Chapter 33 Hoping They Have Kids Soon
Dulcinea tried to comfort Arya, "Auntie, don't blame yourself, you were only thinking of what's best for Maggie."
Glancing toward the living room, Dulcinea mused to herself, "Maybe it was divine providence that compensated Maggie with this marriage, making up for the past neglect."
"This son-in-law seems pretty decent so far," Arya commented.
Dulcinea hadn't spilled the beans about Fiorello's true identity to Arya. Currently, Maggie and Fiorello slept separately, and revealing Fiorello's true background might backfire.
Given Maggie's temperament, Dulcinea feared she might head straight for the marriage registry office to file for divorce.
If they developed a deeper bond, however, the outcome could be different.
The lunch was sumptuous, all handmade by Maggie with Fiorello assisting.
Everyone settled into their dining chairs, and Maggie cheerfully called out, "I bet you're all hungry, let's eat. Auntie, Fiorello said you prefer lighter dishes, so we've prepared some that should suit your taste."
"Thank you, the dishes are perfect," Eleanor laughed heartily, glancing between Maggie and Fiorello with a playful double entendre in his voice.
And it wasn't just the dishes that pleased her – it was her daughter-in-law as well.
Maggie didn't grasp the full implications of Eleanor's words, but Dulcinea did and it appeared Eleanor was quite pleased with Maggie as her daughter-in-law.
Getting the approval of the wealthy mother-in-law was crucial, and with that hurdle cleared, the problems seemed minor.
Dulcinea's worries eased somewhat, and she took the opportunity to present a wedding gift with a smile, "Maggie, this is a wedding gift for you two. I wish you a lifetime of happiness together and may you have children soon."
"Dulce, you are too kind," Maggie accepted the gift with a light smile, "Thank you."
Eleanor added, "Now that you’re married, you can start planning a family. It's better to have children while you're young. Recovery is quicker; right, Maggie's mom?"
Arya, mindful of the setting, agreed by saying, "Yes, it might be time to start preparing."
Maggie blushed at the mention of having children soon, especially since the elders seemed to be urging it as well. She glanced covertly at Fiorello.
Fiorello stated his position, "Let's just let having children happen naturally."
Once Fiorello said this, everyone stopped pressing the issue.
A man not wanting children was often seen as not being ready to commit to a family or spending a lifetime with his wife in a complete home.
Dulcinea, probing gently, asked, "Fiorello, you're thirty now. Most men your age are eager to have kids. Saying you're not in a hurry is fine, but don’t you have a plan?"
Everyone's talk of having kids had made Maggie uncomfortable.
Fiorello looked at Maggie and honestly said, "There's no plan, we'll see how things unfold."
He felt Maggie wasn't ready for this step either and was in no rush.
However, to Dulcinea, this response seemed too noncommittal. She worried Fiorello might just be playing with Maggie, yet she couldn't express too much concern.
"Let's eat," Maggie said with a laugh, changing the subject, "Mom, you should have some more of the soup. Aunt, little cousin, please enjoy yourselves, don't be shy, make yourselves at home."
In this situation, Holden played it cool, laughing and saying, "Thanks, Maggie."
The dinner went on in relative harmony.
Eleanor was warm and engaging as she made small talk with Arya, and they found themselves discussing Maggie's childhood more than anything else. Eleanor naturally wanted to learn more about her in-laws and, upon finding out Arya worked at a hotel, never looked down on her for it. Instead, he sympathized with her situation.
Raising a daughter as a single mother was no walk in the park, and Eleanor admired Arya for it. Their conversation flowed so smoothly that they eventually went from formally addressing each other as Maggie's mom to casually calling each other's name.
After dinner, Fiorello took the initiative to clean up, urging Maggie to take a break while he roped Holden into helping in the kitchen. Looking at the sink full of dishes, Holden felt like crying. “Fiorello, I don’t know how to wash dishes.”
Fiorello, leaning casually against the refrigerator, quipped, “Anyone with half a brain can do it.”
Holden didn't have much of a choice but to suck it up. As he donned the gloves and got to work, he mumbled, “Fiorello, why don't you hire a maid, or have someone from your family come over to help?”
Fiorello, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge and taking on the role of supervising, replied, “Regular folks can’t afford a maid.”
Holden was puzzled and whispered, “Fiorello, you don’t have to play poor just because you got married. Selling stuff on the street and living in this tiny house... the house is even smaller than our family’s swimming pool.”
Fiorello glanced at Maggie in the living room and said, “She’s different from other girls. She wants a partner who’s on the same level, from the same world.”
Holden scoffed, “The poorer world?”
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