonight," said Penny, not sounding so glad at all.

"Oh, yeah," said Victor. "Me too. I'm sure dinner will be great."

"As long as Patty didn't help make it," said Gordie. For the first time since arriving he grinned broadly. Patty stuck her tongue out at him and Gordie mimicked the gesture.

"Now, now," said Gordon, missing the joke, "Patty's not all that bad."

Patty shrugged. "I'm no where near as good as Grandma. Or even Mom." She winked at her cousin. The joke really was that Penny wasn't the best cook either. Not like Patience, who had a natural talent in a kitchen. But Penny was amazing at potions, an aptitude she had clearly inherited from her mother. Patty, on the other hand, preferred writing spells, just, as Phoebe had pointed out, Gordie would have. And everyone there, but Victor, knew it.

"Oh, you're at least as good as Penny," said Gordon. Patty rolled her eyes. Maybe Victor wasn't the only one who didn't know.

"Dinner's ready," Patience called from the kitchen. Her voice sounded far-off and had the dreamy quality to it that Patty knew meant she wasn't entirely herself.

Gordie was the first one to rise and scramble off to the dining room, with his father close behind, and after a moment, Penny got up too.

"Phoebe?" she asked, extending her hand to help Phoebe up. But Phoebe shook her head.

"The young man will help me," she said. "Won't you?"

Victor turned, surprised, but nodded, jumping to his feet and offering her his hand. Penny raised an eyebrow, but kept silent as she made her way to the dining room. Phoebe linked her arm through Victor's.

"Don't worry," she said. "It'll all be over soon."

Patty walked behind Victor and Phoebe as they made their way into the other room. To her surprise, Phoebe was the one to introduce Victor to Patience, who took Victor's hand, smiling and humming a little.

Penny and Gordon took the head and foot of the table, with Patty next to her uncle and Victor between her and her mother, and Phoebe, Gordie, and Patience across the table. Patience had already brought the food in from the kitchen, and to Patty it had never looked less appetizing. The butterflies in her stomach were still churning and she wasn't sure she could eat one bite.

Victor's nervousness, on the other hand, didn't seem to be hindering his appetite at all.

"This is wonderful," he said. "I've never had roast this good before."

Patience's smile became a little more real. Victor's compliment seemed to have drawn her back from the past.

"You're very sweet," she said. "Isn't he sweet, Phoebe?"

"The sweetest," said Phoebe with a wink. "I'm seventy-four. I would know."

Phoebe and Patience's assessment didn't seem to have any sway with Penny, however.

"What do your parents do?" she asked before scooping a generous portion of potatoes into her mouth.

"Oh, well," said Victor, "my mom's a homemaker. And my dad. Well, he probably would've played baseball or something, but he was shot in the leg during the war, so he couldn't. Anyway, he was a newspaperman, but he's retired now."

Penny opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by Patience, who seemed to have lost focus again.

"The war?" she said breathlessly. "Which one?"

"The second world war," said Victor. He glanced over at Patty, and she knew she should have forewarned him about her grandmother's tendencies to wander off in her mind.

"How terrible," said Patience. Phoebe sighed, loudly, but it didn't help the situation.

"I knew someone who was wounded in the first world war," she said. "It was horrible. I never got over it."

Phoebe cleared her throat. "And what do you do, Victor?" she asked, throwing the whole conversation on its back. Patty furrowed her brow. Did Phoebe think Patience was being too morbid?

"I'm a used car salesman," said Victor, clearly not perturbed by the topic change. "For my uncle."

"How marvelous," said Phoebe. "I always wanted to know how to drive a car, but I never learned." She sighed. "I suppose it's too late now."

Gordon sputtered.

"I can't wait to drive," said Gordie. "My friend Pete has an uncle who lives on a farm in Idaho, and when they went out to visit last summer his cousins let him drive in the fields."

"Well let's thank goodness we don't have any relatives outside of the city," said Gordon.

Gordie frowned and pushed his peas around.

"Were you parents married before the war?" asked Patience, still starry eyed. Victor opened his mouth, but Patience ignored him. "We should have-"

"I'm sure Gordie could drive well right now if he had to," said Phoebe. She looked nervously at Patience over the top of her grandson's head. "It's too bad we don't have a field for him to drive in. I could practice too."

"Don't be ridiculous," said Gordon.

"Aw, Dad," said Gordie. "Don't be so square about everything."

"My dad let me practice in an empty parking lot," said Victor, who seemed a little confused as to which conversation he should acknowledge. "It was when he was teaching my brother. They let me have a go at it to."

"Well that seems rather dangerous," said Gordon, and he was off on a rant about illegal activities and irresponsible adults.

Patty slipped her hand under the table and grabbed Victor's before glancing down at her mother. Penny seemed torn between annoyance and amusement, and Patty wondered if this dinner was going at all as Penny had intended. She had been pretty positive her mother wanted to test Victor and see if he'd be open to the family secret, but the entire event was degenerating into a normal family dinner.

Patience, meanwhile, had begun to sing under her breath, a song Patty didn't recognize.

Finally, Phoebe huffed, "Gordon, shut up," and everyone broke down laughing, even Patience, who seemed to come out of her trance. Only Gordon, remained gruff and drawn.

The evening ended not long after dessert, when Patty managed to get a moment alone with Victor long enough to tell him he'd better leave before he ended up alone with her mother again. Victor, who seemed to heed the advice, excused himself not long after, leaving Patty to escort him to the door.

They stood on the porch together, and Patty smiled up at him, gratefully. "Thank you so much for doing this," she said. The night air was chilly against her bare arms, and rubbed her hands on them slightly to warm them up.

Victor smiled and leaned down, kissing her hard. "It was fun," he said, once he broke away. "Your family's definitely interesting."

Patty shrugged a shoulder, and he kissed her again, lightly this time.

"So," he said. "You want to come to Barry's with me on Halloween? He's having a party."

Her mother would complain terribly, it was a very important holiday, after all, but Patty couldn't quite care enough to say no. She nodded. "Yes," she said.

"Great," said Victor. "You'll have to dress up though." He smirked. "Try to be a little scary."

Patty leaned up and kissed him again. "You don't even know what scary is."

Victor's eyes widened slightly, perhaps he could tell she was not entirely joking, but then he gave her one last kiss and turned to skip jauntily down the stairs.

"Dinner tomorrow?" he called as he unlocked the door. "My place?"

She shook her head. "Buddy's. I'm working until seven."

"'Kay. See you then."

And he was gone, leaving Patty feeling euphoric for the first time in awhile.