The next day, Justin received an early morning call to report to the base. He had no option but to let Kevin pick up Claudia and entertain her until he returned. He made sure to tell him to take a picture of her face when she met the parents.
Kevin arrived on time to pick up his sister-in-law.
"Kev!" She called out in surprise.
"Yeah. He got a call at the base but didn't want to hold you up," he said as he gestured for her to get in the car.
"No problem. How's work these days?"
"Stressful but payday makes up for it," he laughed.
They conversed on their way to the Bolton home.
"Head in first, I'll be right behind you," he told her as he retrieved his phone. He was about to take the best picture of the year. His excitement knew no bounds.
Claudia didn't notice anything odd, so she made her way in. As she was about to open the door, it was pulled open from the inside. In front of her was a youthful woman with a similar smile to Justin's. Her mind entered a drumline battle, but her face remained calm.
Calm really wouldn't be the word to describe it. She was basically frozen. She gave no reaction whatsoever until Kevin tapped her from behind. She jolted awake and composed herself better.
"You must be Mrs. Bolton," she said with a stiff smile.
She looked to Kevin for help, but he was still sulking from not getting the reaction he had imagined.
"Just call me Jennifer," she took one of Claudia's hands in hers and led her in.
"That's their dad, Chris," she said softly. Her eyes were glued to her beautiful daughter-in-law.
"Hello Mr. Bolton."
He nodded approvingly and turned his attention back to the newspaper.
"Justin was right. You are beautiful." She finally got a daughter, ofcourse she had the license to fawn all over her.
Claudia smiled shyly, "thank you."
While waiting for Justin to arrive, the two ladies instantly hit it off.
They found that they were really similar. Jennifer, like Claudia, found it difficult to commit to things that didn't interest her.
She loved to travel and had a knack for helping people. Her husband supported her, and that's how they ended up as missionaries. They both liked pink and chicken.
Kevin was completely ignored along with his dad. Claudia offered Jennifer several hair services, and she held on to her words.
Justin made his entrance, but everyone could feel that his mood was a bit off. They didn't ask him about it, he would tell when the time was right. His mood brightened when he saw his girlfriend and his mom interacting sweetly.
"Now that you're here, I'll serve the food," Jennifer said, standing up.
"I'll help you with that," Claudia followed after but stopped by Justin for a hug.
The whole table was cheery. Sweet voices rang in the air mixed with the sound of clashing cutleries. It was a happy meal.