"Reyona?" Ruth Lanoth spoke as she seemed to recover from her shock. She looked at the groceries in her hand, then back at Reyona and the kids, her eyes darting from them to her.
She seemed to almost have a seizure when she saw Leah on Reyona's lap.
Reyona smiled inwardly as she doubted that the woman had any idea how transparent her face was. Her son must have learned his highly deceptive face from someone else. His father?
Well, she would never know; the man had been long dead before Reyona met Thomas.
"Mum!" Reyona replied excitedly as she gave the remote in her hands to Allysyn and carried Leah at her waist as she went to meet her mother-in-law, where the woman still stood as if she had no idea if she should proceed into the room or bolt.
Reyona saw the way the woman's eyes darted between her and the children, as if pondering if she should get the children out first or Reyona herself.
"How does it feel?" Reyona thought as she hugged the woman."Hi, I have missed you," she said as she hugged her tightly, sideways though because of the child on her arm.
"Yes, I have missed you too. It's been a while since you came around." Ruth muttered as she patted Reyona's back awkwardly, then tilted her head to Leah, who was smiling excitedly at her grandmother as she kicked her leg lightly off Reyona's lap.
Who could be blamed for that? Reyona thought as she remembered how Ruth has been giving her one excuse or another for not being at home late.
If she was not going for a program, it would be that her book club had an event.
Reyona deliberately did not call before coming over because she knew that her evasive mother-in-law would have come up with an excuse.
What could be better than the priceless look she had seen on the older woman's face? Reyona decided that she couldn't think of one.
"Yes, I am sorry. I have been a bit busy at the office. You did say you are busy with a lot of events these days-the times we have discussed, remember?" Reyona asked with a grin as she adjusted Leah at her waist. Ruth's eyes went to the baby again, and her unease became more evident.
"I see you have met Leah already," she said with such a strain in her smile that Reyona pondered that it was a miracle that the child in her hand did not get down and run off.
"Yes," she replied as she looked at Leah and then back at Ruth. "Isn't she a cutie?"
Leah preened at being called a cutie, then Reyona turned to encompass the older siblings with her arm as she said, "And her siblings too. They were just about to tell me their names. Are they your neighbour's grandchildren?" She asked innocently with a smile as she turned back to her mother-in-law.
"Err…""No, she is our grandma! Can't you tell? Daddy said that I resembled her! My name is Th....
"Junior. That is his name." Ruth said hurriedly, and Reyona turned back to her mother-in-law as the woman continued, "And she, her name is Allysyn. Yes, the eldest. I…Here, Allysyn, come and help me with these groceries. Take them to the kitchen and arrange them on the counter carefully, okay? Junior. Go with her."
"No, grandma. She…"
"Junior?" Ruth called with a tilt of her head, and the boy stopped this grumbling.
Just as Allysyn was collecting the grocery bag from her grandma, Reyona said, "Oh. I can help them. Here, Allysyn, let's..."
"Oh, no," Ruth quickly said as she laid her hand on Reyona's arm to steer her back to the couch "Let them do it," then she reduced her voice to a stage whisper as she said, "I am merely sending them to do that so they would stop bickering for a moment. Having something to do will..."
"Grandma! Ally is calling me a dunce!" Junior yelled from the kitchen.
Reyona raised her eyebrow slightly as she thought, "Well, so much for that."
"Allysyn, be nice!" Ruth called to the children before turning to Reyona with a smile "Children. Always naughty."
"Yes, I wouldn't know, though. Seeing that I have never had one," Reyona said as if she were pitying herself as she leaned forward to take another cracker.
Leah had come down from her lap and was moving towards the kitchen."What? Oh no, don't think of it like that. I am sure you will soon have your kids too," Ruth assured her.
"Are you?" Reyona asked suddenly, in a serious tone that made her mother-in-law look sharply at her.
"Yes, of course. Don't worry. When the time is right, God will provide. Do not fret. I..."
"It was Thomas who said we shouldn't have a kid yet and that he wanted his businesses to be stable first," Reyona said suddenly, with her eyes on the woman's to catch her reaction.
The sly fox looked away, though."What? He was?"
"Oh, you did not know? I am sorry; I thought Thomas told you. Would you like a cracker? They are very crispy," Reyona said as she handed a cracker to the woman like she had no care in the world.
Ruth collected it automatically as she said, "Of course not. Why would he tell me something like that? It is a matter between couples, apparently."
Reyona nodded like she just realised that."Yes, you are right. Whose children did you say they were?"
The cracker Ruth put in her mouth flew out as she coughed.
She looked at Reyona in confusion. "Who?"
"The kids who have such a great resemblance to Thomas?" Reyona said with a smile as she patted the older woman's back."They do?"
"You couldn't tell?"
Ruth became engulfed in a non-ending fitful cough.
Reyona smiled to herself as she went to get water for her mother-in-law."Your child did learn a few tricks from you, after all," she thought to herself.