Fallon: Where’s Mom? Shouldn't someone be parenting you?
Em: She just left for her sunrise yoga class. How freaking cute is that? She goes three times a week and wears coordinating workout clothes. It’s adorable.
Fallon: That is adorable. And I’d love to hear more, but I have breakfast plans.
Em: Are you going to Gran and Grandad’s? Will they try to marry you off to a stranger while your husband is sitting right there? How awkward.
Fallon: No, I haven’t seen them since I got back from Vegas…
Em: Believe me, I know. Gran told me all about it. She’s quite worried for the state of your soul, tbh. I tried to tell her you don’t have one, but that didn’t seem to help.
Fallon: OMG. And I’m the one they worry about. Unbelievable.
Em: That’s because I’m a lost cause and everyone knows it. So, what are your breakfast plans? Wait, is “breakfast plans” a euphemism for blowjob?
Fallon: NO. STOP. EWWWWWW.
Fallon: remind me never to let you meet my husband. You two have way too much in common. You’d be a lethal combination. And for your information, Ollie’s parents are in town and we’re meeting them for breakfast.
Em: Have fun! Oooh, maybe you can order sausage for breakfast. Hmmm…if his parents are there, you should probably save that for dessert.
I don’t even bother replying. I just shake my head, finish applying lip balm, and start getting dressed.
It doesn’t take long for us to walk to the diner downtown, and I spot Ollie’s parents as soon as we step inside. It helps that he’s shown me some family photos, but even without those visual aids, it would be easy to tell who they are. His dad’s blond hair is threaded with streaks of gray, but he’s got the same broad shoulders, cleft chin, and confident air. His mom’s blonde hair is probably courtesy of a very expensive stylist, but her dark blue eyes are the same as her son’s.
Ollie takes a deep breath and squeezes my hand before leading me to the back of the restaurant.
His parents are all smiles as we slide into the booth. Ollie’s sitting next to his mom and I’m beside his dad. I have my hearing aids in, of course, but there’s usually a lot of background noise in places like this, so I’m glad Ollie can interpret for me if I need him to. And I know he’ll do it without me even asking. One thing I’ve learned about my husband is that he’s attentive to my needs, often before I even voice them. He always makes sure I have coffee inthe morning and he’s started making me lunch every afternoon. I know he’s a little tense about this breakfast, and I hope that I can be there for him the way he’s constantly showing up for me.
Ollie kisses his mom’s cheek and shakes his dad’s hand. I notice his mom smiling at me as she touches the tips of her fingers to her chin and begins to signGood Morning.
The gesture is sweet and when she glances up at Ollie to see how she did and he offers her a genuine smile, my heart melts a little. I know he told them that I’m Deaf, but also that I used hearing aids and read lips, so we’ll be able to have a conversation without fully having to rely on Ollie as a go-between. But it still means a lot that she’s making an effort to communicate in the way that’s most comfortable for me.
“Good Morning,” I sign back before turning to his dad to say hello, but Mrs. Jablonski isn’t the only one who’s been learning ASL signs. Mr. Jablonski clasps his hands together while saying, “Congratulations.”
I’m not fully convinced that this man is as charming as his son, but we’re off to a better start than I thought we’d be.
“Mr. and Mrs. Jablonski, it’s so nice to meet you,” I say.
“Please, call me Kelly,” his mom says.
“And I’m Louis. After all, you’re family now, right?” His dad’s tone is jovial and there’s a smile on his face, but something just doesn’t sit right with me. His words feel a little bit like a dig.
“I know we didn’t exactly follow a traditional timeline,” Ollie says, clearly detecting the same undercurrent I did, “but I’m really glad you guys are here and that I can introduce you to Fallon, my wife. She’s…amazing. I know you’re going to love her.”
My eyes hang on Ollie’s lips, watching as each word falls out of his mouth and marches right past my defenses. Maybe he’s just selling our marriage so his parents believe it, or maybe he doesn’t want me to be the villain when all of this ends. We haven’t talked about an end date, not since the plane ride, but everything ends eventually, right?
The way he’s looking at me right now has me questioning a lot of things, but when his folks crack open their menus, Ollie and I do the same. I smile to myself, thinking that Booker’s right. I always order the same breakfast at diners, and today won’t be any different.
When our server arrives with coffee, Ollie orders a breakfast that’s so large it will fill two platters, I ask for a waffle with strawberries and a side of bacon, and his parents order matching egg white omelets.
After our server hustles back to the kitchen, Ollie’s parents turn their attention to me.
“So, Fallon, what’s your major?” Kelly asks.
“Graphic design,” I answer.
“Good. That’s a job you can do from home, right?” his dad says, pouring creamer into his coffee. “Because you’ll have your hands full with this guy. Keeping him under control is a full-time job, believe me.”
