Martha Maringo knocked gently at her daughter's bedroom door. She knew it was late, but she had to talk to her tonight.
Tomorrow would be impossibly busy — she was resuming work in the morning, and her day was packed with meetings from early until late evening. She might not find another chance.
"Megyn, may I come in?" she called softly.
She could hear Megyn speaking on the phone.
A moment later, she caught her saying goodnight. It was clear she was wrapping up the call. Martha waited patiently at the door for close to a minute until finally, Megyn opened it, beaming.
"Come in, Mum," she said warmly.
Mrs. Maringo stepped into the room, instinctively scanning it for anything that might need improvement. The space — which she had personally designed — was perfect, just as she liked it.
"Had you already gone to bed?" she asked as she settled into the chair by the bedside. She let out a happy sigh. "Oh, what a wonderful day!"
Looking at her daughter with fondness, she added, "I hope I haven't interrupted you."
"I was just out of the shower, Mum... and you're always welcome here, anytime,"
Megyn replied with a bright smile.
Martha smiled back, gently ignoring the small, obvious lie. She knew Megyn well enough to spot it easily. But tonight was not the night for calling it out. Instead, she looked at her daughter with a disarming tenderness and said,
"Mm. My beautiful daughter. You've grown into such a lovely young lady. It feels like just yesterday you were smiling up at me with no teeth! How quickly the days have flown."
Megyn chuckled. "Thanks, Mum. Did you enjoy the party?"
"I loved it," Martha said, touching her hair fondly. "You really made me shine as the birthday girl. Thank you for organizing everything for this old woman."
"Mum, you looked ten years younger today! I hope I've inherited your genes," Megyn said, laughing.
Mrs. Maringo often joked about her age. She had married young — meeting James, a final-year university student, and marrying him as soon as he landed a job. She was just twenty when she gave birth to her bouncing baby girl, Megyn.
Megyn watched her mother's glowing face and felt her heart swell with joy.
"Mum, you deserve all the happiness in the world. I'll do anything to make sure you have it," she said, holding her mother's hands tightly. "Sometimes, I'm not sure I'm ready to grow up."
Martha pulled her daughter into a tight embrace and kissed her forehead. Holding her at arm's length, she said,
"You're such an adorable girl — and you've grown into a beautiful young woman. You remind me so much of myself at your age... except that by then, I was already a mother and a wife, juggling studies."
"Well, you made it, Mum! You're smart, hardworking, and the most adorable mother anyone could ask for. If I could choose my mother all over again, I would still choose you, over and over."
For a moment, neither of them spoke. Emotions brimmed silently between them, tears glistening at the corners of their eyes.
Finally, Mrs. Maringo broke the quiet, a playful glint returning to her voice.
"Mm. Benjamin is such a likeable young man. I instantly liked him," she said, smiling. "What do you think of him?"
"I think he's a fine man, Mum," Megyn replied, a bit hesitantly.
Megyn remembered the look her mother had when she saw them together early in the day. She asked questions with her eyes, and answered them. She too was surprised to see a strange gentleman, who was aquianted to her daughter.
For Megyn, the best part was that her mum and his aunt had become friends. In fact, they knew each other even before Megyn was born. When her mum spoke again, her questions were like the ones she had asked before. With her eyes- but now verbalizing them.
"It seemed to me like you two had met before," Martha said, trying to confirm what she already suspected.
"Yes, we met two weeks ago," Megyn admitted. "I'm not entirely sure what this is yet, but... it feels like he likes me."
Megyn knew clearly her feelings towards Benjamin - now even more and especially after the surprise appearance that made her day. But she was not ready to verbalize it.
She looked at her mother with a blank expression. She knew.
Her mother smiled knowingly. "And you like him too, don't you?"
Megyn felt a little bit shy but she said, "There's always this... flipping in my heart when he talks to me. And today, he flew all the way from London just to attend your birthday — just to see me. I'm not sure what to call this."
She turned to her mother, eyes wide with wonder. "Mum, is there really such a thing as love at first sight?"
Mrs Maringo remembered twenty three years ago, when she met her husband James. They met at the student center. They ate lunch for the first time, and that did it.
It was like their emotions were intertwined. Now she could sense a similarly in her daughter's case.
"For some people, yes," Martha said thoughtfully. "But love, my dear, still needs time to grow and mature. Love is beautiful — it makes your eyes shine and your heart rejoice. And I see it in your eyes already."
She leaned closer and added warmly, "You're of age now. You can date, you can fall in love. As your parents, we'll always be your pillars — your support, your advisors."
Overwhelmed, Megyn stood and hugged her mother tightly, tears of joy spilling from her eyes.
"Thank you, Mum," she whispered. "You're the best. You've taken a huge weight off my shoulders."
From that moment, Megyn felt a new sense of freedom — she could now see Benjamin openly, even talk about him with her mother.
"Where are you working tomorrow?" Martha asked as she stood to leave.
"I'll be in the children's ward," Megyn replied.
"Then get some sleep, my daughter.
Good night," Mrs. Maringo said, smiling, as she gently closed the door behind her.