We came to a stop sign, I looked sideways at my wife Beth. My quick glance was to gauge her mood. We hadn't spoken so far during the car ride. We were on our way to my families Saturday night dinner. I know, most families have their big dinners on Sunday, but my family was a little different.
My fathers family had moved to the US from Romania during the time of uncertainty after the Iron Curtain came down. They got out with forged documents in 1988. My father, his two sisters, his parents, and a small assortment of relatives all moved to the US to make a new life.
My grandparents, my father and my aunts all spoke English with an Eastern European accent. When they all got to the US they decided to live near the Romanian Orthodox Church in our city. The sense of familiarity helped them adjust in a new country. Many liked minded people of Romanian heritage settled in the same neighborhoods.
By trade my family are jewelers. Fortunately precious gems are easy to transport and when we fled we had a lot of capital in inventory. My grandfather is a craftsman on the verge of an artist. My father was more a businessman and worked with our suppliers to get the best stones at the best prices. I followed in my grandfather's inclination and was developing my own more contemporary artistic designs. The name of our business is Stoica Gem Designs.
Beth was a good old multi-generation American. I believe at first the exotic foreignness of the Romanians was of interest to Beth, but exotic becomes commonplace with repeated exposure. I think my family bored her.
"Beth honey, we don't have to stay too long." I told her.
All she said to that was "Good."
"Come on, you haven't seen my family in months, it's not that bad." I added. "Is something bothering you?" I asked.
Though it had been a few months since Beth had joined my family for Saturday night dinner I made it almost weekly. This gave Beth a chance to have a girls night out on recent Saturdays. Beth had been hitting the gym lately and was sculpting her slightly plump body into a solid 9 on the female physique scale. She looked good and lately, in my opinion she may have been flaunting it a little too much for a married woman.
"I'm fine," she replied. "Now I agreed to do this. No more questions."
Fortunately we were almost there so the silence within the car was short lived.
The scene at my parents house was typical for one of our family dinners. Lots of loud talking, children running around, my mother holding court in the kitchen and "Aunt" Dina perched in a single chair in the corner silently appraising all activity.
The moment we got there Beth made a beeline to my cousins wife Morgan. One of the few people Beth will talk to at these events. There is a simmering contemptuous attitude she projects and does not care who sees it.
I, on the other hand, am sincerely glad to see my family and I spend time making the rounds to all the relatives with hugs and brief conversations.
"Nicholas," my mother asks. "Can I get your Beth something to eat or drink? I want to make her feel at home." She goes on.
My mother's family are also Romanian but she was born and raised in the US and speaks with no accent. My Mom has a big heart and even though Beth is acting stuck up, my Mom wants to know if she can help her in some way.
"No Mom," I say. "She's fine. She can be a little shy at times." Not specifically truthful but it ends the conversation about Beth's mood.
"Aunt" Dina (pronounced Dee - Naw) is one of my favorites and I make my way to her perch on a single straight backed chair in the main room.
Dina is a singularly unattractive elderly woman except for her eyes. A shapeless body, gray hair with black streaks pulled back. A severe angular face with a pronounced nose and a sharp chin. Several moles be-speckle her dark complexion sprouting black hair. But, she has big beautiful dark eyes. Her eyes seem to be able to see deep inside when she looks at you.
Nonetheless I give her a big hug and a kiss on her cheek. She hugs me extra long.
"Nico," she says in her heavy accent, "What is the matter with your bride?" She asks.
"Dini" I say, using my pet name, "you know how she is, she doesn't like to mingle. She's fine." I go on.
I look at Dina and she's watching Beth with great concentration. Dina I'm convinced has some type of psychic powers. More than once she has given me advice that has worked out exactly as she had predicted. Shortly before I proposed to Beth, Dina had warned me about marriage. It created a little tension between us for a short time. Obviously I disregarded her advice on that occasion.
"I think there is something wrong." She states as she stares at Beth. "There is going to be trouble for you Nico. You be careful and you watch that one." She nods towards Beth as she says this.
"Dini," I say, "everything's fine. Thank you for thinking of me but you don't need to worry." I give her a hug and a smile as I continue to mingle.
As I'm about to move away she touches my elbow and I feel an electric sensation like when you hit your funny bone. Almost as strong as a shock. It startles me and I look at Dina. She is staring back at me with her beautiful deep black eyes, her index finger is lightly tapping her nose. I'm not exactly sure what all this means, but I feel it is some type of warning.
Throughout the evening I am mildly troubled by my encounter with "Aunt" Dina. This is accentuated by Beth's coolness to most of my family and to me.
Driving home I know not to question her attitude. I'm still holding out hope for a little sex tonight. It's been a few weeks.
"What are your plans for tomorrow?" I ask her. A safe subject.
"I will be at the gym from 2 to 5." She states without further comment.
"I could join you. I haven't been lately and maybe we can get something to eat afterwards." I think this sounds like a good idea and I look over to see her reaction.
She stares straight ahead and says nothing for perhaps a full minute.
I say "Beth?" thinking maybe she didn't hear me or something.
"Nick, I've got a personal training session tomorrow and I'm not sure how long it will last. I will just meet you at home for dinner." She says with a forced smile.
Now I'm getting a little pissed. She acted like a bitch at my parents house, I tried to create a little togetherness for doing something SHE likes, the gym, and I get shot down. I am on the verge of saying something about it when all of a sudden her whole attitude and posture change from ice queen to loving wife.
I know it may be just an act, but I cling at any hope of the old affectionate Beth.
"Sorry honey," she says in all of a sudden a sweet, sexy voice, "maybe we can do that on a different day."
She starts rubbing my thigh and is staring at me in her sexiest way. Her hand has now reached my balls and she starts tickling them with her long fingernails. Fortunately we are on neighborhood streets and I slow way down. Not sure if my auto insurance coverage includes getting in a wreck while receiving a hand job.
