Jotham: The definition of the word “awkward”.
"Good day," I welcomed myself into the dining room to find our guest already seated at the table, "Nice to meet you."
There was nothing nice about meeting them. But mother taught me to be polite enough, so a white lie wouldn't hurt.
Mrs. Ashton was the first to extend her hand for a handshake, "Corban, we've heard a lot about you".
"All good things, I hope." Not only was I taught to be polite, but I also endured dozens of classes in etiquette. Just because of that, I kissed the back of her hand charmingly, earning a soft chuckle.
If I aimed to charm her, then it appeared that I did just that.
She winked suggestively, "You need not worry about that."
"Forgive our lateness." Not yet charmed by me, Mr. Ashton on the other hand sounded professional, "We got held up in traffic." I can see why he and dad are friends. They have the same work voice.
It's usually the first sign of a workaholic.
Mum found a way into our conversation, offering a sympathetic smile, "I can understand, it is usually unpredictable."
Which isn't completely wrong. Some roads were currently under construction, hence the reason for the constant traffic jams. It has become a hassle to get around.
"Yes." Mrs. Ashton also offered a brief smile to mum, "We are very lucky to be here by this time."
"It's an honor to have you at our house."
As I took a seat at the table, Jotham welcomed himself into the room. Frankly, it wasn't until then that I noticed the Ashtons' daughter, Aria.
Her eyes lit up and she allowed her gaze to take him in, before cocking her head.
"Jotham?"
I still wonder why that sounded more like a question. Unlike me, he didn't bother with handshaking or hand kissing. Instead, he found a seat beside me, allowing his lips to form a wide grin.
The first person he acknowledged was the Ashton head, "Good day Mr. Ashton. "
"Don't be silly," He scoffed, swaying his hand, "We are outside the office, you can drop the formalities."
The way Jotham's mouth formed a thin line was enough for me to know he wasn't quite enticed with that decision.
I assumed he wasn't comfortable with Jotham's reaction as his wife spoke next, "Walter has told you this over and over again." Walter Ashton, mmmm.
"It always skips my mind," Jotham spoke like he already had the words recorded in his head. Like a frequently used excuse. His life saddens me.
Walter asked once we moved last that topic, "Where is Dale?" Dad's supposed best fired asked after him, furrowing his brows in confusion.
"Umm," Also as though it was already recorded in her head, mum responded," He is on a call."
"That's fine."
I wonder what it must have taken Aria to summon the name to say his name, "Jotham." again, after he blatantly Ignored her the first time.
"Hi," He turned to acknowledge her this time, "How are you doing?"
Good, I was starting to think he skipped those etiquette classes we took.
She took his acknowledgment seriously, smiling sheepishly as a result, "Pretty well. You?"
"I'm good too."
Curt Jotham as usual, had all ended the conversation, but Aria didn't take the cue.
Chatty as ever, she inquired, "Do you remember my friend? Kel"
"Not at all." He answered almost immediately, not even giving it any thought. To think that he might actually know her.
"Really?" She didn't take any offense, shrugging it off, "Well, you've met her before."
"Okay....."
"Well, she's getting married."
"That's good. Good for her."
If awkward was a person, that would be Jotham. I am very lucky to get a good view of how he was freaking out at the moment.
His fists were clenched on his lap, and if you get a closer view, you'll see how he was chiseling his jaw in frustration.
"Tee-hee", I giggled under my breath. Whatever sound it was that I made was stopped halfway by Jotham's beyond-murderous stare.
Oblivious to the whole fiasco, his not-girlfriend continued, "Well, I'm invited to the wedding. Duh". There was a flirtatious chuckle for whatever reason before she concluded with, "I need a plus one."
In a usual situation, this is when Jotham accepts to be her plus one or acknowledges it as an invitation to go with her. But my brother is anything but usual, so instead, he said...
"That's nice. I heard there's this new dating app with a 90% success rate." Just when I thought he would shut up. Nah, he went further, "You could sign up, and fingers crossed, you'll get a good date before the wedding. It isn't a bad idea."
Do you know the things about bombshells? It is enough to shut everybody up. Everyone at the table suddenly ran out of words.
To begin with, our guests were completely dumbfounded. And I think I saw mum splutter from the corner of my eyes. As for the girl, she didn't bother with a polite smile, plastering on a frown instead.
The shocking thing was that Jotham possessed a poker face during all of this. I, on the other hand, didn't even bother trying to hide how bemused I was.
As dad couldn't have picked a better time to join us, "Hey everyone. Forgive my manners" He strode in, with the biggest smile I have seen him with all my life. That call had better be worthwhile.
There was a collective sigh of relief before Mum broke the ice.
"It's okay. We were just having a decent conversation."
I'll call it anything but decent, but who am I to decide?
Although, Jotham seemed to agree with her, "Yes, you didn't miss too much."
If you classify the target Jotham now has at his back as "Nothing too much". That's fine.
I remember Dad saying the other day that we would talk about the weather, politics, and all. He wasn't wrong as that was what made up the rest of our meal.
You'll be surprised at how many sub-topics you can get from talking about whether it's windy or simply just cloudy.
The dinner was everything I expected, dull, boring, and superfluous. Mum said something about the Ashtons being friends with Dad. They need to redefine their friendship if they couldn't find something interesting to say to themselves the entire time.
As I plopped onto my couch at the end of it all, the exhaustion simply reminded me of why I avoid these sorts of things, to begin with.