Mama’s Boy

Saying "she didn't like me" was an extreme understatement. No, his mother, the queen of snide remarks and fake smiles, despised me. Maybe it was because in her opinion, I was a distraction from his schoolwork, keeping him out until the oh-so-late hour of nine thirty three pm to see a movie. That's when she and I were first introduced at least. Walking back to my car, both my then-boyfriend and I were laughing about some obscene joke from the movie when a car screeched to a halt in front of us. I was supposed to drive him home, but apparently his mom just happened to be in the area and as she so eloquently stated, "I didn't think you could legally drive this late, since you're only sixteen." She then remarked on how her beloved son normally would be studying on a Friday night and asked about my SAT scores and, when I gave her my answer, whether I thought I'd be taking the test again. When I confronted my then-boyfriend about his mother's behavior, he defended her saying "she's overprotective" and "I don't know what you're talking about" and "The only reason she doesn't like you is because you don't like her". I was annoyed but agreed to go out the following week to a Mexican restaurant. Facing the window, I saw a white minivan circling the parking lot, only stopping momentarily when it arrived at the front of the restaurant. "Is that your mom?" I asked him, and he mumbled a yes through a mouthful of enchilada. I told my friends about the incident and somehow through the high school rumor mill, his mother found out I had been complaining about her. When my then-boyfriend came home from school that day, she burst into tears and said he was a bad son for dating such a nasty girl and forbade him from going to any dances or dates with me. He refused to stand up to her and instead quietly promised to follow her wishes. Thus, our relationship ended.