Meeting The Folks (A Love Story pt. 3)

As the couple pulled up to the restaurant, the tension in the air intensified. They had been planning to meet with the man’s parents for a few weeks now, and during that time he only grew more nervous over how it would go. As he put the car in park, she put a hand on his. “It’ll be fine, hon,” she tried to reassure him, but it was clear it wasn’t taking. “Yeah, hopefully” was his only response before getting out of the car. And walking around to help her out of the car. “Look, I know you’re trying to comfort me, but I don’t have the same relationship with my parents that you do. They’re very strict with how things should be,” he said, with a tired sigh showing his exhaustion even before entering the restaurant. “I know, you’ve been warning me for the past two weeks,” she said, accepting his help and giving him a kiss on the cheek.
The two walked into the restaurant and were escorted to their seats where his parents had already been placed. “You must be [REDACTED] and [REDACTED]! I’m [REDACTED],” she said, extending a hand to the two when she arrived. His mother took his girlfriend’s hand. “It is lovely to meet you,” she said through a practiced smile. His father simply nodded from his seat, returning quickly to the menu he was pouring over. The man pulled out the seat for his girlfriend and helped her in before sitting down himself. The two pairs then began customary idle conversation about how long the two have been together, how they met, and more.
As the evening progressed, the woman could tell her boyfriend was still tense, so while the waiter was talking to his parents, she leaned over trying to place a hand on his asking “How you holding up hon?” He however responded with a curt “I’m fine.” pulling his hand away from hers. Before she could question his reaction, his mother spoke up. “Tell me, how have the services been at the church you two attend? My son here will only say a few words about it.” The woman blinked a few times, trying to organize her thoughts before answering “They’ve been fine, from what I’ve seen.”. “From what you’ve seen? You both attend every mass right?” the man’s mother asked immediately. The woman could see her boyfriend tense up again out of the corner of her eye. “He does, but my work can be erratic, I’m not always able to make the services.”. “Oh that’s a shame your work doesn’t respect your values. But that’s what happens when heathens become in charge.” She punctuated her statement with a sip of wine while the woman was mentally trying to catch up with the conversation.
After this however, the rest of the evening went off without a hitch, at least on the surface. The two groups bid each other farewell and head back to their cars. The couple get into the car and begin driving back in silence at first. After five minutes the woman turns to her boyfriend and asks, “Why were you so cold to me during the dinner?” He took a sharp breath before letting out an utterly exhausted exhale “I’m sorry, I really am, but there are… rules you need to follow when you’re in front of your parents.”. “I can’t even hold your hand?” she asked with annoyance clear in her voice. “No, you can’t,” he said, his lips tightening as he said it. He slowed the car to a stop in front of a red light and turned to look at her with exhausted pleading eyes. “Again, I’m sorry. I really wasn’t looking forward to this, and this is exactly why. My parents are not as accepting of things like yours likely are. Things have to be a certain way, my partner needs to be a certain way in their minds.” He reached over and gave her hand a loving squeeze. “Even if you are more than I could ever wish for.”
She returned his squeeze and leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek with a small smile. “Alright, now eyes forward and both hands. I want to curl up in a blanket with a cheesy movie.” “Can I join?” he asked with a smile. “Hmmmm… Only if you bring the popcorn.”