Their meetings turned into dates. For a couple of months.

Then one day while waiting for Kendall to come out of the campus, a slim woman approached him. She had cherry lips, curly lashes, and well-arched eyebrows like Kendall. She was morena-skinned and pretty but looked sickly pale in her early thirties. She wore a pair of stretchable jeans and sleeveless blouse while her feet were clad in open sandals.

“I’m Kendall’s mother, Rosa Mae. Can we talk, young man?” she asked straight away, her dark eyes almost haughty. She didn’t wait for him to nod in agreement. Instead, she walked ahead of him, expecting him to follow.

Even though he was perplexed, he did follow her. Why would Kendall’s mother want to talk to him? It was their first time to meet and talk because Kendall didn’t want her mother to see him, even though he brought her home safe after their dates.

His girlfriend was afraid of her mother since she might not approve of their relationship. He understood his girlfriend well. Even though he wanted to meet her mother and assure her that he was not someone who was going to play his doll face, he went along.

Blayze and Kendall’s mother talked at one of the eateries. People looked at them with curious eyes. They mainly stared at him, who was with an older woman. Maybe they had mistaken their relationship. However, he didn’t take notice of it. The older woman even ignored their glimpses. She ordered a soft drink for each of them. Two small bottles were placed in front of them, on the green plastic table that separated them.

“It’s nice to meet you, Miss Torres. I am not sure why…” he trailed off as she looked at him with even haughtier eyes this time. He didn’t understand why she was being like this when she didn’t know him yet. But perhaps everything will be straightened out now that they were face to face. He could make her understand that his relationship with Kendall was something serious in spite of their young age.

“Stay away from my daughter. She’s young, innocent. She doesn’t know about the world,” she said in straight English but with a heavy Visayan accent. Her lips were pursed after she spoke.

He blinked. Did he just hear her right? He couldn’t even react or say something right away to defend himself.

“I know you’re also young, obviously,” she added, looking him up and down. “You haven’t gone to college yet, I’m told. Don’t ask who told me.” She waved a hand, sipping her soft drink through the white straw. She stopped and continued to speak. “Kendall’s father is an American like you. I met him when I tried to find a job in Luzon. So now, I don’t want her to get involved with another American.” She sighed.

“May I know what happened?” he asked at last. He found his voice finally. He drank as well from the bottle through the yellow straw.

“I can’t tell you that. It’s my business and not yours!” she snapped, eyes fiery.

He nodded, looking down. He didn’t want to fight with his girlfriend’s mother.

“If you really love my daughter, you will leave her. She has a bright future waiting for her. I don’t want you to ruin it. No, this is not the typical rich girl’s mother telling the poor boy to go away. We’re not rich. And if you are, I don’t care. I care about my daughter’s future and feelings. But I don’t want her to have anything to do with you Americans!” She spat the last word like it was dirty.

Blayze felt like he was kicked and punched in the gut. So hard. Wasn’t this discrimination on her part? But why? He asked this of course.

She looked at him with disdain. “You don’t have to know that. I already explained myself.”

“It’s not enough. I love Kendall. I know I’m young and she is, too. Who are we to know about love? But we do love each other, Miss Torres. That’s the truth!” he said in a tone that showed respect to her. Even though she treated her like some American dirt, she was his beloved’s mother! He couldn’t afford to be rude to her. But he wanted to know why she was doing this to him. And to her daughter.

Miss Torres’ eyes wavered. Their eyes locked for a minute or so then she sniffled.

“Then take some time off away from my daughter, without saying goodbye to her. Let us see if that true love is really true as time passes by. Show me that you feel the same way when you’re old enough. Show me that you’re indeed true to her. By then, I’ll accept your love for my daughter. But right now, I can’t. I won’t. I will not believe it. You’ll ruin my daughter if you continue on like this. I know she’ll give her everything… everything, you hear? If you’d ask her one day…” She shook her head. Her eyes pierced into his.

He knew what she meant. He was old enough that she was talking about intimacy between him and her daughter. After all, teenagers had wild hormones!

“I can’t let her do that and she may end up like me. Pregnant. Broken. I want to be sure about you before I can approve of your relationship with my daughter. Prove to me that you’re a man, Elijah.” Her voice changed, pleading but firm.

He blinked looking at her. She wasn’t the type to say something useless or anything along those lines.

She rose from her seat. “Pay for the drinks, if you’re a real man.” She turned and left him with mouth hung open.

‘Prove to me that you’re a man, Elijah’ was everything that echoed in his mind.

He swallowed. Oh, yes! He’d show her how real a man he can be! He’d show her that he’ll be true to Kendall for a long time and his love won’t waver ever! It’s forever.