Rimby had still been half-asleep, but she instantly became wide awake when that question left her husband’s lips.
Before Rimby began, though, she made one request first so their conversation could stay productive.
“This is going to be a sensitive topic, okay? It’s about the extended family on both our sides. So I want you to promise me first that you won’t get carried away and that you’ll always stay relaxed when responding to my opinions. Deal?” Rimby said firmly.
Honestly, Gandy was a little confused about what Rimby really meant. His wife had suddenly become interested in discussing each of their extended families.
“Yes, my darling~ I’ll be as wise as possible,” Gandy said gently.
Rimby focused and began. “First, I want to ask about how close you were with your extended family before I came along. Like, were you actually really close to them? Close enough that you could freely share stories with them all the time? You never felt like you had to carefully choose your words in your head when talking to them? So, how was it?” she asked.
Gandy knew Rimby’s communication pattern by heart whenever she got serious like this. Usually, Rimby went straight to the heart of the topic first, then expanded on it afterward.
Gandy was still lying on his side, propping up his head with one hand and facing Rimby the whole time.
He sank into thought for a moment before answering all of her questions.
Rimby cut in. “I’m not trying to make you think badly of your extended family. I just want to know which of them most often caused conflicts between family members,” she added as she twisted the ends of her hair around her fingers.
Gandy let out a chuckle, amused by his wife’s anxious behavior.
He sat up from his original position and gently rubbed the top of his wife’s head. “You’re afraid I’ll get mad, huh?”
“N-no, I’m not,” Rimby squeaked.
“That’s why you don’t need to be so tense. Besides, it’s about time we started thoroughly discussing our lives before marriage. You’re doing the right thing by starting with the extended family. So of course I’m really happy that our communication is becoming more intense.” Gandy sweetly kissed Rimby’s forehead.
Rimby’s ears instantly turned red.
“What was that for?! Why did you suddenly kiss me?” Rimby grumbled shyly. Gandy flashed a wide grin.
“Are we continuing or not? My mood’s going to crash if you keep teasing me.” Rimby chattered, turning her face away to hide her embarrassment.
Gandy panicked and immediately turned Rimby’s face back toward him. “Okay, okay. Sorry, baabe~ Go on, continue~”
“You’re the one who’s supposed to answer the earlier question. Do I have to repeat it?” Rimby sniped.
“Oh, right. Good thing you reminded me.”
Gandy placed his index finger against his chin, a characteristic gesture of his whenever he was about to give a serious answer.
“As for how close we were, it was pretty ordinary. I’m not the type of family member who openly shares stories with everyone else. Whether it’s about education, career, or future plans, I don’t like anyone knowing too much about those things, even if they’re family. The important experiences and future plans I’m building are only for my parents and my partner to know. Since I’m an orphan now, you’re the only one who’s allowed to know all of it,” Gandy said.
As for the substance of his answer, Gandy no longer had either of his parents. They passed away when Gandy turned thirty. Fortunately, Gandy had already established a stable life by then. So his parents’ passing had been relatively peaceful.
Rimby listened intently, like a student paying attention to her teacher.
“Conflicts with other family members also didn’t happen as often as you might think. Even so, the people who added fuel to every incident could no longer have their influence taken lightly,” Gandy continued.
Rimby pressed her palms to her lips. “You’re really that cautious now?”
Gandy nodded. “Exactly. In fact, ever since that last incident, I started keeping my distance from them right then and there,” he added.
Rimby nodded along in understanding.
“Can you tell me their names and what they did back then?” Rimby asked again.