Photo credit: Akuppa via Foter.com / CC BY
This is the twenty-first part in a series, so if you have not already done so, you might want to read Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI, Part VII, Part VIII, Part IX, Part X, Part XI, Part XII, Part XIII, Part XIV, Part XV, Part XVI, Part XVII, Part XVIII, Part XIX, and Part XX before continuing.
After a few days had gone by and Eliza hadn’t heard back from her friend, she wasn’t sure whether she should take it as good news or bad news. It could either mean her parents’ visit had gone well or that Angela was lying in a ditch somewhere.
Eliza called her friend.
“No, I’m not lying in a ditch somewhere,” Angela said by way of answering her phone.
“Glad to hear it.” Eliza said nothing more after that, waiting for her friend to explain.
Angela sighed loudly. “It wasn’t that bad.”
Eliza grinned and sat up straighter in her makeup chair. “I told you it wouldn’t be.”
“Don’t get too excited. It wasn’t that great either.”
“It didn’t have to be great. You just had to survive their visit so you would know that you could survive it.”
Angela did not sound as optimistic as her best friend. “Yeah. Well. As helpful as that is, it doesn’t help the fact that my parents think my boyfriend isn’t worth my time because he doesn’t make enough money. That’s their wording, not mine. She actually asked me if dating him is, and I quote, ‘the best use of my time.’ And she said it right in front of him. Once she realized how much he actually makes, it was like he became invisible to her.”
“He doesn’t have to love your family. He just has to love you.”
“But they’re so embarrassing.” Eliza could tell by the muffling of the words that Angela had covered her face with one hand, as if to hide her shame, even though Eliza couldn’t see her.
“All parents are embarrassing. I’m sure his parents did something to embarrass him when you met them.”
“Not like this.”
“OK, yeah, you’re parents are kind of on their own level, but they haven’t ruined anything for you. You’ve still got a great job that you love and a great boyfriend whom you love. You did the obligatory parent thing and now you don’t have to see them again until Thanksgiving.”
“Ugh. That’s only five months away.”
“Five months is a long time.”
“Not when you’re working in TV.”
“Yeah, the time does kind of fly when you have a busy job.”
“Did you ever think we’d be here?”
“Where? New York and L.A.?”
“That, but I also meant in our careers. I know it’s what we always wanted to do, but no matter how big we talked back in high school and college, I don’t think any part of me honestly thought we’d make it. Especially not before we even turned thirty.”
“I know what you mean. I was all prepared for at least a few years of starving in a shitty apartment before catching my big break. This has all happened so fast.”
“Yeah. Isn’t it great?”
Eliza laughed. “It’s the best.”
To be continued…
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