"Sonny, why are you standing there all alone? Come inside."
"I apologise for worrying you sir. I only came out for some air."
Rey's father walked to the terrace where Ari was standing and stood beside him. "I'd be a fool to pretend not to see perturbation on your face."
Ari gave out a nervous laugh and looked away. He didn't know what to say nor where to look. He'd actually come outside to think, wondering when Rey would wrap things up and jet off out of this place, but as it seems, everyone was taking their sweet time, and it was getting on his nerves.
"Do you wish to leave so soon?"
"N-Not at all..."
"Don't lie to me son. You look so nervous, wishing the ground can swallow you whole. My guess is if there was a bus out of this town, you'd take the first one without so much as a goodbye."
Ari kept mum, unable to deny the obvious. He'd been caught red handed.
Rey's father gave a light chuckle and stared ahead, holding his hands behind him. "It must be nerve-racking standing beside me. I can assure you I only bite my wife."
Ari smiled. He was tempted to laugh but controlled himself. In truth, he felt too chocked up and guilty to share in the simple witticism.
"I am not going to send you away if that is what you are worried about, neither will I stop your relationship with my son."
"T-That is not what I was thinking..."
"I know. Nevertheless, you must understand that my son used to date girls. I've raised him therefore, not once did I force nor suspect this shift happening in future." Turning to face Ari, who appeared to be avoiding his gaze, Rey's father continued. "I do not know why you seem so traumatized but whatever it is, if my son is the cause of it, don't bear the burden of it alone. I know my son can be headstrong sometimes and doesn't listen to advice. I can equally tell that you are the mature one of the two of you. For him to refer to you by your title, my daughter as well, I'm guessing you are his superior in age and at work."
"He used to be my employee, but not anymore."
"I'm aware. My daughter Esy clarified. Anyway, you must have been really surprised when he brought you here. Maybe you expected to be slaughtered alive." Rey's father paused briefly for a giggle. "He caught you off guard, didn't he?"
"Y-Yes...sir."
"I'd be equally upset as well if I were you, but what's done is done. Now, we need to march forward."
A long silence followed after, each of them captured by their own thoughts, Ari's much deeper than Rey's father. After a while, Ari mastered the courage to face him. "You are right sir, about being upset over how Rey handled the matter. Right now, I believe I'm more confused. I have imagined situations like this plenty of times and they always end up the same way yet, today, I've been proven wrong. To be honest, I'm still waiting to be kicked out."
"Now why would we do that?"
"It's..." Ari looked away, regretting his words. "I probably shouldn't have said that."
"Even if I were to send you away, my son will come after you. Additionally, why would we chase you away without putting your feelings into thought? We are not that inconsiderate son. It is for this very reason that I came out here to apologize on behalf of my wife. She meant no harm in asking about our son's change of orientation. Of course as parents, and knowing our two children very well, Rey was the pride of the family. He still is. For that reason, we unknowingly placed expectations on him and he followed through obediently. His actions, words, thoughts have always been intentional even if he acted on impulse. He always made us proud. I would be lying to you if I say I wasn't expecting a child or two from him. However, now that he has you, that vision is out of the window.
I do not say this to hurt your feelings. I'm merely welcoming you to the family. I know my son, when he sets his mind on something, it's difficult to persuade him to let it go." Reaching to place his hand gently onto Ari's shoulder, Rey's father gave a gentle smile. "This is the first time my son has introduced to us the person he likes."
A whirlpool of emotions churned inside Ari that he begun to feel his chest getting heavier, and his vision blurry. He lifted his chin to the sky and prayed for the wind to keep his eyes dry.
"T-This feels strange."
"Strange? What do you mean?"
"I-I'm sorry for becoming too emotional sir. It's just that I'd expected a different reaction. I-I was...almost sure of it..."
Patting Ari gently to comfort him, Rey's father assured him that it was okay for him to weep if he wanted to, but that only made Ari laugh out from pain and shame. A part of him that he'd hidden for so long was beginning to crack, and he was afraid of it.
"Son, I must thank you for bringing my son home. He has been hiding from us for years, as if he did something wrong. To be honest, my wife and I are actually quite jealous of you. We've called Rey numerous times, waited for him to come home even for a short visit, but our messages and calls went unanswered. After a while, his sister followed in his footsteps, claiming she wished to make a living even-though we were caring for both of them just fine. Then, you came along and without even asking him, he comes here on his own, bringing you along against your will."
'...Ah... I'm really going to shed tears at this rate...'
"Rey has always been withdrawn from us since he joined collage. We even transferred him to another collage thinking he was getting bullied, but then he was involved with a woman who brought him nothing but torment and after she passed on, he crashed and his personality shifted completely. He refuses to talk about her to anyone and didn't get along with anybody. I feared that he might one day offend the wrong people and end up in an arduous situation. My wife and I repeatedly tried our best to reach out to him, but he only lengthened his distance from us.
Seeing him today is a miracle. Telling us he has found someone he cares for is another miracle. And, if the person he likes wants to be with him is... Well, I simply have no words for it. I'm aware of my son's limitations and I'm sure there will be times when you become upset with his impulsiveness or poor judgement. Be that as it may, I beg of you to tamper patience with mercy. As his parents, we simply wish him to be happy, so does his sister.
It is this very reason that we welcome you to our home, and even if things do not work out with my son, do not disregard us as strangers. For Rey to introduce you to us, you have now become one of us, a member of our family."