The Grandmother

He passed the test. I took my honey to Oklahoma this weekend to meet the entire family. He met my mom and dad, 4 of my brothers, a smattering of cousins, my aunts and uncles, family friends, and my two grandmothers. He did all of this with grace and humor. The whole family loved him.

Now, I knew my mom was going to like him. I even knew that my dad would warm up to him. But let me tell you my three "Whoa" stories.

1: My dad, who has never liked any of my boyfriends, said to me (by quoting a movie), that I had chosen wisely, and to Russ (also by quoting a movie), "Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated." Whoa!

2: My brother Josh, who is multihandicapped, has responded to past boyfriends by pulling their hair and ceremoniously puking on them. Josh saw Russ and wanted to be in his lap, having Russ hug him or pet him, and I thought Josh was going to have a massive coronary when Russ did a puppet show for Josh's birthday. Awesome!

3: I took Russ over to my father's side of the family for a get-together on Sunday. I was concerned, because culturally, they are a great deal different than my family of origin. In any case, Russ was a gracious guest, and near the end of our visit, my grandmother, the big cheese, the lady who sets the tone for the rest of the Indian side of my family said, "We like you, Russ." Holy Crap!

To say it went well would be an understatement. They welcomed my baby with open arms. He was totally himself, and they liked that. It was very relaxed, and we had a great time. No major dramas, or anything of the sort.

Oh, and the thing that really sold Russ on Oklahoma: Sonic. It's a beautiful thing.