Sassy remarks

After her little teasing, Mary continued her questions as she asked, "Have you kept your promise of keeping my daughter happy while I was away?" Both Jenny and Jason nodded at this question so that there could be no doubt of it being the truth. "Of course mother. You should make Jenny make the same promise because while I have been the best husband there ever was, she insists on bullying me every chance she gets." Obviously hinting at her words on the plane. Now it was Jenny's turn to act offended as Jason had told on her to her mother while Mary and Jason laughed. "Is that so. I shall have a word with her later tonight. See if I will pull her ears or not. How dare she bully my hardworking son-in-law." This was when Susan and Stephen caught up with them too and were standing behind them to greet Mary as well. Susan put her hand on Jason's shoulder and said, "Oh don't bother Mary. Whatever Jenny does, I am sure Jason will have deserved it."

Jason looked deeply offended as he turned towards Susan and said, "And you are supposed to be my real mother. How can you say such a thing about your beloved son. Your only son." Over on his other side, Jenny had stuck out her tongue to taunt him that his mother was taking her side. Then he turned to Mary and said, "You see how I am being treated. Won't you consider adopting me? I promise not to disappoint." Mary nodded calmly and said, "Of course. But if you become my real son, then I can't have you married to my daughter now can I? So, that would mean that you have to leave her. Are you willing to do that?" But even as a joke Jason could not agree with those terms and quickly shook his head. "Never mind. Things aren't as bad as they seem." Causing them all to start laughing, even little Charlie joining in on it all. Including himself in the fun whether he understood what was going on or not.

After that Mary went over to one of Jenny's aunts that called for her attention and Stephen and Susan took a seat and tried to socialize with the other guests as well, finding company with the couple of relatives that spoke fluent English and exchanging a few pleasantries with those that hadn't mastered the language fully yet. Thus leaving Jenny and Jason on the other side of the room by themselves. Jason had put his arm around Jenny, while she kept an eye on Charlie and Mary's protection of him from her relatives, and softly said, "You see what you have done. You have even caused my own infant son to laugh at me. How are you going to compensate for that?" Jenny didn't even glance in his direction as she shrugged her shoulders and said, "Just as I have no control over when he eats or soils his diaper, I have no control over who he laughs at and when he decides to do so." Before walking away towards where the food and the crowd of happily chatting guests were.

There she was taking refuge in the barrier of protection provided by her talkative aunts, who Jason didn't like to hang out with and usually attempted to stay far away from for fear of getting caught up in a seemingly never ending conversation. Once she was seated and was happily eating, Jenny gave Jason, who was still standing in the same position, a teasing grin. Showing him just how deliberate her actions had been, while Jason was powerless to do anything about it. He gave her a glare from a distance, as that was the only thing he could currently do, and was determined to get her back one way or another for her sassy remarks.

When Jenny's brothers returned from their trip to the grocery store and from the upper floors, where they had been tasked with making the beds for the guests that would be sleeping over, Jason finally had some company as well. He was greeted like he was one of them. Getting a shoulder squeeze, a neck grab and a rough man-hug, with the matching slaps on the back in that order.

With everyone being present, having something to eat and drink, and having someone to talk to, the celebration could fully begin and what a celebration it was. It went on well into the night and none of them could recall how many courses they had had or how much they had eaten in just one day. It was almost two in the morning when they were allowed to leave and the five of them could finally head back to the hotel for a good night's rest, except for Charlie. He had already been tuckered out and was fast asleep with the other children in one of the bedrooms upstairs. Jenny carefully lifted Charlie from the bed, where he had been locked in position with a pillow on each side. When she saw him twitching and starting to fuss, she shushed him softly while rubbing his back soothingly to let him know that it was her. This seemed to do the trick, because Charlie immediately quieted down and continued to sleep just as fast as he had been doing before and continued to do so during the entire ride back and when he was placed down in the special bed provided by the hotel. Not intending to wake up until the next morning.