A talk

With Anthony and his dad having gone to the kitchen to prepare dinner, Susan and Rebecca were in the living room by themselves, give each duo the chance to talk more privately. A chance Richard used to ask his son more about the woman he had chosen to marry. He started by complimenting Rebecca on what he had seen of her so far, before he would delve into some more serious questions. "So, Anthony, how did you manage to find and land such a great girl like Rebecca? She seems far out of your league does she not? I mean, she is pretty, smart, kind, and she cares enough about your parents' approval to be moved to tears once she knows she has been accepted. Did you promise her your kidney? Did you blackmail her with something? I am waiting for the catch."

Anthony looked at his father with a side-eye before he said, "Har-di-har dad. How can you have so little trust in your own son? But to be honest with you, I still don't know how I managed to get her to agree. I proposed, fully expecting to get rejected altogether. But to my surprise she agreed, and I wasn't about to question why she did. I was just happy she said yes and have been doing my best since then to not make her second guess that decision or regret it in any way. It has gone with a few ups and downs, but overall, I think I am doing a good job at that."

Richard put his hand on Anthony's shoulder with a certain amount of force from his excitement and gave it a squeeze as he said, "That's my boy. I am proud of you son. You know what you want, you took a chance and you fought for it. As you know, your mom is well out of my league as well, but I didn't let that hold me back either. I showed her my good qualities and I was patient. I got to know her parents, and I started working for him, which gave me extra opportunities to spend time with her. As we spent more time together, she started warming up to me. When the time was right, I popped the question with your grandmother's ring. Ever since she said yes, I have not let a single day go by, without showing her how much I care about her and how much I want her in my life."

Anthony nodded and said, "I know. You and mom have always been my role models. Your relationship is my ideal. It was always so clear you loved each other, and I wanted me and my future wife to be like that with each other as well. Laughing, joking, going through life like partners. It wasn't necessarily a 50-50 arrangement, it was each of you just doing your part. If mom went to pick us up, you were in the kitchen preparing dinner. If you hung up the wet clothes on the clothing line, she would go and fold them. That is what I want for Rebecca and I as well. Both of us contributing to the relationship and the house in our own ways. You never were the type of husband or dad that expected your wife to do everything. In fact, growing up, I never saw you let mom wash a single dish or cook a single meal. You treasured her each day during my childhood, and from the way I see it, you still do to this day. By showing her how you and mom interact with each other, I hope she can see the type of future I want for us. That I too will treasure her. After all, I can say all the words I want, but I think showing her will be more convincing."

Anthony's father let out an exhaled laughter as he heard the wishes and struggles of his youngest son, "I didn't always like to cook you know. It wasn't until your mom said that she really disliked cooking because she was so bad at it, that I started learning the basic skills from your grandmother. Slowly I became better and better, and I started preparing her snacks and warm lunches. The more she enjoyed and complimented my meals, the more I started to enjoy cooking. Now I actually like it, and I take pleasure in preparing something which I know or think she might like. So, my advice to you, make sure you don't lose the spirit you have today. Just like you work hard to show your love to her each day now, continue to do so as you reach each anniversary and milestone. And remember son, love isn't in the material things, it is in the small things. Sending her a message in the middle of the day to show her you thought of her. Making her breakfast in bed on the anniversary of your first date, to show you treasure the small things. Planning a surprise picknick on the beach during the weekend."

Anthony beamed with a smile as he put his arm over his father's shoulder as well and said, "I knew I could count on you for some wise words. Now I see how you managed to keep mom with you for all these years despite being the aloof person that you are." Richard chuckled and said, "That is rich coming from you. Even back in grade school your teachers were concerned because of your lack of awareness and trusting, kind nature. Good thing your height kicked in and gave you some protection. Otherwise who knows what would have become of you."

As father and son continued to chat and laugh, the sounds of their laughter softly reached the living room where Rebecca was sitting with her future mother-in-law. Having a talk of her own.