MOTHER:Sweetheart, I just tried calling. We’ll be in your neighborhood in an hour to meet with a client. We’re going to stop by and see you. To say hello.
MOTHER:Are you at home? You’re not answering your buzzer but one of your tenants just came out and said he saw you in the building an hour ago.
I recalled one of the ground floor neighbors waving to me as Maureen and I came down the stairs earlier.
MOTHER:We are going to get a bite to eat at the coffeehouse near your place. We’ll stop by again before we leave.
MOTHER:We haven’t seen you since Thanksgiving.
FATHER:Son, you need to answer your mother’s calls. You know how she gets when you don’t reply.
I rolled my eyes. All the missed calls and texts had come within the span of an hour. Couldn’t they assume I was busy or away from my phone? So accustomed to a quick response, they felt completely justified to freak out when I didn’t get back to them right away. Maureen was correct. It was past time to establish real boundaries.
ME:I’m just getting home now. I was driving.
My phone rang immediately.
“Sweetheart, I was so worried.”
“Mother, you’re being ridiculous. It’s not like it’s been days since I’ve contacted you. There are going to be hours in my life when I’m not able to text.”
“Yes, yes. It’s just that we are so near to your little apartment building. It would be a shame not to stop by. You’ve been so distant this past week.”
Maureen and I got out of the car as I held the phone to my ear.
“I can go to Bren’s place,” Maureen mouthed.
Putting the device to my chest to muffle the sound, I spoke in a hushed voice. “No. Please stay.” Her brows came together as I clarified, “I would love to introduce you to my parents, if you’re okay with it.”
“William?” My mother’s voice came through. “Are you there?”
“Sorry, Mother. I’m here. How about you guys come over when you finish eating?”
“That sounds wonderful, sweetheart. We’ll see you in ten minutes.”
After I hung up, Maureen and I walked in silence up the side stairs from the parking garage into the lobby. Once we reached the third-floor landing, I turned to her.
“You can go to Bren’s if you want, but I’d really love for my parents to meet you.”
Her lips lifted into a wry smile. “I appreciate the offer. But there’s no way I’m meeting your parents when I have sex hair and my makeup isn’t done.”
“Sex hair?”
“It’s a thing.” She kissed me swiftly. “How about you let me know when they leave?”
“Can I take you out tonight?”
“I’d love that. I’ll shower and get ready. Text me when the coast is clear.”
“I’m going to tell them about the concussion and being in Coleman Creek this past week.”
“Good.” She pulled away and walked to Bren and Chase’s doorway. “Who knows? They might surprise you.”
I doubted that. They would be hurt because I hadn’t called them immediately, which was fair. But I didn’t know how to make them understand why I kept them at a distance, that they weren’t rational with anything reminding them of my accident. It triggered them into seeing me as that sullen eighteen-year-old kid who couldn’t be trusted to make his own decisions.
We’d made a lot of progress over the past few years, with them giving me more space. Except that had largely been because I’d hidden things from them. Now I saw that to continue moving forward, there needed to be truth between us.
I loved my parents. They loved me. But if we were going to have a mutually respectful relationship, they needed to see me.
