Uncle Tony has set aside a private room in his restaurant just for this evening, where Natalie's family would meet Taylor's for the first time. The wedding being only three days away, this meeting was about time.
Natalie waited outside the restaurant for the Hanson's to arrive.
"Ahh, that looks like Nat," Isaac said, pointing out the window of the van as they drew up to the car park of the restaurant.
"Wait!" Zac said, "I think we should get a proffessional opinion. Tay? Do you think that's Nat over there? Or do you think her silouette is not quite right?"
"Zac?"
"Yes, Ike?"
"Concentrate on finding a parking spot please. I knew I should have driven."
Taylor & Walker
"That's definitely her," Taylor chuckled.
"This looks like a nice place," Diana complimented as Walker just gave the driver an amused look.
Isaac, Zac and Natalie
"Yeah, last time we were here we were only able to smell the food," Isaac said. "That was mean, not being able to eat it too. Ahh... but tonight."
Zac pulled into a spot.
"Voila! Parked! Happy now, Ikers?"
"Yes, much thanks."
And they all started piling out of the car. Natalie spotted them coming over and moved to meet them halfway.
"Hi," she greeted.
Walker & Taylor
"Good evening Natalie," Walker nodded, an arm around his wife.
Taylor went straight up to her to give her a hello kiss.
"Is everyone here?" he asked.
Bryants and Hansons
"Good evening," Natalie replied with a nod, and kissed Taylor back. "My family's all waiting in a private room Uncle Tony set aside for us tonight."
"In case of any future in-law fighting, eh?" Zac inquired. "Don't want to disturb the other customers?"
"Dork," Isaac said.
Natalie giggled.
"This way," and she guided the Hansons to the private room she had mentioned.
"Hi," Mrs Bryant greeted as she saw them enter.
"Okay, everyone, this is Diana, Walker, Isaac, Zac, Avery, Jessica, Zoe and, this, is Taylor," Natalie said, wrapping her arm around him. "This is Mom - err, Susan, Fred, and my brothers Matt, Joe and Brad."
Taylor & Walker
"Nice to finally meet you two," Taylor nodded, stepping forward to shake the hands of both Brad and Joe.
"Pleasure to meet you," Walker nodded with a smile, giving Natalie's father a firm handshake.
Hansons and Bryants
"Yo dudes," Zac said enthusiatically.
"Yo," Matt returned, good naturedly.
"Hey," said Joe with a nod.
"Hi," said Brad.
"Hi," Isaac replied.
"Good to finally meet you too," said Mr Bryant.
Mrs Bryant moved forward to give Diana a hug.
"I've been sooo looking forward to meeting you," she said.
Natalie smiled at Taylor, pleased at seeing everything going so well... at least so far.
Taylor
"Shall we take our seats?" Taylor indicated the neatly set table and chairs, before putting an arm around Natalie and leading her over.
Mrs Bryant
Everyone seemed to agree with the suggestion, because everyone sat down. With such sanguins in the group, there was no awkward silences, and general chatter ensured.
"Now whatever happens," Mrs Bryant warned, "don't let Tony bully you into changing your minds as to what food you want. Everything he makes is wonderful."
Walker & Taylor
"So I've been told," Walker smiled back at her before sharing an amused glance with Taylor.
"He's a really nice guy too," Taylor assured.
Natalie and Zac
"Boy, has he got you fooled," Matt joked.
"We've got the menu, like, memorised," Natalie added, "so we already know what we want, so don't feel like you're being antisocial by looking through the menu when we're not."
"Okay," Zac said cheerfully, "I won't."
And he promptly lifted up the menu, opened it so that his face was hidden behind the large pages and starting perusing.
Jessica
Jessi sat at the table, not really paying attention to anything, not really looking at the menu yet. No, she was busy staring at her mobile, sending SMSs back & forth with Frankie. At least she had the courtesy to put the phone on vibrate.
Taylor and Walker
"I think I almost have it memorised as well," Taylor chuckled, opening it anyway and glancing through.
"Great selection," Walker complimented, "now to choose..."
Hansons
"Jess," Diana said.
She was reluctant to scold her daughter when she hardly ever saw her these days, but she did think it was a little rude with them in new company and all.
"Honey, you can SMS your friends later, okay?"
"Oh, we have a couple of those too," Mrs Bryant mused, glacing over at her younger son.
Diana smiled.
Isaac put the menu down.
"I know what I'm having," he declared.
"That's good," Zac replied. "I have no idea."
Jessica
"Sorry," Jess said, putting her phone in her bag. "It's just that I've only just gotten back, and I haven't been able to see him yet." She set her purse on the floor by her feet, and began to study the menu. She decided what she wanted and set the menu down on the table. "Now Zac, try not to eat an entire cow," Jessi joked.
Avery
Avery perused the menu somewhat boredly. She grinned a bit as she spoke to JD telepathically, then let out a tiny giggle.
"Well, I'm in the mood for chicken, I think."
Zac
"Aww, but... but..." Zac said, giving his sister puppy-dog eyes.
A waitor chose that moment to enter the room.
"Ready for orders?"
"Absolutely," said Mr Bryant. "First, jugs of soft drink for the table. Coke, Fanta and... Lemon squash, that okay with everyone?"
No one objected.
"And some herb and garlic bread. Now, for mains, I'll have," and Mr Bryant told the waitor what he wanted.
The waitor then went around the table getting everyone's orders (including Zac, who had finally decided), and departed.
Jessica
Jessi stuck her tongue out at Zac, and ordered her food.
"So, Natalie, are you completely certain you want to join this crazy crew? The insanity level rises every year."
Natalie
Natalie giggled.
"I'm sure," she said.
"Hey," added Matt, "what makes you think that we're any saner than you family, huh?"
Jessica
"Well, you don't have Zac and Ike, so you must be saner," Jessi replied, being mischevious. "And now that you're getting married, we must finally figure out which one of you is prettier. Well, at least you'll have the prettiest kids in the world."
Taylor
Taylor gave Natalie a sympathetic glance.
"I guess we will," he said finally, keeping the harshness out of his voice.
Avery
"Excuse me," Avery said, pushing her seat back and heading for the bathroom.
She giggled, continuing her telepathic conversation.
Taylor & Walker
Taylor turned to watch after Avery, debating for a moment whether or not to ask her a favour. Deciding against it, he turned back to the table.
"So what do you do for a living?" Walker began, directing his conversation at Natalie's father.
Natalie
"Sears District Manager," Mr Bryant replied.
"Really?" Diana asked.
"You won't believe the discounts we get," Natalie smiled.
Walker
"Sounds very promising," Walker nodded.
"Are you happy where you are?"
Natalie
"Yes," Mr Bryant replied. "And what about you? You were on the YIRAAS council at one stage, were you not?"
Natalie smiled. Her dad only connected this Walker Hanson with the YIRAAS council Walker Hanson, because she had pointed it out to him.
Walker & Taylor
"Yes, yes I was," Walker agreed, "I retired almost two years ago. It was putting too much of a strain on the family. And besides, I think Leroy was ready for the next step."
Taylor looked up at the mention of Leroy's name, but soon turned back to conversation uneasily.
Natalie and Zac
Mr Bryant nodded.
"Family is important," he agreed. "Doing anything now? Or just enjoying retirement?"
Natalie gave Taylor's hand a squeeze.
It was at this point that the waitor returned with the drinks and the herb and garlic bread. He busied himself setting them up on the table, and then departed. Zac immediately reached for some garlic bread.
Walker
"A little here and there," Walker considered as he poured himself and Diana a drink each.
"I've been taking care of the manageristics of the boys' record label which you've probably heard about by now. Organising some upcoming events for them and such. Other than that and some other small business ventures, I've been taking the chance to spend some time home with my wonderful wife."
He grinned cheekily.
Hansons and Bryants
Diana smiled.
"Aww," Mrs Bryant said appreciatively.
"Okay, on a scale of one to ten... I have to rate this garlic bread... a nine. What do you think Ike?" Zac asked.
Isaac finished his slice.
"Hmm... nice and crispy... just the right amount of garlically goodness... hot... Yes, I have to agree. A nine, definitely."
"You're rating the garlic bread?" Natalie asked, a bemused expression on her face.
"We've had garlic bread from all over the world," Zac replied with authority, "you'd be amazed how much variation there is."
Taylor
"I'd have to give it a 9.5, easy," Taylor disagreed.
"It's perfectly toasted - not too dark, not too light. It's not compeltely covered in garlic like the one in Italy that time, remember?"
He pulled a face as he remembered trying to eat it.
"But yeah... 9.5 from me."
Avery and Zoe
Avery came back from the bathroom, her hand gingerly resting on her stomach.
Zoe looked back down from where she'd been staring up at the roof, watching the light flicker across the room.
"Avery?" she asked, tapping her older sister on the shoulder.
"Yeah, Zo?" Avery replied.
"Can you get me some bread? But I only want half."
"Sure, bub." Avery snagged a piece of garlic bread and brought it over to her plate. She then broke it in half and gave one half to Zoe and kept the other half for herself.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Natalie, Zac and Isaac
"Hmm," Natalie considered. "Well, I'd give it a rating, but I'm biased, and I'd give it a ten."
"Don't worry," Zac assured her, "once you're touring with us, you'll get to taste all kinds of garlic bread, and have a basis whereupon to properly assess all garlic bread."
Isaac smirked an dlifted his glass.
"Zac takes his garlic bread rating very seriously," he snickered, and took a sip.
Taylor
"Zac takes a surprising amount of trivial things seriously, as you'll soon learn," Taylor nodded, having a drink himself.
"Very soon learn."
Natalie, Zac and Isaac
Natalie giggled.
"It's one of my endearing qualities," Zac declared.
"Or one of your annoying ones," Matt said.
"Well... you don't know me well enough to know that yet."
"I do, and it is," Isaac replied, then considered, "or maybe it's one of his bemusing qualities..."
Avery
"It's one of his qualities, leave it at that. I still haven't decided if it's endearing or bemusing or annoying. It's just... Zac. You learn to tune him out."
Avery grinned at Zac cheekily.
"Try sooner, rather than later to tune him out. Your sanity will thank you."
Zac, Isaac and Natalie
"I feel so loved," Zac replied, batting his eyes at Avery.
"She is right though," Isaac mused, "tuning you out is a brilliant idea."
"Well... well... you can't tune me out. We're not in a sound studio. So there. Ha!"
"Again with the squeaky shoes."
"Squeaky shoes?" Natalie asked.
"I just felt like saying it."
"Okay."
Taylor
"He gets pretty annoyed when we tune him out in the studio," Taylor chuckled.
"Though it's funny too. It's like watching an angry mime."
Natalie, Zac and Isaac
Natalie giggled.
"Angry mine?" Zac repeated.
Isaac nodded enthusiatically.
"Classic," Matt chuckled.
And then the waitor reappeared with three plates of food carefully balanced. He handed those out, and then went back for more plates.
Avery
"An angry mime who could probably break your face if you were in the same room with him."
Avery nodded.
"You don't mess with those guns."
Taylor & Walker
"And then there's all the other different types as well," Taylor chuckled, "the 'I can't hear you' mime, the 'this sucks' mime, the 'I just finished a song and I'm proud of it' mime. I could go on."
Walker poured his wife another drink, listening in on the banter as they waited for everyone to get their meals.
Zac, Isaac and Natalie
"Hmph," Zac replied. "At least Avery appreciates me."
"Avery appreciates your skill as a combatant. Not neccesarily you as a person," Isaac teased.
"More than I get from you two."
"Thank you," Natalie said to the waitor, as her plate was put down in front of her.
Avery
"If I were in a fight, I'd want Zac, just because he'd go Hulk smash."
Avery looked up at the waiter.
"Thanks," she said cheerfully.
Zac
Zac chuckled.
"Well," said Diana, looking down at her food, "this looks just divine."
Taylor & Walker
"Doesn't it?" Taylor grinned, giving Natalie an amused glance.
"Shall we say grace?" Walker announced.
Bryants and Hansons
Natalie smiled, and squeezed his hand. Diana lifted her hands to hold those of the people next to her. Zac and Isaac followed suit (although Zac pretended to be reluctant to hold his brother's hand).
"Dear Heavenly Father," said Mr Bryant. "We'd like to thank you for this evening, and the company we're sharing it with. We thank you for this wonderful food, bless it to our bodies, and the hands that prepared it, Lord. I'd also like to pray for Natalie and Taylor, with their wedding coming up. I pray that despite the... short notice, Lord, that their marriage will be a long and happy one. Amen."
Avery
"Amen," Avery echoed, then stared at her food for a second.
She lifted a fork and poked at the piece of chicken before forking a carrot into her mouth.