Chapter 137 Not a Picnic
“I think our parents are learning a lot from each other,” Emily said.
She and Byron were snuggling in bed after a long evening of observing their parents interacting.
“That’s one way to put it,” Byron said, making a slight grimace. “I wish my mom would be more open minded.”
“She is who she is,” Emily said, “That’s what makes it so amusing.”
“You find this all entertaining, do you?” He smirked. “Rotten kid.”
“If we can’t make any decisions regarding our own wedding, we might as well enjoy this meeting of the minds.”
“I see…” Byron tickled her cheek then ran his fingers down a strand of her hair. “Does that mean you’re going to enjoy tomorrow too?”
“I’m going to try.”
The next morning they all trekked into the mountains for a day trip in Sylvia’s car, a classic restored model from the 1950s, which was roomy enough to accommodate both families.
“This is why having a car is convenient,” Sylvia couldn’t help lecturing.
“I could have rented a car,” Emily retorted. Sitting with Byron and her father in the back seat, she rolled her eyes, mocking Sylvia’s tyranny.
When the car climbed higher and higher through the mountain landscape, and the green valleys unfolded below, it was hard to hold on to any grudges or petty disputes.
Emily suddenly wondered what Dr. Williams would say about Sylvia’s stubborn efforts to have everything her own way about the wedding. There had to be something underneath the surface. Maybe it wasn’t so much the details of the arrangement but that Sylvia was against the wedding altogether.
They stopped in a shaded gravel parking lot near the summit of the mountain. Everyone was quiet, just enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells of the evergreen forest around them. Hundreds of birds sang, while the fresh scent of the trees mingled with the earthy perfumes of mushrooms and wet soil.
“… and that was the second time I swam across the English Channel,” Johnny was telling yet another story of his athletic exploits.
Emily and Byron walked behind their parents, holding hands.
“Your dad is almost as competitive as Carter when it comes to physical strength,” Byron remarked.
“Tell me about it!” Emily rolled her eyes.
They came to a scenic ledge big enough for everyone to wander around admiring the view. Byron set up the picnic lunch on a nearby rock, while Emily came over to Sylvia, who was staring at a distant mountain peak all by herself.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Of course I’m okay,” Sylvia said, her gaze focused on the landscape. She hardly seemed to have registered the question.
“I have to wonder, is there something else going on?”
“What are you talking about?” Sylvia said disdainfully.
Emily steeled herself and plunged in. “You’ve been a little bit contrary whenever we talk about wedding arrangements. I’m wondering, is it something about the wedding itself? Maybe you don’t want us to get married?”
For one scary moment, Sylvia stared at her, hardly blinking. Then she said, “I can’t believe you just asked me that.”
“Why not?” Emily retorted. “You have to admit you’ve been acting weird.”
“No I don’t,” Sylvia said, tilting her chin up to an even more haughty angle than usual.
“You know, Byron goes along with your wishes because he cares so much about you, but do you really want him to have zero say in his own wedding?” Emily couldn’t believe she just said that too. Maybe it was too blunt, but she was tired of being diplomatic and getting nowhere.
“Okay, maybe I hate the idea of this wedding!” Sylvia blurted out. She quickly looked around at the others, but Emily’s father was in the middle of another one of his tall tales, his loud voice filling the mountain top, so no one else was listening in to their conversation.
Emily gasped. “Why didn’t you say something? Is it me? What is it?”
“It’s not you,” Sylvia said, “I just hate the idea of losing Byron. He’s not my little baby anymore, and now I see less and less of him all the time.”
“Sylvia! How could you ever think that you’re losing him?” Emily exclaimed.
“I’m so proud of everything he’s accomplished,” Sylvia said, her voice quavering. “But the more successful he becomes, the more it seems like the world takes him away from me. And now the two of you are going to be a more perfect family than what I could ever provide”
“Nonsense,” Emily said, “You are such an important part of our family. And I wish I had more time with Byron too, but his work is one of his passions. And I hope one day he’ll tone it down a bit to spend more time with family, but he needs to be free to make his own choices.”
The corners of Sylvia’s mouth trembled. “You’ll probably have children of your own now, and Byron won’t have any time for me.”
“That’s not true, he will need his mom more than ever!”
Emily put her hand on Sylvia’s shoulder to reassure her, but suddenly found herself being clasped in a tight hug by the woman who usually hated such touchy-feely expressions of emotion.
“I’ve always liked you, Emily,” Sylvia confessed, “ever since I met you, and that’s not something I tell most people.”
“I like you too!” Emily said. Although Sylvia could be a pain in the neck, and often was, Emily respected her strength and fierceness.
“It’s your wedding, you should do it your way,” Sylvia suddenly pronounced.
Now that Emily knew the real reasons for Sylvia’s resistance, she felt guilty. “No, Sylvia, I want you to feel included. We can meet somewhere in the middle, can’t we?”
“Okay then,” Sylvia regained most of her composure, “It should be no less than two hundred guests.”
Emily’s lips curved upwards in spite of herself. Although having a mother-in-law like Sylvia was no picnic, Emily wouldn’t have traded her for the world.
