Well...Okay, Mom

When Will and I dated the first time, my parents didn't like him. At all. They thought he was too poor. They thought his parents were arrogant. They thought his sister was rude. They thought we were too young to be so serious about each other. Then they found out I was having sex with him and they REALLY didn't like him.

I have been a nervous wreck trying to figure out how to tell my parents I got back with Will. My mother holds grudges for years. I was certain telling her would not go well no matter how I did it.

To make things a bit more uncomfortable for me, Will has already told his family and they were fine with it. I felt a bit abashed for not being completely honest with my family. I resolved to tell my folks on Sunday.

But I chickened out. Sunday was going great with both parents in a good mood (extreme rarity). I just didn't want to start an argument. So I kept my mouth shut.

Monday, I was telling my friend about the reaction I feared. She pointed out that the longer I waited, the worse it would be. And this is true. Plus, Will lives in Salem, which is a very small town. Everybody knows him. Everybody knows me. Everybody knows what we drive. Somebody is bound to see us together. It would get back to my mother and then not only would she be angry that I got back with that stupid boy she can't stand, but she would be hurt that I kept it a secret.

My friend suggested I call her. That way if things got ugly I could hang up. If  I call fairly early in the week, my parents would have time to cool off before I see them next Sunday.

I chickened out two more times before I finally got enough courage screwed up.

I told my mother I had a boyfriend. "Oh? When are we going to meet him?"

"Well, you've already met him."

"Who is it?"

"Will."

Dead silence. Oh God, shit's about to hit the fan.

She took a deep breath. "Well, if you're happy...good for you."

Wha...?!

And that was it. She made sure he wasn't still married, asked where he worked, asked how often we saw each other, and told me I was old enough to make my own decisions. She thanked me for telling her and then she changed the subject. She talked on for a few minutes, and before we hung up, she asked if I was bringing Will with me to the house on Sunday.

Sometimes my mom isn't so bad.