Morning had come quicker than he had expected as he awoke to sound of someone knocking on his bedroom door. He mumbled a 'come in' as he sat up and moved his hair out of his eyes. Glancing at his clock he saw that it was only six thirty in the morning, a time that was much earlier than he was used to waking up at even to get to school.
His mother was the one who entered his room, she had a nervous smile on her face as she closed the door behind her.
"I am sorry to wake you up so early dear, but we have an unexpected guest. He says that for you to arrive at the home you will be staying by a decent hour you will need to leave sooner than expected." She told him as she took a seat at the bottom of his bed.
"My future father-in-law?" Samuel asked surprised to hear that someone had come to pick him up.
"No, it seems to just be a driver, but it still won't hurt for you to mind your manners while we eat breakfast. Your father is talking with him right now. Please be quick though." His mother patted his and before standing up and walking out of the room.
"Well this is certain unexpected." He mumbled under his breath as he got out of bed. Having taken a shower the night before, he quickly freshened up and chose to put on one of his more formal outfits which consisted of a dark blue polo and a black pair of slacks. Making a good first impression never hurt his parents had always told him.
Steeling himself he exited his room and made sure that a smile was on his face as he made his way down the stairs and into the living room where he saw his father sitting in his recliner while a man he didn't know sat on the sofa petting Pepper who seemed to accept the unfamiliar man and his attention.
"And here he is now." Samuel's father announced as he motioned for his son to enter the room as the stranger turned to look at him. Standing up, the stranger walked over to the young man and extended his hand for a shake.
"It's an honor to meet the future young sir." He said, giving Samuel a much firmer handshake than he had expected. The man looked to be a few years older than his father with rougher hands and appearance that spoke of someone who was used to doing hard physical work, but the smile on his face told him the other was most likely not a mean person. There was a noticeable scar next to his right eye that Samuel tried not to think about. "You may call me Clive. I was granted the honor today of joining you for breakfast before making sure that you are safely driven to where the Princess is waiting for you." He didn't miss how Clive had called the girl who would soon be his wife 'princess 'but didn't dare comment on it. Instead, he gave a polite greeting.
"It is an honor to meet as well, Clive. Thank you for taking your time to come out here and pick me up. You didn't need to imposition yourself though."
"Oh, it is truly an honor. Besides, the Boss would probably have someone's head if we didn't make sure the young sir arrived safely under our care." The man laughed as he spoke. Samuel and his father followed in laughing lightly as well. Despite the laughter, the change in the heaviness in the air made it clear that Clive was only half joking. Before more conversation could take, Samuel's mom came into the living room to let them know breakfast was ready.
Breakfast wasn't as tense as Samuel had expected it to be. Clive was a much more laid back and talkative person that he had expected. While he didn't find out much more about the girl he would be marrying, he did explain things such as how he would still be able to communicate with his friends and family over the week, he would have his own room that was located right next to hers but they wouldn't yet be allowed to spend any nights together without her father's permission. He had free reign to explore the place he would be living except for a few areas he said were off-limits until after the wedding. He even humored Samuel by answering some of his mor quirky questions about what to expect.
Samuel had hoped that the interaction had helped take some of the stress off his parents about where he would be going and what to expect. His mom was the quietest over breakfast and it was evident that she was not ready for this morning to be here already but that there was nothing that she could do about it except to hope that everything worked out okay and whoever her son would be marrying would treat him well.
Once breakfast was done, Samuel and his father went back to his room in order to pack a few things he would need for the next week since the idea was that he wouldn't be coming back over the next week in order to get him used to living there. Samuel had decided to leave his car with his parents just in case they needed it since he got the feeling he wasn't going to be driving himself around so long as he was staying with the Red Scorpions.
Once packing and everything was taken care of, Clive politely stepped out of the house to wait in the car so that Samuel could say his temporary good-byes to his family and assure them once again that he would be okay for the duration of the week and that they didn't need to worry so much about him. He also promised that if he was able to, he would make sure to call or text them everyday to keep them updated about what was going on and how he was getting along with his future wife.
Both his parents gave him a hug. His mom cried more than he had expected her to. His father apologized again for the circumstances and said told him that if they didn't treat him well, he would find a way to pay back the money and arrange for the marriage to be broken. He had wished his younger siblings had been there for him to see them one last time, but he figured that it would easier for his parents to explain to them that their brother had gone to spend some time with their grandparents and get some freedom after graduating high school.
Once his parents had let him go with more hugs and kisses. He headed out the door and prepared himself for what lay ahead of him. Clive was standing against the door car between the driver and back passenger door. A smile covered his face once he saw the other come out and start heading towards the car.
"Young Sir." He greeted, opening the door for him and waiting for him to be inside before closing it carefully behind him. Samuel felt a little uneasy that he was getting inside a Mercedes, especially one that looked more expensive than he could ever hope to afford in his lifetime. "Please relax and enjoy the trip, it will take us a few hours to get there. There's music, games, movies for your entertainment, but also feel free to sleep or ask any questions that might still be on your mind until we reach our destination.
"Thank you." Samuel replied, feeling a little overwhelmed by the options. Uncertain of what to do, he decided that he would just sit back for now and enjoy the scenery on the trip. A few hours were all that were between him and the start of his new life.