Here's the second part of the story of my blind date. I got home and told my parents what had happened. My mother looked at my father and told him that if he ever put me in that position again--he and his friends arranged the "date"--she would make his life miserable!
She and I were drinking a cup of coffee when the phone rang. It was my father's cronies who called to do a post mortem of the "date" and to present the jerk's side of the story. My father listened politely and was very gentlemanly and said that it just didn't work out and that happens with these things. The rest of that phone conversation was incredible:
"Your daughter talks too much."
"I raised all my daughters to be articulate."
"Your daughter is too opinionated."
"I raised all my daughters to be knowledgeable and to be able to express themselves. They are entitled to their opinions and beliefs. Marianne is very intelligent and expressive."
"Your daughter is always going on about her job."
"I raised my daughters to do what they love and to love what they do."
"Your daughter took offense to the makeup issue."
"My daughter is beautiful without makeup. I personally don't like it, and the fact that my wife, her mother, didn't wear it when I met her, was one of the first things that attracted me to her. No man should comment about a woman's appearance on a date."
"Your daughter is entirely too outspoken and independent. She can't let a man be a man, can she?"
"I raised my daughters to be outspoken and independent. Her mother is that way, too, and I have no problem with that. We raised our daughters that way so that they wouldn't have to be subjected to insufferable men like him! Good for her! And by the way, any man who kills for fun has something wrong with him. I didn't call you to tell you that he is a huge jerk, but now that you made this obnoxious effort to call me to complain about my daughter who is a jewel of jewels, let me tell you that your guy isn't worthy of a flea!"
I was speechless as Pop slammed down the phone. He looked at me ruefully and said, "You're never going to be married, are you?" Mom told him that this was all his fault and that she and I were going shopping for jewelry. She said I should buy a beautiful piece of gold to remind me that I was gold in anyone's eyes and Pop, for his punishment, had to pay for it! I was no kid. I was in my 40s! And, I paid for my own gold! I hope Billy, if he married, made a great husband!
Bravo for Pop!! I would like to see more young ladies just as confident & not let themselves be
ReplyDeletedoormats. Way to go family!