My mom told me to go on a blind date.
But my blind date was my ex-boyfriend.
He and I stared at each other, dumbfounded, but our parents were quite pleased.
"How about you two get to know each other first and see if feelings develop?"
But… holding hands, kissing… we'd already done all the "developing" we needed to do!
1
"Hello, hello. This is my daughter, Hanna Dawson."
"Hello. This is my son, Aiden Hale."
Bringing my mom to a blind date, watching my future mother-in-law meet *her* future mother-in-law… I thought this was some top-tier matchmaking.
What I didn't expect was something even more next-level: my blind date was my ex-boyfriend.
Just last month, I was pointing a finger in his face and calling him a scumbag. He swore that if he ever so much as spoke to me again, he was a dog.
Good thing I hadn't made any rash promises of my own.
As the old saying goes, "Don't burn all your bridges."
The old proverbs don't lie!
I smiled at the man in front of me, waiting for him to bark. We were both practically suffocating, determined not to be the first one to speak.
"Why aren't you talking? Are you mute?"
My mom tapped my hand on the table, but I feigned ignorance and kept waiting.
Finally, Aiden Hale broke the silence.
"Hello…"
'Great,' I thought. 'I could see him gritting his teeth.'
"Oh, young people are just so shy."
"Exactly! It's their first meeting, so it's to be expected."
After our parents exchanged a few more pleasantries, their battle began.
"Our Hanna is on her first blind date. She was so nervous beforehand, worried she'd end up with a difficult mother-in-law and get bullied. She's a timid girl, this one."
Aiden Hale's mother responded instantly, her smile perfectly amiable.
"Don't be nervous. I'm not an unreasonable person, and I don't like to meddle in the lives of young people. Our family has several properties, and Aiden has his own as well, so you wouldn't have to live together. I'm quite modern, you know—I'm even taking swimming lessons now."
'I was inwardly stunned. The way Mrs. Hale was selling her son, you'd think she was afraid Aiden Hale would never get married.'
'And to think someone once claimed he'd find someone new the moment he left me.'
At that thought, I shot a smug look at the man across from me.
Aiden Hale adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and shot back a defiant smile.
"May I ask Ms. Dawson what caused the end of her last relationship?"
I answered instantly, "He cheated. A total scumbag!"
Aiden Hale looked like he was about to grind his molars into dust.
My mom quickly interjected, "Our Hanna is just kind-hearted and too trusting. That's why she was deceived."
"Is that so? Hanna really is a kind soul. There are so many scumbags out there these days, but our Aiden isn't that type of person. He has a very strong moral compass; he'd never do something like cheat!"
I nodded silently from the side. Apparently, Mrs. Hale still didn't know that the "scumbag" I was talking about and her son, Aiden Hale, were one and the same.
After the blind date ended, Mrs. Hale pressed two movie tickets into our hands, saying Aiden Hale should take me to see a movie.
I laughed as I looked at the movie tickets.
Before we broke up, we'd already agreed to see this very movie together. I just never thought we'd break up before it even premiered.
My mom linked arms with Mrs. Hale, and they went off shopping together.
Perhaps friendships between women really do form that fast. The two of them acted like they were long-lost best friends.
Before she left, my mom pulled me aside.
"I know you're not happy about this blind date, but at least try to develop some feelings for him, okay?"
