I Shall Call Him Brad

 Brad is a new addition to the blog.  He's actually been around for over a year, but so far he's escaped mention here. 

Brad was brought to the this little place here family by DD2.  After pretty much spending her whole adult life (about 6 years since she was almost 24 when they met) insisting that she had no use for dating, because to her dating was a method of choosing your mate for life and she had no intention of getting married in the next decade or longer, DD2 stumbled upon Brad.  In a bookstore.  While she was out with some long time friends.  Just looking for an interesting book to buy, not at all looking for a boyfriend.

Brad happens to be a big Lord of The Rings fan, as is DD2, and it was that fact that caused him and her to meet.  In a bookstore, in the sci fi section.  Probably the last place you'd think to look if you were in want of a soul mate. Which she didn't think she was.  Until she met and got to know Brad.

Brad was a secret.  A secret from me for over a month, until DD2 hesitantly told me--through a long and convoluted story about going out to dinner at a new to us restaurant the night before with 'a friend'--that she, actually, had changed her stance on dating and now had a boyfriend.  She thought.  But not to tell anyone, especially family, until she had tried him out for longer. And apparently that's the blunt way she'd put it to Brad: their boyfriend/girlfriend status was on a trial period and was to be kept to themselves until they decided whether or not to continue.

So they'd known each other for about three whole months before Brad met a few of our large clan at the Thanksgiving dinner held at DD1 and Honorary Son's house.  That was actually the first time he met DH also. 

Why is he called Brad?  That was K3's doing, when she found out that her aunt DD2 had a boyfriend (never in her 9 years of life, had her aunt DD2 had a boyfriend!).  K3 asked, if he was actually a real boyfriend--because she couldn't believe this story--what his name was.  DD2, not wanting him to become widely known, didn't divulge his name, instead asked K3 what she thought a good boyfriend name was.  After thinking for a minute, K3 said, "I don't know . . .  Brad???".  And so, for a long time, he was referred to by all of us as Brad.  

I had been given the honor of meeting him in October, about six weeks after their first trail date (about three weeks after DD2 informed me she had a boyfriend), and while he seemed nice enough, I was reserving my deciding if I liked him or not until after I'd been able to observe him for several months, in several situations.  Because experience with meeting my childrens' chosen significant others has proved that they're always on their best behavior the first few interactions you have with them, and their real personalities don't come out until later.

So, more than a year later, Brad is still with us.  He's been to a few more family gatherings, has finally met all DD2's siblings and siblings-in-law, but other than my own parents, he hasn't met any extended family yet. He and DD2 spend most of their non-working time together, and have also taken a few trips both as a couple and with groups of friends from both sides. I'm fairly sure he's here to stay.  I guess it's time to put him into the this little place here story. . . 

Do I like him?  Well, he seems a little privileged (waaayyy different background/upbringing), and a little lacking in real life skills, but he's a nice person who appears to genuinely care for DD2 and want to take care of her.   If she'll let him.  She's fiercely independent. Kind of like her mother.