As for my side of the family, I felt no urgency to introduce William to my parents. They had already criticized many of my past choices and I wanted to protect William from that gauntlet.
During our first year together, my father had a layover in Los Angeles on his way to Mexico and I agreed that the three of us could have dinner together.
Robbing the cradle, are ya? Dad quipped after I told him our age difference.
Fortunately he limited his wisecracks to that single comment. Dad was pleasant and interested because he tends to be an open fellow and easy-going. William walked Dad through the editing suite where he was working and I was surprised to hear my father say, Oh yeah, takes me back.
What do you mean, Dad?
I used to patch up film in Winnipeg....You know, they'd send us those movies with Tallulah Bunkhead and I had a job at a theatre splicing them together.
You mean Tallulah Bankhead?
Yeah, her.
You never told me this.
Look at this, William said, steering Dad to a metal bin with strips of film hanging above it.
I followed them, still confused. You mean you worked in a movie theatre, Dad?
William held up his hand, stopping my progress.
Sorry, Mel. This is a private discussion for film editors only.
I smiled. In a single sweet gesture William won over my father, and me all over again.
My mother's curiosity about my boyfriend was piqued over the years, and she's never been able to resist editorializing about my life. She asked my sister-in-law: Is he short? Is he shorter than Mel?
Look at us, William said. We were dreading the race card and the age card but we didn't see the height card coming.
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