Tattoo of Love Ch. 11

Tonight was the evening that she and Nolan would be attending the going away party for Nolan's uncle, and she knew that nearly every member of his family would be there. This meant she would need to make the best impression possible, and the first step towards doing that was picking out some appropriate attire.

It took her nearly twenty minutes just to decide upon one outfit, but as her eyes landed upon a floral print bohemian style dress, she knew that it would be perfectly suited for the evening. It had a flowy design about it, and she liked it because it made her feel sensual without showing too much skin. After slipping into it, she put on a pair of leather wedge sandals and then glanced at her reflection in the full length mirror.

After applying a bit of mascara and eyeshadow, she covered her lips in a neutral toned lipstick and then added a bit of gloss. Julia slipped her fingers through her curls to fluff them out a bit more, and then headed for the kitchen. She was just getting a glass of water when the doorbell chimed through the air. Setting the glass down, she headed for the entryway, and as she reached it she pulled the door open.

"Hey, gorgeous." Nolan's face creased into a pleased smile at the sight of her.

"Hey yourself, handsome." After retrieving her purse she followed him out the door and they made their way downstairs.

As they reached the car, he walked around to her side and opened the door for her. Once she was seated inside he shut it behind her and then headed for the driver's side.

After sliding behind the wheel, he leaned over to kiss her and then offered her an adoring look. "You look delicious. I'd eat you right now, if I could."

The mere thought of his tongue upon her skin drove Julia wild with desire. Loving the feel of his eyes upon her, she slid a palm across his wide shoulders.

"You don't look so bad, yourself." Allowing her gaze to caress his form, she saw he had on a pair of dark denim jeans and a black v-neck sweater with white double bands around the arms. As with everything that he wore, he managed to make it look good.

Allowing his eyes to rest upon her feet, Nolan uttered a sound of appreciation. "I see you have on those sandals I like. Trying to drive me crazy, are you?"

"I figured you'd like them." Her lips curved into a smile.

Reaching a hand out to stroke her cheek he said, "I like a lot of things about you."

Slipping the key into the ignition, he started up the car and they headed towards their destination. As they drove along the streets, Julia found herself becoming increasingly anxious about the evening ahead of them. As they came to a stop light, Nolan took the chance to glance over at her and grabbed her by the hand, offering it a gentle squeeze of assurance.

"No need to be nervous, because everyone will like you."

"I sure hope so." She was quiet for a few moments and then asked, "So just how many people do you think are going to be there?"

"I'm guessing around twenty, maybe twenty-five."

"That's a lot of people."

Nolan's lips tugged into a smile. "No need to worry, you'll be fine."

As they turned onto the street where his mother lived, Nolan pulled up next to a bungalow style house and put the car in park.

"Ready?" Asked Nolan.

Giving a reluctant nod, she got out of the car and stepped onto the sidewalk. Once Nolan was by her side he clasped her hand in his and they made their way toward the house. Sounds of laughter and music came from the house, and as they climbed the porch steps Julia began to feel a nervous fluttering in her stomach. Holding the screen door open for Julia, he allowed her to go ahead of him, and then stepped into the house behind her.

The living room itself was empty, but chattering female voices could be heard coming from the kitchen. Heading towards the source of the sound, the couple entered the eating area and found Nolan's mother, as well as two other women, spooning cooked food into various containers. The conversation they were engaged in came to a sudden stop, and all eyes turned upon their newly arrived guests.

"Oh good, you made it." Alveolela's lips tugged into a smile at the sight of the couple.

"Hey mom." He bent down to give her a hug and kiss on the cheek.

"So happy you finally arrived. Everyone has been asking when you would be here." She glanced up admiringly at his tall form. Then she turned to give Julia a hug. "Hello, dear. It's so nice to see you again, and welcome to my home."

As they engaged in a warm embrace she replied, "Thanks for having me."

Addressing the other two women in the room, Nolan said, "This is my girlfriend, Julia. Julia, these are my aunts, Helen and Ana."

"It's nice to meet you," said Julia

"Very nice to meet you as well," Helen responded.

Both women smiled and then exchanged handshakes with her.

"So you're the girl that Nolan's been talking about. I see now why he's so crazy about you." Ana offered her nephew a brief smile and then turned her eyes back upon Julia. "You're very pretty."

"Thanks, that's sweet of you to say."

"Well everybody is out in the backyard, so why don't we join them?" Grabbing a long silver tray of food, Alveolela led the way towards the back of the house.

Each of Nolan's aunts grabbed a pot from off the stove, and Nolan grabbed a glass dish with meatloaf in it. Spotting a large bowl of corned beef with cabbage, Julia grabbed hold of it and walked behind the others. As they stepped out into the backyard area, they made their way towards a long dinner table which was covered with a checkered tablecloth.

Once they'd set the various dishes upon it, Julia turned to Nolan's mother and asked, "Can I help you with you with anything else, Mrs. Tuilagi?"

"No thanks. Helen and Ana will assist me with bringing the rest of the dishes out. You're the guest here, so enjoy just yourself." She offered her a little pat on the shoulder and then headed back into the house with the aunts.

The backyard was full of people, and Julia could feel the eyes of Nolan's family members upon her. Inwardly coaxing herself to stay calm, she glanced over at Nolan with an anxious expression upon her face.

He gave her a little smile in response, and then grabbed her by the hand. "Come with me, I want you to meet my dad."

As they headed across the backyard, Julia spotted a tall man with slightly graying hair and a well trimmed mustache. She noticed he was wearing a traditional cloth around his waist, and remembered from one of the travel books she'd checked out that the appropriate name for it was a lavalava.

Even from a distance, Julia could tell that the man had a proud and confident way about him, and she watched in curiosity as he tended to a pig which was roasting over a fire pit with rocks. As they came upon him, Julia saw him turn his gaze upon the couple, and she offered him a friendly smile.

"Dad, this is Julia, my girlfriend."

"Pleasure to meet you, Julia. My name is Robbie." He offered his hand for her to shake.

"It's nice to meet you, as well."

"So Nolan tells me you're a baker."

"Yes, I work at Mimi's Bakery. It's right off of Albany and Main."

"I know the place. Never been inside, but I've heard good things about it." Turning the handle which controlled the spit, he flipped the pig carcasss over so that the raw side of it could cook. "You ever had roast pig before?"

"Nope, never. I'm eager to try it, though."

"Well you'll get your chance today. Just one bite, and I bet you'll be hooked." His lips tugged into a smile.

Spotting two approaching figures out of the corner of her eye, Julia turned her gaze upon them. She instantly recognized the female as the exotic beauty who worked in the tattoo shop where she'd first met Nolan. Julia's eyes then landed upon the male who walked next to her, and she found herself amazed by just much his features resembled Nolan's.

She knew without a doubt that it was Nolan's brother, and although his lips weren't quite as full as her lover's, they both shared the same bone structure, as well as a nearly identical muscular build. The largest difference between them was that Nolan's brother wore his hair cut short.

After engaging his sibling in a combination fist bump and handclasp, Nolan introduced the couple to his girlfriend.

"This is my brother Jake and his girl, Sia. Jake and Sia, meet my girlfriend Julia."

"Nice to meet you." Jake offered his hand to her and they clasped palms.

Giving her a smile, Sia said, "We've met before, haven't we? I thought you looked familiar."

"Yeah, we met at Tatau Samoa. I was there buying a pair of earrings."

"Yeah, I remember you. By the way, they look good on you."

Suddenly remembering that she was wearing the jewelry which she'd purchased, Julia reached up to touch the fish hooks which dangled from her ear.

"Thank you." Her lips curved into a pleasant smile.

"I hear you took a weekend trip together," said Jake. "How'd that go?"

"It was lovely. We had a wonderful time."

"That's good to hear. It's about time Nolan invited a girl to go on a road trip with him. He's been taking them alone for as long as I can remember."

Amusement danced in Jake's eyes as he engaged in brief eye contact with his brother, and then he turned his gaze back upon Julia. She didn't know what the secret look between them was about, but she figured there must have been some other story behind the road trips which Nolan had taken in the past. Julia's curiosity was piqued, but instead of entertaining unpleasant ideas in her head, she realized that Nolan's past had no bearing upon the present.

"So are you planning on visiting my brother while he's in the South Pacific?"

"Oh yeah, definitely. I've already cleared the time off with my boss, so all we need to do is figure out the best time for me to visit."

Glancing down at his girlfriend, Nolan wrapped an arm around her waist. "So you *are* coming, then?"

Julia nodded in response. "I got the okay from Mimi last night."

"That's great news. I'm glad to hear." He bumped his hip lightly against her own.

"Sounds like an exciting trip," said Sia. "I highly recommend you visit him while he's in Samoa. I really think you'd like it there."

"Well from the pictures I've seen, it does look really beautiful. So maybe that's when I'll take my visit."

"If you do decide to go, I suggest you take in a game of rugby," said Jake. "It's the national sport, and we've got some really great players over there."

Directing his attention toward his brother, Nolan asked, "Speaking of rugby, when are we getting together for our next game?"

"I don't know, but we'd better do it soon. You'll be leaving in the next few weeks, so we need to get all the boys together as soon as we can."

"Let's plan for next weekend. I'm itching to get out on that field again."

"It's a plan, let's do it." Jake bumped fists with his brother. Noting their empty hands, he asked, "You guys want some drinks?"

"Yeah, sure. I am getting a bit thirsty," said Julia.

"Sorry about that babe, I should have offered you something as soon as we arrived." Grabbing her by the hand Nolan said, "Let's go check out the refreshment table."

They excused themselves from the conversation, and then made their way towards the area where all of the snacks were located. As they eyed the food and drinks, various members of Nolan's family came by to introduce themselves.

Julia didn't mind the stream of people who came by to chat with her and Nolan, but due to the size of his family, she did feel a bit overwhelmed. Everyone was so nice, however, that the nervousness she felt quickly began to dissipate. As the introductions finally came to an end, Julia glanced up at Nolan and offered him a smile.

"You have a really cool family, and everyone is so nice."

"See, you had nothing to worry about. I told you they'd like you." He took a few pretzels from a bowl and began to munch on them.

Eyeing a pitcher of milky looking liquid, she asked, "Is that Viafala?"

His lips pulled into a smile from her question. "Nice pronunciation, and yes it is."

"What about the red stuff?" She gestured towards a plastic juice jug.

"That's Vaimaleni. It's a watermelon drink." He retrieved a cup for her and poured a bit into it. "Try some, I think you'll like it."

As he handed the drink to her she took a tentative sip, and then finished the rest of it in one swallow. "That's good stuff, can I get some more?"

Once he'd refilled her cup, Nolan grabbed himself a beer from a large ice bucket on the table. The cap emitted a hissing noise as he removed it, and then he took a generous sip of the liquid. As they stood there sipping their drinks, Julia noticed one of Nolan's relatives heading in their direction.

A few inches shy of six feet, the man had a stocky, compact build. Possessing a pair of shoulders which could rival any linebackers, he walked with a slow, steady gait.

"You must be Julia." He offered his hand so she could shake it and then said, "I'm To'afa, Nolan's uncle."

"Nice to meet you, To'afa."

"Pleasure's all mine." He offered her a warm smile. "So I guess Nolan's told you all about his upcoming trip. Hope you don't mind too much that I'm stealing him away for three months.

"I'll definitely miss him, but I know this is a fantastic opportunity for him, so I'm happy that he's getting this chance."

"That's the way to look at it," he encouragingly said. "I like your positive attitude, young lady. That's a very good trait to have." He retrieved a beer from the bucket and popped the cap off. After taking a swig he asked, "So, how did you two meet?"

"We first saw each other at Tatau Samoa," said Julia.

"Oh, so it was at Jake's shop, then." Eyeing her curiously he said, "You're into tattoos?"

"I like them on other people, but I don't personally have any. At least not yet."

"Not yet, so that means you're considering it?"

Julia offered a small shrug. "Well I'm definitely not against it." She took a sip of her drink and then added, "I may get one in the future."

"If you do, then you should let Jake do it for you. He's a wonderful tattoo artist."

"Yeah, Nolan showed me photos of his work. He's a very talented guy." Offering her boyfriend an admiring look she said, "But then so is Nolan."

"So you think he's a good photographer?"

"He's not just good, he's excellent."

"You think he's good, you should take a look at some of my photos. Everything he knows, I taught him." The tone of voice he used conveyed that he was jokingly giving his nephew a hard time.

"That's what he told me. He also said you were a master photographer."

"A master, huh? Well I can't argue with him on that."

A crooked smile graced Nolan's lips. "Uncle To'afa always has been very modest," he said to Julia in a voice full of sarcasm.

"I'm only kidding, of course. I'm very proud of my nephew, and that's why I've asked him to go on this trip with me. I figure it'll get his foot in the door so that he can break into travel photography."

Rubbing her palm against his shoulder she said, "He told me that's his dream, so it'll definitely be good for him."

"So I hear you're thinking about coming to visit him overseas."

"Yeah, I am. I've talked to my boss about it, and she gave me the okay to take the time off."

"That's great. I'm glad you'll be able to join us."

Looking beyond To'afa's shoulder, Julia spotted Nolan's dad and brother carrying the roasted pig on a piece of large canvas tarp. After setting it directly in the middle of the dinner table, Nolan's father grabbed a carving knife and created a long cut directly down the middle of it. A cloud of steam billowed up from the pork and as the scent was released into the air, people began to gather around the table.

"Looks like dinner's ready, so why don't we join them?" said To'afa.

Nolan and Julia followed behind him, and as they reached the table they each took their seats. Stretching more than twenty feet, the dining table offered plenty of room for everyone to be comfortably seated. Julia watched as Nolan's dad carved the pig into portions, and as each person passed their plate toward the middle of the table, he placed a thick slice onto it.

"Hey Julia, what's up?"

Glancing up to see who was addressing her, she realized it was Nolan's cousin Leonie. Julia hadn't seen her since the night she and Nolan had dinner at A Taste of Samoa, and she was happy to see a familiar face.

"Hi Leonie, it's good to see you."

"Good to see you too." She pulled out the chair next to Julia and took a seat.

Everyone began to serve from the variety of dishes which were placed upon the table, and as each spooned out a portion of food, they passed it along to the next person.

"So Jake tells me you might be taking a trip to see Nolan while he's in Samoa."

Julia placed a few spoonfuls of corned beef and cabbage onto her plate, then handed it to her boyfriend. "Yeah, I was thinking to time my trip so that I can spend some time with him while he's out there. It seems like a really nice place to visit."

"It is, and they have some absolutely beautiful beaches. If you decide to go, you definitely won't regret it."

As Leonie handed her a rectangular glass dish, Julia stared curiously at the contents.

"This looks interesting. What is it?"

"Taro root," said Leonie. "It's a starchy vegetable, and that milky liquid beneath it is coconut cream." Noting Julia's look of uncertainty, Leonie gave her an encouraging smile. "Try a bit, you'll like it."

After spooning some onto her plate, Julia passed the dish down and accepted a pan of meatloaf from Leonie. Once everyone had filled their plates with a portion from every dish on the table, they joined hands and bowed heads. A prayer giving thanks for the food was said by Nolan's mother, and once it was completed everyone dug into their meals.

Everything on Julia's plate was mouth-wateringly delicious, and the roast pig was delectably tender with a wonderful smoky flavor to it. Pleasant chatter and light laughter filled the air around them as they ate dinner, and tropical sounding music with featured the sounds of a ukulele caressed their ears.

As plates became empty and stomachs full, dinner drew to a close and a dessert of banana pudding was served. Once everyone had finished the pudding, a large cake was brought out and divided into portions for everyone to enjoy.

Feeling as if her belly might pop, Julia was only able to get through half of her serving of the cake. Dropping her fork onto the saucer, she rested her back against the chair and released a sound of contentment.

"Good food, eh?" Leonie smiled at the expression on Julia's face.

"It was delicious. I ate so much, I'll probably be full for a week."

Uttering a small chuckle, Leonie rubbed her stomach.

Most people lingered around the table for awhile to give their dinner time to settle, but as the minutes passed, the table began to grow emptier. Most people stood around engaging in conversation, but as a particular song drifted from the speakers, Nolan's relatives began to dance and clap along with the rhythm.

The few people who were still seated at the table became suddenly energized and got up, joining the others around them who were enjoying the sounds of the music. Feeling an urge to join everyone else, Nolan and Julia stood up from their seats and began to dance as well.

As the opening beats to the Macarena filled the air around them, everyone moved to the beat of it. One of Nolan's male cousins, however, really stood out amongst everyone else, and as Julia's eyes landed upon him, she noticed he was moving his hips and dancing in a way which was very amusing. Purposely exaggerating his movements, he placed his hands behind his head and began to perform the Macarena dance steps.