Meet the Family

Cecilia stretched and opened her eyes just as Derek drove past the township limits.  She sat up, and studied the verdant landscape, as they passed a ramshackle barn, a fading advertisement for a product called "GOLD DUST" barely visible on a lopsided wall.  She stared at her new husband, who almost seemed to shimmer with his excitement.

"Almost there, sleepyhead!" Derek told her, reaching for her hand and giving it a squeeze.  Cecilia returned the squeeze and giggled. 

"I guess that you're excited to be coming home after all these years," she said. 

"Oh yes, my love," Derek said, slowing to turn onto a dirt and gravel road.  In the whirl of their courtship and marriage, his family had been strangely absent, even after she sent them an invitation to the wedding.  And then, in the middle of their honeymoon, Derek had been asked to come home so the family could meet his new wife. 

"Do you think your parents will like me?" She hugged her anxiety close, a shield against possible rejection.

"Honey, I am sure that they will love you as much as I do," Derek's voice was reassuring.   They rounded a corner and a dilapidated house came into view.   Cecilia kept her confusion to herself; now was not the time to ask about indoor plumbing.  Derek stopped the car a good ten feet in front of the shack and turned off the engine. He got out, walked around the car, and opened her door, taking her hands in his.

"Cecilia, there are things about my family that are not as they appear to be," Derek's serious tone touched her heart. She nodded.  He smiled, kissed her lovingly on the forehead, and then helped her out of the car.  They stood together, man and wife.

"Besides, my love," Derek added lightly as the front door opened.  "We Fay don't believe in divorce.  Especially not when children are involved."

Cecilia didn't remember much of the next hour.








1a : to be or come in sight
  b : to show up
2: to come formally before an authoritative body
3: to have an outward aspect : seem




This week, use either the following image, the following song, or both as inspiration for your fiction or creative non-fiction piece. You have up to 500 words, and the link up is open until 11:59 p.m. PST on Thursday.
Happy Writing!

image courtesy of Brooklyn Bridge Baby (via Flickr Creative Commons)