Meeting the Other Folks (A Love Story pt. 4)

My parents are about to meet my boyfriend for the first time. As in, classic “come over to the house and eat dinner at the table” kind of meeting. I told myself there was no reason to be scared, that everything would go smoothly and everyone would be respectful. Maybe I’m right, but the closer we get to my house, the less confident I feel.
“You’re quiet,” my boyfriend said.
“What if I was talking your ear off and you just couldn’t hear me?” I asked sarcastically.
“Stop deflecting, hon,” he said calmly. “Tell me what’s up.”
“For the record, I was the one who told you about deflecting.”
“And I’m a great listener. Let me prove it.”
“I just… want this to go well.”
“You said you weren’t nervous!”
“I said that last week when I had less time to think about it!”
“Look, I understand the nerves. But I genuinely want to make a good impression on your parents, and I’m sure they don’t aim to antagonize me.”
That right there is the problem; I have no idea what they’re gonna do. My mother is very big on tradition; doing things a certain way, presenting oneself with a certain level of decorum in front of elders, things like that. Luckily for me, none of that has ever mattered to her more than the well being of her family, so I never felt ostracized for being different. As for my dad, he’s always been positive and easy going, but he has high standards for the people his kids are with, and today will be no different. I think my clumsy nerd of a boyfriend is doing amazing, and I don’t care if my parents disagree.
But I do care if they treat him poorly. I cannot accept that. I won’t.
“I don’t think they do either,” I responded. “But I could be wrong. They could make comments, or make a bad joke, or-”
“And none of it would change how I felt about you,” he responded. “That’s why we’re doing this, right? Because we’re dating each other, and we care so much about one another that we want to show the people we care about. Your parents could hate my guts, and I would care infinitely less than I do when I’ve mildly annoyed you. Don’t worry about them hurting my feelings, because I’m not here for them. I’m here for you, and that’s who I’ll spend my night focusing on.”
I sat in the car seat, mouth agape, wondering what I could possibly say to something so sweet and reassuring.
“Where was all this when I was meeting YOUR parents,” I asked sarcastically.
“Who do you think I learned it from,” he responds quickly.
“I’m loving this quick-wittedness you’ve got going for you today.”
“Must be a side effect of being around you so much.”
“You’re welcome!”
He chuckles and puts his hand on my leg, and I had to fight tooth and nail to stop myself from squealing. With almost no effort, he’s taken a nervous mess and made her into someone who’s genuinely excited. He’s… incredible. I hope my parents see that, but I’m glad to know that I’ll have him even if they don’t.
We pull in, right in front of my parents house, and my dad is already sitting at the front porch. Because that’s always a great sign.
“So, “ my boyfriend said with an exhale. “Your dad is sitting right there. You gonna let me open the door for you this time?”
“Fine,” I responded with a sigh. “Just this once.”
He laughed with excitement, got out of the car, and waved excitedly to my father, who nodded his head in response. Right as he got to the back, I opened the door and let myself out. He was stunned for a couple seconds as I ran up to hug my father, and he followed not long after.
“She got you with the ‘just this once’, didn’t she,” my dad asked with a smile.
“Oh, good to know that it’s a common tactic,” my boyfriend responded.
My dad started cracking up. “I believe in chivalry, but my wife isn’t a fan and she passed that on to my dear ol’ daughter. Anyways, where are my manners? [REDACTED], pleasure to meet you.” He offers his hand to my boyfriend, and I can see the mutual respect in their eyes as soon as they shake.
“[REDACTED], it’s an honor.”
“An honor, huh? I like you! Come on in and make yourself comfortable!”
My dad’s new best friend walks in, and I follow behind him before my dad touches my shoulder. “You can exhale, you know.”
I took a very exaggerated deep breath right in front of him.
“I’m so glad you got your sense of humor from me,” he responded with a sigh. I scoff at the implication, but I shake my head and keep walking because I know he’s right.
I kick my shoes off and head to the dining room to see my mom already laughing at my boyfriend’s jokes. This is going… WAY better than I could’ve ever hoped. The food is already on the table, laid out, and I can’t help but look at the pate kòde that my mother has been spoiling me with for as long as I could eat.
“All of a sudden, you’re 5 again and only have food on your mind,” my mother said, almost as if she knew she’d startle me. “Still my same pitit fi, can’t get enough of my cooking.”
“Padon, manmi,” I said as we embraced. “You know that smell is enchanting.”
“Yes, well clearly you’re gonna be enchanted all night.” She points to my boyfriend, chuckling to himself as he looks at all of my baby pictures. “He seems like quite the lovely man.”
“You can stop looking at those whenever you want,” I teasingly said to my boyfriend.
“Thank you for your permission, ma’am,” he said sarcastically. “But I’m actually quite enjoying this. 1st place in the spelling bee 3 years in a row, huh? Impressive.”
“I will not be bullied for my appreciation of language!”
“I’m not bullying you! It’s cute, really!”
“We have more in a photo album upstairs, if you’d like to see after dinner,” my dad interrupted, using innocent eyes to hide the dastardly move he just pulled.
“Let’s all get ready to eat now, then, shall we?” my boyfriend asked as he went to wash his hands. I can’t see him as he walks away, but I know he’s bubbling to the rim with excitement.
“Don’t ever tell me you love me again after that,” I joke to my father.
“It’s a rite of passage as a parent, sweetie,” my father said, followed by him bumping me with his elbow. “You’ll see when you have kids.”
“Wow, how crazy is it that I also have to wash my hands now?” I said as I sped away to the bathroom, hearing the laughter of my father echo through the dining room.
After everyone has washed their hands, we sit around the table as my mother leads a prayer, and we begin to eat. I go straight for the pate kòde that I’ve been unable to stop thinking about since I walked in, but I can’t help but notice how easily my boyfriend is talking to my parents. I wanna stop everyone and ask if this is some sort of prank, but part of me can’t stop taking this all in. Three people with such different approaches and attitudes towards life, but they’re talking like they’ve been on the same page since they were born. It’s truly a sight to behold, and I’m just happy it can be with the people I love.
After dinner was over, my parents hugged me and my boyfriend goodbye and the smiles on their faces were so prevalent. I don’t know if it was pride in their daughter or excitement for the man she’s dating, but I’m choosing to be optimistic for once and assume it’s both.
“Wait,” I say before my boyfriend goes down the stairs. “Come here for a bit.” He reluctantly sidles next to me, and awaits a follow up that never comes.
“What are we doing, exactly?” he asked.
“Looking at the stars,” I responded. “How bright and beautiful they are.” My boyfriend’s head didn’t move, so I slowly turned mine to look at him quizzically. “What are YOU doing, exactly?”
“Looking at the stars,” he responded.
He was looking in my eyes.
I teared up and hugged him as quickly and tightly as I could. I wanted to explain, but I couldn’t stand to move. I just wanted to feel his warmth.
“I know you were worried,” he explained. “But your parents love you just like I do. And because we all care so much about you, we know that we hold ourselves and each other to a higher standard, and there’s no need for that to get in the way of any relationships. We all want the best for you, and that’s what makes it so easy to talk to them. You hold people together, honey. Even if you can’t see it.”
After a couple minutes of being stunned, I wipe my tears off as he holds my face.
“…but did you like the food?” I asked.
He chuckles to himself. “I loved it.”
We looked at each other, and I saw that love in his eyes, but I couldn’t tell if it was for the food or me.
So I’m choosing to be optimistic.