Dream // Van McCann

28. My Mind's Made Up

Four months later...

Although my relationship with Florence's mother wasn't the best, I've managed to get to the point where she'll at least tolerate me. I remember the first time I showed my face after that incident. She threw her plastic spoon at me and Florence got so embarrassed.

We visited her weekly when we got back from our trip. It stopped temporarily when we moved into the new apartment but once we were moved in, we resumed the weekly visits. You could see the progress made with each visit. At first, the tension was so thick, you could feel it. But after a few visits, there were some good heart to heart conversations going on. You could see how much everyone wanted to make it work. It wasn't perfect but it was better than what it used to be.

After living in the new apartment for a few months, I could see Florence slowly warm up to the new place. It was strange how I was quick to accept this place despite having lived in my old place for years. Florence was being more picky than I was. At first, she'd complain about small stuff but then she learned to deal with it. Now I can see her starting to like the new place. She still doesn't enjoy the longer commute to work, but to be fair, neither do I.

Sometimes in bed, we'd talk about our future together. Like where we wanted to live and where we wanted to be career-wise. One night, we got into a discussion about marriage and whether or not we wanted kids, and I was relieved to find out we were on the same page. At that point, I was certain I wanted to marry her. I couldn't imagine my life without her.

Florence was out with friends leaving me all alone in the flat. I took the opportunity to call my dad. It's been a while since we've had a proper conversation and I missed having him nearby. When he picked up, we had the normal conversation and when there was a lull in the conversation, I went ahead and asked him.

"Hey dad? How did you know mum was the one?" I asked.

My dad was silent on the other end, obviously surprised by my question. Both my parents know I've been dating Florence. They even met her last month when I went home for two weeks. They knew when I brought her with me that things were serious.

"Your mum and I dated for two years. We lived together for one. She drives me crazy but she's full of life and makes things exciting; it was what I needed. One day, her mum got sick and was admitted to the hospital. She was gone for two weeks taking care of her mum. She'd call me daily and tell me what she was doing. She was cooking for her dad, taking care of things around the house, and caring for her mum. And on top of that, she still found time to check on me and to ask how I was doing.

"Those two weeks were miserable. I missed having her around and I've never felt so lonely. It's true that you never know what you have until it's gone. In that case, it was your mum. I couldn't imagine life without her and I've never met such a hardworking woman full of love for the people in her life. I made a promise to myself that I'd start saving money for a ring to marry her," he said. "When the time comes and you're with the right person, you'll know."

Now it was my turn to be silent. I've been having that feeling a lot lately. She's been by my side the entire time when I was dealing with Clara, being patient with me and providing advice and support when I needed it. Like my mum, she's the right amount of crazy that keeps me on my toes and she's got a big heart and takes care of me. She's my best friend who knows everything about me—what I think about and how I feel. I've never been this honest and open with anyone before but with her, it feels natural. There's no judgment from her and I feel understood.

"She's the one, dad," I told him softly.

Even though I couldn't see him, I knew he was elated. He went on about how he and mum really liked her and how happy he was for me. I only knew the story of how my parents met but never how my dad proposed to her. It was nice hearing that story and it was clear based on his tone that he was still very much in love. My dad and I could go on for ages but I had stuff to do so I told him I had to go.