“What?” he asked again.
“Max was the epitome of my dad—shy, reserved, and gentle. How sad. I miss my parents so badly, I need to date people who remind me of them.”
I had to laugh at myself. The four years I’d loved Max, never once did I think he reminded me of Dad. But tonight, as I told this story, it was very clear both Max and Jake substituted for my lost loves.
“So all this time, my dad loved my mother, but didn’t do anything about it.”
“Was your mom into your dad also?”
“I asked that same question and they both said no. She was dating someone else, but she said she always thought of my dad as a dear friend.”
“So how did they get together if she was dating someone else?”
“When school ended, Mom was driving home to LA, and about an hour away from school, she got a flat tire. She said the first and only person she thought to call was not her boyfriend, but my dad. She knew then he was the man she loved and trusted to take care of her. Of course my dad came to her immediately upon receiving the call.”
“And that’s how they got together?”
“Kind of…remember how I told you my dad was terribly shy?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Well, Mom knew he liked her, but wouldn’t admit it unless something extreme happened. So when he got to my mom, she ran to him and hugged him as if he had rescued her from death.” I proceeded to laugh really hard. Jake patiently waited for me to continue the story. “She embraced him dearly and started confessing her feelings. My dad, being in a state of shock, didn’t say a word, but tried to pry her body off him.”
Jake had a bit of a why look on his face so I explained, “You know, they were in the middle of the 10 freeway and cars were honking everywhere.”
“Did she let go of him?”
“Nope. My mom told me she held onto him till he was forced to confess his feelings for her. You want to know what else she forced him to do?”
He nodded yes.
“He was about to go off to grad school, and she didn’t want to be separated from him, so she got him to propose to her and tied him down all within the same hug. Isn’t that insane?”
“Lucky guy! Could something like that happen with you?”
“I doubt it. I’m not brave like my mom. She always knew what she wanted and she went after it till it was hers. Strong and secure would be the two words that epitomized her personality. She rarely wavered. I, on the other hand, take too much after my dad. I’m introverted and insecure. Even if I wanted something, I probably wouldn’t outright tell anyone. It can be a bit of a guessing game with me.”
“So when did your parents get married?”
“They got married that summer. Mom transferred schools and finished undergrad while she was married to my dad.”
“You mean she got married when she was eighteen?”
“Just about…I think she turned nineteen just before her wedding day. Here are their wedding photos.”
Mom looked radiant in her wedding dress. She looked so happy. I wished she could’ve stayed this happy even after Dad’s death. It would have helped me during my difficult days after Dad left us.
“That’s a great story. So when were you born?”
“The day after my mom graduated from college. She was a balloon at her graduation. Look at her.” I touched my mom’s picture again. She looked even more beautiful.
“When I was young, I was painfully shy, just like my dad. My mom thought she could turn me into a mini-me but failed miserably. She couldn’t understand why I didn’t want people other than my family giving me any attention or why I couldn’t speak my mind. The only person who really understood me was my dad. He knew exactly how I felt, because he felt the same way.”
“But you’re not shy now, although I suppose you get embarrassed easily.”
“That only happened after my dad died. My dad and I were really close. When I was younger, I preferred my dad over my mom. Because I was unusually small for my age, Dad carried me around like a little child till I was seven. He understood my need to be alone and my fear of unwanted attention. He showered me with love and affection and protected me from all my fears.”
The tears finally appeared. They had been brewing, but for Jake’s sake, I held off as long as I could. My story started off so happy, I didn’t want it to end on a sad note.
“Then he died when I was in eighth grade, and his death devastated me. My mom and I had both lost the love of our lives and our best friend. This was also when I started to finally grow and develop physically. I was a mess in every way when I got to my grandparents’ home in LA.”