Meet the PARENTS

Fran suddenly felt unsure – would she be good enough for Ben’s posh family?

- Linda Lewis

Ben sat next to Fran on the sofa. One scruffy dog had its head on his lap and the other lay draped across his feet like a rug. He couldn’t have felt more relaxed if he’d tried.

‘Grub’s up!’ yelled Fran’s mother.

Ben grinned as she carried two enormous pizza boxes into the room and plonked them down on the table.

‘Get stuck in,’ she said. ‘Doug, fetch a glass for Ben’s beer.’

Ben laughed. ‘It’s fine.’

She fixed him with a steely glare. ‘We’re slobs and proud of it but you don’t have to join us, just ’cos you love our Fran.’

‘Stop that right now, Mum!’ said Fran. ‘You’ll embarrass him.’

‘Too late for that.’ Ben chuckled as he accepted a glass and poured his beer. Before he met Fran, he’d never tried canned beer – now he loved it.

He helped himself to a slice of pizza. It tasted like heaven. Take-out pizza was something he never had at home. His mother didn’t approve of takeaways.

She didn’t approve of drinking from bottles either.

As if reading his mind, Fran’s dad asked a question, one which Ben had no clue how to answer.

‘Isn’t it about time our Fran met your folks? You’ve been together for almost a year.’

‘Dad!’ spluttered Fran. ‘You promised you wouldn’t say anything.’

Doug shook his head. ‘If he loves you, why won’t he let you meet his family? It’s fishy, that’s what it is.’