The day has finally come. On Sunday Nina and I ventured
to Egg Harbor Township to visit her Mother and Stepfather. Nina’s Mother
recently turned 75 so we decided to celebrate with her during one of our free
weekends. Now let’s review some history here. Usually, I never have an issue
getting along with the woman I am dating’s parents, particularly their Mother’s.
On occasion there have been issues, two mainly: the bigot who treated me
horribly despite me being nice and respectful to her, and the one I never met
because her daughter was closeted and her mother played into her insecurities
once she found out we were dating.
Meeting Nina’s Mother was a nerve wrecking experience. I
wanted her to like me, it’s very important to me. I had all kinds of funny
stories about this amazing woman and I also know how important her Mother is to
her, she truly loves this woman. I picked out the perfect Meet The Parent’s
outfit, got a manicure and pedicure, brow wax, and even had Nina spend the
night with me. I made us a huge brunch the next morning and pumped her for more
information about her Mother and Stepfather. I wanted to know if there were any
house rules I needed to observe and how her Mother and Stepfather liked to be
addressed.
Since Nina’s Stepfather was making dinner I offered to
make my favorite Chessman Cookie Banana Pudding and bring a bottle of wine to
share for dinner. Nina actually begged me to make it because she loves it,
although she doesn’t like bananas…or pudding. Nina also wanted to get a
birthday gift for her sister at the Tanger Outlets so the plan was to drop off
the pudding, do a quick meet and greet with the parent’s, then head to Tanger
while her Stepfather finished cooking dinner. The entire car ride there I was anxious
and according to Nina I didn’t even make eye contact with her! We even had to
make an emergency stop at a pharmacy near her Mother’s home because my hair
products decided to flake and act weird and I told Nina that I refused to meet
her Mother looking a hot mess.
The moment of truth – we pull into her Mother’s driveway,
Nina holds my hand and says “you look amazing babe, she’s going to love you.
Just relax and be yourself.” We get to the front door, Nina opens it and allows
me to walk in front of her. Lucky for me her Mother and Stepfather were sitting
in the kitchen instead of right there in the living room. Her Mother hugged me
instantly and her Stepfather did as well. I was still nervous and Nina could
sense it so she told them we needed to head to Tanger before dinner. We headed
to Tanger, walked around and explored the area. Did some shopping before Nina
took me to a cool restaurant and insisted that I not only eat a little something but also have a margarita to take the edge
off.
That drink was just what I needed because I was more
relaxed and back to myself. When we returned to her Mother’s home, Nina’s
Mother asked me to sit with her on the sofa with two wine glasses in hand and
the bottle of wine in the other. We had a girl talk session and walked down
memory lane complete with pictures of herself and Nina when they were much
younger. By the time dinner was over we had finished the entire bottle of wine
and was completely comfortable with each other. Dinner was amazing, Nina’s Stepfather
is an excellent cook, and then it was game time. I have never played Rummikub
but Nina’s folks were practically experts and taught us well. Around 8PM Nina
informed them that we had to go because we both had to work in the morning. One
last hug from her folks for the road and we were on our way back to my home.
