Recharge

As they enjoyed their peaceful little moment, Jason realized something. The topic of family had come up multiple times during this vacation and it seemed like it wouldn't be the last time. Because just as Jenny didn't know much about Jason's family, it occurred to him that he didn't know much about Jenny's father. He had never been able to meet him, nor had he heard Jenny or the rest of her family talk about him. All he knew that he hadn't been in her life growing up and he had already passed away. When she had told him that, she had said that she wasn't ready to tell him everything about that subject just yet, but that was back when they were trying to figure out if there was even a possibility of something happening between them. By now they had been together for about seven months, so it was a different situation.

Though the subject of her father had never been an issue between them, the fact she had wanted to keep it a secret back then, must mean it isn't a simple story and it must have affected her life significantly. She had said that her dream for her life and family, had probably come from her experience or lack thereof with her own father. Only from that perspective was he interested in the story around her father. Regardless of what that story was. It would be a way for them to grow closer to each other and better understand each other, so if possible, he would like to know a bit more about that time in her life. The thing that made him hesitate was that he wasn't sure if it was a topic he should address or just wait till she brought it up on her own? Was it a trust thing or just a difficult subject for her that she didn't like talking about? He didn't want to put her on the spot and talking about it a few feet away of a room containing a large number of her family members, might not be the best place for a sensitive talk like this.

Jenny broke the silence before he could bring the subject up by patting him on the leg and saying "I should go back inside. You can stay here for little longer if you want, but you shouldn't be here too long. Most of the people still inside will probably leave in half an hour or so and they will want to say goodbye to you." Jason looked at his watch and saw the time. It was past eleven and most of them still had at least an hour drive ahead of them, so Jenny was probably right. He was pulled from his thoughts so abruptly that he replied with "Yeah, I will be right behind. Give me five more minutes." Jenny nodded her head and got up to leave. She removed the blanket from her shoulders and wrapped it around Jason as she headed inside. Making Jason lose his chance to ask about Jenny's father. He was thinking about when he could bring up the subject again and was weighing his options. He could try it later tonight, but by the time they would get back to the hotel, it would be past midnight, so that wouldn't be a very suitable time to talk about this either. Luckily, tomorrow their schedule was wide open, so he could take her out on the beach or something and he could try discussing it there. Once he settled on that, he got up and went inside as well.

He was right on time as the other family members that were still here had gotten up and were saying their goodbyes. Just as he walked in, he heard some of them mentioning his name. They all smiled when they saw him walk in and some of them said something he didn't understand. Jenny explained that in their culture when someone you talk about, are looking for or are about to call, calls or appears on their own, you say something along the lines of "his life is long". It is basically them wishing you a long life because you appear when they need you. He thanked them for their kind words and gave the aunts a hug goodbye and the uncles and younger members of her family and handshake. With that the overly full house had become empty, with the exception of Jenny's mother and brothers.

Now that all the guests had left, all that was left to do, was clean the mess that was left behind. Jason and Jenny decided to give a helping hand in putting everything back in its place and help clean the dishes. When everything was done, they got ready to leave. Mary tried to persuade them to stay for the night, but Jenny rejected her offer for the both of them, feeling that Jason needed more than a few minutes in the back yard to recharge. Especially if staying here meant him sleeping with her brothers in one room, instead of next to her. She used them not having any toiletries and clothes for tomorrow as an excuse to return to their hotel room and Mary understood her underlying meaning, so she dropped the subject and simply nodded in agreement. The both of them quickly said their goodbye's and left to catch their bus.

Jenny and Jason rushed to the bus stop so they could catch the last bus, which left half past midnight. With a minute to spare they arrived and just as they caught their breaths, the bus came around the corner of the street to pick them up. They quickly got on and went to find a seat. As soon as they sat down, Jason rested his head on Jenny shoulder and dozed off, earning him a sweet smile and gentle stare from Jenny. She placed her hand on his leg and looked out of the window to keep herself busy, tasking herself with staying awake and watching out for their stop. With that they had "survived" the reunion and they could look forward to a quiet day with just the two of them.