Meet the Fockers
Good afternoon, all. I'm currently writing whilst I wait my turn for my nails. I have them long as I've been constantly away and busy these last few weeks and no netball, so it's a real treat. It would feel girly if I didn't have goalkeeper-fat fingers.
Anyway, I decided to talk about Simon meeting the in-laws (or meeting the Fockers), as he'd like to say. He officially joined our family WhatsApp group yesterday (we will have to make another one without him, ssssh). Haha, but I feel this is another step, and well, why not talk about Simon's slow introduction to them in my blog this week…
So, as I've said before, when I met Simon, I texted the family group saying that I'd met the man I wanted to marry, 'buy your hats'. Of course, they didn't take me seriously (they still don't). I wouldn't have either as Simon wasn't committing to me for a long time (sore subject), and that's when Dad created the song 'But he doesn't even like you La La La'. We weren't allowed to watch him on TV because he wouldn't make me his girlfriend. Still, mostly I think it is because my family think cricket is boring. I'm trying to convert them… my brother is almost sold, and Mum said she would rather watch paint dry, but they all recognized his voice before they even met him.
He started to win my Dad over when I said Dad, give me any word to give to Simon, and he'll slip it in. He gave a few of what he thought were impossible words, and Simon did them all. After that, I was allowed to bring Simon up without much complaint. (We still do this now - it never gets boring for me!)
So after a few months of us officially being together and Dad eventually calming down about the age gap, the fact that he is only 4 years younger than mum (our rule is to have to be older than his children - I am by 2 years and him younger than my mum) so they finally decide to invite us to holland and have a pre-Christmas dinner. Simon and I often get separate flights to meet in different places. I was supposed to land simultaneously as him from Hyderabad.… surprisingly, BA was delayed. It worked out that I would only arrive in the evening, and Simon was coming at 8AM.
My Dad kindly said he would pick him up and figured the best way to break the ice was to take him straight to the golf course. Simon, of course, came from Dubai and didn't have much of a jacket and wasn't expecting it to snow. The suitcase he brought with him was initially for me. He couldn't remember the code to get into it, and I was stuck in the air with no WiFi to be contacted on. However, they still went golfing with Simon in the entirely wrong attire. Simon was kicking Dad's ass at it, and Dad isn't a good loser (I can just imagine his face). However, halfway around the golf course, Simon slid on his ass and went down a hill. Dad wasn't sure if he could laugh but did anyway, and this was their bonding moment. When I eventually arrived, they were already a few beers down and had so much in common it was scary.
Mum approved immediately as he was helping to tidy everything in the house, even offering to get the hoover out. This is my mum's happiness (basically making me look really bad), and Kelsey loved him. On the last day of her life, she went wild when she heard Simon's name. It seems Simon knows the key to all our hearts 😂 . Now it's almost a year later, and Dad can't sing that song anymore; he replaced it with the game 'Simon Says Do This, Do That'. (Remember we played this as children?)
We now also live in my Mum and Dad's old house in St Albans. Simon and Dad have a gentleman's agreement before properly sorting things. So yeah, I'd say Meet the Fockers has gone really well, and he's welcome with open arms into the crazy Segers family!!! So welcome.
xBx
PS Dad says if Simon ever dares to call him Dad, he's toast! 😂