Her mother’s eyes widened in shock. The news of her daughter being engaged, especially to someone she had never met, was a lot to process. Despite her astonishment, she remained composed and said, “Eloise, please, start from the very beginning and tell me everything.” As Eloise recounted the story, her mother listened intently, slowly realizing the significant error her husband had made in setting such a rigid rule.
Eloise’s mother paid close attention as her daughter described Kevin, nodding with a growing sense of approval. She internally chastised her husband for imposing the no-dating rule, regretting that it had kept them from meeting Kevin earlier. As Eloise concluded her story, her mother’s eyes glistened with tears, prompting a worried reaction from Eloise. “Mom, are you okay? Did I upset you?”