#Spillthebeansonlove - Chapter 28 A few days pass and it's time for my parents to come visit for a long weekend. I look forward to this visit every year. It’s nice quality time that I get to spend with just my Mom and Dad without any distractions or interruptions. This time around, we had a lot planned for their quick visit. After breakfast, we planned to go to the adorable city of New Hope where we would spend the afternoon, ride the Ivy Express train, see a theater production and enjoy a nice dinner al fresco. Before we headed to New Hope, we walked from my house to one of my favorite breakfast/brunch spots in Philadelphia. We were enjoying the best breakfast in town, in my humble opinion, while catching up on general life things when my Mom loving blurts out, ‘are you dating anyone?’ I throw my hand over my mouth to help hold my coffee from spitting out all over the table. That came out of left field, but at the same time, that’s so Susan. She loves me so deeply that all she wants is for me to feel love and happiness always. Up until this point, I had not told them about Guapo. It may seem ridiculous with all the nice things he had done for me and the fact that we spent time together in both Chicago and Philly, but I typically don’t waste useless energy discussing details about guys, because in most cases, it ends up being a pointless conversation. I hadn’t dated in so long, and after so many failed relationships I felt that by not sharing details, it would save me the painful conversation of explaining what happened this time; why it wasn’t right…again. I guess this was a way of protecting my fragile heart. As a kid, did you ever eat chocolate sauce that would harden upon contact with your cold ice cream? I loved that chocolate sauce. My friend Sara and I would have so much fun turning the sauce into a magic shell. After it hardened, we would gently break open the shell, and enjoy the yummy sweetness of the ice cream just beneath the surface. As I think about protecting my feelings, oftentimes I imagine the sweetness of my heart protected by an outer shell. It's not too hard to break-in, but it does take a little work, and once you get in, it's very very sweet, much like the magic shell and ice cream. This time, however, something came over me when my Mom asked the question and instead of avoiding it or changing the subject, I said, ‘Yes, I am. Finally.’ I think this caught them off guard as my Mom and Dad both put their forks down and leaned in a bit closer. My mom actually teared up at the table. I thought, does she know something I don’t know? How does she know that this one is different? Maybe it’s because I hadn’t dated in so long, maybe it’s because she knew I was holding out for my one true love, I’m not sure, but her reaction told me that she was on to me. I showed them a photo of me and Guapo in Philadelphia and my Dad, our serious scientist, our man of few words, our patriarch who keeps his opinions to himself said, ‘Bug, that’s the first man I’ve ever seen you with, that I like from a picture alone.’ WOW! I am shook. What is happening? I proceed to tell them the story of how we met, and how I gave him my number. How I was making eyes with him and how I specifically chose my seat to face him during dinner. My parents are laughing, shaking their heads. I tell them about Grandma’s voice and how I think she orchestrated this. They are enjoying the story as much as I am enjoying sharing it with them. We finish breakfast and begin to walk back to my place. We take ten steps and my mom says, ‘When do we get to meet him?’ ‘I’d like to invite Guapo to meet the family.’ Hold your horses, Susan. One step at a time here. We head off to New Hope and have one of the best days I can remember spending with both of my parents in quite some time. The weather is sublime, the town is charming, the theater production starring Sally Struthers was amazing, and wow does she have impeccable comedic timing. It was a near-perfect day full of cherished memories until we came home to a surprise...