On one of our weekends away from college, Greg and I drove to just outside Oklahoma City to see some of his relatives. We usually tent camped on our trips, but this time Greg wanted to stay in a motel. This was just fine with me. Greg and I had slept with each other quite a few times by now, but we had never done so in a bed! This was going to be great!
We stayed in a name brand motel that was nice and clean. It had an indoor pool and Greg and I spent most of the first part of our first evening swimming. Then we got dressed and went to what is locally called a “smoke house” for supper. This was Greg’s most favorite place in the whole world to eat. He worked here before he was old enough to work in the oil fields and thought of the owners as his grand parents. The owner’s son is one of his best friends.
We went into the place and the first thing that happened was the rather large lady owner came from around the counter and grabbed Greg in a big hug. I thought she was going to squeeze him to death. Then Greg picked her up as if she were a feather and kissed her on her cheek.
“Hi Grandma!” Greg said.
“Oh Gregory! It is so good to see you!” Grandma said.
“What you doing with my wife, boy?” I heard from around the corner.
“I’m given her the love and attention you don’t anymore, Grandpa!” Greg said.
Then this older man with a cane came limping around the corner and Greg gave him a hug too.
“Your Mama know you’re here Greg? She didn’t tell me you were coming home,” Grandma said, eyeing me out of the corner of her eye.
“No. I wanted it to be a surprise,” Greg said. That was the first I heard they did not know we were coming. I wondered what their reaction to me was going to be.
“Well, your folks and Danny are sitting back at table 10. I guess you get to tell them you’re here rather quickly, don’t you?” Grandma said eyeing me with open interest now.
“Oh. This is Dusti, Dusti, this is Grandma and Grandpa,” Greg said matter of factly. “Dusti is a friend from school.”
I said “hi” meekly to them and I know I blushed at least three shades of red. I should have known it was going to be like this with Greg. I was surprised that he had not called his folks to let them know he was bringing a girl home with him.
“Well, don’t just stand there. Get yourselves some plates and get something to eat and go on back there,” Grandma said.
We did just that. Greg led me to this huge buffet that had everything in the world in the way of meat on it. Since BBQ, is my favorite food, I was in heaven. Not many places do ham and I just love BBQ ham. When our plates were full, I followed Greg over to a large table where there were already three people sitting.
“Mind if we join you?” Greg asked, as he pushed his little brother over to make way for us on the long bench type seats. Greg sat next to his little brother while I sat next to his mother.
“Gregory, you are going to be the death of me yet!” His mother said. Then seeing that I was with him, she said, “You must be Dusti. Greg told us about you on one of the few—THE ONLY—phone call he has bothered to make home this year.”
We chatted for most of the evening and Greg’s grandma and grandpa came over and chatted as well. While I could see that everyone was a little expectant of that fact that Greg brought “a girl” home from school, at least no one asked if I was knocked up. It was hinted at, though. I smiled through the whole evening. His family were really dears.
Grandma came up to me while I was alone at the buffet (getting more ham) and told me that I must be someone really special. Gregory had never brought a girl to meet them before. Not even when he was dating in high school. He had never brought a girl home to meet his folks, either. What could I do but smile!
They were not overly pleased that we were spending our nights at the motel. I might go so far as to call his mother’s attitude “livid” when he told her. But no one said anything out right about it. At least not that I heard.