Nigel's mum scrolled through the pictures of Kayla on his phone.

"So, when will I get to meet her?" Nigel's mum asked him.

"Mom!" Nigel said.

"What? I want to meet my future daughter– in-law", his mum said.

"You'll meet her soon, Mum. This Friday night", Nigel told her.

"I'm so excited!" his mum sounded like an excited teenager. He had ever seen her this thrilled since, well, forever.

"And I'm so nervous."

"Don't be", his mum said and gave him an encouraging smile.

As Nigel left and went to his car, thoughts of Kayla filled his mind. He couldn't wait for his mum to meet her.

^^^^^^

Okay. This is it. I took a deep breath and re-touched my make-up for the hundredth time. I always did this when I was nervous.

"Ready?" Nigel said, taking my hand in his. I could only nod.

Nigel knocked on the door and a woman who appeared to be in her early fifties opened it. No one would have to tell me that was Nigel's mum. He really resembled her.

"Oh, you look so much prettier in person", his mum said.

"Thanks", I said, confused by her compliment.

"Nigel has told me so much about you!" Nigel's mum told me.

We didn't waste much time but went straight to the dining hall to begin our dinner. I enjoyed the dinner thoroughly. I ate up every bit of it. If I continued eating Nigel's mum's meals, I would never lose weight. It was that good!

"Mrs. Roberts, your cooking is very good", I told her honestly.

"Thanks, Kayla. So, tell me all about yourself", Nigel's mum said.

I went on to tell her everything, excluding my family. She just sat there, listening to everything I was saying. Then, she asked me a couple of questions concerning my job, my past and my relationship with God. I was able to answer most of them, but others I evaded them completely.

I felt very uncomfortable and felt like I I was being interviewed. Why was she doing this to me? And the manner in which she was looking at me, it was as if her eyes bore to my soul, like she was searching for answers. I was totally creeped out. Soon enough, the ordeal was over and I walked as fast as I could to Nigel's car. I breathed a sigh of relief when I was in the safety of the car.

"Mum, you know you didn't have to put her through all that", Nigel told me.

"Yeah, but I have my reasons", his mum said.

"But, still. It was just too much", Nigel said.

"Nigel, I know you love Kayla but I have a bad feeling about her. You should be careful about her", his mum advised him.

"Are you asking me to break up with her?"

"No. Just be careful, because I don't think this is going to end well."

"Thanks, Mum."

Nigel left, becoming even more confused than ever. This is the second time he had been warned about Kayla. He knew he had to take his mum's advice seriously. She could discern these things and if she had a bad feeling about this, then their relationship would not end well. As for Sophie, well he knew she had good intentions but did she have to go to the extent of stalking Kayla?

"Are you okay? You have this worried look on your face", I told Nigel when he got seated in the car.

"I'm fine. I'm so sorry about my mum. She's just concerned about me. I hope you'll understand that", Nigel asked me.

"Yeah, I totally understand", I Iied.

Nigel looked relieved when I said that.

"So, when will I get to meet your parents?" Nigel asked coolly.

"My parents?" I questioned, taken aback by his direct question.

"Yes, your parents. You've hardly talked about them."

"It's a touchy topic."

"But I have to know something about them."

"I'll talk to you about them, but now is not the time."

Nigel kept quiet and the rest of the drive continued in an uncomfortable silence. The goodbye Nigel gave me was awkward. I wondered if he was mad at me for not telling him about my parents. I hoped not. He had to understand me. He had to.