Soundtrack: Cupid’s Chokehold by Gym Class Heroes.
Once Whisky and I had been together for a few months, and we’d realised that it was going to be pretty serious, I thought it would be a good idea to introduce him to some of my family. I was nervous about bringing it up to him, so I figured I’d start with my Gramps. He was the most likely to get along with Whisky, I thought. If we could win Gramps over, the rest would come easily enough.
To my surprise, Whisky jumped at the idea.
“Let me cook for you and your Gramps,” he said. “I’ll make haggis in stilton and whisky sauce. That’s my specialty.”
Right there, in that moment, was when I realised that I was definitely in love with him. I mean, I was pretty sure of it before, but after that, I was 100% sold. He actually wanted to win my family over… and with his specialty dish? Who was I to turn something like that down? I’ve always loved haggis too, so it was a win-win situation all around.
Haggis Day
We booked “Haggis Day” (as we called it) with my Gramps, for just a few days later. When the big day came, I think Whisky was more excited about it all than I was, and it was so adorable to watch. I could sense he was nervous, so I gave him a few tips to win him over. Guinness. Whisky. Talk about your work vehicles. Blah blah blah.
Whisky wouldn’t let me help in the kitchen. I’d “claim all the hard work, otherwise,” he’d said. It made me laugh because it was true. Even if I’d just stirred one pot, I’d say that I made dinner. So, I left him to it and worked on place settings, crockery, and cutlery instead. It was all so lovely, so comfortable, so… couple’y. I realised something: I wanted that lovely, comfortably couple-ness so badly. It was what I’d been looking for as I made my way through an endless assortment of really bad one-night stands. Cooking dinner together, friendly bickering and inside jokes, passing kisses and slaps on butts… it was everything. After The Fireman, I was worried that I’d never find that kind of deep, close, comfortable love again. It had all happened so quickly with Whisky, too. You could definitely call it whirlwind.
[Wisdom in 2026: I now know and understand that this ‘whirlwind love affair’ was actually a classic example of love bombing.]
Dinner Time
Gramps arrived, and I introduced them. They hit it off immediately, and I kinda knew they would. I’d chosen my cherished grandfather to meet him first for a reason. Within ten minutes they were knee-deep in conversations about favourite types of whisky, planes, and trucks. I couldn’t help but laugh at how predictable it all was.
Whisky served dinner, demanding that I sit down with Gramps and not lift a finger.
“You’ve got a good one there, mush,” Gramps said. [Mush, said like bush.]
I honestly believed that he was right, too. I had got a good one. There had been bumps on the road already, but what was it that Shakespeare said? Oh, yes:
“The course of true love never did run smooth.”
We ate, drank whisky and Guinness, and played a few card games that my boyfriend had apparently purchased last minute, “just in case.” By the time we took my grandfather home, I was bursting to say those three little words.
“I love you,” I said, the words tumbling out of my mouth.
We were washing dishes at the time, and he was elbow-deep in dirty sink water. I remember that so clearly, probably because he put those wet hands on both of my cheeks, then whispered, “I love you too.”
I’d found my person. I was so, so, so sure of that. Whisky was, almost completely, everything I wanted in a man, a boyfriend, and perhaps even more one day. The most beautiful boy in the world was my soulmate, my one. I’d follow him to the ends of the earth if I had to.
Who could’ve known that I’d actually end up needing to?
The next blog post in the dating timeline is this one: Naked Chef.
Thank you so much for reading my blog today! 🖤
Would you like to read all about The Ex-Husband’s story, right from the very beginning? You’ll find that right here.
You can also read all about my disastrous dating history, right from the beginning, right here: Table of Dating Contents.
Alternatively, why not have a little peek around here: