5. A dreary dinner

A little step closer to the parents, Soriam and Dosilia. Before He could attempt to greet them or get introduced by her, Gaias spoke to her on a squeezed face: 'Is this the man you have been ranting over?' Gladly she answered, 'Yes father, his name is Morinaadri. Morinaadri meet by father, Gaias; my mother, Idoffia; and her sister, Dosilia. Meet Morinaadri, the man I love.' Both Idoffia and Dosilia were astonished and mute. Dosilia took a glance at him to detect the weight of his class.

'Hmm, this is interesting to finally see the man who could capture the heart of my daughter. May we go and sit for dinner, we have a lot to talk about.' Gaias incited a convivial atmosphere. Thereafter, everyone took their sit around the round table. Haffiriala walked her lover to take his sit; Soriam served others, but she served him his meal personally, and sat by him. She gave him so much care and attention that however created room for the parents and Dosilia to be prepared to overshadow him with questions.

'No doubt, she has an indisputable love for you. Do you love her much as she does?' Gaias started a conversation.

'I love her much more than she can comprehend.' He answered with passion.

Dosilia bathetically add her voice: 'I am so proud of you Haffiriala. Finding a good partner is lifetime greatest achievement. I could still remember the day my husband first got introduced to my parents, he did more than preach love. He proved his love with lots of evidence; with his wealth, I lacked nothing.' Dosilia was still stimulating her eagle with those words, but could not continue because Haffiriala gave her no attention. Her concern was after making Morinaadri comfortable. 'Morinaadri, have a bite of this beef. How does it taste?' She took away his attention from Dosilia.

'I'm enjoying this meal. It tastes as perfect than anything I've ever tasted.'

'Then you should expect more from me.'

'Wow, you are all perfect. I can't wait to be the luckiest man.'

Watching them display romantic comment to confute her words made her look abashed and abased. Her loss of appetite was a gesture to ignite her sister's interest on the matter, probably for the sake of consoling her to continue eating.

However, Idoffia politely spoke to them: 'No doubt, you both will be compatible. However, she is our only child, all parents desire the best for their child. It will be proper you enlighten us about yourself and family.'

Without flipping through his mind, he answered: 'I'm the third child in a family of six.'

'How rich is your family?' Gaias interrupted him.

Haffiriala entered immediately to his defense. 'Father, I think I'm getting married to him and not the wealth of his family.'

'You do not have to defend him in every matter. He has his mouth to speak, or are you skeptic of his opinion? Moreover, it is important that we know his occupation.' Gaias reinstated the same topic. Therefore, Morinaadri was compelled to speak with confidence.

'To answer your questions, I will first let you know that I'm an orphan. I and my siblings grew up with single parent. Our mother did all she could to raise us before passing away five years ago.'

'Such a pity. Your family must have struggled through lots of predicament. Hardship stinks and is infesting, not for a kind as Haffiriala.' Dosilia made and absurd remark, she lacked empathy. However, Morinaadri did not lose his courage to speak.

'I do not hail from a poor home, either can I say I'm from a rich family. Moreover, growing up with a single parent, I and my only brother who is the eldest among my siblings was obliged to acquire several skills, including wine-making. On learning that the business was more lucrative in the capital, I decided to migrate here and switch to wine-selling, while my brother continued as wine maker.'

Dosilia interrupted him with contemptuous tone. 'You mean, a wine-vendor thinking of marrying our beauty-queen? You are so irrational. No future can be guaranteed. You must have intoxicated her with your wine.'

Idoffia also exacerbated the heat. 'And what kind of house do you live in here in Thebes that will befit the status of my daughter?' He was smart enough to answer. He said: 'Haffiriala do not need a mansion to live as queen. Her presence summons heavens. I have been with her for this short while yet it seems like I know her better than you all.'

They felt unnerved by his reply, nonetheless Gaias gave no room for backing down.

'We learnt from her that you are very hardworking. Tell us, how established is your business?' Gaias inquired, arousing other's interest. Then he lifts a cup of wine to his mouth while waiting for an answer.

'Very well established, though still growing.'

He lowered the cup to the table and laughed at him. 'Still growing? You are a joker. What greater height can a wine-seller attain?'

Haffiriala interfered, in an attempt to conciliate the topic. 'Father, you love the taste of this wine, do you?

'I do, it has an astonishing taste, so good that I crave for it like you do.'

'Before now you've drank several wines, but none could flavor your tongue so well as this one. Imagine for a while that the maker and vendor of this wine were to choose a different occupation, who could have replaced such great talent?' Gaias remained speechless to her question. So, she continued speaking: 'The maker of this wine is Morinaadri's brother, now you know who sells it. So, nothing in this world happens accidentally; just as my love for him is not by chance.' She became emotional as she continued speaking: 'Mother, I have faith in him. Its only but time, he will grow to the man you desire. I will stand by him just as you did for father.' Her mother was subdued by her word, the bones of her father's courage quaked and was almost getting shattered. But Dosilia was still hostile, she was so pompous that she lost her sense of humor. There was tranquility till she revamped the controversy, attempting to dominate Haffiriala's discretion.

'Any real man does not hide under the umbrella of a woman to make out to his best, rather he is the umbrella that shelters her woman. Moreover, we do not want for her a man that will make her perspire just to get daily bread. A rose flower on a fertile garden blossom; but when moved to a wilderness, it wear out and die. Haffiriala is like the rose flower, she needs one who could make her keep living in paradise, as the rose flower in the garden, not a man that will expose her to the world to wear out her glory.'

Her parents were grafted to a more hardened dimension the moment Dosilia finished making her point. Gaias clearly stated his view: 'Haffiriala, you were only driven by lust. We will not let you make a decision that you will regret later, not when I am alive.'

At this point, she began to groan; she importunes at her mother's face, and spoke in undertones. But the mother was not in her favor to succor her. She likewise rattled her emotion: 'You may be optimistic about your future with him, but we do not want you to live in a world of illusion.' Speaking to Morinaadri, she continued in persuasive tone. 'We know how much you love and desire our daughter just as she do, but try and understand us, we want the best for her.'

Although Morinaadri was at the brink of resigning, he took courage and replied Idoffia: 'Ma'am, if you claim you desire the best for her, then you should learn to honor what she desires.'

Gaias entered again: 'I give you so much credit for speaking well of her. Moreover, you should attest to our point.'

Morinaadri was heartbroken at that point, but still, he attempted his best to defend his love for her. If it was a rich man they wanted, he was ready to go and gather all his possession and that of his family in order to appear the best way they will admire. But what frightened and compelled him to leave was when he learnt from the parents that the council of elders of the Israelites had already approved her marriage with prince Rameses. Therefore, he skedaddled.

At the surrounding, it was already twilight; the sky was clouded and the ambient atmosphere, chilling. It appeared to teem soon. 'I hate you', Haffiriala ranted at her parents. She rushed outside and seized his right hand. 'Please stop, do not leave this way.' He solemnly turned and said, 'I'm sorry Haffiriala, this won't work out.'

'Is it because of them, what they said to you?'

'Everything shows it won't work. I have told you; you deserve a person much worthy than I am.'

'You are worthy enough for me.'

'No, I'm not. I am but a wine vendor and a no body.'

'I do not mind; you mean more than that to me.'

'I do not care about what you think of me. Your family wants the best for you, I also want you to have the best.' He held her hands and gently spoke, 'You have to forget about me and be happy.' She placed his hand to her breast and spoke with so much emotion.

'Feel the beat, a sign of my endless love. I can't be happy without you. Don't you feel the same for me?'

'Please, do not do this. You know that if it was possible to run away with you, then I couldn't have hesitated. But you must agree with me that you will be happier without me.'

She began to travail as he retrieved his hand to beat it. The weather was already dark, and the force of the wind created splashes of lightening, followed by a thunderstorm that could rock a heart. She slowly swiveled her head in dismay while staring at him. The last words she heard after going out of sight was with a yelling tone: 'I might be desperately in love with you, I'm doing this because it's the best for you.'

When he had disappeared, she lowered her face and cling her hands to her dress. She displayed her grief and began to sail in stormy sea.