Bellissimo Angelo- Book Three

Chapter 3 - Family Gathering

The moment we park the Blazer, Nate's father, Peter, strolls out to let their little Boston Terrier, Matilda, out to pee. He waves as we exit the car, "Hey, you guys. So glad you are here. Your mother is inside cooking. Y'all can join her; I'll be inside in a minute."

Nate approaches him for a hug while I grab my purse, bag, and a container full of goodies.  Matilda jumps up on my leg, wagging her tail, "Hi, pretty girl!" I greet her as I reach down to pet her head with my free hand. 

Nate's dad bends down to pick her up, "How are you, Mr. Bergman?" I ask. 

"I'm doing fine sweetheart, how have you been?"

"Oh, you know. I'm hanging in there." 

He chuckles, "Good darlin, good to see you. Lola will be excited you are here."

"Awww, okay. I'm excited to see her as well."

"You need help with those bags, honey?" He asks. 

I smile warmly at him. Too bad Nate isn't like his father, "Oh no. I'm fine." I respond. 

His expression becomes stern, and he clears his throat,  "My boy knows better than not to help a lady inside." 

I wave at him, "Oh, it's fine. No worries." I turn and haul everything inside the house, with Nate's father following close behind me while toting Matilda.

The moment I enter, the smell of ham invades my nostrils. Nate's mother, Sue, is an excellent cook. I pull the presents out of the bag and lay them out under the tree. Nate is sitting on the sofa watching football on the television, completely ignoring my presence. Good riddance! I stroll into the kitchen to find Mrs. Bergman in her cute little apron stirring a bowl full of mashed potatoes. She looks up as I enter, "Hello, beautiful girl. How are you? Oh, I've missed you." She says as she stops what she is doing to pull me in for an embrace.

I place the container of treats down on the kitchen island, "Oh, I'm fine, Mrs. Bergman. How are you?" I ask as I match her embrace. 

"Oh please, you know you can always call me Sue." She says as she squeezes me tightly.

I begin to giggle. I always feel so welcome with Nate's family, "It smells amazing in here." I tell her. 

"It will be ready soon. What did you bring, little lady?" She asks as she lifts the container of goodies to the light. 

"I brought dulce de leche bars." 

"Oh, that sounds wonderful. I can't wait to try it." She responds as she lifts the lid to take a peek. She inhales audibly, "Oh, they are breathtaking."

I smile ear to ear, "Thank you, Sue. I didn't have time to make my cheesecake this year. I was picking up a lot of extra shifts."

"Oh nonsense, this is perfect. Never feel obligated to make anything. We just enjoy your company," she responds as she pats my back.

"It's a new recipe. I hope you enjoy them."

She snickers, "Oh honey, I can tell you right now I will. You know Lola is downstairs in the basement; if you want to go, say hi. She's been talking about you since we told her you were coming."

"Okay, I'll go down and visit with her for a bit."

I trudge down the steps to the basement to find Lola's curly black mane up ahead as she's seated on the sofa watching Jimmy Neutron on television, "Miss Lola!" I call out.

She spins around, smiling ear to ear before jumping off the sofa and running towards me, practically tackling me to the ground. "Maggie! I missed you so much!"  She's a very strong girl. Lola has Down Syndrome. She is nearly eighteen years old, and she's very high functioning. 

I embrace her, planting a kiss on the top of her head, "You are watching my favorite show. I love Jimmy Neutron.  Carl is my favorite."

She takes my hand and leads me back to the sofa, "Come and sit with me." 

I follow her over to the sofa and plop down next to her. She lays her head on my shoulder while the two of us watch television. Lola just soaks up the attention I give her. I can tell she's lonely; I guess we both are. That's why we get along so well. When she lived in Laurel, the two of us would go to the movies or the mall and just hang out.  I'm sad she moved because I enjoyed her company, but I realize her parents didn't have a choice. 

About an hour later, Sue calls down to us from the kitchen," Dinner's ready, girls!" 

Lola jumps up from the sofa and pulls me upstairs to the main level. Once we enter the dining room, I find Nate and his father are already seated at the dining room table. Matilda is lying on her little bed in the corner of the room while Sue places the plates at the center of the table. Lola pulls me to sit with her, so I gladly have a seat next to her. I glance up at Nate; he is seated across from me; he seems so distant right now. It's like he knows I'm here, but he doesn't see me. He invited me to come, but I'm sure his family had something to do with it. Since I arrived with him, he hasn't even acknowledged my presence, so I just ignore him and continue making conversation with his sister while waiting for Sue to bring the food dishes out. 

Once all the food is laid out in front of us, Sue starts us off with a prayer, and she's so sweet. She thanks God for me being in her son's life and for being so good to Lola. I reach up to wipe a tear that escapes from my cheek with my index finger. Nate doesn't say anything in response to it or open his eyes. Pfft...No surprise there. Once she is done saying a little prayer, we all dig in.

The sound of classic Christmas music playing over the stereo in the background adds a nice touch to the dinner, and everyone except Nate engages in small talk.  He remains quiet as he eats his dinner and gazes out the window.

Once dinner is finished, they all try my dulce de leche bars. Nate's parents and sister rave about them. Nate takes a bite and curls his lip, "Ehhh...they are alright. I think your cheesecake is better. I thought I told you to bring a cheesecake?" 

My cheeks begin to flush; I clear my throat, "You did, but I have been picking up extra shifts and didn't have time to make it. Sorry."

He chuckles, "You had over a month to prepare. You have never been very good with time management." He says with a snarky undertone. 

His father clears his throat and glares at him, "Stop this foolishness right now, Nate! This girl over here slaved over this delicious dessert, and we are all enjoying it. Now I did not raise you to act like this towards a lady!" 

Nate drops the bar on his plate and wipes his mouth with the napkin. Sue gives him a death stare before diverting her attention towards me, "I love it." She says. 

Lola grabs my hand, "I want the recipe so I can make it with Momma and think of you." She says as she lays her head on my shoulder. 

Nate's parents smile at us warmly as I pat the top of her head. Nate busts out in laughter, "You all are just kissing her ass too much, man!" He grumbles as he gets up from the table abruptly and storms outside. 

All of us watch as he walks outside in front of the window and lights up a cigarette. I clear my throat, "Excuse me for just one moment." I say politely before getting up to follow him outside.

I open the front door and storm down the steps approaching him, "Nate, what is wrong? What did I do?" 

He snorts as he blows out the cigarette smoke, "Nothing, Maggie. You have done absolutely nothing. You have been so preoccupied at work that you haven't spent any time with me. I feel like I don't even have a girlfriend."

"Well, why is that my problem, Nate? You never tell me you want to spend time with me. I always feel like an inconvenience to you."

I glance up at the window to find Lola is watching us with tears pooling in her eyes. I wave at her to try and reassure her, "I shouldn't have to tell you. You should just know. We've known each other for years." He says without looking at me. He just continues to puff at that disgusting cigarette.

"Well, I'm sorry, but I don't feel this is the time to discuss this. We can discuss whatever you want on the way home but let's have a nice dinner and go inside. We are upsetting Lola."

He takes the last puff of the cigarette before flicking it in the yard and stomps inside. As I follow him in, I put on a fake smile for everyone, and Lola runs up to hug me. Nothing else is said the rest of the evening about how Nate acted towards me, although the look on everyone's faces tells me they are not pleased with him.

We gather around the tree in the living room and open our presents after dinner. Nate's parents gifted me a 150 piece baking set, and I absolutely loved it. Lola made me a card that says Best Sister Ever; it was adorable. I bought Mr. Bergman a wine opener because I know he is a wine connoisseur; I bought Nate's mom a pretty gold bracelet because she loves jewelry, and I bought Lola a Jimmy Neutron t-shirt. Once she opens it, she excitedly jumps up and down and pulls me in for an embrace. I love that girl; she's such a happy person. 

Once Nate got to the gift from me, he quickly unwraps it, "Oh, that's a nice watch. Thank you." he says as he puts it on.  He gets up from the chair and rummages through the presents under the tree, pulling out one he got for me; he hands it over. I inspect the small package and give it a gentle shake before opening it. As I open up the box, I find a gold locket. I open the locket part to find Nate's picture inside, "I love this. Thank you." I tell him. 

He snorts, "Don't thank me, thank Momma. I didn't know what to get you, so she picked it out." 

I clear my throat and awkwardly readjust myself in my seat as I watch her eyes fixate on him. She shrugs off his comment and reaches out to pat my hand, "Every girl needs a locket. You place a picture of your one true love inside, and that way they stay close to your heart," she says. 

I begin to tear up; that's so sweet! Unfortunately, I can't say that Nate belongs in this locket, but I don't dare say a word. I get up from the sofa and embrace her as she kisses me on the cheek. 

As the night goes on, we watch A Christmas Story marathon and drink hot chocolate. Lola eventually falls asleep on the sofa, and Mr. Bergman gets up and helps her to bed. After Nate's parents turn in, he approaches me, "Hey, it's late. Momma says we can stay. Come join me in bed." He whispers as he reaches out his hand. I reluctantly take it and head back to the spare bedroom with him.