The annual Michigan-Ohio State party was always at Eric and Lisa's, mainly because they were the only ones with a big enough apartment to hold everyone. Eric and Greg were the biggest real Michigan fans, owning to their undergraduate experience there, but the rest of the group had a good time at the party, and occasionally turned the tables on the other two by rooting for Ohio State when the game was close. The party had always been the unofficial end of the year socially for the group, as the holidays made it difficult for them to get together much until after the New Year. It was also the time when everyone got on the nostalgia kick, and told their best college stories.
Jill was surprised and amused when Eric told her, as the person with the shortest time in the group, she had to be the designated Ohio State dunce, and wear a scarlet and gray dunce cap during the duration of the game. She took her role seriously too, cheering every good play, and voicing her disagreement with every call against her "adopted" team. As the game went on, she soon found she wasn't alone, as Ohio State controlled the game, which brought the fence-sitters into the Buckeye camp. A late Michigan rally won the game for them and sent Eric and Greg into a frenzy of boisterous singing and yelling. Most years, the party wasn't over when the game ended; it carried on for as long as they could think of things to do, but on this day, everyone began to head home soon after the conclusion. Joe had scraped together enough tickets for everyone to the hockey game that evening, so those who wanted to rest up before left the party. Eric and Lisa, Greg and Jill, and Mark and Sandy decided to have dinner before, so the four guests stayed behind to help clean up. Actually, the men cleaned up while the women talked in the bedroom. It wasn't unusual for the men to do things without being asked, as it kept the women from complaining when they chose to indulge in their vices.
As the Christmas season drew closer, Jill and Greg were faced with a crisis: her parents wanted them to come home for the holiday. The prospect really frightened Greg; he'd be the outsider at her parents house, with nowhere to run if the family didn't like him. They hadn't kept their living together a secret, but Greg was still unsure if her parents approved. Otherwise, he didn't have any reservation about going. Jill tried to assure him that her family would accept him, that he had nothing to worry about. "Why wouldn't they like you? It's not like you're some long-haired criminal."
"I guess I'm just looking at the worst case scenario."
"Well, look at the best-case then. My parents have enough faith in me to trust that I wouldn't just move in with someone I didn't think was right for me. I have three brothers and two sisters, and none of us have ever given them a reason to not trust us."
"Should we drive or fly?"
"Good question. I guess it depends on how much time I can get off from work."
Greg decided he didn't have anything to lose. "We'll go then. This means a lot to you, so it means a lot to me too." Jill smiled.
They ended up flying, and it proved to be a wise choice, since there was a major snowstorm which closed the highway in Pennsylvania. Getting off the plane, Greg hung back a bit when he saw Jill spot her family who had come to pick them up. He knew it had been awhile since they had seen her, so he didn't want to push right in. Her father, both sisters and one brother had made the trip, and Greg watched as they all hugged and kissed her. Finally, Jill looked over her shoulder at Greg with an annoyed expression. "Get over here." She held out her hand. "This is him." Greg grinned and blurted out a "Hi". She introduced each one of them--Paul, her father; Nancy and Christie were her sisters, and her younger brother John. They all welcomed Greg like they had known him his whole life, then went to claim the luggage and piled into the van to make their way back to Jill's hometown.
They pulled into the driveway, and for the first time, it dawned on Greg--while he was here, he was probably going to learn something about Jill he didn't know before. The rest of the family came out of the house to welcome them and he learned the first thing: Jill was a dead ringer for her mother. She hugged Jill and then grabbed Greg and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "We're so happy you could come. Jill has told us so much about you." The rest of the clan was also there: brothers Paul Jr., who everyone called PJ, and Ryan, and their wives Becky and Dawn, and Nancy's husband Chris. Once everyone got the luggage and themselves inside, and got settled down, it was Jill's moment in the spotlight. Everyone had pictures to show her and stories to tell and she clearly enjoyed being back with her family. Greg listened intently to everything being said, making mental notes. He was trying to learn the dynamic of this family, and where he was going to have to fit in.
When Jill went into the kitchen with her mother, Greg knew his time had come. "So, you enjoy what you do?", her father asked.
"Actually, yeah I do. I'd have to say I enjoyed it more when I did more hands-on supervision, but I wouldn't want to go back to working 70 hours a week."
"Jill makes it sound like you're pretty hands-on now."
Greg smiled. "Well, I make sure everything runs smoothly, but I don't stand over people's shoulder while they do their work. I trust them to do what they get paid to do." He told about working his way up, and how everything had been done willy-nilly before he started. There was no real "system" to the way the business had been run, and it had languished at break-even for years. Greg's ideas weren't rocket science, but they helped with simple things like inventory and processing orders faster. Paul was impressed. "It sounds like you've got a good head on your shoulders."
"My boss says that all the time. I just know how to fix problems I guess. I make sure I don't lose touch with what's happening in the stockroom though. Whenever I can, I like to go out and do some work, if only for an hour or two a week."
"That's different."
"Well, how can I ask them to do something I'm not willing to do myself? Plus, I get to see what kinds of problems they may be having. And sometimes, they just need an extra hand if we're busy."
"Well, you sound like an enlightened boss, Greg."
"I guess because some of the people who work there I used to be equal to, I try and go out of my way to show them that I'm not any different than I was then. I just got a lucky break."
Greg was getting something to drink out of the refrigerator when something on the door caught his eye. Among all the pictures, there was one of him and Jill, from before they had moved in together. It was a good picture, but Greg didn't know that Jill had sent it to her family. He wondered if it's position on the door meant something.
On Christmas morning, they opened presents and what Greg and Jill got each other said a lot about where they thought their relationship was at. Greg had gotten her a necklace and matching earrings, a bath oil and body lotion package, a sweater, and some perfume; Jill had bought Greg a shirt and two ties, a desk pen set, and a key chain and money clip.
As they waited to get on the plane to fly home, Jill's mother got Greg alone for a minute and told him something that gave him a good feeling. "Everything Jill's said about you is true. She seems happier than she's been since she left home. You take care of her for me, OK?"
"I will. She means the world to me, and I'd never do anything to hurt her."
"I'm sure of that. We've loved having you here with us. I hope you come back to see us soon."
"We will. I've enjoyed being with your family. Thank you for everything." He gave her a hug and she returned it.
As the plane soared off into the sky, Jill's mother wondered if he might be too good for her daughter. She hoped Jill would fully appreciate what she had in him.