Audition

not only was this the first time madhavi has really met my family, but it was seder -- which means we were in full-swing hyper-jew mode. twenty people, singing in hebrew, cracking bad jokes, and guzzling wine. at one point i looked over at her and realized how weird it would be if she brought me to meet her family and they all started singing in a language i could not read and then handed me a piece of raw horseradish. um. jews are weird.

it also was the first time i'd ever brought a woman home to meet my parents (while we were still going out). so perhaps that gave the whole shebang a bit more verve.

i suppose i thought it might be awkward for her, or me. i suppose i thought i might feel self-conscious about bringing my girlfriend (<-- note exploratory use of new terminology) to such an untempered event. (kushner seders tend to get a little rowdy.) but no. it just felt normal. more than normal. it felt right. she jumped right into discussions. she introduced the preposterous impersonations that corey, jenny and me did as if she'd be rehearsing for weeks. she played our silly games and laughed at my dad's jokes. if she felt on the spot at all, she didn't show it.

before, walking up to my parents condo, both of us dressed up for dinner, i say, 'if someone had told me two years ago that i'd be bringing you to seder today, i wouldn't have believed it.'

i almost immediately took it back. if someone had said that to me two years ago i probably would have smiled and thought, 'i should be so lucky.'

and i am.