Daddy Issues

82 - Special

'Oh my. Well, aren't you... young.'

'Mom.'

There's a clear note of warning in Dan's voice when he addresses the woman that opened the door.

Her hair is a dark grey, streaked with some lighter parts here and there. She wears it on top of her head in a thick messy bun. Dan told me she's 72, but if I didn't know that, I'd have guessed her slightly younger. The energy that radiates from her certainly doesn't scream old and withered. She wears a long, dark purple kimono-like vest over a black t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Paired with the large red-rimmed glasses and artsy earrings dangling from her ears, she certainly gives off a creative vibe.

She seems like an interesting person, but right now, she mostly looks frazzled. She's clearly not used yet to the idea of her son dating someone half his age who also happens to be his ex's daughter. But we're here to fix that. So despite the wave of nausea that hit me as soon as we walked up to the door, I put on a smile and hold out my hand.

'Hi! I'm Emma.'

'Of course you are,' she says, still sounding a little bit frantic as she takes my hand and shakes it. I notice her eyes are the same shade of brown as Dan's.

'It's nice to meet you, Emma,' she says pulling herself together some more. 'I'm Nathalie.'

'I know. I mean, yeah, Dan told me about you.'

I know? What kind of weird stalkery thing to say is that? I can feel Dan's hand on my back for a moment, probably trying to calm me down. Unfortunately, that's not going to cut it this time.

Nathalie laughs a little and I blow out some air when she releases me. I get a little moment to pull myself together too when she pulls Dan in for a hug.

'It's good to see you, honey,' she says as she gets up on her toes to reach him. I guess his dad must be tall because his mother certainly isn't.

'Now, come on in,' she says when she draws away from the hug, ushering us in. 'Let me take your coat. We're so glad you're here, we're very curious about you, Emma!'

Another wave hits me. I'm not ready for any kind of interrogation. I mean, nothing they could ask me will really make them think any better of me, right? I dropped out of med school, I have a terrible history with men, I haven't actually accomplished anything in my life. This is going to suck.

Of course, instead of saying anything like that out loud, I just smile at her.

'I'm very curious about you too.'

Nathalie leads us through the hallway to the kitchen, where Dan's father appears to be preparing our meal. I glance at the pictures on the wall on the way and even in the midst of this nerve-wrecking occasion, chuckle a little when my eye falls on one in particular.

'What?' Dan asks. 'You're not a fan of the haircut?'

Dan can't be any older than 15 in the framed picture. I recognize his handsome face in the young features, but I have to say I'm glad he doesn't still have the awkward bowl cut that his hair is cut into on the picture.

'You look adorable,' I whisper to him.

'Come say hi to your dad,' Nathalie says, leading the way. 'He's just finishing up the sauce, I think. You like bolognese, don't you, honey? Dan says you like pasta.'

'Oh, I love pasta.'

Though I'm not sure I can eat out right now.

'Dan, is that you?' I hear from the kitchen. 'Get your ass in here and help me with this salad.'