„So, again... Your mother is not ‚Mrs Parrilla', but ‚Ms Azzara'?"
„Correct", she answered without looking over to him but focusing on the road ahead.
„And, your aunt is also ‚Ms Azzara'?"
„Yes. But don't worry, Probably they'll immediately offer you to call them by their first names. My mom's called Dolores, but everyone calls her Dee, my aunt's called Candy. She's an actress too."
„Right, okay. And, what do I do... do I hug them, with COVID and all? Or... shake their hands? Do I bow, or anything?"
She had to laugh. „Don't be silly, baby, please don't make too big of a deal out of this, alright? You're just meeting my mother and aunt."
„Exactly! That IS a big deal!"
„Well, just see what happens. Even though they're both fully vaxxed, I think it's safe to keep your distance at first and wait whether they come to hug you. In general, we're a very touchy family. We're Italian, Sicilian, actually."
He nodded.
Side-eyeing him, she could see the two flower bouquets he was holding in his lap shake with the nervous bouncing of his leg, and she gently put her hand on his thigh. Briefly, she turned her head to give him an encouraging smile. It was cute, actually, how important it was to him to make a good impression today. „Hey! Really, it's okay. You're going to be fine. They love me, and I love you, so ultimately they're going to love you too!"
She managed to sound so confident, that it indeed calmed him down, at least a little. Good thing he didn't know how nervous she really was herself. It had been years – almost ten, in fact – since she had last introduced a new boyfriend to her family. So to say that she was rusty was an understatement. Also, that man from back then would later go on to marry and then divorce her again, so that last time hadn't exactly turned out to be a smashing success. And her mother's reserved reaction on the phone upon hearing the news that she now had a new and much younger boyfriend didn't make her feel too optimistic that things would go all too swimmingly, but he did not need to know that. Her family might need a bit more time to warm up to him, but they'd come around eventually. Jordane was such a wonderful human being, it was simply impossible to dislike him. And if the both of them were really serious about their relationship and had faith that it could last, this was another necessary step they'd have to take eventually. So, today was just as good a time as any.
„You know, yesterday", he changed the subject, „when you sent me the picture of that billboard, I almost posted it on Instagram."
She briefly looked over at him. „How do you mean?"
„I was going to post it in my stories. I already had the finger on ‚Send'. I was just so excited and wanted to share my beautiful girlfriend with everybody."
She felt hot and cold all at once. „But... you didn't?"
„No, of course not. I mean... we aren't that official yet, are we?"
„No. We're certainly not."
„Right", he nodded and looked out the window.
With a sigh she reached out and gently stroked his head. „Would you like to be?"
„Ah... I don't know. Maybe not, you know... THAT official. But if I'm being honest, I would like to be able to share some parts of our relationship with my friends and family yes."
„And you can! I mean, all my friends certainly know about us, they all were at our fake wedding, remember! If you trust your friends to be discreet about it and keep it to themselves, you absolutely can share whatever you like, our relationship is not that much of a secret anymore."
„But sharing it openly, like on Instagram for example... we shouldn't do that, not yet I mean? What would happen?"
„If you had actually posted that picture yesterday, for example, and written that I'm your girlfriend?"
„Uh-huh."
„Well, I don't know. Do you know whether any of my fans are already following you?"
„How would I know that?"
„I don't know, I mean, many have either ‚lana' or ‚parrilla' or ‚regal' or so like that as part of their handles, so you can look that up. But well, I guess there's not so much of a risk that we'd end up on TMZ or something, neither of us is famous enough for that, thank God. But yes, if at least one fan would catch it... it would probably be all over Instagram across all fan pages within an hour."
„And would that be bad?"
„I don't know, babe. It's certainly not anything I'm mentally and emotionally prepared for right now, to be honest. We'd have to talk to our publicists, managers, agents about it, we'd need to at least prepare an official statement in case there actually were press requests, we'd be getting a sh*t ton of messages and phone calls and we'd have to constantly explain ourselves again and again. And worst of all... you know, once something like this is out, it's out. It's there to stay. Everybody will always want to know how we're doing and will analyze every detail to figure out whether we're still together, whether we're happy, we're in a fight, we're having trouble with each other... Once we share with the world that we're together, we'll also need to share with them when we're not."
„You... are you already thinking about..."
„No! No, I'm not, I'm sorry, wrong choice of words. That's not what I'm thinking about at all, but I also want to be realistic, Jordane. I got married once. And did I think my ex and I would ever break up? Of course not! But we did. And it was horrible keeping this a secret from everyone, knowing perfectly well that they all would have eventually figured it out anyway, until I was finally ready and brave enough to be open about my divorce, publicly. All I'm saying is... it's not a nice experience. And maybe it's for the best if we never even make our relationship public at all in the first place."
From the corner of her eye she saw how sad he had become all of a sudden, so she reached out for his hand to hold him. „But let's not worry about those things for now, okay? They anyway tend to have a way of working themselves out, one way or the other. For now, let's focus on the next big step we've decided to take, huh? Meeting the family."
She parked the car on the street in front of her aunt's house and opened the door, first for her two dogs, then for Jordane who was somewhat restricted by carrying the two massive flower bouquets he had insisted on bringing. One with yellow flowers, for her aunt, one with red flowers, for her mother.
As Lola and Levi ran towards the house, barking and wagging their tails with excitement, Lana checked his outfit once more, flattening out the fabric of his shirt across his chest. Thankfully, she had been able to talk him out of wearing a suit, she was really wondering what kind of past experiences he had had with meeting his former girlfriend's families...
Now, he was wearing an elegant bordeaux colored shirt with subdued white polka dots and short sleeves that quite nicely accentuated his buff arms and shoulders that she was so into, a pair of beige pants and brown leather shoes. He was incredibly handsome and she was so proud she got to show him off today.
„You look amazing, honey. Seriously!"
„Are you sure?"
„Absolutely. You're absolutely perfect."
She gently cupped his face between her hands, stroked his cheeks with her thumbs and looked at him full of love. She lifted her head for one last, soft kiss to calm his nerves as well as hers and to remind him that she was there for him, by his side and behind him, every step of the way. Now they were here, and there was no turning back.
Then she took his hand, gave him one last smile and gently pulled him along with her towards the door. „Come on", she whispered, „we don't want to be late. You can do it! I love you so much."
They hadn't even noticed the two women who were already pressing their noses against the kitchen window almost dying from curiosity...
„Pssssst! Dee, come here!", Aunt Candy waved at her sister, „They're here! That's Lana's car... Oh, oh, and that's him!! Now come, you have to see this!"
„Alright, alright! It's okay, we'll be seeing him all afternoon, calm down."
„Oh my God, he is so handsome! And she is so cute with him, look!"
Finally, Dee had reached the window and took a peek. Her daughter had already sent her a few pictures in advance of this young man she was now dating, possibly to avoid even the slightest bit of surprise when they would find out that he was black. Her mother didn't care about that though, not at all. He could be purple with green sprinkles, for all she cared. But why oh why did he have to be that much younger than her? What the hell was this child thinking? How could this possibly have a future?
When they rang the doorbell, the two older women both went to greet them, Lana and her boyfriend, as well as her two dogs, of course, who were instantly all over them as soon as they had opened the door.
„Hey Lola, my dear! Hey Levi, how are you two doing?", Aunt Candy greeted her niece and nephew, as she'd like to call them, they pretty much were Lana's children after all.
Meanwhile, her mother hugged her daughter. „Hello, sweetheart, how are you doing?"
„I'm great, mom, thank you, how are you?"
„Well, well... pulling through, I'd say." Her smile was a little forced when she looked over to the young man her daughter had brought with her today.
„Mom, Candy...", she looked at him with a proud and encouraging smile and gently stroked his back, „this is Jordane. My boyfriend."
He still seemed a little nervous, but he was being a trooper. With a neat little bow of his head he greeted their hosts: „Ms Azzara and... Ms Azzara, it's a pleasure and an honor to meet you. And, uhm, thank you so much for the invitation."
Somewhat awkwardly he handed both of them their bouquets of flowers while crossing his arms and blushed.
Aunt Candy smiled broadly. „Oh, dear, they're beautiful, thank you so much! We're so happy to have you, we've heard so much about you", she gave him a warm hug, „Please, call me Candy, will you?"
Lana smiled with relief and looked over at her mother in anticipation. Dee though did not seem ready to make any such advances yet: neither did she show any intention of hugging her new ‚son in law', nor did she offer him to call her by her first name.
Instead she simply gave him a fairly neutral: „Hello, Jordane! Nice to meet you. Please, come in, we're sitting in the backyard."
Jordane didn't fail to notice the cold and distance blowing his way either, swallowed briefly but kept on smiling nonetheless. Somehow Lana was not surprised. She knew her mother would be a much harder nut to crack than her aunt. But he would get there eventually, she knew it. He must! She gave him an encouraging pat on the back and whispered while leading him through the house and out into the backyard where her dogs were already playing: „It's alright, it doesn't matter, don't worry, you're doing great!"
Candy was going to fetch two vases and take care of the flowers, while Dee disappeared into the kitchen.
„Can we help you with anything?", Lana yelled.
„It's alright, just sit down and relax."
She offered him one of the chairs as he looked a little lost, not wanting to make the mistake to potentially choose the wrong spot to sit in. Some people could be really peculiar with things like that. With a thankful smile, he sat down. His legs were still shaking a little, and sitting helped. When Lana had sat down next to him, he reached for her hand and she gave his a gentle squeeze.
„How are you doing?", she asked.
He took a deep breath. „It's okay, I think. I'm gonna be okay. Your aunt is really nice! I mean, don't get me wrong, your mother too, it's just..."
She chuckled. „It's alright, I get what you mean, no need to explain yourself. You're right! My mother can be the sweetest woman, but also tough as nails if she wants to be. And with you...", she sighed, „it seems like she's simply decided to give you the tough treatment. For now. Be patient, okay? She's just concerned about the age gap."
He sighed and could barely suppress an eye roll. That age gap again... he really couldn't hear it anymore.
The table in Aunt Candy's backyard had already been put with a nice tablecloth, plates, cutlery, cups, champagne flutes and fresh flowers from her garden. Now the two ladies came out from the kitchen with a coffee pot, a bottle of champagne and Candy's signature carrot cake that she had baked for the occasion.
„I hope you're not one of those vegans, dear, as all you young people seem to be nowadays?"
„No worries", he smiled, „I do try to watch what I eat, but I just can't resits a good steak, bacon, and most of all, cheese. And that cake looks absolutely delicious!"
Candy served everyone a slice, while Dee was raising the bottle of bubbly. „Who wants a glass? Lana, just one, maybe, since you're driving?"
„Yes, I think one is fine, thank you!"
„Jordane?"
He briefly checked with his girlfriend to see whether this might be some kind of test, then nodded. „To celebrate the occasion, yes, that would be nice, thank you!"
While she was pouring, Aunt Candy asked: „Coffee?"
Everybody nodded.
Once everyone was served and they had said their ‚Cheers!' and drank, the conversation turned to the newest member in their midst rather quickly.
„So, Jordane, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?"
„Gladly! Well, uhm, I'm from Atlanta... well, actually I was born in Syracuse, New York, but my family moved to Atlanta when I was very young, so that's where I grew up. My parents are Jamaican, my father's a doctor, he has his own practice, specialized in internal medicine, preventive medicine and pediatrics, and my mother is a certified nurse and midwife, she's working in my dad's practice. I have four brothers and sisters, quite a few nephews and nieces already, we're a pretty big family and we're very close."
„So you're a family man, then?"
„I am! My family means everything to me."
Dee smiled and said: „Well, I guess you'll also want to have a family of your own, one day."
Lana shot her a warning look – they hadn't even finished their cake and that's already where she was going? Thankfully, Aunt Candy came to their rescue.
„And you're an actor as well?"
„I am! I studied in New York and for a few months in London, too."
„Stage or camera?"
„Both."
„Have you been in anything I should know?"
He shrugged. „Well, the past few years have been a bit dry for me, so to speak, I'm afraid, my last big project was a horror series on Netflix called ‚The Haunting of Hill House'. Well, and then, of course, I just wrapped ‚Why Women Kill' together with Lana."
He smiled at her, briefly reminiscing about their time working together on that show.
„That's where you met, right? On set?"
„It was, yes. I, uhm...", he snickered briefly and got a bit shy, „It probably sounds cheesy, especially because we didn't really get together until the very end of filming, but, if I think about it now, for me it was love at first sight with her. I was just... the moment I first saw her, in the flesh, I mean, we met before on a Zoom call, but when I met Lana on set for the first time, it was as if lightening struck me. I couldn't sleep for the next three nights, at least, and I was so nervous each time we were having a scene together, I'd almost pee my pants."
Lana looked at him in disbelief, her heart bouncing inside her chest. „Really? Is that true? You never told me."
He took her hand and kissed it gently. „It's still the truth."
„My, how romantic!", Candy exclaimed with a beaming smile and clapped her hands together.
Dee, though, was unimpressed. „Well, of course, it was love at first sight for you! My daughter is a beautiful woman and very successful, I'm sure such a connection can open lots of doors for an aspiring young actor in Hollywood..."
Finally, Lana jumped in: „Mom! Please..."
„I can assure you, Ms Azzara, that's not the reason why I'm with your daughter. I don't care about that, at all. I love her for who she is."
„And you also don't care at all about the fact that she's probably closer in age to your mother than to you?"
„No, I don't. I don't care how old she is."
„Then you also don't care that she won't give you the family anymore that you surely would like to have?"
„Mom, that's enough!", Lana slammed her hand down on the table, much more forcefully than she had intended to. Her mother certainly wasn't used to her being this rude towards her, she could see it in her face, but she didn't care. „I won't let you speak to him like that! We came here to have a nice afternoon with you, so you could meet and get to know him, but if this is the kind of conversation you want to have, I'm afraid we'll have to leave... I'm sorry, mom. But he's the man I love, and I have to put him first and take care of him, as he takes care of me."
Her mother cleared her throat and took a sip of her drink, then nodded. „Alright, alright, calm down! That's fair. If he really takes care of you properly... that's good to hear. Really! At least you're old and accomplished enough that I don't need to worry about you finding a man who can provide for you financially if necessary. But still, you can be quite high maintenance in other areas, you know."
„Excuse me?"
„She needs a man who's there for her, Jordane, who's able to provide for her emotionally. Spiritually. And also, physically, you know... sexually."
Lana hid her face behind her hands in embarrassment and hissed: „Oh my God, mom, please, just stop! You make me sound like I'm some sort of sex addict! He does provide for me, okay? In all of the above. Don't you worry about that."
Her mother raised her hands in defense, and yet again, her aunt was there to save the day, changing the subject asking them about their experiences filming the show.
Jordane was still shook from what had just happened, she could feel it, but he masterfully managed to push it all aside and with a polite and friendly smile as if nothing had happened, talked about their time on set instead. And in the end – to everyone's surprise – they actually managed to have a fairly nice rest of the afternoon. Heck, they even laughed altogether every now and then!
Eventually, Lana sat up and placed a hand on Jordane's back, stroking him gently.
„Well, then... I think we should slowly head home, mhm?", she smiled at him, then a naughty flicker lit up her eyes, somehow she still felt like getting back at her mother for earlier. She turned back to her and continued with an apologetic shrug: „Because, you know... I happen to be particularly horny today."
Jordane almost choked on his coffee that he was just finishing and coughed, Dee rolled her eyes. „That's not funny, Lana."
„I think it is," said Candy, chuckling.
„I just really, really need to be alone with my hunk of a boyfriend, you see... What do you say, babe?", she turned towards him and had to suppress a laugh as she saw the terrified look on his face. She felt sorry for him – a little – but this was just too much fun, „I have to admit, I'm not even sure we'll make it home in time. We might need to pull over the car at some point, so you can provide for me, you know... sexually."
„That's enough", her mother reproached her, „I got it, alright? Message received... I'm sorry for earlier."
With a proud smirk, Lana let the topic rest, and she and Jordane helped them clearing the table.
„You really love him, don't you?", Aunt Candy asked her niece with a soft smile when they were alone in the kitchen.
„I really do, yes."
„It shows. You're glowing, dear, you look so happy!"
„I am! He makes me happy. I know he's young. But... isn't that the most important thing?"
„Of course it is! He is such a sweetheart, and such a gentleman, and he absolutely adores you."
„He really does, he does everything for me. It sounds cheesy, but he really does treat me like a queen."
„As he should! You so, so deserve to be happy! Just promise me one thing, will you?"
„Of course!"
„Protect your heart. You know, just in case. You never know."
She sighed. „I know. But, I don't know if I can. You know I'm not exactly great at that... But, I'll try. Okay?"
Her aunt just smiled and hugged her tight.
The atmosphere was slightly less cordial outside in the backyard where Jordane and Lana's mother were putting together the used dishes.
„It was nice to meet you, Jordane", said Dee.
He looked over at her, cautiously. „You think so?"
„Of course, I do", she sighed, „Listen... I know I'm giving you a hard time and I'm sorry. Or... no, you know what? I'm not sorry! See, the thing is, Lana is my daughter, and I've seen her being hurt, neglected, lied to and cheated on more often than I can count, and she never ever deserved any of it. And after her divorce, I swore to myself that for as long as I'm still around, I would never let this happen to her ever again. So, I'm just being careful, that's all. And you... I mean, you just set off all the alarms inside my head, even though you really seem to be a wonderful young man. I just cannot get the image out of my mind that in a few years, at the latest, you will ditch her for a younger girl who'll be starring with you on some Netflix show or something. Can you understand that?"
He nodded. „Of course, I can. And if I were you, I would probably think and do exactly the same. But, I don't know what else I can tell you. There's probably nothing I can say that will make those doubts of yours go away. But... I love your daughter. She is incredibly special to me. She makes me feel things I've never felt before, with anyone. She's so different than any other girl... woman I've been with. Can I predict the future? No... but in the last ten years or so, I haven't ever met a woman like Lana, so I'll be damned if I meet one in the next ten years. I know very well how lucky I am to be with her. I would never ever risk that. Since we're together, everything makes so much more sense!", he smiled, „I want to be there for her, take care of her, protect her... love her. That's all I want. When she smiles at me, or peacefully falls asleep in my arms, my job is done. I know all that doesn't make me older, and it probably won't take away your fears and worries, but, all I can do is give you my word, Ms Azzara. For what it's worth. If you will trust me, like she does."
Dee looked at him for a few seconds, then took another sigh. „Come here!"
She opened her arms to hug him, and he could barely believe what was happening here.
„Call me, Dee, please. You're part of the family now. So don't fuck it up!"
„I won't! Thank you so much, Ms... Dee."
„You ready, babe?", Lana and Aunt Candy came back outside, he nodded and grabbed Lana's purse, while she reached for his hand.
She whistled, and her dogs, who had been playing or dozing off in the garden, came running, Levi was jumping circles around Jordane, panting and wagging his tail at him.
„So this is basically your dog now, it looks like?", Dee asked Jordane.
Lana sighed. „I'm afraid so. He's absolutely crazy about him! No wonder, trust me, I understand. But... that's another reason why we should never break up. That dog would never want to stay with me!"
They hugged each other goodbye, promising that they wanted to meet again very soon, and on their way back to her car, she paused briefly to hug her boyfriend as tight as she could. It was over, they had done it, and she was so, so proud of him! This could have gone so much worse, and it was truly a load off her chest, and his. From here on out, it could only get better. Or, could it?