Chapter 3: Confrontation and Cookies
Steve's feet pounded furiously up the long hallway to the family's living and dining room, the indistinct melody of Arthur's slippers and the soft and loud footsteps of the Lutz sisters, trailing behind him. Of all the unexpected and unwarranted surpises his parents unloaded on him during his life time this had to make the top of the list, making Arthur being Santa number 2. Steve stopped in front of the living/dining room door and took a deep breath to calm himself, surely the two women were deluded and his parents would set things right. However, knowing his luck, Steve thought grimly, he wouldn't be so lucky; and he was right.
"Mother…Father, I would like your explanation of something." Steve stated calmly from the doorway.
"Oh…and what is that, dear?" His mother looking both amused and neutral replied.
"I would like to know why the two women behind me are of the opinion that they are engaged to Arthur and I." Steve replied back feeling less calm by the minute.
"Well because they are Steve, you are engaged to Melody and Arthur is engaged to Mallory, it's as simple as that." His mother replied evenly, beginning to look cross.
"What a load of rubbish!" Steve exclaimed, patience and tolerance finally exceeded. Arthur stared on, meekly from behind Steve on the other side of the door, with an alarmed Melody and skeptical Mallory at her side.
"Steve Claus, you will not take that tone of voice with me." His mother said sternly, brow furrowed disapprovingly. "Besides, rubbish or not, it is past time you and Arthur settled down and gave your father and I some grand children. And these ladies are both perfectly suited to you and your needs, it was also an agreement between our families that children from both Santa Claus and Jack Frost's line would marry someday. At the very least you will spend some time getting to know them, do I make myself clear?"
Steve stared at his mother in astonishment. Was she out of her mind? An arranged marriage, in this day and age, it was absolutely absurd! But from the look on his mother's face and the nervous gleam in his father's eyes, Steve knew she wasn't joking. Then his father, speaking for the first time, gave an interesting compromise.
"How about this? These ladies will stay here with us for a total of 1 year, in other words next Christmas. If Steve and Arthur do not fall in love with these ladies by then or the ladies themselves wish to leave then the whole arrangement shall be forgotten. We've already heard as much from the girls' parents, are we agreed?" Malcom said questioningly looking around the room.
Then each person gave a reluctant nod to which Malcom said:
"Good, then we are agreed, 1 year and at the end if the participants do not fall in love, the agreement is null. Now shall we have some cookies to seal the deal?"
And with fervent agreement all around, the group shuffled around and drank and ate to the 1 year agreement, not knowing what that year would bring.