The Engagement Affair

Episode 1

Announcement over the speaker
“…and please don’t leave your seats until we’ve come to a final stop. Thank you all for choosing FlintAir. We hope you all enjoy your stay here.”
The captain concluded his message as the large A330 plane glided and finally stopped at the gate. Passengers immediately began to unbuckle their seatbelts and reach for their carry-on luggage in the overhead compartments.

Nataniel got up from his seat and stretched. It had been a long five-hour flight and he was eager to get off the plane immediately. He joined the queue of grumpy passengers who were waiting to get off. He heard some people complaining up front, yelling at someone out of sight that was holding up the line. Soon the offending passenger moved and everyone began to move.

Nataniel nodded at the smiling hostess at the door of the plane before walking slowly through the airport gate. After passing through customs and waiting for his luggage, he trudged slowly through the terminal. He hoped she was there waiting for him. He had emailed her his itinerary. They had been exchanging emails for the past couple of weeks. He didn’t even know how he was going to identify her in this large throng of people. He looked around, hoping to see his name among the many name-carrying signs some people were holding. None bore his name.

He stepped outside the terminal into the hot summer sun outside. He inhaled the clean air deeply and appreciated the rays of the sun on his face. He walked to one of the benches and smiling at the older lady sitting at one end of the bench, he sat down. “Well, this is it,” he thought as he watched other people walk by. He was here. He wondered what was going to happen. He had hoped this day would never come, but now it had come faster than he expected. He wasn’t sure he was prepared or anything. His mind went back to the talk he had with his father.

“Don’t be too nervous” his old man had told him. “No one is ever ready for this, but no matter how much time you think you need to prepare, no time is enough. You have to face it squarely.” Well, I hope this works out okay, he said to himself.

“Nataniel?” he heard a voice say. He was so lost in his thoughts he didn’t know someone had walked up to him. He became aware of that person standing in front of him and looked up. Among the people standing around, a beautiful lady stood looking down at him. He had to do a double take. He wasn’t sure she was the one who talked until she mentioned his name again. Confident of the revelation, he began to appreciate her fine womanhood. She was pure, curvy and voluptuous, ethereal in her beautiful low neck flowery summer dress. Her hair flowed elegantly to her shoulders and her eyes flashed behind her delicately poised sunglasses. She had the candor of a virgin angel. He heard her talk with a slow, sweet voice, and felt she was good. As he breathed in the pure, clean scent of her body, he knew she was good. In her presence, Nataniel realized he was face to face with an elegant young woman, a rare woman, a woman clean in body and soul and thought and deed. She extended a well-manicured hand to him.
“Hello, you must be Nataniel.” That sweet, melodious voice.
“Yes, I’m Nataniel” he replied. He stood up and took her extended hand, feeling the smooth softness of her palm and fingers.
“Welcome to Stockholm. I hope you had a nice flight.”

“Yes, I guess I did.” Nataniel responded. The thought of the bumpy flight and crappy food made him wince. He realized he was still holding her hand and released it, scratching his head in embarrassment.
“My name is Sofia. I’m Emelia’s sister.”
“Nice meeting you Emelia…I mean Sofia.”
“The car is over there. Let’s get going.”

Sofia turned gracefully and led Nataniel to a nice looking black Audi in the parking lot. He lugged his bag into the back seat as Sofia climbed behind the wheel. Nataniel got in beside her and they took off.
They chatted a bit and Nataniel watched her closely as she drove. He couldn’t take his eyes off her beautiful body. Her dress had rode up a bit and had exposed her long legs and smooth thighs. He thought he caught a glimpse of her white p@anties but he didn’t want to be sure. Her perfectly round bust rose and fell to her gentle breathing. He noticed a wedding ring on her finger. So she’s married, he thought. Good for her husband. She definitely was beautiful. Sofia looked at him and he realized he had been staring. She flashed a smile at him and he averted his gaze.
“Umm…where are we going?” Nataniel asked.

“Oh I’m sorry.” Sofia said. “How forgetful of me.” She merged on the highway and pressed hard on the pedal. The sleek car roared and surged forward. “As you know already, my sister is going to be your wife someday. Our tradition states you spend time with our family learning how to take care of your future wife. It is a very essential part of our custom, but I guess you already know that.”
Nataniel sighed. He knew that all too well. He had been dreading this day. What did he know about taking care of a wife? Well, he was going to find out soon.
“It is the responsibility of the wife’s mother to guide you along, but our mother passed away when we were very young kids. Our dad married again over the years, but our mother’s place can never be taken by another woman. So I insisted to guide you on how to take care of my sister. It is my duty you learn everything.”

Sofia pointed the car off the highway and in-between some hills. The powerful engine roared as she fed more gas to it.
“Apart from all that, you’ll help out at the store too. Its summer time and I definitely need all the extra pair of hands I can get.”
“Store?”

“Yeah. Our goods store. Where we sell and rent out stuff to the beach goers. The beach is at the other side of this hill.” She pointed to the left and Nataniel saw the waves lapping at the beach below. Quite a number of people were either in the water or scattered all over the sand. They drove for another five minutes before Sofia pulled up to a nice beach house.
“Here’s where we’ll be staying.”
“We?”
“Yes. My sister, you, and I.”

“But…”
Sofia raised a hand, placing a finger on his lips. “Shhhh. No buts.” She gave him a soft pat on his lap. “Don’t be worried okay? We’ll definitely take care of you. That’s why I’m here.” She gave him a very seductive smile. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask me okay. ANYTHING.” She traced her finger over his lap and Nataniel jumped a bit. Was she flirting with him? They got out of the car and Nataniel hauled his heavy bag and followed Sofia into the house.

“My sister, your “wife”, is not yet back from college, but she should be around probably tomorrow. Everything has been set up so we really don’t need to do anything right away. Please, feel at home. I’ll show you to your room.”

Sofia led him up the stairs. There were three rooms upstairs, and a large porch at the back which overlooked the beach. It was a lovely place and with Sofia’s smiles and friendly charm, he was beginning to feel relaxed.