Meeting the guy

by Matilda

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We drove all the way from Witbank to Potchefstroom to meet a guy. Not any guy. Our daughter, Karla, has been dating this guy for a month. We’ve seen the photos on Instagram and we’ve heard how stunning he is from Karla. It was time. Time to meet someone that has the potential of becoming part of our family.

How can I say this after just a month of dating? Even though they’ve been dating for a month, they’ve known each other for seven months. This is a friendship that blossomed into a relationship. The other clue was how important it was for Karla that we meet him and more importantly, like him. She texted me about ten times asking details about the weekend.

So, how does one handle this situation? This is our first time meeting a serious boyfriend. I was nervous. What if we don’t like him? What if he is nice, but I feel he is not a good fit for my daughter? What if he doesn’t like us?

My husband has twin sisters, who both also live in Potchefstroom (and my mother -in-law). My sisters-in-law had their birthday on the Friday. Two birds with one stone kind of thing. Karla thought it would be a good idea if we invited Eon (boyfriend) to dinner and cake for the twin’s birthday. Then everyone could meet him. The poor boy. A lot of us at once.

He handled it well. He was a little bewildered, but no one can blame him for that. I did like it that he didn’t try too hard to impress us and he took part in the conversation. But my husband and I couldn’t really form an opinion without speaking with Eon one on one. We had a plan.

Potchefstoom mostly revolves around the North West University and their School of Music has a small, but amazing conservatory. And luckily for us, we could go to see and hear the very amazing Tim Kliphuis Trio. Afterwards we could do coffee and grill Eon. Just kidding.

The Kliphuis Trio is just marvelous. Tim Kliphuis (Netherlands) plays violin, Nigel Clark (Ireland) plays guitar and Roy Percy’s (Scotland) instrument is the double bass. All I can say is WOW. They use a technique they call “Total Music”, where each musician will be alternately leading and accompanying, resulting in a sound that is a combination of all three personalities. I loved how each band member’s personality showed and how they enjoyed the music. They also know their instruments so well. It was an absolute delight.

But we couldn’t speak with Eon during the concert. So I just observed how he treated my precious daughter. I was impressed. They were so relaxed with each other. He didn’t jump through hoops to keep her happy, but I saw respect and tenderness. He also made her laugh. Scoring a lot of points there.

We went to Die Akker Koffiehuis for coffee, but ended up drinking milkshakes. There we chatted and got to know Eon a little better. Asking about his family and what it is like to live in Namibia. Oh yes, I forgot to say. He is not South African.

The verdict? We like him. He seems to be one of the good guys. This relationship makes Karla very happy. He brought a new energy into our lives. Do I think that he is the one? Could be, but nothing is set in stone. Let’s see what happens.

Matilda xo