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“Oh, no,” she resisted. “I haven’t called to talk about how I’m doing. I have something more important that I need to discuss with you.”
“And what would that be?” I questioned, raising an eyebrow.
“Dylan, as your mother, I constantly worry about you,” she replied in a serious tone.
I let out a chuckle. “Mom, you just admitted that I’m doing quite well for myself. You don’t have anything to worry about.”
“Of course, your work life is excellent,” she conceded. “But I meant your personal life. When are you going to settle down? You always used to tell me that you’re too young for that, but now I think it’s time that you find a partner to share the rest of your life with.”
“I’m married to my work,” I replied tartly. This wasn’t a new conversation.
Relationships were a sore subject for me. Years ago, I’d thought I found love with a woman. I had been so in love that I felt sure she was the person I would spend the rest of my life with. But life threw me a curveball when I found her in bed with one of my associates. Since then, my trust in relationships had shattered completely. Commitment felt like it was too much of a gamble and I never played a game where I stood a chance of losing.
“Does work wait at home for you at the end of a long day?” she questioned, not ready to give up.
“Mom, I know your heart is in the right place but I’m just not looking for a serious commitment with anyone right now,” I sighed. Her nagging was making my headache worse, and I wanted to get rid of both.
“Dylan, I’m only getting older. It’s my dream to see you get married in my lifetime,” she said earnestly.
“It’ll happen when it wants to,” I said, hoping that would be enough of an explanation to satisfy her. Her concern for me was genuine and I didn’t want to disappoint her by outrightly denying her.
“It could happen next week if you really want it to,” she said coyly.
I scoffed. “What are you talking about?”
“Well, I’ve been thinking about this for a while now and I have someone in mind. I know you’d like her,” her tone was confident.
“Are you thinking of setting me up?” I let out a small laugh at the ridiculousness of her suggestion.
“Why not?” she countered. “I know you better than anyone else does. I gave birth to you, didn’t I?”
“And who would this hypothetical person be that you’re setting me up with?” I asked, deciding to humor her.
“My friend, Brie, has a beautiful daughter who’s single. I met her the other day at brunch and she’s really pretty. I think the two of you would make a great match,” she announced, seeming proud of her little discovery.
“I can’t just go out on a date with your friend's daughter,” I fought back feebly. “I don’t even think I have the time for it, let alone the will.”
“As your mother, I’m staging an intervention,” she said firmly. It was seldom that she used that tone of voice with me.
I straightened my back, realizing that she was indeed serious about this whole idea, and I couldn’t just talk my way out of it this time. I prepared myself for the worst.
“And what does this intervention entail exactly?” I asked.
“I can arrange for the two of you to meet,” she said. “And then you can get to know each other.”
“Mom,” I protested weakly.
“I’m serious,” she responded. “You can speak to your assistant about freeing up an evening sometime this week. She’s in town and would love to meet you.”
“Fine,” I sighed, giving in. At this point, arguing with my mother wouldn’t lead me anywhere.
Whenever she decided to set her mind to something, she always made sure that she saw it to completion. It was something that I admired about her, although at this current moment it was proving to be an inconvenience.
“I’m so happy that you’ve agreed to this,” her tone brightened up immediately. She even sounded surprised, as if she didn’t know I was going to do exactly as she said.
“More like forced against my will,” I grumbled under my breath.
“What was that?” she asked.
