CHAPTER 39

As the time neared 5:30, they powered off Mike's PlayStation to get ready for dinner with his parents. Clearly nervous and wanting to make a good impression, Melody decided to forgo her usual look of natural beauty, opting for some light mascara and lip gloss. Deciding on her attire, however, was a much more difficult decision for her. She rapidly flipped through several different outfit combinations before finally deciding on a black T-shirt blouse with a pair of blue jean Bermuda shorts. Her black headband and red sneakers completed the ensemble. As she finished, she turned to Mike for his approval, and he quickly nodded. He could tell that she wanted to dress a bit more conservatively for meeting his parents for the first time, with the length of her shorts and slightly higher collar on her shirt, though she was still stunningly beautiful. After Mike donned a pair of khaki shorts and an orange Auburn polo shirt, they were off.

Driving to the restaurant, Melody fidgeted with her hands, clearly a bit of a nervous wreck. Mike gently rubbed her knee reassuringly. "Just relax. I'm wild about you, so they'll love you too. One tip: just be your normal, confident self. They like girls that are strong and self-assured."

"Ok. I can do that," she replied, mostly to herself.

As they walked up to the entrance of the Cheesecake Factory, Mike's parents waved to them from inside the waiting area. Both in their mid-fifties, his mom, Jane, was quite short, standing only about 5'2" with light brown hair ending just below her jawline. Brad, his dad, was right about Mike's height, or perhaps a half-inch shorter. Melody could instantly tell their facial features were almost identical; Mike was definitely his father's son. His hair, however, was medium-to-dark brown, with slightly longer sideburns than Mike had. Both of his parents wore thin, wire-rimmed glasses, similar to what Mike had worn before his improved eyesight. As Mike and Melody entered, his folks waved them over to their bench seat where they waited.

"Mom, Dad, I want you to meet Melody, my girlfriend," Mike said as they approached.

"Hi, Melody Roberts. Great to meet you," she greeted them, shaking both of their hands firmly.

"Glad to meet you, too. I'm Jane, and this is my husband, Brad," his mom replied.

As the greetings were exchanged, the hostess called their name, indicating their table was ready. Following the friendly girl, the group was led to a booth in the back of the restaurant, which was much quieter than the entrance area. Mike and Melody sat together on one side with Melody on the outer edge of the seat, across from Brad. After placing their orders, Mike went into their now-familiar story of how they met. Though his parents did not show any sign of disbelief in Melody being an orphan, or her Texan roots, they both got skeptical looks on their faces when Mike mentioned that they had met through online dating.

"Mike, I thought I've always told you to stay away from meeting people online. It's just not safe," his mom began.

As Melody tried to suppress a panicked look on her face, Mike gently ran his finger on her thigh to calm her nerves, and responded, "Mom, seriously, you're stuck in the past. Online dating is a completely normal, mainstream way to meet people nowadays, and it's completely safe just as long as you're not stupid, which you know I'm not."

Seeing the firm look in his eye told Jane all she needed to know: he had done his due diligence. "Well, as long as you're very careful…"

"Melody and I have been seeing each other for, what is it? A month and a half? Two months now?" said, turning to Melody.

"Yeah two months is about right," she replied.

Mike continued, "And clearly she hasn't stolen my wallet, chloroformed me, or gone all Annie Wilkes yet, so I think I'm in the clear."

The Misery reference elicited a jovial laugh from the entire table, helping the conversation flow much easier from that moment on. Melody talked about her background, her success in school that helped her get a scholarship to the University of Houston, and her move to Atlanta to start her photography business, as well as a new life. This caused Jane's ears to perk up; though her degree was in math, Jane had a long-standing love affair with photography. Melody showed her some samples from her website on her phone, which Jane flipped through intently. Each time she asked Melody where a picture was taken, she was able to answer brilliantly and confidently. Mike and Brad exchanged knowing looks; they could tell Melody had impressed his mom.

Their food soon arrived, and the conversations became much more intermittent, taking place between chewing and comments on how good the food was. Soon, the talk turned to Mike's audition and new job. He first told them of the audition itself and which pieces he had worked up. Both of his parents were singers, and Jane also played the flute in church, so they were quite familiar with most of the excerpts. They were also stunned when they learned that Philip Smith had been one of the panelists, and that he had been exceedingly impressed.

"Like I told Mike while he was preparing, he's just a man. Like any other, he can be impressed," Melody chimed in.

"She was right. Truth be told, the fire drill I got from Darcy, Stuart, and Seth helped immensely as well," Mike agreed.

"Seemed to work well for Darcy last year, too," Jane mused. "So, what are you two doing tomorrow? Any plans?"

Mike replied, "Well, we're probably going to church together tomorrow morning, then we'll have Stuart and Darcy over as a thank you for their help in preparing me for yesterday. I figure the least I can do is feed them."

"Awesome! Melody, did you grow up in church?" Mike's mom asked.

"Sadly, no. The orphanage I lived in was state-run, and faith was in very short supply in general, so it was never at the forefront of my mind. Honestly, though, that's one of the biggest things in Mike that I'm attracted to. Clearly he's grown into a good, honest, decent person, and his faith was a big part of that, so I figured I should check it out and see for myself. So far, it's done wonders for me, particularly in the self worth department."

Nodding approvingly, Jane replied, "That's wonderful. Has Mike told you about my Daddy? He was a preacher himself."

"He has talked about him on several occasions," she said, looking at Mike with a big smile on her face. "Mike says he was a great man, better than most. The perfect combination of cut-up and wizened sage, as he describes it."

"That pretty much sums him up…" Jane replied quietly, clearly remembering him.

As they finished their food, Melody excused herself to use the restroom and freshen up a bit. After she had left, Jane turned to her son.

"She's very impressive, Mike; very confident. I like her a lot."

"Thanks, Mom."

"Still, please be careful. I don't want what happened with Amanda to happen again."

"I know Mom. Darcy said the same thing," Mike replied. "Honestly, I really don't think you have anything to worry about. This is serious."

"I believe him," Brad said to Jane, his tone quite serious. Jane simply nodded in agreement.