Meeting Her Parents

Marco has met plenty of new people before. But meeting a partner's parents for the first time feels different. He and Fiona have been together for eight months. This weekend, he is finally driving with her to her parents' house for Sunday lunch.

Marco sudah sering bertemu orang baru. Tetapi bertemu orang tua pasangannya untuk pertama kali terasa berbeda. Ia dan Fiona sudah berpacaran selama delapan bulan. Akhir pekan ini, ia akhirnya berkendara bersama Fiona ke rumah orang tuanya untuk makan siang hari Minggu.

"They're going to like you," Fiona says in the car. Marco notices, though, that she has checked her phone three times in the last ten minutes.

"Mereka pasti akan menyukaimu," kata Fiona di dalam mobil. Namun Marco memperhatikan bahwa ia sudah memeriksa ponselnya tiga kali dalam sepuluh menit terakhir.

"You keep saying that," Marco says. "Are you trying to convince me or yourself?"

"Kamu terus bilang begitu," kata Marco. "Kamu sedang berusaha meyakinkanku atau dirimu sendiri?"

Fiona laughs, but it doesn't fully hide how nervous she is either. Her father, she explains, has never been an easy person to read. Her mother tends to ask a lot of direct questions.

Fiona tertawa, tetapi tawanya pun tidak sepenuhnya menyembunyikan betapa gugupnya ia. Ayahnya, ia menjelaskan, tidak pernah mudah dibaca. Ibunya cenderung mengajukan banyak pertanyaan langsung.

When they arrive, Fiona's mother opens the door before they've even reached it, already smiling. "So this is the Marco we've heard so much about," she says, pulling him into a quick hug. Marco relaxes slightly, though his hands are still a little unsteady. He hands over the flowers he brought.

Saat mereka tiba, ibu Fiona membuka pintu sebelum mereka sampai, sudah tersenyum. "Jadi ini Marco yang sering kami dengar itu," katanya sambil memeluknya sekilas. Marco sedikit lebih rileks, meski tangannya masih agak gemetar. Ia menyerahkan bunga yang dibawanya.

Lunch starts well enough. Fiona's father asks careful, practical questions about Marco's job and where he grew up. He nods at each answer without giving much away. Marco has prepared answers for most of this, but nothing prepares him for the question that comes next.

Makan siang dimulai dengan cukup baik. Ayah Fiona mengajukan pertanyaan yang hati-hati dan praktis tentang pekerjaan Marco dan tempat ia dibesarkan. Ia mengangguk pada setiap jawaban tanpa memperlihatkan banyak hal. Marco sudah menyiapkan jawaban untuk sebagian besar pertanyaan itu, tetapi tidak ada yang mempersiapkannya untuk pertanyaan berikutnya.

"So," her father says, setting down his fork, "what are your plans, exactly? With Fiona, I mean."

"Jadi," kata ayah Fiona sambil meletakkan garpunya, "apa rencanamu sebenarnya? Dengan Fiona, maksudku."

The table goes quiet. Fiona opens her mouth to interrupt, but Marco speaks first.

Meja makan menjadi hening. Fiona membuka mulut untuk menyela, tetapi Marco berbicara lebih dulu.

"Honestly, I don't have a five-year plan I can hand you," he says. "What I have is someone I care about more than I expected to, this early on. And I'd like to see where that actually goes."

"Terus terang, saya tidak punya rencana lima tahun yang bisa saya berikan kepada Bapak," katanya. "Yang saya punya adalah seseorang yang saya sayangi lebih dari yang saya duga, sedini ini. Dan saya ingin melihat ke mana hubungan ini akan berjalan."

Her father studies him for a long moment, then nods slowly. It's as if that answer was more honest than he expected.

Ayahnya menatapnya lama, lalu mengangguk pelan. Seolah jawaban itu lebih jujur daripada yang ia perkirakan.

"Fair enough," he says, and passes the potatoes.

"Cukup adil," katanya, lalu menyodorkan kentang.

After lunch, Fiona's mother pulls Marco aside in the kitchen. "He liked you," she says quietly. "That question means he's already thinking about the future."

Setelah makan siang, ibu Fiona menarik Marco ke samping di dapur. "Dia menyukaimu," katanya pelan. "Pertanyaan itu artinya dia sudah memikirkan masa depan."

Marco lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Then he helps her carry the dishes to the sink.

Marco menghembuskan napas yang tidak ia sadari telah ia tahan. Lalu ia membantu ibu Fiona membawa piring-piring ke bak cuci.