I Swear You Will Be Fine

Dear Josh,

My sincere apologies again for posting this letter later than usual. My brother wanted to go out for a movie, so we did, and the movie was so bad. I’d rather regurgitate my dinner and eat it again than rewatch that movie. I honestly think you’d feel the same, but then again, we had conflicting opinions on “Dune”.

Like I mentioned in the previous letter, I’ve yet to tell the story of how I told my parents about you and how your first meeting with them went. Weeks before I officially told my parents about you, we were already talking about it. Actually, this was a tiny disagreement we had. Because I met your mum on the first day I came over to your place, you were slightly upset that you haven’t met my parents even though we had been dating for a month. Personally, I wanted to wait at least three months, because I thought that was the normal amount of time we should wait before introducing each other to our parents. You countered this statement with the fact that I met your mum early, and I said that it was because your mum is cool. After a little back-and-forth, we agreed for me to tell them in October. We would have been dating for about than two months or so by then, so it was kind of a compromise.

On the day I was supposed to tell my parents about your existence and ask if they’d like to have dinner with you, I was rightfully nervous. We had to have a pep talk over the phone, in my room, before I could approach my parents. See, I’m sure you didn’t have to do that with your mum because she’s cool! Anyway, I went downstairs to talk to my parents, who were watching TV. They were already mildly annoyed that I told them to pause the movie they were engrossed in, so I had to quickly come out with it. “So… I’ve got a boyfriend,” was what I said. And in my head, I thought of all the possible responses they could give. They could ask why, they could be angry, or they could be happy (I hoped). In the end, they looked at me and said, “We know” and continued their movie. This gave me more shock than if they were to scream and cry.

After a minute or so of confusion on my part, my dad explained that it was easy to tell. Plus, he said that whenever he drops me off at school, you’re always waiting at the drop off point for me. I expected a bigger reaction, but they were nonchalant. “Yeah, so what” was the gist of their reaction. It was only after some pushing that my parents agreed to have dinner with us. Not because they weren’t keen on dinner with you, but because they just didn’t see why dinner was necessary. I think they assumed I’d just bring you home one day, unannounced.

A day before you came over, I prepped my parents. “No smoking, no watching TV when we’re talking, no offering sugary drinks or snacks because he’s very healthy, no asking weird questions, don’t say anything embarrassing. He’s very smart and very nice, don’t be weird in general, okay?” My mum’s reaction to this was, “Wow, so are we allowed to sit on the sofa?”

You were very cute about this meeting. Contrary to the car ride with my dad, you were quite nervous for this. Asking what shirt you should wear, if you should cut your hair, if you should eat dinner before coming over, etc. It was really sweet and I loved that you were nervous. It made me feel like you really wanted to make a good impression. You brought chocolates that were beautifully wrapped (I think your cool mum must have done this part), and sat at the edge of the sofa with your hands in your lap. It was so endearing, it almost made me laugh. My mum still offered you a sugary drink (clearly ignored my instructions), and you were so sweet, you accepted but didn’t drink it. I drank it for you and you had my cup of water instead.

You mostly spoke to my dad – repeating details about your mum and sister, the food your grandma cooks, how your grandpa taught you math as a child which made you a math genius. At one point, as you were naming the various foods your grandma cooks, my dad started wholeheartedly agreeing with you, as if he has eaten the foods you were talking about. The best part was, you started agreeing as well, as if you eat the foods you were naming. The both of you were going back-and-forth, talking about how delicious the food items are, but neither of you actively eat them. I had to call this out – “Y’all don’t even eat these? You eat healthy food (you!) and you eat Chinese food every day (my dad)!” The conversations flowed well, and when dinner arrived, you and I ate at the dining table while my parents sat in front of the TV (again, did not listen to my instructions).

We had Nandos, because that’s one of your favorite places to eat that could still pass as healthy, and because my family had never tried Nandos. The subsequent times you came over we had chicken rice (also one of your favorites), and my grandma’s Chinese food. That’s a story for another time, but the summary of it is: my grandma started speaking in English, a language she claims to not know, just to tell you how happy she is that you’re eating so much of her food.

It’s nice to relive these memories of you. Can’t wait to see you again. I love you more, always, and forever. Oh, and before I forget, my brother is still playing the Pokemon game you introduced him to.

Love always,
Sha