Chapter 8
“I can’t believe I’m meeting your parents – already!” Silas said, chatting on the phone with Chance in between classes. Although they had only been dating for three months, he could hardly deny how easy and how right everything felt between them.
“Listen, when you know, you know! Isn’t that what you tell me all the time?” Chance delighted, serving Silas a dose of his own medicine.
“It is indeed!” he said, amused to hear his own words of wisdom being hurled back at him.
“Oh, about dinner…” Chance began.
“Yeah?” Silas asked, already nervous and little on edge.
“Uh – just make sure – just make sure you get there on time,” she said.
“Are you sure that’s what you wanted to say?” he asked, sensing that she had originally planned to go a different route.
“Uh – yeah,” she confirmed hastily, ready to change the subject. “You nervous?”
“A little bit,” he revealed. “I just don’t want to make a fool of myself in front of your folks. Especially since I don’t know much about them.”
“Well, I’ve told you all that you need to know for the moment,” Chance said, sounding a little somber. “My family can be a lot to process,” she began, “I need you to promise me that you will continue to hang in there…even after you’ve met them.”
“But, of course,” Silas said, unsure about why Chance was being so vague and sounding a little pessimistic. “My family is crazy too. And let’s not even mention the drama I go through with Kalyn. You don’t have to worry about my feelings changing about you because of your family,” he assured.
“Cool!” she sighed, still not sounding convinced. “See you tonight at 7:30 PM, then?”
“Oh, I’ll be there by 7:28 PM!” Silas insisted, heeding the advice she’d given him earlier and paying an homage to her unwavering punctuality.
Silas promptly hung up the phone and, as he went about his day, the hours began to speed by. In a sense, the time between his parting words with Chance and the moment he arrived at her front door was a Gaussian blur.
As he stood on her parents’ porch, this time remembering to bring Chance’s flowers, Silas took note of the tony neighborhood and its very well-appointed homes – each, neatly lined along the freshly-paved road with well-manicured, stunningly green yards. Surroundings like these took picturesque to a whole new level and Silas was beyond impressed.
Although she didn’t act like it, Chance was clearly of money and – quite possibly – rather well-connected as a result. He remembered the anxiety she had expressed earlier and wondered if she’d thought that he would expect more of her, financially, as a result of this revelation. He decided, at the earliest opportunity, that he would assuage her fears. Silas wasn’t sure how he would express it but he wanted to be very clear: he only wanted her for her – nothing more and nothing less.
Silas watched nervously as the door opened up before him and revealed a familiar, green-eyed face.
“Patience?” he asked, quietly confident that he was on the right track.
“That’s me!” she said, pushing the screen door open. “Come right on in.”
“Thanks,” he said, as he entered their home and stood in the foyer.
“I believe we’ve met!” she laughed.
“Yeah,” he chuckled, “it seems we’ve crossed paths before – on the running trial.”
“Chance told me about the mix-up. I couldn’t stop laughing – hilarious,” she said, clearly taking it all in stride.
“Hi Silas,” Chance interjected as she descended down the stairs.
“Wow, you look great!” he bellowed, looking up in her direction and extending the bouquet of flowers he had brought her out in front of him. “These are for you!”
“How sweet!” she said, hitting the landing and graciously accepting his vibrantly colored, aromatic gift. “Put these in water, please,” she said to Patience who stole a whiff before dutifully carting the gift off to the kitchen.
“How you doing? You nervous?” Chance asked as soon as they got a moment alone to themselves, searching his eyes for answers.
“I think I’m doing O-“
“Silas!” Chance’s mother, Ingrid, said as she emerged from the kitchen. “It’s so nice to finally meet you!” she submitted, with an inviting smile.
“It’s nice to meet you too, Mrs. Parker,” he said, looking a little caught off guard.
“Why don’t you join us in the dining room,” Ingrid lured, grabbing Silas by the arm and leading him along the way.
“That would be great!” Silas agreed, as if he had a choice.
“I’m going to have to apologize for Chance’s dad,” Ingrid said, contritely. “He got held up at work and won’t be able to make it. It’ll only be the four of us this evening.”
“Oh, Dad’s not going to be able to make it? I didn’t know that!” Chance said giddily, trailing behind on the path to the dinner table.
Silas turned around momentarily to get a good look at Chance. From what he could tell, her mood had shifted rather significantly – as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. As he continued along the path, Silas reconsidered his earlier thought. Perhaps it wasn’t her family’s wealth that made Chance nervous about sharing this aspect of her world. Based on her reaction, Silas reasoned that whatever issues Chance had about him meeting her family, more than likely, rested squarely with her dad. He was intrigued, and clearly interested in exploring that more, but decided to table it for the time being.
As they entered the dining room and approached the table, Silas was surprised to see the sheer volume of food spread out before him. Baked chicken, potato salad, macaroni and cheese, green beans, and warm rolls, sat invitingly on the table. Silas’ mouth watered; his eyes and his nose delighted in the sights and smells of the delectable array.
“Sit anywhere you’d like,” Ingrid said, motioning toward the table. “Patience, come on dear. We’re ready!” she shouted as Chance and Silas took their seats beside each other.
“We almost forget the garden salad,” Patience cautioned as she brought it in from the kitchen and sat it on the table.
“You’re a life-saver,” Ingrid sang as she motioned for Patience to hurry up and get seated.
“Whew! So who’s going to say the prayer?” Patience asked looking around the table.
“I’ll do it!” Silas volunteered, eager to score points.
“Oh! How wonderful!” Ingrid mused.
“Let’s bow our heads,” he confidently instructed, just as the back door open noisily.
“Hey guys, I’m home early!” a voice rang out.
“Hun, we’re in the dining room,” Ingrid shouted, lifting her head from its bowed position.
Silas looked over at Chance who wore a look of terror on her face. Realizing that her dad was home, her cheery disposition had all but vanished and left a quiet, anxious soul in its wake.
Silas heard footsteps approaching and couldn’t wait to see what – or who – had Chance so nervous. All of a sudden, it all made sense. As soon as Silas saw his face, he inadvertently sprang to his feet.
“Chancellor Parker?” he gasped, totally taken by surprise. He knew they shared last names, but they’re related?
“Oh that’s right, you do go to Stronghold!” Ingrid said, piecing together how Silas knew who he was.
Silas looked at Chance again who avoided his glare and stared off to the side.
“We were supposed to have an Executive Board meeting but they canceled it at the very last minute,” the Chancellor said, walking over toward Silas, extending his hand. “Silas, is it? It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said, before addressing the entire table. “Sorry I’m late! Shall we get started?”
“We certainly shall!” Ingrid agreed. “Grab a seat, dear.”
“Dad, can you say the grace,” Chance asked, strategically getting Silas off the hook.
“Sure,” the Chancellor agreed right before whole-heartedly embracing his duty, “let’s all join hands and bow our heads.
As the family prayed, Silas and Chance exchanged terse glances. Throughout dinner, he tried to be engaged in the conversation but really felt like he had been socked in the stomach. How could Chance keep this kind of information under wraps? Something about it felt off. He had a million questions and was almost certain that none would be answered that night.
At the end of the evening, Silas received warm regards from Chance’s family and was invited to come back whenever he wanted to. He graciously accepted their invitation and quietly asked Chance to see him out.
As they walked to the door, a pin-drop would’ve registered loud and clear. Shortly after they reached the foyer, Chance opened the door and stood by quietly. She said her first words to him as soon as he landed on the porch.
“I can explain,” she murmured, in what sounded like near-defeat.
“Save it,” Silas countered, making a bee-line for his car, unsure about when he would talk to Chance again.