Ralph Is Back

The atmosphere in the dining hall is excellent.
But the incident in the mall sticks with me. I will have to find an appropriate time and go back to the mall again in hopes of learning from the waitress exactly who that gorgeous man was. I already know his name is Jasper, but I need to know where to find him. Eric watches aloofly; he seems to have forgotten about the incident of an hour ago.
Everyone laughs and jokes and I join in too.
But then the dining room door opens and no one but my mate steps in. "Ralph!" I exclaim and jump off my chair to run toward him. He opens his arms wide and I throw myself against his chest. Relieved, I lay my head against his body as he presses me against him. "My Queen. How did the shopping go?" he asks, smiling. "I saw a teeming car parked outside." I look up at his happily beaming face and kiss him briefly on the lips. It feels like I've landed in a safe haven. "We're almost done. The King-Mother is really on a roll and Magda is stepping it up too," I laugh.
With me firmly in his arms, Ralph walks over to greet his mother.
"Mother, have you been taking good care of my mate?" he jokes. "You didn't take her all over the mall, did you?" he asks as he kisses her on the cheeks. "Ralph, when did you arrive? I thought you said you had a lot of work to do and therefore couldn't accompany us," his mother tells him. Ralph winks at me. "I missed my mate. She stayed away so long and I had to make sure everything was okay with her," he explains.
Something in his voice alarms me that there's more to it.
Ooohh well, what harm is it that he is here? Indeed, for the past few weeks, we were glued together and it is quite possible that he missed me. I look up at his face as he places his hand under my chin. "Have you missed me too, my love?" he asks tenderly. His sky-blue eyes bore into mine; for a moment, I saw uncertainty in them. But why should that be the case? We have two babies on the way and in not too long, we are getting married. His mother can't talk about anything but the organization of this incredible moment. I know I still have to accommodate Ralph sexually, but we agreed to wait till the wedding night.
"Of course, I missed you, Ralph. I feel so lonely when you're not around," I whisper softly. He wraps his arms around me tenderly and again, I place my head on his chest. "That's all I want to know, Saray," he replies happily. "Are you ready to go back? The Jet is waiting," he states suddenly. Everyone stares at him in shock. This is different from what is agreed. "Back? To the Kingdom?" I ask stupidly. Ralph nods. "Yep. I've come to get you," he says as if it's the most natural thing in the world. "The men are already unloading the packages. Now grab whatever you have left here and let's leave".
Eric jumps up and grabs a suitcase by the door.
He seems prepared for Ralph's arrival. Ralph gently pushes me toward rooms. "Go quickly, Saray. We are waiting for you". I look around but see no one moving. The King-Mother's mouth is still open with surprise. "Isn't this too sudden, Ralph?" she asks, dumbfounded. "We still need to buy some things. Saray tired quickly today so we had to strike early. But there are still a few things on the list we need to purchase," she sputters.
Magda and Elena also stare at him, unable to figure out what exactly is going on.
"Should Ivor leave with you too?" echoes Elena timidly, watching the scene sadly. Looking around, I see everyone present but Ivor. "Where is he, by the way?" I ask around. "Just outside the house doing a job. He'll be right back," Eric remarks nonchalantly. "Elena, why don't you start packing his things? That way we won't lose much time leaving when he gets back," he suggests to the girl. Elena shakes her head. "No, he said he'll be here for another week or so. You guys can go ahead, he's coming to the Palace later next week," she declares sharply.
Eric growls low, not used to being contradicted.
"You choose, Elena. Either you do it yourself or I'll ask one of the servants," he glares at her menacingly. "And if Ivor arrives while the woman is busy in the room, you don't dare set foot there. You've had your chance." Elena stares at the Secretary belligerently. The two are engaged in an invisible battle for authority, and I can already tell that Elena is on the losing side. "Whatever," she binds in at one point with rolling eyes. "Thought so," Eric taunts her.
"But wait!" Magda exclaims next.
"This is not the deal. And Esis is still not back. Now I have to stay alone in the house while he promised that Saray and the King-Mother would be here until he gets back," she enters mournfully. "And I've hardly had any alone time with my girlfriend."
Eric shrugged irritably.
"Don't be dramatic, Magda. You're always welcome at the Palace to meet Saray. You can have plenty of alone time there," he replies shortly. "Ralph wants to bring his wife back. Esis will return home today, I promise you". Magda's attention is immediately distracted when she hears this. "Esis is coming today?" she asks, clearly elated. "But he hasn't called me yet. Then how do you know?"
Elena enters the dining room just then.
"The guard took the bag. Ivor didn't bring much," she states sourly. "In two weeks, the school vacations will start and then I will come to the Palace. Or whatever you guys call that place". Ralph gently nudges me in Magda's direction. "Say goodbye quickly, Saray. The Jet is waiting. You can order the rest of the stuff for our pups online, it's not a problem". Quickly I walk over to my friend to say goodbye. We promise to call each other and meet again in a few weeks.
As we walk outside, I see three dark-tinted SUVs and a Maserati waiting.
Ralph takes me to the low car so I don't have to climb in with my big belly. When he has taken his seat next to me, the car shoots forward. I can just see Magda and Elena standing on the porch, waving after us....