"Good evening, loyal viewers!"
Once again, after dinner, Althea and I snuggled on the familiar bean bag. At the same time, the daily news played in the background. A charming young woman dressed in a stunning red dress was addressing the nation with a spell-binding smile. Alongside her co-hosts, the news anchor began repeating some vital statistics.
"As you can see, our country's daily infection rate has reached an all-time low. And with breakthroughs in treatment and vaccines, the Prime Minister has called for a partial reopening of our country."
Ever since the pandemic reached our shores, we had been hovering between a state of full lockdowns to partial shutdowns. However, with the virus gradually coming under control, it seemed like the status quo was going to change.
"As part of the government's initiative to reopen the country, the borders will no longer be closed. While visitors from countries with high infections will still be unable to enter, all citizens who have been living or working overseas are given high priority to return. They will have to follow a fourteen-day quarantine mandate when they touch down to confirm that they aren't infected with this novel virus."
Oh? The country was finally opening its borders? Does that mean…
"Althea? Will your parents be returning soon?"
"Hold on, let me call them."
Immediately after hearing the news, Althea got out of my embrace and snapped her phone from the table. She disappeared into my room and dialled the familiar numbers.
While interested in their talks, I wasn't insensitive enough to bother my girlfriend when calling her parents. And so, I continued watching the news, with one eye open to see when Althea would return.
"The World Health Organisation has announced that vaccine development has been progressing at a rapid pace as well. The early vaccines have already begun their clinical trials, and we're expected to begin vaccinations as early as December, which is fantastic news!"
The news announcer exclaimed happily. She was reflecting what everyone else in the country wanted. Once the vaccination rolled out, the world could finally be rid of this dreadful pandemic.
As I was listening attentively to the details of the news segment, Althea returned from her fifteen-minute call. Her face was blooming with smiles like a spring flower, and her body seemed far lighter than usual. There wasn't a need for verbal confirmation. I could already tell the results of her call.
"Desir! My parents are returning!!!"
"Haha, congratulations!"
"Eeeekkk!!!"
The girl squealed like a happy piglet and leapt right into my arms. She nudged her face against my chest and rubbed her nose in pure bliss.
"They're finally returning home!"
"How long has it been since you last saw them?"
"Almost a year!" Althea replied with shiny eyes. "My mother said that they should be arriving within the week. Including the time that they need to quarantine, we should be able to meet them in three weeks!"
"That's great news!"
I chuckled as my arms naturally caressed the chirping young lass. Althea's bundle of joy was transmitted right into my heart, and the delight of reuniting with her parents was infectious, to say the least.
"Come to think of it, I've never asked what your parents' jobs are."
I knew that Althea was part of a wealthy family, but that's about it. It was rare to see both parents work overseas and leave their child behind.
"Hmmm? I didn't tell you? My father is a diplomat, while my mother works as an executive director. It just so happens that their work coincided in a foreign country, and so they both moved there temporarily."
Woah… A diplomat and an executive director? Now I understood why Althea had such a pampered childhood. With that kind of influence and money, the girl was a bona fide scion born with a silver spoon.
"However, with the pandemic raging overseas, they have both elected to return home. At least until they are vaccinated."
When the country had sealed its borders, even our citizens stuck overseas had no path home. Althea's parents were part of this group. Fortunately, they both held high-ranking positions and weren't totally affected by the virus, even if they were overseas. However, now that the country has reopened its borders, the couple would likely return for the foreseeable future.
"I see… You must be happy that they're finally returning, huh?"
"That's right," Althea beamed with all her front teeth gleaming. "While I talk to them every day on video call, it's much better to meet them in person!"
Even if they were ten thousand kilometres away, no parent would be willing to leave their only child alone. I knew that Althea kept in touch with her parents, particularly her mother since they always talked for a few hours before going to bed. Heck, even I occasionally receive a message from her mother asking about Althea's status.
I've even heard from Althea that they'd doubled her allowance that she'd typically got, just to make sure that she was financially stable during these trying times. And that was on top of the apartment's rent and utility bills!
So, while Althea's parents weren't in the country, their presence was duly felt. And now that they're returning…
"... Do you think that we should tell them about our relationship?"
Althea thought about it for a while before saying: "We probably should?"
Hah… I expected that this day would come. No, since I started dating Althea, I already knew that I would eventually have to face her parents. The honeymoon period that we had blinded myself to the inevitable fact. But what should I say when I meet them?
Thank you for letting me date your daughter? Was that too much? In the first place, they only knew me as Althea's neighbour. Althea's mother had also entrusted me with the vital mission of taking care of her.
Was it a betrayal of her trust if I dated Althea instead? Thousands of useless thoughts crept into my worried mind, and I was unable to think properly.
Seeing my crestfallen expression, Althea bellowed out loud and said:
"Don't worry too much! My parents love you!"
"Do they?"
"Yeap! My mom always says that she's grateful that you saved me! My dad as well! He's been saying that he wants to meet the guy who saved his daughter's life."
"..."
That's right. Althea and I only started our relationship because she fainted at my door. If that didn't happen, there was no chance that the two of us would have developed such closeness.
Wait a second… What if Althea's parents didn't like that I came from a low born family? What if they disliked that I was five years older than her? What if they think that I'm someone who is trying to marry into their family for money?
Crap!
I must ensure that I give them a good first impression!
"Ermmm, Althea? Let's go shopping this weekend."
"Hmmm? I don't mind, but why?"
"I don't have a suit! When I meet your parents for the first time, I should wear something presentable, right? All of my clothes are worn and torn! I can't let them see me in those garbs!"
A year ago, I would have slapped myself if I bought an expensive suit just to impress others. Now, I couldn't wait till I got my hands on a tailor. It's funny how people can change because of someone they met.
"No, I think the weekend is too late. It'll take time for them to tailor the suit, right? If we rush tomorrow, we will probably make it in time. I'll take a day off, so cancel your plans, okay?"
I was in full-on panic mode. The clothes that I had were really not up to par. If Althea's parents, particularly her father, saw me in dirty pants, I was confident that he would kick me out of the house!
"HAHAHA!!! There's no need to be that serious, Desir!"
Althea chortled out loud as she slapped my thigh repeatedly.
"W-What's so funny?!"
"S-Sorry! Haha, you're just too adorable, my little Desir!"
Little? Adorable? What the hell was she talking about? Besides, what's wrong with wanting to leave a good first impression?
Unaware of my confusion, or rather, ignoring it outright, Althea slapped my cheeks and gazed right into my eyes. "Desir, you don't have to worry about anything."
"R-Really?"
"Yeah," Althea had an ethereal smile on her face. "My parents are quite easy-going! If you were to put up airs and dress in full formal attire, they might think that you're snobbish instead."
"I-Is that how it works?"
"Most definitely!" Althea started to give me a short lecture on the mindset of her parents.
"Of course, you would have to dress well, but a suit and tie would be far too much. Besides, they don't know that you're my boyfriend yet. They only think that you're a friendly neighbour that helped me when I was in need. The most important thing for you now is to let them get to know you better. The best way to do that is to be yourself."
Apparently, Althea was against me being so high-strung during my first meeting with her parents.
"If you're still worried about the attire, I'll pick out something good for you to wear."
"I-Is that really fine?"
"Haha, of course, it is!" Althea gently tapped my cheeks and let her fingers fall onto my chin. "You just need to show your true side… The side that made me fall in love with you..."
Leaning into my chest once more, Althea sought solace in my embrace as her cheeks pressed against my beating heart.
"So don't be afraid; you'll do just fine."
Hah… This lass…
But if Althea has this much faith in me, there's no way that I could betray her. Sighing inwardly, I secretly steeled myself for the next hurdle of our relationship.