What Was Going On?
Joe stared at his phone in disbelief, his eyes scanning and rescanning over his mother’s text. What on earth was going on? Just a few days ago, everything was perfect, but in the blink of an eye, everything changed.
His mother’s words had left him completely speechless. He was so in love with his girlfriend, why was his mother acting this way?
Telling The Family
Joe and Alina had just celebrated six months together, and it was finally time for the young man to tell his mother about the girl who had stolen his heart. Living far from home was tough, but thankfully, he knew that he could text his mother whenever.
Alina was nervous about his family finally finding out about her. He’d heard some of the stories about his mother, Mari. Although she was a lovely woman, she tended to be possessive of her son.
The Perfect Girl
Joe assured her that it would be alright. “She’s going to love you just as much as I do,” He told her, pressing a kiss to her cheek. As far as he was concerned, Alina was the perfect girl and would fit right in with his family.
She smiled nervously as she sank further into the couch. After setting a timer on his camera, he positioned it on the counter and rushed to sit beside his girlfriend.
Love Of His Life
“Okay, say cheese,” He said before their faces broke into large grins. Once the photo was taken, he got up from his seat and grabbed the camera. Checking the photo, he smiled smugly, “You look gorgeous,” He told Alina.
He sat back beside her on the couch and transferred the photo to his cell phone. He couldn’t wait to see what his mother thought of Alina. He knew that she was the love of her life.
Sending It
“Hey Mom, I wanted to introduce you to someone. This is Alina, my girlfriend. I can’t wait for you to meet her. I love you,” He typed on his phone. Taking a deep breath, he sent the text with the photo.
Now, all he could do was wait. Alina laughed nervously, not quite sure what to expect once the older woman saw the photo.
Meeting The Family
For the next half an hour, the couple stayed seated on the couch. They were enjoying each other’s company, drinking coffee as they waited for a response from Joe’s mother. If all went well, Joe wanted to fly himself and Alina out to see his mother for Christmas.
He’d already met Alina’s family, and he loved them almost as much as he loved her. But he had no idea that one detail in the photo would set his mother off.
A Response
He had just taken the last sip of his coffee when he heard the ping from his phone. Knowing that his mom had finally responded to his text, he excitedly put his cup down and grabbed his phone.
He sat back with Alina, letting her watch the screen as he opened his mother’s text. But his heart dropped when he read it. “How could you send me this?” The first text read as she typed another.
Growing Up
Growing up in Atlanta, Georgia, Joe Kruger had the perfect upbringing. Living with his mom, Mari, and dad, Austin, life was simple. But everything changed after he got his degree in mechanical engineering.
When he first got a job offer in San Francisco, he jumped at the opportunity. It had always been his dream to live in California, and now, it was finally coming true.
Mama’s Boy
But there was just one problem. You see, Joe was a bit of a mama’s boy. Throughout his younger years, he relied on his mother’s help a lot, and because of this, he never really learned how to do things by himself.
Moving across the country was a big step for the 27-year-old man, but he knew that it was important.
Shattered
When he told his mother the news, she was shattered. But at the same time, Mari knew that the move would be good for him, and she could see how excited he was about it. Saying goodbye was the hardest thing she ever had to do.
Joe was her only child, and there was no one she loved more. On earth than the young man. But Mari had one, massive flaw: she was extremely jealous of any woman that came into her son’s life.
Alina
As soon as Joe was settled in California, he started enjoying his new life. Every day was exciting in San Francisco. He had made the most amazing friends, and he loved his job. All that was missing was romance.
But one Friday evening, everything changed. He had gone out for a few drinks with his new friends when he spotted her. Alina was the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes on.
His Intentions
He wasted no time. He immediately approached the girl and asked for her number. For the next few weeks, the pair went on multiple dates. From the start, Joe made it very clear that he wanted to be in a relationship with Alina.
She was hesitant at first, but after the third date, she realized how amazing he truly was. Before they knew it, they were in a committed relationship.
No Idea
But there was one problem, Mari had no idea that her son had a new girlfriend. Before he would tell his mother about Alina, he wanted to be sure that the relationship would last. He waited until they were together for six months before he decided that it was time.
Alina was nervous. She’d heard stories about the ways his mother had treated previous girlfriends. She feared that Mari would treat her the same way, but Joe promised that she had nothing to worry about.
A Picture
One Saturday afternoon, Joe finally decided that the time had come to send his mother the text. He sat in the lounge with Alina as she applied some makeup. He wanted to send his mother a picture of the two of them, and she wanted to make sure that she looked nice.
Grabbing his camera, he began setting it up. He was expecting his mother to be happy for him, but he had no idea what her eyes would focus on once he sent the picture.
He Didn’t Understand
Joe didn’t quite understand why Alina was so nervous. As far as he was concerned, Alina was the perfect girl and would fit right in with his family. He set up his camera and placed it on the counter before joining her side.
They smiled brightly at the camera and waited for the flash. Once the picture was taken, he grabbed the small device and checked on the photo. It was perfect.
The Text
He sat back beside her on the couch and transferred the photo to his cell phone. He couldn’t wait to see what his mother thought of Alina. He knew that she was the love of her life.
“Hey Mom, I wanted to introduce you to someone. This is Alina, my girlfriend. I can’t wait for you to meet her. I love you,” He typed on his phone. Taking a deep breath, he sent the text with the photo.
Waiting
They hung out for the next little while, catching up on their week while drinking coffee. Joe was hoping that if all went well, his girlfriend could meet his mother in December.
He had just taken the last sip of his coffee when he heard the ping from his phone. Knowing that his mom had finally responded to his text, he excitedly put his cup down and grabbed his phone. Aline watched him open the message that read, “How could you send me this?”
Was She Joking?
At first, Joe thought his mother was joking. He watched as the three small dots appeared at the bottom of his screen. His mother was typing another message. “That doesn’t look good,” Alina commented but he laughed it off.
“Just wait for the next message, it’s not as bad as it seems, I’m sure,” He told her. But when the next message popped up, he choked on those words.
A Nightmare
“After everything I’ve done for you, you have to rub this in my face?” It read. Joe was beyond confused. Alina’s cheeks burned as her worst nightmare came true. “What are you talking about?” He asked his mother, but she didn’t respond.
He waited a short while before sending her another text, “Mom, is everything alright?” He didn’t know it yet, but something about his photo rubbed her the wrong way.
Ignoring Him
For the rest of that day, Joe kept checking on his phone, waiting for his mother to say something. Unfortunately for Joe, Mari was the type to ignore people when she was upset with them.
Alina felt sick to her stomach. She thought that this was all her fault, and she was terrified at the idea of harming Joe’s relationship with his mother.
Hopeless
That Sunday, Joe still hadn’t heard from his mother. He tried texting her again, but she read the text without responding. He felt completely hopeless. He could tell that Alina wasn’t taking it well. She had been quietly sitting around, staring into space.
Eventually, he decided that enough was enough. It wasn’t fair for his mother to just ignore him like that. He decided to call her.
Calling Her
Her cell phone rang for a while, and just as he was about to hang up, she finally answered. “Hello Joseph,” Mari said sternly. He rolled his eyes at the mention of his full name. He hadn’t heard that since high school.
“Hey Mom, I was hoping we could clear this up. Is there a problem?” He got straight to the point. He had always hated how passive-aggressive his mother could be.
An Issue
“With what? That awful picture you sent me?” She said dryly. She was always the type to be overly blunt. He couldn’t understand what the issue was.
“Yes, I suppose. What’s wrong with the picture?” He rolled his eyes again, wishing she would just get to the point. Alina was sitting on the other side of the room, nervously waiting for the call to be over.
Replacing Her
“Are you serious, Joseph?” Suddenly, her voice filled with emotion, “You move halfway across the country and then send me a picture of the woman you are replacing me with?” She began to cry.
Joe was completely caught off guard by that statement. “Replacing you, Mom-” He trailed off, “I’m not replacing you. I just wanted to share my life with you,” He frowned.
The Shirt
“Then why would you send me a picture of her wearing the shirt I bought you before you left? Did you give it to her? Does it mean nothing to you?” She sobbed into the phone. She had been struggling without her son by her side.
He frowned as he glanced at the shirt that was now lying in a pile of laundry on the floor. The shirt was very special to him. It had the cover art of one of his favorite albums on the front. He finally understood why his mom was so upset.
An Explanation
“No Mom,” He sighed into the phone, “I didn’t give it to her, she was just wearing it because she wanted to be comfortable,” He spoke honestly. Mari went silent on the other end of the line.
“And I’m not replacing you with anyone. You’re my mom, I could never replace you,” He breathed, “But I want you to meet Alina. I’m in love with her, and it would mean the world to me if you got along.”
In The Wrong
A few seconds passed before he heard a long sigh on the other end of the line. Mari knew that she was in the wrong, and now that she’d calmed down, she felt awful. But then, she did something she’d never done before.
For the first time, she apologized for being rude toward one of her son’s girlfriends. Joe smiled slightly at this.
This Moment
“So, you love this girl?” She asked gently, a sad smile on her face. All her life, she was afraid of this moment, but she knew that there was nothing she could do about it. She just hoped that Alina was good to her son.
“Yes, mom. I do.” He smiled softly as he glanced at Alina from across the room. “And I want you to meet her.”
Meeting Her
When December rolled around, Mari had gotten used to the fact that her son was in a committed relationship. She met Alina for the first time, and she was surprised to see how wonderful the girl was.
She and Joe were perfect together, and Mari couldn’t have asked for a better girl to steal her son’s heart. Mari could feel herself giving in, and eventually, she loved Alina as much as Joe did.
The Big Question
By the end of that holiday, Joe finally gathered the courage to ask Alina to marry him in front of his entire family. Of course, she said yes. Joe’s mother and father were over the moon, and they couldn’t wait for their son’s special day.
In the end, it all turned out alright. Joe had found the love of his life, and his family loved her. Everything finally made sense.