Modern Love

Chapter 5 - Meeting His Mom!

We are cutting it close because of our intimate encounter. Hand in hand, we rush through the Lille Flandres station, as if we're characters in a movie. I can almost hear the accompanying background music as we sprint. Taking the train for about fifteen minutes, we arrive at Templeuve and locate Anthony's car. "It's my dad's car. It's pretty old, and the window is broken," he remarks. "First, we're going to the supermarket where my mom works to buy something for dinner." Since I had already cooked lunch for him earlier, despite its lackluster taste, Anthony promised to prepare dinner for me tonight—his French version of Carbonara pasta. Nervously, I inquire, "Will we meet your mom there?" I've never formally met anyone's mother before, let alone my boyfriend's mom. "No, she's at home, but we might run into some of her colleagues who know me occasionally," Anthony explains. "They might be like, 'What the fuck? You have a girlfriend?' But I don't care about them." He kisses my hands, reassuring me. We load up on groceries—cheese, ham, bacon, noodles, and more. "I want you to try this," he says, selecting a piece of cheese. I had expressed my desire to taste French cheese because I had never tried it before, and I can't believe Anthony remembered.

Once we finish shopping, it's time to head home and meet his mom. Suddenly, Anthony exclaims, "Wait, let me do it," as I fasten my seatbelt in the car. "I want to be romantic, like in the movies." It feels so delightful that I allow him to take care of it, laughing all the while, and soon, we both burst into uncontrollable laughter. I can't help but think how adorable my boyfriend is.

"Okay, stop. I'm so nervous right now. Tell me what to do, how to greet her, how to address her. What can I do to make her like me?" I ask anxiously as we park in front of Anthony's house. Seeing my nervousness, Anthony chuckles softly and reassures me, "Don't worry, just be yourself. Call her... I'll ask her later. Do you know about 'la bise'?" "No!" I panic inwardly, even though I've read about it before—the unique French way of greeting each other. But now, I feel like I know nothing. "Teach me. Tell me how to do it!" So Anthony patiently guides me, practicing with me until he finally says, "Okay, let's go." He takes my hand, and together we enter the house.

"Bonjour!" His mom greets me when she sees me. "Bonjour!" I reply. "Ça va?" Then it's time for 'la bise.' I manage to do it correctly, and everything feels safe. It turns out Anthony's mom doesn't speak English, so most of the time, Anthony acts as our translator, or I struggle with my limited French to communicate.

"Let's have some cheese first, and then we can take the dogs for a walk. Afterward, we'll come back and cook dinner. Sound good?" Anthony suggests. "Sure, that sounds perfect," I respond happily. The cheese and wine are incredible, and I can't seem to stop eating, even though we've already had plenty. "So the big one is Gaia. I'll take her, and you take Cookie, the small one," Anthony instructs, and we head to the large park surrounding the nearby lake. Perhaps because it's the countryside, there aren't many people around—just the two of us. It feels incredibly romantic, especially since it's my first time walking dogs. In Taiwan, I only have two cats that I don't need to take for walks. It's a brand new experience, and I'm sharing it with Anthony. Everything feels perfect, and we savor these precious moments together. It's simply amazing.

But suddenly, something falls from the sky. "Shit," Anthony curses. "It's raining. We need to get back home." Before he can finish his sentence, the rain intensifies, pouring down heavily. We only have one small umbrella, which proves futile. Hand in hand, we run in the rain with the dogs. It's wet and cold, but also fun and undeniably romantic. It feels like a scene from a movie.

When we finally return home, we dry our wet clothes and begin preparing dinner together. Anthony's mom approaches him and says something in French that I don't understand. "My mom loves the cookie you gave her," Anthony relays, and his mom gestures for him to try it too. He goes to the living room and grabs one of the cookies I bought earlier at Asie Gambetta. "Wow, it's..." Anthony's expression looks amusing. "It's good! Better than I expected. It's not too sweet!" he comments. "Yeah, I know. It's half salty, half sweet, actually, right?" I reply, satisfied with their reactions to the cookies I brought. "Yeah, I really like it. My mom says she loves it too. Look, she's already had four of them."

The pasta Anthony made is absolutely incredible. Honestly, it's the best pasta I've ever tasted in my life. Anthony can't help but burst into laughter as he watches my amazed expression after every bite. After we finish our dinner, we make our way to the train station to head back to Lille. Even Anthony's mom insists that we can stay if we want to, but since all my belongings are at Anthony's apartment in Lille, we have to return.

"À bientôt!" Anthony's mom bids us farewell. "À bientôt!" I reply with a smile. On the way back home, Anthony breaks the silence, saying, "I think my mom likes you. Don't you think so?" Relief washes over me, but there's still a slight fear lingering, doubting if Anthony is simply trying to ease my worries. "Yes, of course. I'll ask her myself later," I assure him. "Okay."

Before we head to his apartment, we make a quick stop at my place to pick up something I need. Anthony waits outside, and when I come downstairs, he greets me with a warm smile and says, "My mom likes you. She told me so, and she mentioned that you have great manners." I can't contain my joy. I couldn't be happier knowing that my boyfriend's mom genuinely likes me.

That night, we decide not to have sex at all. Today has been exhausting, and we both feel the need to rest. Despite that, I'm still incredibly content because Anthony's mom approves of our relationship.