I had been staring at her, and why not. Seeing her white legs flashing in her dance steps held an endless fascination for me. The old man was right. I held my tongue though, since I was not sure how she would take such a declaration on my part. As she told me about my family, I started to worry about more matchmakers than some random old man. I envisioned a whole passel of aunts and sisters, all aiming for matrimony for her and I.
As we rode in her truck, toward her house, I learned more about her family. From what she described, I imagined the evening would be like a scene straight out of movie. In my mind, I saw a gypsy camp, with distant relatives arriving and a pig roasting over an open fire. It was, to say the least, a little scary. All I had wished for was to meet her older relatives and to hear their memories. It was a little to late to back out now though.
We wound our way through town, and eventually ended up on the outskirts, in front of an old Victorian house, painted white with blue and green highlights. There were two floors, an enormous front porch and a tall gable. There was a white picket fence, containing a pack of children and dogs, running loose together. Again, I wondered what I was getting myself into.
As she pulled up her truck into the driveway of the house, the children and dogs ran at use, surrounding the truck. Some of the children were shouting "Aunt Alice!" which spoke to their relationship. As I exited the truck, my second best camera in tow, I hit a barrage of questions. "Wow, neat camera. Can I hold it? Will you take my picture? Why is your camera so big?" Besides that, there were prying little fingers, wet dog noses and thrashing tails. One little auburn haired girl asked "Are you Auntie Alice's new boyfriend?" I rolled my eyes at her and did not give an answer.
Seconds later, a then unfamiliar voice boomed from the front porch. "You lot, leave the poor man in peace!" Seconds later, the throng of animals and tiny humans were back to running around the yard, chasing each other, and tumbling all over the grass.
The sunlight was just starting to sink below the gable of the house, sending beautiful rays over the yard and those enjoying it. I snapped a few photos, without a second thought. It was life affirming to see the sheer joy of the children and their pets, as they romped and played. I wondered if they were all family, or if some where neighborhood kids. It was hard to count, with all of the movement, but I thought that there were four dogs and ten or eleven children.
Soon, Alice came around the side of her truck, looking rather sheepish. I grinned at her, and pulled her into a light hug, before letting go again. "Did your Mom invite the neighborhood over? Surely these aren't all related. A few people, eh? Are you sure your mother doesn't run a dog rescue slash orphanage?" I could not help being there, so I chose to take it all in stride, rather than getting annoyed or upset. If nothing else, it would be interesting to be around such a big family. Our family was so tiny, compared to that lot.