"Shadya, welcome to our home, and thank you for having supper with us, please, tell us a bit about yourself, young lady," said Caesar Texeira, patriarch of the Texeira household, as he sat at the head of the dining table in the comfy Toronto townhouse. The place was big enough for ten, but only seated four. He exchanged a smile with his wife Elisabeth Sweeney-Texeira, and she nodded in agreement before turning her gaze to her daughter Selena, and her new partner Shadya.
"Thank you sir, it's good to be here, not much to tell, really, my name is Shadya Guled, my family is Somali, and I attend Ryerson University for mechanical engineering," said the tall, leather-clad young woman. Shadya smiled at Selena Texeira, who clasped her hand in hers. The two young women sat side by side, wearing the kind of nervous grins reserved for socially awkward occasions, like one's first meeting with one's lover's parents...
The Texeiras had gone all out for tonight's Afro-Brazilian inspired supper, which consisted of a type of Okra called Quiabo, steamy Moqueca ( spicy fish with coconut milk stew ), and some baked pies called Empadas, plus plain white rice, Brazilian Black beans, and a serving of breaded chicken. All of these traditional Afro-Brazilian dishes had been prepared by Caesar Texeira, who loved cooking for his family and showcasing the wonderful dishes of his Brazilian homeland.
"Smells good," Shadya whispered to Selena, who nodded almost imperceptibly and gently elbowed her. Shadya looked at Selena, puzzled by what she'd just done, then she saw Selena's mother staring at them, an analytical look in her rather cool blue eyes. The American-born matriarch was scrutinizing her daughter's date, and it made Shadya feel slightly uncomfortable, though the young woman kept her cool.
"Ah, nice, Ryerson is a good school, next to University of Toronto, that is," Elisabeth said, and Selena shot her mom a look. A lifelong academic who taught everywhere from Cambridge University ( as a teacher's assistant in her grad days ) to the Federal University of Bahia in Brazil, and now the University of Toronto, Elisabeth couldn't help being in lecture mode half the time. Something her husband and daughter knew all too well.
"Oh yes, ma'am, I agree, University of Toronto was my first choice but I missed the application deadline and settled for Ryerson," Shadya said hopefully, and Selena beamed at her. For the introductory meeting between her new lover/possible new partner and her parents, Selena wore a long-sleeved blue shirt, black jeans and black cowboy boots which she'd dutifully left at the entrance, lest her mother ( the lady of the house is something of a clean freak ) have a frigging heart attack.
"No need for the ma'am stuff, Shadya, just call me Elisabeth, or Lizzy," Elisabeth said, and upon hearing that, Selena guffawed and Shadya smiled and raised an eyebrow, but otherwise remained silent. Elisabeth looked at her daughter and her partner, puzzled, then saw the oh-my-this-is-fun smirk on her husband Caesar's darkly handsome face. Guess I walked into that one, Elisabeth thought as she finally got it.
"Well, Elisabeth, thank you for welcoming me into your home, and my compliments to the Chef, this whole table smells and looks terrific," Shadya said, smiling sweetly and pouring in the charm, and it seemed to work. Caesar, who wore a dark gray silk shirt and ebony tie for the occasion reached across the table and held out his fist, and after a brief hesitation, Shadya enthusiastically bumped it with her own fist. My sweetie is doing well, Selena thought, amused.
"Alright, let's say Grace," Caesar said, and he linked his hand with his wife Elisabeth's, who linked her hand with Shadya's, who linked her hand with their daughter Selena's hand. Blissfully, Caesar kept the prayer short, thanking the Maker of the Universe for their family's continued health and well-being, and he even wished blessings upon Shadya and Selena, which was a nice touch.
"Let's eat, everybody," Elisabeth said cheerfully, and Shadya nodded, then the feast began. Shadya, who was a bit hungry, ate rather rapidly. This was understandable, with Shadya having come straight to the Texeira townhouse after working an eight-hour shift as a security guard at a local office building. Selena noticed her partner wolfing down the rice and fish, and grinned, shaking her head.
"Slow down, cutie," Selena chided Shadya, and the other woman smiled, and shrugged. Elisabeth picked at her food and looked at her daughter's new partner. I hope this one doesn't break my daughter's heart, Elisabeth thought, dark musings swirling about her head. Try as she might, Elisabeth couldn't forget Jamila Ahmed, the young Somali Muslim woman whom Selena fell for and dated for a year back in Salvador City, Brazil. Selena had fallen hard for Jamila, and Elisabeth was worried after seeing her with someone new so soon after the split...
"I'm a hungry woman, pardon my Somalian," Shadya said, and she kissed Selena on the lips...with her mouth full of food. You're lucky I love you, Selena thought as she kissed Shadya back. Yes, she was madly in love with her favorite short-haired, kind of masculine, funky, curvy, big-bottomed, horror-addicted tomboy. Shadya, the gal who thinks MMA is life, and makes fart jokes. Quite possibly the love of my life, Selena thought as Shadya winked at her.
"Shadya, I'm the same way, eat up, you're among family," Caesar said, and he smiled at both Shadya and Selena before biting heartily into his fish and rice, then wolfing it down with a Pepsi. Elisabeth shot her husband a reproachful look, and shook her lovely blonde head. I'm dining with a caveman and two cavewomen, Elisabeth thought, looking at her hubby, her daughter and her daughter's girlfriend, before smiling and gently forking her fish before biting into it.
After supper, the quartet went to the family living room and watched the final season of the hit FX show The Strain. Shadya, a long-time fan of truly gory horror flicks and shows, couldn't stop raving about actor Rupert Penry-Jones performance as the heroic Vampire Mr. Quinlan, and got into an animated discussion of the show with Caesar and Selena. Elisabeth had a glass of wine, then excused herself, going to smoke on the balcony.
