Chapter 2 The Clevelands

Matt woke up the next morning with a groan at the blinding sunlight in his face. He stretched his hand to Ruth but his fingers only trailed the cold bedsheet. Feeling alone, Matt, rubbed his eyes as he sat up with a yawn.

Matt soon spotted Ruth brushing her hair at the dressing table. Every stroke of the brush made her silky curly white hair bounce delicately. She was already dressed up for the day in an elegant red floral dress and flat brown boots. Ruth looked over her shoulder and smiled warmly at Matt. Her calm and collected state, however, confused Matt.

She abandoned her brush and slowly strutted over to Matt. "Good morning," she greeted him with a peck on his cheek.

"Um, are you okay babe?" he asked, expressing his bewilderment.

"Yes I am. Why wouldn't I be?" she quickly replied.

"Ruth, who is after you?" he asked her and her eyes sank. "Every year, when your birthday is close, you have panic attacks and claim that someone is after you."

Ruth stood up but Matt got hold of her wrist and forced her to sit back down. She clenched her jaw annoyed, but he wasn't moved enough to let go.

"Last night you were saying that you are not his. Who were you talking about?" Matt pressed on.

"Forget it, Matt." Ruth admonished but he shook his head. "I was hallucinating. It sometimes happens." she dismissed with seriousness.

"No, it happens days before your birthday. Is he the reason why you don't want to celebrate your birthday?"

Ruth abruptly stood up. "We have a long drive today, remember?" she said and walked away, closing the door behind her.

"Fuck!" Matt tossed his pillow away in frustration.

Matt got out of bed and made his way to the bathroom in only his boxers. He turned on the shower and felt the cold water pour on his melanin enriched masculine body. It rained down his toned back and six-pack. His strong hands rubbed soap over his hard chest of tattoos. They quickly made their way through the rest of his body.

His shower was quick and soon he was out. Matt put on a towel from the waist down and his bulge was visible through it. He walked out of the bathroom only to meet Ruth's eyes. She took a step closer to him, and he towered over her.

"Your breakfast is ready." she announced with a warm smile as though she wasn’t the one who stormed out of their room annoyed.

I’ll never understand her mood swings. "Oh, okay." Matt blankly replied and opened the closet.

Ruth silently watched him study the clothes on hangers. His demeanor was cold and distant. It was clear to her that he was still feeling upset with her. She frowned at his back and left.

Matt changed into an olive green short sleeved shirt and black pants. On his feet were black converse. He passed a brush on his fresh haircut. After one final look at his neat beard and sideburns, he got out to join Ruth.

He found her already eating at the kitchen table. The sight of the bacon, two sausages, eggs and toast made him forget his frustration. Matt hungrily consumed his breakfast while Ruth looked on in silence.

Soon after, he and Ruth were on the road in his black truck. Country music blasted through the radio and Ruth sang along to it. Matt occasionally looked at her clumsily singing, and he couldn't stop himself from smiling.

Staying mad at Ruth was impossible for him.

'Kiss an angel good morning’ by Charley Pride' came on the radio and Ruth squealed in excitement. She turned up the volume and sang to every correct lyric. Matt smiled at her amused as she sang to him. When the song was done, she leaned over and kissed him on his cheek.

"I have just kissed my angel this fine morning." she said with a giggle.

"Well, your angel would appreciate it if you turned down the volume." he remarked with a smug.

Ruth happily obliged. She pulled out a cigarette from the glove compartment and opened the window. Matt kept his eyes on the road as she smoked. He felt Ruth tap his hand and saw her handing him the cigarette from the corner of his eye.

"Thanks, babe." he took a pull. "Your family must be waiting for you excited."

Ruth snorted, "Well, I am sure that my mom is, but I am almost a hundred percent sure that my dad isn't."

"He can't honestly still be mad at you for dropping out of nursing school." Matt argued with a grin.

Ruth let out a guffaw and shoved Matt's shoulder. "You don't know my dad. Let's say he was hoping that I would redeem the family. My older brother is a drug addict and my little sister is a lesbian. That's too much for my catholic dad to take."

"He is not a fan of your tattoo parlor, huh?" Matt playfully pinched Ruth.

"Not even in the slightest. He says tattoos are of the devil." she laughed mirthfully.

"I picked the wrong day to wear a short sleeved shirt." Matt chuckled.

Ruth caressed his sleeve tattoos. "Don't worry so much about it." she winked at him.

****

After long and excruciating hours on the road, they finally arrived in Houston. Matt yawned as he drove into the town. He gently shook Ruth awake, and she lazily opened her eyes. Ruth looked out the window to the darkness of the night. She rubbed her eyes and let out a yawn of her own.

"I'm going to need you to give me directions to your house." Matt told her and ended with another yawn.

"Okay, keep going down this road." Ruth instructed him.

Matt listened attentively as she directed him until they finally came to a ranch. The headlights exposed the closed wooden gate. Matt unbuckled his seat belt and got out of his truck.

Ruth watched him open the gate in silence. He got back into the truck and drove in. Matt got out again to close the gate. As soon as he was back in the truck again, he drove slowly to the mansion up ahead.

All the lights were on.

"It seems like everyone is awake." Matt stated the obvious.

Ruth's face lit up when she saw a woman walk out of the mansion and stand by the door. As soon as Matt parked, she got out to embrace her.

As the two women talked merrily at the same time, Matt took out the bags. He nervously stood away and waited for them to divert their attention to him. Telling how long that would take was especially difficult for him, but he hoped that they would sooner.

"What took you so long to get here?" the woman asked Ruth.

"We overslept," Ruth simply answered and her response reminded her of Matt. She giggled and face palmed, "Mom, this is Matthew Daka." she introduced him with a wide smile. "The one I was telling you about." she whispered and her mother grinned mischievously.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet the dashing young man my daughter has been bragging about." she extended her hand in greeting. "I am Mrs. Cleveland but you can call me Muriel."

Matt took her hand, "The pleasure is all mine, Muriel." his husky voice saying her name forced a squeal out of Muriel. Matt smiled at the mother and daughter giggling at each other like teenage girls at a concert.

Muriel was still shorter than Ruth despite wearing heels. She was on the curvy side and had a beautiful smile with lovely gray eyes. Her blonde hair was cut in a bob and on her neck was a pearl necklace. She was stunning for a woman her age. Matt observed her bubbly personality with intrigue. He at least now knew where Ruth got hers from.

"Please, do come in. Everyone is eager to meet you." Muriel ushered Matt inside.

Ruth was following them behind when she heard something shift in the bushes. She instinctively turned to look. Her anxious eyes scaled across the land but spotted nothing strange. She slowly turned away and heard it again. This time her heart skipped a beat. She spied one particular bush that was shaking.

"Hello?" Ruth fearfully called out but got no response.

A tensed look overtook her face. She rushed inside the house and closed the door shut. Her scared eyes met the stunned look of a housekeeper. Ruth feigned a smile and walked away from the door feeling flustered.

She joined Matt and Muriel in the living room. Muriel was already introducing Matt to William; Ruth's older brother. He was a thin tall man with dirty blonde hair. Ruth took notice of the dark rings around his gray eyes and frowned. From the look of things, his drug addiction wasn't getting any better.

"It's nice to meet you, Matthew." William said with a faint smile.

"Please, call me Matt." Matt insisted as he shook his hand.

"Well, I guess I have to introduce myself. I'm Talia." Ruth's sister stepped forward.

She was as short as her mother and just as thick. Her short hair was dyed pink and her ear was filled with studs. On her neck was a choker that went well with her biker shirt. She let out her hand to Matt, and he took it with a gentle grip.

"Where is your dad?" Muriel asked William and Talia.

"I'm here," a man suddenly announced from up the stairs.

Ruth's father widened his eyes appalled when they set on Matt. Everyone heard him grumbling as he got down the stairs. Muriel laughed softly as she palpably hid her embarrassment.

Ruth's father looked sternly at Matt when he finally got down. That only left Muriel and Ruth feeling tensed. Ruth protectively got hold of Matt's hand.

"Dad, this is my boyfriend, Matt." she proudly introduced with daring eyes.

"Oh God, you children were just born to kill me." he grumbled and walked away.

Matt involuntarily raised his eyebrows and tucked his lips with his gaze down. Muriel swallowed in embarrassment while Ruth wore an upset expression. Talia put her hands into her pockets and walked away ashamed. William, too, excused himself.

"Why don't you both go and freshen up while dinner is getting served?" Muriel's warm smile eased the awkward tension.

"Okay, mom." Ruth replied and led Matt upstairs.