Meet The Parents

It is pleasantly warm and sunny here in Los Angeles, where I am visiting with family, partly because of the weather but mostly because of my sister and Maverick, who provide all the sunshine I need.

My sister has lived here for the past 18 years and I get to spend time with her only once a year. The separation was painful at first but then, time and distance has anesthetized that initial hurt. I forget how much I miss her until I see her again. A writing classmate, Risa, has articulated the phenomenon of sororital separation very well in her nonfiction piece, which will be published soon. So now, we sit and eat and talk, and sit and eat and talk some more. There's nothing I'd like to do more here than hang out with her.

Maverick has been here since the end of April and has decided to do her graduate studies at the Annenberg School of Journalism. I had presumed that she would go back to Europe for that since I thought she never much liked America and I am thrilled with her decision. She's close to family here and that, in my book, counts for a whole lot.

Also, her boyfriend, Andreas is here, who I met fort the first time last night--it was a meet-the-parents moment. He did not disappoint. He's the type whom all mothers would love: well-groomed, conservatively-dressed, well-mannered, charming, conversant, funny, and most of all very solicitous to Maverick.

The three of us: Andreas, Maverick and I, went to dinner at Kabuki, a Japanese restaurant that served a heavenly lobster dish. The sushi was terrific, the conversation flowed naturally, and I enjoyed the evening. It seemed that Andreas did too. But Maverick's is another story altogether. She was so nervous, so anxious that I wouldn't approve of Andreas that she was a wreck most of the night. She told me during our "debriefing," after Andreas had dropped us home and left, that she was tense, which I saw from the beginning. That was when I figured she must really like him. She hasn't ever been like that with anybody--didn't take her previous relationships seriously. She also said that Andreas mentioned he had never seen her as nervous as last night. His words, according to her, were: "I've never seen you like this; your mother does get to you." I don't quite know what to make of that statement.

I'm sure she is relieved It's over. Of course, a few hours is no gauge for Andreas' true colors but I rely on mother's instinct this time and I have his name written down on my "okay" list--for now.