Five minutes before our arrival, I had called ahead. Thanks to that, my mother was already outside waiting for us by the time we pulled up.
Seeing her, I quickly steered the car into the parking space. Our daughter, faster than anyone else, scrambled out and ran toward her.
"Grandma!"
"Is that our Bronie?"
"Yes!"
With an enthusiastic shout, Bronie reached out with both hands as she ran. My mother opened her arms wide and caught the girl in a warm embrace.
She seemed intent on hoisting her up, but she hadn't anticipated just how much Bronie had grown. Her eyes widened at the unexpected weight, but she soon managed a smile and lifted her regardless.
"Bronie. Have you been studying hard, playing hard, eating well, and getting plenty of rest?"
"Yes!"
My mother smiled back at the girl's energetic response. Seeing the two of them, the rest of us gathered our luggage and approached. Still holding our daughter, she walked toward us.
Bronya, my wife, stepped forward with a somewhat sheepish smile.
"Mother, let me take her. She's heavy."
"I'm fine."
"But still..."
"Do I look like the kind of woman who would be troubled by a little weight like this?"
"No, I didn't mean it like that!"
"Fufu, I'm only joking. Though, I suppose my arms aren't quite fully healed yet, so it is a bit of a workout."
Right. That was the real reason my wife was so quick to try and take our daughter.
My mother was the type who couldn't stand sitting still. She was always bustling about, keeping herself busy with one project or another.
The problem was that her physical constitution wasn't exactly robust. She'd pushed herself far too hard, and by the time the pain finally drove her to a hospital, the diagnosis was grim: she had severely torn the muscles in her arms. They were practically useless.
Consequently, I had been the one to strictly enforce a regimen of absolute rest, blocking her from doing any strenuous labor so she could focus entirely on recovery.
Eventually, yielding to her complaints about her body getting 'stiff' from inactivity, I had allowed her to do light tasks that wouldn't strain her arms.
My father?
He didn't particularly mind whether Mother worked or not. One might call it indifference, but it was more accurate to say he believed people should do what they want, while they can.
That was likely why he hadn't stopped her when she suddenly took up extra work in the past.
"She's certainly gotten heavier," Mother noted.
"Children grow up in the blink of an eye, after all," Bronya replied.
"True. Was the drive alright?"
"Yes, the roads were clear. We got here quite fast."
Even though it was the weekend, the lack of traffic was mostly due to the house being on the outskirts. Most people were likely heading out of the city to vacation spots rather than heading inward toward residential zones.
Sure enough, looking at the opposite lanes, the traffic was backed up for miles. We'd certainly lucked out.
"Where's Father?" I asked.
"Your father is the same as always," Mother said with a sigh.
"Ah."
I understood the situation immediately. Even at his age, my father still kept himself busy with work. Like my mother, he was prone to restlessness if confined at home.
He was constantly out meeting people, and on weekends, it was his routine to head out for a round of golf with his close associates.
"He did say he'd be back early so we could all have dinner together," she added.
"I see. We'll have to decide what to eat, then."
"I have a craving for some Korean beef—real Hanwoo."
"Hahaha~ Noted."
The final choice of restaurant usually fell to my father, though. He met so many people that it was usually faster to ask him for a recommendation than to search for a good place ourselves.
Because he was so fastidious about his own palate, any restaurant he took us to was guaranteed to be top-tier. We'd never been disappointed by a 'landmine' of a meal under his guidance.
Everyone in the family accepted his restaurant picks without objection.
"Now, I'm sure the drive was exhausting. Let's head up and continue our conversat—"
Mother suddenly cut herself off, her gaze shifting to the side. Confused, I followed her line of sight to find Seele still at the car, unloading more bags.
I thought we had grabbed everything, but then I realized she was pulling out the luggage belonging to Kiana and Senior Mei.
"Seele!" I called out.
"Yes?"
"You don't need to take those out yet!"
"I don't?"
"No. I'll come back for those later when the two of them arrive!"
"Understood!"
As I watched Seele pack the bags back into the trunk, I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was my mother. For some reason, her voice was trembling slightly when she spoke.
"Son."
"Yes?"
"Who is that young lady?"
Ah. It occurred to me that I hadn't made formal introductions yet. Seele hadn't been able to attend mine and Bronya's wedding.
In fact, almost none of the women I'd been close with had shown up for the ceremony. Aside from Kiana, Senior Mei, the Class Monitor, and the Olenyeva Sisters, there had been a notable absence of familiar faces.
My wife had seemed a bit hurt by it at the time, though she had worn an expression that suggested she understood why. Back then, I hadn't a clue as to the reason.
Actually, if things hadn't turned out the way they did, I probably would have lived my entire life in ignorance. My social intuition—especially in matters of the heart—was infamously dull, as those around me were fond of reminding me. I didn't disagree with the assessment.
"Seele? Could you come over here for a moment?"
"Me?"
"Yes."
I gestured for her to join us. Seele cast a quick, questioning glance toward Bronya. My wife gave her a bitter, resigned smile and a subtle nod.
As Seele approached slowly, I racked my brain for how to introduce her. Honestly, I didn't know the best way to say it.
Growing up, my mother had always hammered one specific piece of advice into me: 'Marriage is a serious commitment. If you play with fire—or play with a girl's heart—you're going to get burned.' Or words to that effect, often punctuated with more... colorful language.
Given her philosophy on the subject, I suspected she wouldn't take this situation well the moment she realized what was happening. But it was better to drop the bomb now rather than wait for the others to arrive and cause a bigger explosion. At least this way, even if she kicked me out, she'd have time to process it.
"Mother, this is Seele. She's from the same hometown as Bronya."
"Hello... It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Seele," she said, offering a polite, stiff bow.
"Seele, this is my mother."
"It's a pleasure, Seele," my mother replied with a smile, nodding as she appraised the nervous young woman.
"So, what brings you here? Are you just visiting for the holiday?"
"Oh, I... well, the thing is..."
Seele kept darting her eyes toward me, unable to find the words. It was then that my mother's smile froze. Something had clicked in her mind.
She didn't let the smile drop, but when she turned her gaze toward me, I felt a cold sweat break out instantly. Her eyes were devoid of any humor.
"Son."
"Ye-yes!"
"Explain."
Her voice had dropped several degrees in temperature. I swallowed hard and forced the words out.
"She is... another woman I've decided to marry."
The moment the words left my lips, the last traces of emotion vanished from my mother's face.