As the Murray's drove to the Teab family reunion, Jesse told them that he'd gotten a job offer from the Como Rosario Institute.
"That's amazing!" Dana said, recognising the significance of such an invitation.
"Aren't they based in Argentina or something?" was Sam's query.
"It is in South America, yes. But not Argentina," Jesse corrected. "Brazil."
"What kind of appointment would it be?"
"Not too sure. They just hinted at my own research program but I'd have to commit to a face to face meeting before I have any real idea of what it might entail."
They didn't get much time to say much else because fireworks went off as they travelled up the driveway that led to Vivienne Teab-Murray's home.
"Oh, wow," was all Jesse said, as sparklers and rockets shot up into the sky in oranges and blues, greens and whites bursting into geometric designs and spirals of colour.
One after the other the fireworks exploded alongside and above them, lighting up the dark night sky, as if to announce to the world that a significant event was taking place in their location. They were like beacons for their vehicle to follow as it made its way along the road.
He had never in a thousand years expected such a welcome and he said as much.
"This must have been Casey's idea," Sam said.
Apparently their nephew was into pyrotechnics.
Living with his father meant Jesse had had much more contact with the Murray's as a teen and later on. The Teab's had become more distant as people sometimes do when they don't want to seem disloyal to family in the event of a marriage ending in divorce. But they didn't look like they wanted the distance to last a moment longer. Sam stopped the car at the doorway, which was open and full of people waiting to meet the boy-turned-man, Jesse Murray.
Jesse took a deep breath and opened his car door.
"Jesse! Oh my goodness, look at you!" came the first excited cry.
"Welcome home, buddy!"
"You're even taller than Sam!"
After a few more moments of mayhem, Sam put his fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly.
All the movement and talking ceased and heads turned toward Jesse's younger brother.
"Guys, you're embarrassing me!" Sam grinned. "I told Jesse that we're the civilized side of the family."
After a split second of silence, everyone started to laugh and respond to Sam's good natured rib. They did start toward the spacious living room so that Vivienne, the eldest of the two Teab sisters, could introduce her son to the rest of his family.
That night, Jesse met his aunt's four sons once again. It seemed he remembered the older three better than the last. He also met their wives and children, as well as the few more distant cousins who were resident in the area who had decided to join them for dinner and reconnect with Jesse. Both Vivienne's parents had passed away by the time she had separated from David so that made her the matriarch of the Teab family. Jesse believed that was why his mother was so close to David's mother. The older woman was something of a mentor to Vivienne. When he watched her, he could see that his mother had the same quiet strength and composure that his grandmother had and he wondered how much of it was her own personality as opposed to something she had learnt from the elderly Rebecca Murray.
After the introductions, Vivienne asked someone to 'go wake the pearl'.
"The pearl?" Jesse enquired quizzically.
"I was wondering what was missing," Sam said.
"The pearl," one of his cousins explained, "is the nickname for a family friend whose mother went to Cornell with Aunt Vivienne."
"He already knows her," Sam laughed, "he just didn't know she has a nickname."
Dana chuckled. "She has more than one, at that."
At that moment, Pearl appeared at the bottom of the stairs.
"Are you guys talking about me?" she asked softly as she moved slowly into the foyer, still mellow from the sleep.
"My favourite family member," the only single son of Genevieve Teab said, smiling.
Pearl smiled back and then waved at Jesse, who looked a little bemused.
"Pearl," his mother explained, "is my goddaughter."
"Oh!" he said, his expression clearing. Her being at his mother's house suddenly made a lot more sense.
As usual, Pearl looked very pretty. Her hair was pinned back and arranged in a coil and her eyes shadowed the same coral pink in which her lips were glossed. She was wearing a simple knit dress in a deeper shade of pink. It was a wrap dress that brought attention to the slender nature of her waist and the round nature of her breasts.
Jesse turned to his mom and smiled. "Well, at least she's a good looking addition to the family."
Everyone, including Pearl, laughed and they all started to move toward the living room.
Jesse's unmarried cousin insisted Pearl sit next to him, and she did without hesitation. Conversation started up all around the room and after about half an hour, everyone was ushered into the dining room.
This was one place where one could see the wealth of the Teab family. It wasn't evident in the unassuming, often boisterous people unless one noticed the few expensive pieces of clothing or jewellery they wore. But it was surely evident in the presence of four waiters and the chef who came to announce each dish with aplomb. It was also obvious in the quality of linen and silverware on the table, the selection of wines with each course and the rich variety of foods which were served that evening.
Pearl was often amused at the contrast in lifestyle between a formal dinner at the Teabs, a traditional meal at her parents and what she often ate when she was alone. Even Sam, who lived a toned down but relatively luxurious life, and who could afford the sumptuous meals, was simple in comparison to his mother's spread when she hosted family in their numbers.
Her meals would be even worse when she got to camp in the coming week, but she wasn't going to let the prospect of cafeteria food deter her. She was set on entirely enjoying the evening and the simple camp set up in turn.
The meal was a blur for Jesse. After Pearl blessed the food, dishes were set down and served as people threw questions at him from all angles. He answered the majority of the questions between bites of food, deferred others for coffee dates, until his mother demanded that they all calm down and let him finish his food first.
They obeyed, agreeing to wait until it was time to take their wine glasses to the living room. Those with children took their charges upstairs to sleep. Jesse sat down next to Pearl, who had kicked off her pink suede heels with the ribbons at the back. She was curled up comfortably with a cup of steaming tea.
Todd, the single cousin, was next to take a seat. "You're monopolising my arm candy," he joked.
Jesse held up his hands in innocence. "I lay no claim. I just remember this being the spot, in some corner of my mind, as the place where the fire feels the best."
Pearl smiled at him. "It is, right? Finally there's someone else who sees it too!"
Jesse looked at her. "What? You feel the same way?"
"I love this sofa for that reason," she confessed. "It's not too hot like where the love seat is and it's not close enough to the window to catch some of that chill from the glass."
Jesse tipped his glass to lightly touch her mug and he said, "Here's to you, woman, for all your insight and wisdom."
Giggling, she tilted her head in acknowledgment of his praise.
"What toast am I missing?" Genevieve asked curiously as she headed for her usual spot near the fireplace.
Not giving them a chance to respond for themselves, Todd told his mother, "They're celebrating their similar tastes in furniture placement."
"What?"
Chuckling Todd continued, "Don't worry mom, you didn't miss much."
"Oh, good."
Dana smiled impishly, "Todd, you're forgetting the part about-"
Raising his voice, Todd hurriedly brought up another subject as his mother's sister walked in. "Aunt Viv, have you gotten your wine box for this month yet?"
Shaking her head, Vivienne Teab- Murray missed how her youngest son and his wife laughed as she gave Todd her attention and informed him that it was due the following weekend. "It's totally fine though, I have more than enough."
"Can you ever have too much wine?" Genevieve chuckled.
"You know me- I'd rather have a cup of tea than a good bottle of wine on most days."
Todd breathed a sigh of relief as more family members filed into the room and the attention was off him and his comment about Jesse's choice of seat.