Nella shakes her head.
“It’s not business lingo. It’s a hint at how busy and exciting Susan’s life is. She wants me to thank her for making time for us.” I look over sympathetically.
“I’m sure that’s not true because honestly, that sounds really Machiavellian. But are you going to see her?” I ask in a neutral tone. I know my actions can come off as patronizing sometimes, but occasionally, my girl gets too caught up in a situation to view it clearly. What’s one meal with her mother? It can’t be that bad, can it? I cross the room to embrace Nella, putting my hands on her shoulders.
“She’s family,” I remind her gently. “Your flesh and blood.”
The curvy woman just sighs.
“I know family means a lot to you, Paul. But not everyone’s family is so amazing, and in fact, Susan and I have never gotten along. It’s not just a puberty or teenage angst thing either. We’re totally different people, and there’s just too much history there. Honestly, Susan’s always put herself and her needs before anyone else. For some reason, she thinks she’s hot shit, even though now, she’s an aging blonde.”
“How old is your mom?” I ask thoughtfully.
“Forty-five,” says Nella in a terse voice. “She had me when she was really young, so she was always the prettiest of the mom squad. But still! This woman needs to get a grip on reality. I just don’t understand where she gets off being so selfish. You know she basically drove my dad away with her bad behavior, right?”
I nod. There’s clearly a lot of baggage there, and I try to be understanding.
“Well, forty-five is a sensitive time for a lot of women,” I say. “It’s when a woman’s good looks begin to fade, and if anything, that just gets their panties into a bunch even more. Just be kind,” I urge. “It’s no skin off your nose to be nice.” I don’t add that I’ve dated quite a few cougars in the past, thus my familiarity with their psychology. Fortunately, Nella doesn’t sense this and pins me with a look.
“You don’t know Susan,” she warns. “It can be really painful to be in her presence for a mere five minutes.”
I laugh.
“Maybe, but I still think you should go see her. Do you want me to come with you?”
At this, Nella looks absolutely horrified.
“Definitely not! Nothing good could come of you meeting my mom. She would just humiliate me, and savor it even more because you’re there. She’s sadistic, I swear.”
“Nothing could ever change the way I see you,” I tell her while pulling her into my chest. I kiss the top of her head before suggesting that she bring me along once more. I want a serious relationship with Nella, and that would include meeting and accepting her family, no matter what that entails.
“Call your mom back and say yes to lunch,” I say persuasively. “Tell her you’ll be bringing your boyfriend. Hopefully, I’ll deflect some of her attention from you, and the ordeal won’t be so bad.”
Nella sighs with reluctance, but ultimately, she knows I’m right and picks up the phone to schedule a lunch date with her mom. She pencils it in, albeit with a grimace on her face.
Now, the day has come and it’s time to grab lunch with Nella’s mom. I look over in the car at my girlfriend, and she looks ravishing in a gorgeous blue dress and matching blue purse. However, her gaze is locked straight ahead and her mouth’s in a compressed line.
“It’s going to be fine,” I say, dropping a big hand on her knee. “This meal will be over before you know it.”
Nella lets out a sigh and finally turns to look at me. I see that she’s wearing more make-up than usual, as if the cosmetics are battle paint.
“We’ll see,” she says with a twist to her mouth. “It could be a long forty-five minutes, I’m warning you.”
I laugh because I don’t mind if her mom is rude or if the two of them bicker. I just want to be involved; I want to be part of all aspects of Nella’s life, even the shitty ones. Thus, I highly doubt that things are going to be that terrible. Either way, I’m in this with her, whether she likes it or not.
We park at a garage about two blocks away from the café and end up hoofing it to be on time. The maitre’d greets us as we step up to the patio, but Nella’s already caught sight of her mom sitting in the garden. I squint. There’s a woman dressed in all black, who’s scarily thin. Her low-cut blouse exposes her rib cage from the front, and her gaucho pants can’t hide the fact that her legs are mere twigs. She’s smoking a cigarette, and then turns slightly to put it out, revealing her profile.