TWENTY FIVE

"what brings you lot to these parts" my mom asked, the question was directed to John more than it was Isabel given his family name and reputation

"Aurora invited me for lunch. And l must say l am glad l got to meet up with you before dinner tonight" John said. He seemed so at ease, being out in nature, surrounded by new faces

"That's sweet of you darling. Let me check on the drinks... Do you guys know what you want to order?" she asked taking out her notepad ready to take our orders

"I will have a chicken salad" l told her, knowing from prior experiences how big the salad bowl is

"The same for me as well. If l eat a heavy meal l will sleep at work" Isabel joked

"You sure are copying all of Auroras orders" John commented causing everyone to look at him in surprise

"Not that it's a problem" he corrected

"And what would you like" my mom asked him

"surprise me" he simply said folding his arms on the table while sticking his tongue out at Akai.

"Can you please make a pumpkin soup for Akai" l asked, knowing how picky my daughter is when it comes to food and realising that her lunch time had passed. But she didn't seem in the least bit bothered

"I am surprised that you two are getting on well" John commented, raising his eyebrows in our direction

"I don't know what you mean?" Isabel said playing dumb. Even l knew he was talking about the situation between her, Holden and l.

"She is after all getting married to the 'man you love'" John said using his hands to make inverted commas on man you love. Isabel not expecting that answer blushed as she looked anywhere but John

"It's not a real marriage and Hilden has already expressed where he stands in the whole matter" she said after a minute of silence

"In order for this to work, l need to trust him and Aurora and l need to be civil with each other. We will be roommates soon" she said winking at me

"And what if they both fall in love" John challenged

"I trust Hilden, and he gave me his word that nothing of that sort will happen" she reasoned. I don't know if she was trying to convince us or herself

"You poor thing. Has Hilden ever kept any of the promises he made to you. I know you love my son but sometimes you have to love yourself a bit more." John said looking at her with eyes filled with pity

" The man hates me John, if he is to move on with anyone trust that it won't be me" l said trying to defuse some of the tension

"Fate has a funny way of working things out. You are handling all of this pretty well. I was sure you would have ran for the hills now" he joked causing everyone to laugh

"If l wasn't obligated to partake in all this, then l would have never agreed" l said truthfully. This is a lesson l will forever learn from. I will never sign anything without reading regardless of the person l am going into business with.

"I am happy that it's you. You will be good for my son. Hopefully whip him into shape" as we laughed, my mom came back out with the drinks in her hands and the plates of food behind her

"That was quick. I have never been served that quickly in my life" l teased knowing very well she had done so to impress John

"Well its not everyday that my in-laws visit me for lunch" she said winking in his direction

"Where's dad" l asked noticing that l had not once seen him since we arrived

"He is at home, it's his off day today" she explained the absence of my father's presence

" Leaving a beautiful lady like yourself all by herself. Who knows when a handsome gentleman like myself may sweep you off your feet" he joked causing her to smack him on the arm

"This woman is not easily swept off her feet" she said smugly, placing our plates in front of us. She handed John his plate of the  sunny side platter  which consisted of four wings, a shawarma, chips, ribs and mini pies. Something that had tongues wagging in these parts of town

"let's pray, Aurora can you do the honours " she said sitting down and closing her eyes

"Father Lord, as we come before your throne we thank you for this day you have allowed us to be partakers of. Thank you for the grace to be alive and of good health. We thank you for all the lives you have preserved and the food you have blessed us with. We pray that May you bless the hands that prepared it and may it nourish our stomachs. In Jesus mighty name we pray. Amen"

"Bona appetit" l said while reaching for Akai in order to feed her. She didn't struggle which meant my baby was hungry. After her meal, l burped her and set her on the grass. She could now crawl and stand.

"this is good" John commented with a stuffed mouth causing my mom to giggle

"thank you" she said

"How long have you had this restaurant for" he asked keeping the conversation flowing. It was then that l noticed that Isabel was more quiet than usual

"Hey, are you okay" l said nudging her in order to get her attention

"yeah l am" she responded but l wasn't having it

"I know you well enough to know that you aren't yourself right now, is it because of what John said?" l questioned knowing l was on the right track

"Yes, maybe he is right. I need to start putting myself first. I can't keep doing this to myself" she said with a sigh. I looked to my right and Akai was still on the lawn playing with her toys

"what do you mean?" l asked not understanding the meaning of her words 

" I can't wait around forever for Hilden to act right. I need to start planning my future, one that might not possibly have him in the picture. That way l am prepared for anything. That includes not letting him off the hook easy anymore. If he wants this relationship as much as he says he does then he needs to start working for it " she said with so much conviction that l even believed her