The atmosphere became a little tense and Daniel simply looked to the side. He wanted her to leave at once. On the date she had shared with him, he had taken a dim view of her attitude and was annoyed by the topics of conversation she brought up, constantly asking about his children. It was a vulgar way of showing her interest in Daniel, using his children to get to him.
- "I was telling Mary it was you and she didn't want to believe it, what would Daniel Crusher be doing with a young girl in a place like this?" she asked. - And she turned to look at Deanna.
- Hello - Deanna said to her, but she didn't answer back. She was waiting for Daniel to give an explanation.
- Is this your style now? - That was very rude of her.
- Excuse me, but I can hear you too - Lynda looked at her.
- And who are you? -
- I'm Deanna, nice to meet you. -
- Hi, and you are? -
- Daniel's fiancée - Lynda laughed.
The situation was escalating. She was trying to belittle her with utter gall and being rude, she didn't even know her. What kind of person was this woman?
- That's right - Daniel said
- Is this a joke? -
- No," Deanna replied.
- Come on, Daniel. You don't "do" this sort of thing -
- I'm still here and I can hear you - Daniel hid a small smile.
- I'm not talking to you -
- No, you're ignoring me to talk to my future husband, don't you think that's a little out of line? He's a committed man... -
People at adjoining tables began to turn to observe what was going on. Although they were speaking in a normal tone, the topic of conversation was still embarrassing and Deanna was contributing her own. She had noticed Daniel's dislike of the woman and his face openly expressed his desire for her to leave. She could help him a little.
Lynda realized that she was being watched and questioned by the other people. She was imposing herself on a couple who were having a quiet dinner with questions out of place.
- I see... I didn't know - She tried to apologize.
- No worries - Deanna dismissed her with a wave of her hand.
- Well, then, I'd better go... Congratulations, Daniel.
He just nodded at her and Lynda finally left. They continued to eat dessert in silence, for Deanna there was no need to add anything else. It was obvious that this woman had had something with him at some point, or she was just rude. She was sure that in the future she would have to face more of this kind of questioning.
They were in the car on their way back to Deanna's house, but Daniel still didn't say a word. He felt, for some reason, that he had to explain himself to her, but he didn't understand why and that annoyed him. It bothered him that he didn't understand what was going on with him: nerves, anxiety, that knot in his stomach and now the need to justify himself. It seemed that Deanna was actually his fiancée.
- That woman from earlier... –
- Yes? -
- We only had one date and it didn't work out -
- I see -
- As you may have noticed, it's a bit unpleasant -
- She is...
- Well... - There, that explanation was enough.
Deanna was a little amused to see him trying to explain something she never asked. But it seemed like a good, thoughtful thing to do. Maybe Harry was right when he said he was cold but a good person.
- You handled the situation well –
- Well, thank you. It's not the first time I've come across people like that -
- What's that supposed to mean? -
- Some people tend to look down on others. It used to happen to me the first year of college -
- I understand.
- Harry was a great help in those days.
- I'm glad to hear he's behaving -
- He's a great friend and a great person -
The affection was genuine and Daniel could tell. Apparently Harry was something more than an irresponsible person with ridiculous ideas who put others in difficult situations.
When they arrived at her building Deanna started to say goodbye, but Daniel stopped her.
-Tonight things went well. But at the family reunion we'll have eyes scrutinizing us the whole time.
- I'll do my best -
- I suppose Harry has already told you about our mother. I suspect she's the one you'll have to watch out for the most, she thinks we're getting married because you're interested in my money
- It's going to be hard to convince her -
- Yes, but don't worry about that. No matter what she says the wedding will still happen. But it is very likely that she will make strange or annoying comments to you, just ignore her as much as you can -
- Good to know, I'll be prepared -
- Good... And, please, no fre... ¡dresses like that! - He almost said it.
- Well... no dresses like that - He was being weird again.
Deanna said goodbye, thanked him for dinner, and went into her apartment. What had he meant? She was pleased that she had survived her exam, but apparently he was very conservative since he had complained about the dress. No showing knees or back. Luckily, the outfit Laura had recommended for the meeting was more demure.
Daniel had one more task left, the hardest of all: telling his children. He had never talked to them about anything like this, never brought a woman to his house, never introduced them to anyone, and suddenly he had to announce that he was getting married. The other problem would be explaining to them who he was going to do it with.
Ethan and Naomi might question it a little, it was all very sudden. But his children, it seemed, each had their own lives, although he himself wasn't quite aware of it. The last few years he had withdrawn into his shell a bit, trying not to externalize his sadness so that it wouldn't affect his children. Their mother was gone and the last thing they needed was a father who would falter. But in trying to protect them, he ended up pushing them away a bit.
They were a family that operated on rules and schedules, but they also shared moments of relaxation like vacations. But Daniel didn't know any other way to get things going. The children were more relaxed with their grandmother or aunt, who were always hovering over them. He represented the authority figure and they rarely contradicted him. It was simply how the gears turned.
The one who worried him the most was Jonathan, after his mother died he retreated into his own shell. He was so small; they didn't know what had happened to him. Suddenly one day he stopped talking and not because he couldn't, he simply decided not to do it anymore. Daniel had gone to every doctor and therapist he could find, but there was no medical reason for his condition, no pathology. Therapies did not help either, they only stressed the boy more. The only thing he seemed to really like was music, he danced around the house carrying a small toy tape recorder that played multimedia files.
That's why it was so important for Deanna to stay within the rules and routines they already had in the family. The less these customs were disturbed, the less damage would be done to his children. The best thing was to keep a certain cordial distance, although Deanna had shown herself to be a pleasant person, she had also brought out her combative and rebellious side. He did not want his children to learn from those examples. But that was something he could not avoid.