they’ll be snobs. They raised you! I just don’t want them to think I’m some gold digger after their son’s money. I’m not rich like this, Jeremy.” I can see her point. Once she meets my parents, though, she won’t worry about it anymore.
I take her hand as we approach the front door. She’s so nervous, her palms are sweating. I take the flowers that she’s brought for my mom out of her hands, grab her, and give her a passionate kiss, hoping to distract her.
The door opens, and my parents are both standing there, staring at us, a surprised yet pleased expression on their faces.
Uh-oh. I look at Mattie; her face is flushed. I’m not sure if it’s from the kiss or from the embarrassment of getting caught by my parents.
My mom jumps in first. She rushes over to me and gives me a big hug. “Oh, I’m so happy you’re here. And you’ve brought Mattie!” She leans down to give Mattie a hug. “Mattie, I’m so happy to finally meet you. I’ve been hearing so much about you!”
Mattie still looks a little embarrassed, but she recovers quickly. “I’m so glad to meet you also!”
I finally remember that I’m holding the flowers. I hand them back to Mattie. Mattie takes them back, giving me a little smile. I know that smile. That smile means I’m going to need to grovel a bit for embarrassing her in front of my parents. But I know she won’t stay mad for long—she never does.
She hands my mom the flowers. “Thank you so much for having me over.”
My mom exclaims, “Daisies. My favorite! Thank you. Let’s get you two inside. Kaye, Nick, and the boys are out back by the pool.”
We enter the house, and the smells are out of this world. It looks like Mom has pulled out all the stops and hired a caterer. When we were younger, we always had live-in help. My mom is unashamed that she can’t cook. She’s says she’s great at “reheating,” and that’s where her talent begins and ends. I think she really just wanted to spend the extra time with Kaye and me.
We head back to the cabana and pool area. My nephews, Justin and Jordan, are having a cannonball contest in the deep end of the pool. I steer Mattie away from all the chaos.
Kaye sees Mattie and rushes over to greet her. We’ve gotten together a handful of times since their first meeting at the water park. They’ve become great friends. They hug, and Kaye goes back to try to tame the boys.
My mom comes out holding a big box. I look at her with my eyebrows raised. “What do you have there?”
She laughs. “We couldn’t have Mattie over without showing her your childhood pictures!” I see Mattie straighten up. She leans over to where my mom has placed the box. She claps her hands with glee. I roll my eyes. This is going to be a long day. I decide to join mydad and the boys in the pool. I don’t think I want to relive my awkward middle-school years right now.
As the afternoon progresses, I watch Mattie and my mom talk and laugh. It looks as if they’ve known each other for years, not hours. As they continue their discussion, I notice my mom hugging Mattie. I continue to watch as she takes Mattie’s face in her hands and talks to her seriously about something. It looks like they are both crying. I’m assuming it’s a good cry, but I make my way there just to be sure.
“Hey, Mom, you making my girlfriend cry?” I ask jokingly. I can already tell that they’ve bonded over pictures.
She responds, “Yes, Jeremy. You have a problem with that?”
Mattie is smiling over at me, enjoying our exchange. I ask her, “Do you need me to rescue you?”
She replies, “Nope. I’m perfect.” I can see that, so I return to the game of Marco Polo I was playing with the boys.
After dinner, we help put away the dishes and head back to Sedona. This has been a great day for both of us.
I loved seeing Mattie interact with my parents. I knew they would love each other; I just didn’t realize that it would be at their first meeting.
Mattie
I
I take her hand as we approach the front door. She’s so nervous, her palms are sweating. I take the flowers that she’s brought for my mom out of her hands, grab her, and give her a passionate kiss, hoping to distract her.
The door opens, and my parents are both standing there, staring at us, a surprised yet pleased expression on their faces.
Uh-oh. I look at Mattie; her face is flushed. I’m not sure if it’s from the kiss or from the embarrassment of getting caught by my parents.
My mom jumps in first. She rushes over to me and gives me a big hug. “Oh, I’m so happy you’re here. And you’ve brought Mattie!” She leans down to give Mattie a hug. “Mattie, I’m so happy to finally meet you. I’ve been hearing so much about you!”
Mattie still looks a little embarrassed, but she recovers quickly. “I’m so glad to meet you also!”
I finally remember that I’m holding the flowers. I hand them back to Mattie. Mattie takes them back, giving me a little smile. I know that smile. That smile means I’m going to need to grovel a bit for embarrassing her in front of my parents. But I know she won’t stay mad for long—she never does.
She hands my mom the flowers. “Thank you so much for having me over.”
My mom exclaims, “Daisies. My favorite! Thank you. Let’s get you two inside. Kaye, Nick, and the boys are out back by the pool.”
We enter the house, and the smells are out of this world. It looks like Mom has pulled out all the stops and hired a caterer. When we were younger, we always had live-in help. My mom is unashamed that she can’t cook. She’s says she’s great at “reheating,” and that’s where her talent begins and ends. I think she really just wanted to spend the extra time with Kaye and me.
We head back to the cabana and pool area. My nephews, Justin and Jordan, are having a cannonball contest in the deep end of the pool. I steer Mattie away from all the chaos.
Kaye sees Mattie and rushes over to greet her. We’ve gotten together a handful of times since their first meeting at the water park. They’ve become great friends. They hug, and Kaye goes back to try to tame the boys.
My mom comes out holding a big box. I look at her with my eyebrows raised. “What do you have there?”
She laughs. “We couldn’t have Mattie over without showing her your childhood pictures!” I see Mattie straighten up. She leans over to where my mom has placed the box. She claps her hands with glee. I roll my eyes. This is going to be a long day. I decide to join mydad and the boys in the pool. I don’t think I want to relive my awkward middle-school years right now.
As the afternoon progresses, I watch Mattie and my mom talk and laugh. It looks as if they’ve known each other for years, not hours. As they continue their discussion, I notice my mom hugging Mattie. I continue to watch as she takes Mattie’s face in her hands and talks to her seriously about something. It looks like they are both crying. I’m assuming it’s a good cry, but I make my way there just to be sure.
“Hey, Mom, you making my girlfriend cry?” I ask jokingly. I can already tell that they’ve bonded over pictures.
She responds, “Yes, Jeremy. You have a problem with that?”
Mattie is smiling over at me, enjoying our exchange. I ask her, “Do you need me to rescue you?”
She replies, “Nope. I’m perfect.” I can see that, so I return to the game of Marco Polo I was playing with the boys.
After dinner, we help put away the dishes and head back to Sedona. This has been a great day for both of us.
I loved seeing Mattie interact with my parents. I knew they would love each other; I just didn’t realize that it would be at their first meeting.
Mattie
I
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