(8. Family Gathering - 1)
Stephen walked to the garden to find his mother in her gardening apparel, tending to the flowers and ornaments, with a fleet of maids standing nearby for assistance. Stephen stayed to watch for a little bit. 'She never gets too old for this,' he thought and walked towards the garden.
"Mom, you can have the gardeners do this instead of doing it yourself," he said.
"Nonsense. I take it upon myself to do this, and I love doing it," she replied.
"Alright, alright. If you love it so much, I guess I can't fight you," Stephen conceded.
"I heard you finally agreed to take on leadership," his mother remarked, coming closer to him.
"Well, I've been avoiding responsibility for far too long. It's time I take charge," Stephen admitted.
"I'm so glad you are doing this," she said, now standing beside him. "You know, I feel like you ran away because of your brother's death. I just want you to know once again that it's not your fault."
Stephen gave a bitter smile. "Thinking about it tells me otherwise," he said, breaking the gaze with his mother. "But if I keep holding onto the past, the present will never be resolved. I'm doing this for the present, not the past."
"I'm so glad you're doing this. Honestly, I don't know what happened overnight, but I thought last night I'd never see you again," she said, fear evident in her voice.
"About that, I'm sorry for venting last night. I promise it won't happen again. I've come to stay, not to leave, not after my decision to lead," Stephen assured her.
His mother chuckled. "I'm glad you're okay, son."
"So am I," he replied.
A maid approached, moving close to Theresa and passing some information to her.
"Well, I guess gardening can wait," Theresa said.
"Why?" Stephen asked.
"Your father sent word. The family is gathering here for dinner this evening," she informed him.
"Wait, what? I thought Father said he'd see if they could fix a meeting. I wasn't expecting it to be this soon," Stephen exclaimed.
"When it comes to the leadership of the clan, it is of utmost importance that every member of the family leaves whatever they are doing to attend the gathering. Least you forget, you will be revealed as the next head of the house," she explained, walking over to the maids standing by. She took off her gloves and placed them on the tray that a maid held, then moved to another maid to wash her hands in a basin filled with warm water. "I suggest you go meet your father. He might need you."
Stephen was left alone as soon as his mother and the maids departed. He was confused and didn't know what to do. He walked away to find his father. Maybe he would explain further.
Family gatherings hadn't been the best moments for Stephen. As far as he knew, he hated family gatherings like this and wished not to attend any of them.
"Excited for the gathering?" Lydia said to him as he stared down at the maids busy with the preparations. Gatherings like this didn't occur very often, but when they did, everything had to be flawless.
"It's such short notice," Stephen grumbled.
"You know gatherings like this wouldn't be happening if you hadn't decided to take on the leadership," Lydia pointed out.
"Well, I thought Father would have this done over Zoom or Skype. I hate seeing the extended family," Stephen said.
"Chill out, bro. This is done in your honor. You should enjoy it," Lydia suggested.
"Enjoy seeing a bunch of confused extended family members?" Stephen retorted.
"You chose not to understand it," Lydia replied.
"It's not like I hate the family, Lydia. I just can't understand the family relations."
Stephen although can't be blamed . The problem started with his grandfather when he took another wife aside from his grandmother because she couldn't bear a child. His step-grandmother wasn't that lucky with a male child either; she had two daughters. His impatience led him to have an affair outside, bringing an illegitimate son into the family. When the time came, his step-grandmother finally had a son as her third child. During that period, the boy was considered to be the next heir, constantly reminded of his future role. He wasn't her last child as she had two more sons and a daughter, making it six children in total. But it all got complicated when his grandmother conceived and gave birth to his father, the legitimate male heir. Since she was the first legitimate wife, her son was the next in line, which is why Nelson is the leader now. So, in total, He have four uncles and three aunts, and can't identify them.
"Before me, Ethan was tasked with this, and I had nothing to do with it until now," Stephen explained.
"It's not too late to learn Stephen"
"Let me get this straight, Lydia. How many uncles do we actually have?" Stephen asked.
"Four, dumbass. Three from the step-grandmother and one from the affair," Lydia clarified.
"Oh! The illegitimate one," Stephen muttered.
"Don't say that out loud!" Lydia cautioned him in a whisper. "And don't refer to him as that when you see him. Yes, Uncle Marcus is the one from the affair."
"Okay. Uncle Marcus, the illegitimate one," Stephen repeated in a lower voice, trying to commit it to memory. "And who are the rest?"
"Uncle Smith is the first one, Sam's father," Lydia began.
"Oh, I remember Uncle Smith. Father always talked about him. He's a sweet man but has a sour son," Stephen remarked.
"He's our cousin, you know," Lydia said.
"No, I don't, Lydia. Indulge me," Stephen replied sarcastically. "I don't like him."
"You both were mean to each other during your childhood," Lydia reminded him.
"I beg to differ. He was mean, rough, and unbearable," Stephen snapped.
"He is your Vice President, remember," Lydia said.
"You and Father keep reminding me of that. Of course I know! Just get on with it," Stephen grumbled.
"Uncle Jason and Uncle Gerald are next to Uncle Smith. Now, to note, all our uncles will be present tonight, and Aunt Zelda, the first child of our grandfather. The rest are pretty unimportant in matters like this. It is important that you acknowledge them properly, and for God's sake, don't ruin this. Your leadership depends on tonight's dinner. And also, Sam will be there," Lydia emphasized.
"You seem to know a lot about the family and this stuff," Stephen commented.
"I was here with the family all my life while you left for six years. Of course, I know all of this," Lydia replied.
"Wow! That was your comeback at me. Ouch," Stephen said.
"I'm not judging you for leaving," Lydia said, touching his shoulder. "Be a good boy tonight," she said finally and gave him a peck. "Love you."
Stephen was left standing alone, still watching the maids prepare for the dinner.
"It's really happening," he said inwardly. "Crap, I'd better go sort out my dress for tonight."