I walked away before he could respond, but he was on my heels. We returned to the dining room, and Kenzo pulled the chair closest to his grandfather out for me, then took the seat beside me.
It was quiet as his family calmly waited for us to make our plates, but the energy in the room was anything but calm. I did my damnedest to focus on the task at hand, and when I finished making my plate, I bowed my head, closed my eyes, and said a quick prayer.
“Malyah, is it?” Gramps asked politely, and I nodded. “Tell us about you.”
“Umm, I’m thirty. I work in your company’s cafeteria as the head cook, but my goal is to eventually become a pastry chef.”
“Is that why you latched on to my son? Did you think your connection to him would help you move up the ladder quicker?” Mrs. Goode asked with a rude tone.
“No, ma’am. Your son actually latched on to me. I plan to earn my degree and apply for the position like any normal person.”
Kenzo’s father cleared his throat but didn’t say anything. I was sure he didn’t like the tone that I’d taken with his wife, but she started it.
“You’re a woman after my own heart. When did you know you wanted to become a pastry chef?” Gramps asked, thankfully, not giving any energy to what his daughter-in-law said.
“When I was five and got an Easy Bake Oven for Christmas. You wouldn’t believe the kinda stuff I used to make in that thing. When I was twelve, my mother finally let me use the real oven, and that was when I started believing it was possible.”
“Why didn’t you go to culinary school after high school?” Kenzo’s father asked.
I looked down at my plate and moved the food around while I thought about how to answer him. Kenzo reached over and rubbed my thigh, causing me to look at him.
“You good?” he asked, and I gave him a nod.
“That was the plan, but things didn’t work out. Due to a series of unfortunate events, school had to be put on the back burner for a while. Thankfully, I enrolled in the vocational culinary arts program in high school and earned several certifications. I was able to work in the field and gain quite a bit of experience. I haven’t given up on my dream, though. Last week, I paid half of my tuition to start this fall.”
“Is this about money?” Mrs. Goode asked.
“Ma, please. What’s gotten into you?” Kenzo asked.
“I think it’s a fair question, Son,” Mr. Goode asked.
“You don’t have to answer that, baby.”
“You were so adamant about not getting married, so you should understand why we’re a little confused,” his father continued.
“I was more adamant about choosing my own wife.”
“Dinah, Junior, two weeks ago, we told him he had to get married, and now he’s married. I’m having a little trouble understanding why you two don’t seem happy,” Gramps said.
“Same,” Kenzo mumbled.
His parents exchanged a look, then returned their attention to Kenzo.
“I guess congratulations are in order. Welcome to the family, Malyah,” Mr. Goode said.
“Yes, congratulations,” Mrs. Goode added in a tone that said she meant anything but congratulations.
Mr. Goode sounded a bit more genuine than his wife, but neither of them seemed ready to welcome me with open arms.
“That’s better. Let’s finish enjoying breakfast, and afterward, I’d love to talk to you a little more about baking, Malyah,” Gramps said.
“Of course, Mr. Goode. I’d love that.”
“Please, call me Gramps. You’re family now.”
I didn’t knowwhat to expect when I introduced Malyah to my family, but what I didn’t expect was for her and Gramps to hit it off so well. To say he welcomed her with open arms would be an understatement, and I appreciated that my grandfather took a liking to her.
My parents, on the other hand, had questions. After breakfast, they summoned me to the study. I left my wife and grandfather in the kitchen, talking about what they loved most, desserts. They were so enthralled in their conversation, neither of them noticed we’d left.
