"Sure."
Josh smiled and joked, "And I can help you fix the light bulb and unclog the drain!"
"Oh, come on!"
We joked and laughed all the way back home.
Just as I poured Josh a cup of hot water, there was a knock at the door.
"Probably the delivery!"
I explained to Josh, who was looking at me in confusion.
When I opened the door, I froze.
It was my mom.
The worst part was, she was wearing a delivery uniform from some platform.
At first glance, it really looked like a delivery person.
She saw me and put on a perfectly practiced smile.
Handing me the food, she pushed past me and peeked into the house.
In a voice loud enough to be heard by the entire neighborhood, she shouted: "Two people are eating, right? I've brought you two sets of cutlery!"
Help! I really want to die!
I quickly looked back to check, relieved when I saw that Josh hadn't come out.
I lowered my voice, "Mom, what are you doing?"
She looked at me innocently, "I'm delivering food!"
She was so pleased with herself as she continued, "Sweetie, thank you for reminding me. I need to keep things low-key. After switching to a delivery uniform for collecting rent, I suddenly feel way more down-to-earth."
I: "?"
Did she really think I wouldn't notice?
No, more like—did she really think she could sneak by like this?
I should've figured it out—my mom's curiosity is off the charts. Once she found out I had a boyfriend, she couldn't resist diving into every little detail.
"Mom, stop ruining everything! The food is here, you can leave now."
My mom looked at me incredulously, as if I wasn't her own child:
"Sweetie, your mom went through all this trouble to dress up just to see you. Can't you at least invite me in for a cup of coffee?"
My mom was doing this on purpose. I hesitantly said, "Mom, have you ever seen someone invite a delivery driver in for coffee?"
My mom thought for a moment and said, "Well, I can't say I haven't. I remember seeing it on the news last time..."
How did she take this seriously?
"Mom, I'm not joking. Tomorrow, I can take a whole day off to spend time with you, okay?"
My mom immediately shook her head:
"No, I want today."
I: "..."
"Mom, even though you're my mom, today really doesn't work!"
"Okay, I think it's time to show my real self!"
I: "!"
Was she planning to turn into someone else or expose the truth to Josh?
Before she could speak, I quickly made my move.
Just as Josh couldn't wait to reach the door, he saw me holding my mom's mouth shut.
My mom's eyes were wide open, her face contorted as she tried to say something.
I quickly half-opened the door to explain to Josh: "Hold on, I need to talk to this lady. Please sit down first, just go sit!"
Josh hesitated for a moment, seeing my serious expression, and then returned to the living room.
I immediately pulled my mom outside, closing the door behind us.
"I almost saw his face! Just one more second, I almost saw it clearly!"
My mom slapped my back lightly, teasing, "You ungrateful child! Even if he's poor, I won't make things difficult for him! As long as you like him, I support you."
Although her words were heartwarming, I hadn't forgotten that I was hiding my true identity from Josh.
