The Father's Approval
Part 1: The Meeting
Buckaroo's heart pounded in his chest out of nervousness as he- along with Peggy- walked up to the house. But this was no ordinary house visit. The reason this visit was so nerve-wracking to him was because he was meeting her parents for the first time since they'd started going out for two years now.
The young couple was taking one of their visits back to the United States during one of their college breaks. They partly took so many trip so they wouldn't catch the British accent they were always around, and partly an experiment to see if it would work, a trick that Buckaroo had been trying out since he first started attending the college in England and had eventually passed onto Peggy as time went on and as their relationship progressed.
The progression of their relationship was part of the reason the two were visiting Peggy's parents- John and Rosemarie Simpson. Buckaroo and Peggy were visiting New Jersey since he'd been told there was a piece of land for sale that would be perfect for his planned institute, and the location was only twenty minutes away from Peggy's childhood home where her parents still lived. Since they had the chance, it was suggested that they would visit since the three people she cared about most had never actually met.
"Ok," Peggy started as she stopped walking and turned to face her boyfriend, "It's just my parents, ok? My mother is excited to finally meet you after two years, so it's guaranteed she'll love you."
Buckaroo gave an odd look. "What about your father?" he asked.
She hesitated a moment. "Well, he's my dad so of course he's pessimistic about any guy I bring home. You just have to win him over, that's all. It' shouldn't be that hard for you since you're so good at that."
"On the contrary, in this case. I've never really been in a situation like this before, Peggy. I have no experience. So in all honesty, I'm terrified to meet your father."
"Does it make you feel better that I was nervous the first time I met Professor Hikita?"
"Very slightly."
"Well then, does it also help that I'll be next to you the whole time?" Peggy asked and straightened his near signature bow tie a bit.
Buckaroo smiled a bit at her. "That helps," he answered with a smile. She smiled back at him as the two walked up to the front door. She knocked on the front door and the two stood at the door waiting, their hands and fingers intertwined together as they waited.
A moment later, the doorknob clicked and turned until it opened and a woman appeared in the doorway. The woman looked to be middle-aged, but didn't look old at all. She had blonde hair, a kind face and gentle eyes. Her facial features showed strong resemblance to Peggy's, which made Buckaroo guessed that the woman was his girlfriend's mother, Rosemarie Simpson.
"Peggy!" the woman smiled and pulled the younger woman into a hug, "We've missed you so much! I've been looking forward to this since you first told me two weeks ago."
Peggy laughed and hugged her mother back. "It's good to see you again, too, Mom," she smiled then acknowledged her boyfriend, "Mom, this is my boyfriend, Buckaroo Banzai. Buckaroo this is my mother, Rosemarie."
Rosemarie smiled at him and pulled him into a gently hug to greet him. "It's so wonderful to finally meet you, Buckaroo. Whenever Peggy writes to me from Merton, she always mentions you in her letters."
Once the two stopped hugging, Buckaroo smiled and looked at his girlfriend. "You write to your mother about me?" he asked with a light chuckle.
Peggy gave a teasing look. "Maybe a little," she answered with an innocent shrug.
Rosemarie stepped out of the doorway, allowing her daughter and her boyfriend into the house. The young couple stood waiting in the small foyer of the house as the elder woman closed the door behind them and led the two to the living room. She told the two to sit down on the couch while she went to look for and inform her husband that their daughter had arrived with her boyfriend on one of their usual trips to the United States from England.
"At least my mom already likes you," Peggy said with a chuckle, "Already halfway there."
"Now, I just have to win your father over," Buckaroo stated and let out a deep breath, "This should be an interesting dinner."
"Oh come on, don't be so pessimistic. Where's that bright determined, optimistic scientist I fell in love with in the library, huh?"
"I believe he's outside on your front porch at the moment."
She ran her hand up and down his arm in an attempt at comfort. "It's not gonna be as bad you think. Look, it's just dinner, then we're spending the night, then breakfast. That's all, alright? I'll be here the whole time, so it shouldn't be too painless with both of us here. And besides, even then, my father has a soft side for me, so he might just decide to like you for that."
"You know, I never knew true nervousness like this until I met you," Buckaroo pointed out, "But for you, it is definitely worth it."
Peggy smiled. "Good, cause it makes you seem less like a robot when you get that way," she teased, making him laugh.
The two turned their attention to the older couple that walked into the room. Rosemarie Simpson walked in with her husband, John, whose face held no expression. As the young couple stood up, he looked over the young man that stood next to his daughter, their hands intertwined together. His wife held onto his arm like a patch to a person who was trying to quit smoking, almost like she was the thing holding him back from doing something. John glanced down at their intertwined hands then back up at the younger men. He then shook off his wife's hold on his arm, turned around, and walked into the kitchen.
Rosemarie had a nervous look on her face. "Um," she stuttered, "He's just checking on the cooking. I'll come back for you two when it's done." Then she dashed out of her room after her husband.
Peggy looked up nervously at her boyfriend. "He's never acted this bad before," she mumbled, "I'm sorry."
Buckaroo planted a gentle kiss on her left temple. "It's ok," he said, "But now I'm determind to gain his approval to continue dating you."
She smiled. "There he is… the determined, bright, optimistic scientist from the library."
A few minutes later, Rosemarie called the two to the dining room, saying that dinner was ready. The young couple sat across from the elder couple at the table. As they all sat down, Buckaroo pulled out Peggy's chair for her and pushed her in like a gentleman, causing her mother to give an impressed smile. Her father eyed him and every move he made cautiously, his face still showing no emotion. The young couple shared weird looks at her father's look, then the mother and daughter did the same.
"Well," Rosemarie said and slightly cleared her throat, "Everyone ready to eat?"