I always teased my boyfriend about how he was the worst at making a good impression. Even when we met, I wasn’t particularly fond of him. However, he grew on me and I couldn’t imagine life without him. He simply made my days better and I could rely on him for anything.
We built a strong relationship despite our ups and downs and it got to a point where I was sure I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. As I mentioned, Mike wasn’t the best at making a good impression and it seems like he had the worst timing for everything.
We agreed to inform our parents about our relationship and our intentions. It wasn’t supposed to be a complicated matter since my parents were quite easygoing. However, Mike managed to ruin everything by saying the wrong things at the wrong time.
“Do you think you’re ready to meet my parents?” I asked him.
“Of course. You said they were easy going, right?”
“Yes, but I’m scared you’ll somehow find a way to make things awkward.”
Those words came back to bite me.
We started planning the meeting but I didn’t inform my parents until we were fully ready. Mike needed to prepare himself mentally and financially and I needed to prepare myself emotionally. I had never introduced a boyfriend to my parents before so I didn’t know how it would go.
However, my mum and I have talked about relationships so I know she would be open to meeting the guy I was dating. My dad just went along with whatever my mum wanted.
It took months of practice and preparation to ensure that Mike made a good impression on my family. After all, I wanted things to work out more than anything. The biggest issue that Mike had was that he was a conspiracy theorist. He believed in so many conspiracies and he tried to convince other people about them.
My parents, on the other hand, are very religious. They don’t get offended by much but when it comes to religion, they can go to war.
“Try not to talk about your conspiracy theories,” I warned him as the days approached.
“They’re not mine.”
“Whatever. Just don’t talk about them.”
“Okay.”
I hoped that he was reasonable enough to avoid certain topics but maybe I should have explained more to him.
The days went by fast and before I realized it, I was at my parents’ house preparing lunch for the meeting.
“What is he like?” My mum asked.
“He’s very sweet and gentle. He treats me like a princess.”
“I’m happy to hear that. It’s not easy to find a man like that nowadays.”
“I know, mum. I just hope you’ll like him.”
“Of course, we’ll like him.”
My mother had no idea what she was about to witness. We finished the preparations, took a shower and waited for our guest to arrive.
One of the other things I told him that my parents valued, especially my dad, was time keeping. We had agreed to meet at 3 pm and as the clock ticked, my heartbeat increased.
At 2.30, Mike hadn’t called to tell me where he was so I called him instead. The phone went unanswered which either meant that he was driving or he hadn’t even left the house.
15 minutes later, he called.
“I’m at the shopping center. What should I come with?”
“Just grab a few things. You’re going to be late.”
He was at our gate at 2.55 pm. My dad gave him the side eye but he wasn’t too upset.
“This is Mike. Mike, these are my parents.” I said as they exchanged pleasantries.
Things were off to a shaky start but Mike hadn’t made a bad impression yet. We went into the house where the aroma of Pilau, grilled chicken and hot chapatis welcomed us.
“Go and serve yourself some food.” My mum told Mike.
“Babe, could you do it for me. I’m a bit tired. And bring me a glass of cold water.”
I was taken aback by the request. Mike had never asked me to serve him and the tone he used was very different.
“Sure,” I said then looked at my parents who didn’t seem surprised.
I brought him his food and water then went to serve myself and we enjoyed our lunch as my parents got to know Mike more.
The more they talked, the more they liked him. Then, my mother brought up a touchy subject.
“Do you go to church?” She asked.
I sighed deeply knowing that his answer would make a bad impression on them. Surprisingly, he kept it simple.
“I do, though I haven’t been consistent lately.”
“Why is that?” My father asked.
“Well, it’s complicated but I think religion was a tool that was used to oppress Africans and trick them into colonialism.”
My mum and dad looked at each other then turned to me and gave me a disappointed look.
They started arguing about religion and I kept trying to get Mike to keep quiet. However, he only got more heated. He started explaining to them conspiracies about religion. At some point, my mum and dad kept quiet and listened in disbelief.
After his rant, things were eerily quiet. No one said anything for a few minutes but we kept looking at each other.
Eventually, my mum got up and said, “Thank you for coming but it’s getting late. I think you should go.”
“Okay,” Mike replied.
They didn’t even talk about our relationship. It was safe to assume that my parents didn’t want anything to do with him.
Once he left, they turned to me and asked, “That’s the man you were planning on spending the rest of your life with?”
“Let me not hear that you’ve gone back to his place. You’d rather live here until you’re 80 if that’s the kind of man you want to marry.”
That was how I lost a relationship just because my boyfriend made a bad impression on my parents. I felt bad because I really liked him. I cried for weeks but my parents stayed firm in their decision. It’s been a few months and though I’ve recovered from the breakup, I’m still not ready to date again.
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