My Own Personal Love Story: Paul Meets the Parents

Have you read the first and second blog posts in this series? Read #1 here and #2 here!

The first time he met my parents, Paul and I had been dating a little less than three months. It was early December and my folks had flown to Boston to attend a student reading at which I’d be presenting an excerpt from my newly finished graduate thesis. (Yep, you guessed it: a novel.)

I had told them that their attendance at the reading would mean more to me than coming to the impersonal cap-and-gown ceremony in the spring, months after I’d completed my MFA. Still, though, I was nervous about having them there. What if they didn’t like my writing?

That night was cold and snowy, and I met my parents at their hotel. Paul had been planning to meet us there for dinner, but he called just as we were getting into the elevator.  

He’d taken a red-eye flight home from a business trip in California that had arrived that morning, so he was exhausted; he’d gone to a doctor that afternoon and been diagnosed with strep throat; and he couldn’t find his wallet. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to make it after all.

“Oh,” I said, disappointment settling into my stomach like a stone. “Don’t kill yourself trying to get here if you’re not feeling good.”

My parents exchanged a look. They were almost certainly remembering my college boyfriend, who hadn’t fully committed to skipping my college graduation to attend his roommate’s party until the night before.

“Strep throat,” I told them, after I got off the phone with Paul. “He’s going to try to make it if he can.”

My dad raised an eyebrow. “No man enjoys meeting his girlfriend’s parents.”

“It’s not like that,” I protested. “He’s sick.” I wasn’t happy that Paul’s illness was marring my parents’ first impression of him. Their opinion mattered to me, and I’d been looking forward to introducing him to them.

My mom, a petite and laid-back redhead, took my dad’s arm firmly and said, “I’m sure he’ll be here if he can.”

Sure enough, a few minutes later, Paul called again. “Just wanted to let you know I’m headed over.”

I smiled, relieved. “Did you find your wallet?”

“Not yet, but I found some subway tokens.”

“So you’re coming?”

“Yeah,” he said. “I’m on my way.”

Find out what happened next by clicking here!