When V met C in A new era

Things have been going really well with C. I can’t believe it’s been a thing since May, it seems like it’s just going very smoothly and there’s been no drama between us. It’s wonderful to date an emotionally immature adult and not some version of a man child.

V had briefly met C a couple of weeks ago, we were at the train station at the same time and I’m too old to be playing games and avoiding my partner in broad daylight for the sake of not announcing to Joey that they would be meeting. It wasn’t planned, but it happened and V was absolutely fine with him, we sat and had a coffee and she played some imaginary game where she was mining for jewels and passing them to C. Interaction from both of them straight away and she knew she was into a winner!

We’ve been talking about when the right time for him to properly meet V would be for a while and decided this past weekend would be a nice time. Something low key, we’d spend the day together while she was at Joey’s and then take her for dinner when we picked her up. Just a couple of hours, out of the house, no pressure.

I’d always said I would tell Joey that if I met someone and was ready to introduce them to V that I would tell him, because I’d expect the same back. I messaged him on Thursday, and of course he completely ignored the message. Saturday rolls around and again, when I dropped V off, he didn’t mention it at all.

Knowing Joey, C and I already had plan A, she spends the day with Joey then comes for dinner with us, and plan B - what we would do if Joey decided to be a fuckwit and throw a spanner in the works. As it was, it wouldn’t be Joey if it was completely without drama. He messaged around lunchtime to say he’d been sick. I offered to pick V up, saying I had C with me and he said fine, so we went to collect her.

Of course by this time it’s 12.30 or later and he’s not given her any lunch. She said she could wait until we got to the shopping centre C and I had planned on going to, and when we got there we went to McDonald’s. She was chatting to C the whole time, he was really natural and engaging with her the whole time, it was lovely and didn’t feel weird at all.

We did the suit shopping we needed to do, for a wedding C and I are attending in a couple of weeks, and V was really good. We took her on the carousel afterwards and spent some time in the play park, where she was constantly asking C to play with her.

On to dinner and she was sat next to him the whole time. I ate my food and had a cocktail and it was lovely, not having her swinging off me the whole time, having someone to share a bit of it with. After dinner we dropped C at the train station and when he got out the car V shouted that he had forgotten to give her a hug and a kiss.

I’m honestly amazed how well it went, and how quickly she’s taken to him. I can already tell the relationship they’ll have and I’m honestly excited for it, and so happy for V that she’s going to have this person in her life who genuinely cares for her and wants the best for her and who has his own natural curiosity about the world, just like her, and it’s something they can share.

It’s sad that the difference between the way she goes to C and doesn’t want to go to Joey is so noticeable after just one meeting. But I’ve said all along to Joey that your relationship with her is what you make it, you get back what you give, and if you only give negative energy then she’s not going to respond well to that. She’s 3, she needs attention and someone telling her she’s amazing. It’s all kids want.

He’s back up this weekend, we’re going to the zoo which both he and V are very excited for!

So, it went better than I could have hoped for. I think a lot of it has to do with knowing him so well. For me, there would have been a lot more anxiety introducing a random, new person into her life. I’ve known C for more than a decade and I trust him implicitly.