Meeting Her Parents

Marco has met plenty of new people before. But meeting a partner's parents for the first time feels different. He and Fiona have been together for eight months. This weekend, he is finally driving with her to her parents' house for Sunday lunch.

"They're going to like you," Fiona says in the car. Marco notices, though, that she has checked her phone three times in the last ten minutes.

"You keep saying that," Marco says. "Are you trying to convince me or yourself?"

Fiona laughs, but it doesn't fully hide how nervous she is either. Her father, she explains, has never been an easy person to read. Her mother tends to ask a lot of direct questions.

When they arrive, Fiona's mother opens the door before they've even reached it, already smiling. "So this is the Marco we've heard so much about," she says, pulling him into a quick hug. Marco relaxes slightly, though his hands are still a little unsteady. He hands over the flowers he brought.

Lunch starts well enough. Fiona's father asks careful, practical questions about Marco's job and where he grew up. He nods at each answer without giving much away. Marco has prepared answers for most of this, but nothing prepares him for the question that comes next.

"So," her father says, setting down his fork, "what are your plans, exactly? With Fiona, I mean."

The table goes quiet. Fiona opens her mouth to interrupt, but Marco speaks first.

"Honestly, I don't have a five-year plan I can hand you," he says. "What I have is someone I care about more than I expected to, this early on. And I'd like to see where that actually goes."

Her father studies him for a long moment, then nods slowly. It's as if that answer was more honest than he expected.

"Fair enough," he says, and passes the potatoes.

After lunch, Fiona's mother pulls Marco aside in the kitchen. "He liked you," she says quietly. "That question means he's already thinking about the future."

Marco lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Then he helps her carry the dishes to the sink.