Meeting The Family

She smiled gently. "Thank you, dear."
An elderly woman in a pale blue suit descended the stairs and the sound of her heels made everyone glance at her. When I first saw her, I thought her hair was very strange. It was caramel and gelled back, with salt and pepper tint. Her eyes were blood-specked from age. I assumed she read until late at night because she had crow’s feet in the corners of her eyes.
And I guessed she was in her seventies because her skin was surprisingly very healthy and soft, paper-thin, and time ravaged. She had inflamed fingers from the cold. I instantly felt my heart clench. I liked her already. I'd always had a soft spot for the elderly.
"Amn't I glad to see you again, Roman, come give your favorite girl a hug," she said excitedly, in a brogue shaped by too many advanced degrees.
When she released Roman she hesitated, looking at me. "I'm his Seanmháthair and ya are?" she asked with complete authority.
I shuffled uncomfortably as she approached. Her eyes seemed to laser in on me as if I was an unpleasant character.
"I'm Nuru, his friend." I whispered awkwardly, awareness of where I really was beginning to shake my resolve.
"Hmm, I see, but aren't you too young to be my Roman's friend?" her eyes were disapproving as they swept over my body. "I'm Ruth. You can call me Mrs. Sparrow."
I suddenly realized how under dressed I was. And I also realized that the old lady didn't like me and I had the chilling suspicion that no one would ever be good enough for Roman in Ruth's eyes.
Ramon sighed, looking away from his grandmother, he met my gaze and I saw a hint of... uncertainty? "She's just a friend," he told Ruth.
Ruth let out a shaky breath. "You had me going there for a second," she admitted. "Hopefully not what you youngsters do these days, what you call it?" her eyes lit up with remembrance. "Oh, friends-with-benefits?" her voice was calm, but firm — the usual disapproval but reasonable voice parents used.
"Not at all." Roman released me from the intensity of his gaze and I sighed in relief, trying to calm my racing pulse.
"Wonderful!" she mumbled in evident delight, easily pleased. "You know she has to fit the list now, Roman. You remember Amber Davis, down by the lake, don't you?"
Roman nodded.
"I've invited her to lunch tomorrow," she announced, proud of herself. "Don't worry, she fits my list almost perfectly, at least she's from a well off family. Be there, at twelve, no?"
Roman nodded yet again.
There was an agonizing uncomfortable silence, and as though Roman could tell I was dangerously close to hyperventilating, he squeezed my hand in comfort.
Ruth narrowed her eyes at the gesture and when her gaze went up to Roman it softened considerably. She smiled at Roman, a warm, genuine smile that touched her eyes. It totally transformed her and the years dropped away from her face.
Ruth opened her arms for Roman and he broke contact with me to link his arm through his grandmother's. "Roman, dear, you look rather thin. You need a good woman who will take care of you. You look underfed."
"Actually Grandma Ruth, Nuru has been feeding me plenty. She's an excellent cook. And she makes the most delicious chocolate muffins. Your favorites. I'm sure you'll love them."
"If you say so, dear." Her mouth went downward, as though she'd just tasted something awful. "Where did you find this girl, Roman? Look at her. I can see dead skin cells on her face. Dear lord, a lady never goes out in public with such hair. Roman, you know image is everything. Do something about this." She gestured to my clothes.
That hurt. I winced, and her eyes narrowed. She was actually terrifying.
"Mother!" Kate was outraged. "You're being unnecessarily rude."
Ruth looked me right in the eye, a daring, don't-you-dare-cause-rift-between-me-and-my-family look. "Did I offend you, dear?"
I felt like I had just been spit on and cast my eyes to the floor and gulped. "No, not really," I lied, my voice cracking and I frantically blinked the tears away.
"Grandma Ruth, you should apologize." Roman eyed me with concern. "And besides, there's nothing wrong with Nuru."
I glanced at Roman and raised an eyebrow. If he got Ruth to apologize, I just knew the old woman would now have a genuine reason to hate me, besides my clothes, or hair, or skin, or my naked blandness.
They both looked at me then. Roman scowled. Ruth's face was cold.
"It's not necessary, really," I answered with a cracking voice.
"What ever happened to that bad member, energy vampire, Regina, was it?" Ruth asked instead, rolling her eyes at me.
Roman stiffened and he glanced at the only other person in the room, a man with an unusual shade of blond, it was white, maybe silver. He appeared to be in his early thirties.
"We broke up," he spit out.
Ruth made a disgusted sound. "She cheated and finally you caught her." She paused to take a deep breath. "Told you she was after your deep pocket. They all are." She swept a meaningful look at me. "See, I always see them for what they are. Who did she cheat with? Bet your garden boy," she mumbled her disgust.
Roman laughed without humor. "It's even worse than that."
Ruth looked at him with sympathy. "You were too good for her anyway. Ah, yes. Amber just signed a multi-million deal. At least I know she'll have only good intentions, Jah?"
With that, she wheeled towards the stairs, walking with a stride that made me question myself.
And I was seething with anger. "Old hag," I hissed under my breath. I thought I heard Roman laugh, but I was too embarrassed to look up at his face just in case he had indeed heard me.