Don't Be A Mommy's Boy

10th of January, 2024

“Babe, how come you’ve never told me anything about your ex-girlfriends?”

“Ummm, where is this coming from?” asked Danny, as he tore his gaze from the TV and looked at her.

“Why are you answering my question with another question?” pouted Aioli, on the couch.

“What? No. I mean, yes. Babe, you’ve told me you didn’t care about my past. So you kinda caught me off guard there”.

“That was when we first started dating. It’s been almost eight months now and we’re getting married in three days”.

“Okay, so what d’ya wanna know?”

“You can spare me the nasty lovey-dovey stuff. I just wanna know why it didn’t work out”.

Danny was perplexed with Aioli’s sudden interest in his past, “Um…well my first girlfriend, Karen, she used me to complete her assignments. Being the dumb fool that I am, it took me quite long to realize that”.

“You’re not wrong about the dumb fool part but go on”, grinned Aioli.

“I called her out on it and she immediately broke up with me. She also said that I have a, and I quote, ‘black heart’”, finished Danny dejectedly.

“That’s it?”

“Yep, that’s it”.

Aioli wasn’t satisfied with that answer. She felt like he was lying or hiding something. And no, apparently, lying and hiding something are two completely different things, according to Danny.

“My second girlfriend…um, Daphne…actually, everything was going so well. But I had to break up with her”, stated Danny.

“Not to be ungrateful because if you didn’t, I wouldn’t be here with you but why break up if nothing was wrong?” asked Aioli.

“I had to. My Mom told me to”.

“Excuse me?”

“I had to break up with Daphne because my Mom told me to”.

“No, I heard you but that’s the most ridiculous breakup story that I’ve ever heard. This was just nine months ago. You’re a grown-ass man. And you broke up with her because of your Mom?”

“Umm, yes”.

“Danny. Babe. What is wrong with you? I mean, why did your Mom want you to break up with her?” questioned an incredulous Aioli.

“Well, Daphne didn’t wanna get married. She wasn’t interested in marriage, sex, family, and kids. She has a lot of unresolved trauma regarding that. Oh, and she also didn’t wanna convert to our religion”.

“Did you not know all of these before you got into a relationship with her?”

“I did”.

“Then why jump into that relationship?!” Aioli started pacing.

“Because I loved her! So I didn’t mind any of it. But my Mom wanted me to get married, that too to someone of the same religion, so I had to break it off”.

“Do you still love her?”

“What? No! I love you, Babe! And why are we even arguing about this?” asked Danny.

“I’m just trying to understand this whole situation with Daphne. So, when your Mom asked you to leave her, were you still in love with her?”

“Of course I was! But I had to leave because my Mom told me to. My Mom is important to me”.

“Wow! We’re getting married in three days and I’m just getting to know that you’re a Mommy’s Boy”, Aioli sat down with her head in her hands.

“Whoaaa, I’m not a Mommy’s Boy!” said Danny indignantly.

“Danny, you loved Daphne so much despite her not wanting to get married and have kids with you. You didn’t care about the religious differences. Yet, you broke up with her because of your Mom. That’s what a Mommy’s Boy would do!”

“Babe, I don’t know what to say”.

“Did Daphne know that your Mom would be against her lifestyle choices and her religion?”

“Yes”.

“So, she was okay with breaking up if your Mom found out you were in a relationship with her?”

“No”.

“Danny! What the actual hell?! So she had no idea that you would break up with her if your Mom said no?

“No…because I’ve always told her that I would fight for her and our relationship”.

“Well, did you?!”

“No…but she fought for me and our relationship. She even spoke to my Mom on the phone. Eventually, she gave up because she realized I wasn’t fighting for her. She begged me to fight for her but I told her I have no other choice than to break up”.

“Wow! You’re such an asshole, Danny!”

“Daphne wasn’t perfect either!”

“No one is perfect, Danny! But the fact is that you cheated her! You told her that you would fight for her but you didn’t! You broke her heart and trust!”

“She didn’t wanna get married and have a family with me!”

“Which she already told you before and you told her you were okay with it and continued the relationship! YOU CHEATED HER! AND ONE DAY YOU WOULD CHEAT ME TOO!”

“Babe, that’s my past and you said you didn’t care about it. Why are you getting so riled up now? I’m not the same person anymore and I’m not going to cheat you”.

“Would you leave me Danny, if your Mom told you to?”

“Of course not and she wouldn’t say that!”

“How could you be so sure?”

“Because she’s the one that brought you into my life”, revealed Danny.

Aioli felt her whole world come crashing down. His Mom. It was his Mom. It dawned on her that everything was going according to his Mom’s plan. He was just her marionette.

“I…I, um…I thought that you found me on Facebook?” asked Aioli.

“I did but it wasn’t by accident or coincidence. My uncle is friends with your Dad. He told my Mom about you and she told me to find you on Facebook and strike a conversation with you. And here we are!” said Danny happily.

Aioli’s head was spinning. She was nauseous. She felt cheated. The whole thing was orchestrated by his Mom. She didn’t know what to do. She was getting married to him in three days. Guests have been invited. Everything was ready.

“Babe, are you okay? You don’t look too good”, Danny was concerned, oblivious to the things running in Aioli’s head.

“Um, yeah I’m okay. I just need some time to process everything.” Aioli walked to their bedroom without kissing Danny good night.

“Please don’t leave me, Aioli. We can always talk and work things out”.

“Leave you? Like you left Daphne? I’ll never be as cruel as you!” Aioli slammed the bedroom door shut. Danny slept on the couch.

Aioli knew she had to come up with a plan. She felt that Danny lied to her by not telling her that his Mom told him to contact her through Facebook.

If she brought this up to him, he would just say a ‘Babe, I didn’t lie. I just didn’t tell the whole truth. It’s different’ and she was so tired of hearing that.

She loved Danny so much and could not imagine her life without him. She felt a pang of guilt and sorrow as she realized that must have been how Daphne felt about him too.

And then it hit her. She would reach out to Daphne for advice on what she should do. She then drifted to sleep.

~~~~~

11th of January, 2024

“Thank you so much! You have a great day too!” said Daphne as she took a sip of her Caramel Macchiato. It was liquid bliss.

Her phone pinged as she was about to take her second sip. She pulled out her phone from her bag as she hastily walked towards her office.

She received two notifications; a friend request and a message on Facebook, both from Aioli Ranch.

She had no idea who this person was. Ignoring the friend request, she clicked on the message notification.

Hey Daphne. I’m Aioli, Danny Solomon’s fiancée. He’s your ex-boyfriend. I know this is awkward but I really need your advice.

I just got to know why you both broke up and that my relationship with Danny is all part of his Mom’s plan. I’m getting married to him in two days! Please help me, I don’t know what to do 🥺

Aioli! Ha! His fiancée’s name is Aioli? Who the hell names their kid after garlic flavoured mayonnaise?!

Daphne was cracking herself up. So this was the girl his Mom chose for him.

Last year, Danny told his Mom about Daphne because she was harassing him to message Aioli on Facebook. Daphne didn’t know Aioli’s name prior to this.

Danny left Daphne to be a good Mommy’s Boy and to message Aioli. And now they’re going to get married.

Daphne told herself that she wasn’t going to get involved in this drama. Just less than a year ago, Danny broke her heart and she’s not fully healed.

And just like that, all the memories and the pain came crashing at her like huge waves of tsunami. She felt the tears well up in her eyes and knew she had to act fast.

She took her phone and left her bag and coffee on her table. Her voice cracked as she spoke to her colleague, “Hey James, I’ll be back in a sec. Left something in my car”.

Daphne bawled her eyes out in her car. She kept replaying everything that Danny had said to her.

He said it’s okay if their religions were different.

He said it’s okay if she didn’t want to get married to him as long as she never left him.

He said he would fight for her if his Mom didn’t agree with Danny being with her.

They were all lies.

He was okay when his Mom asked her to convert to their religion. He stood there without uttering a word while Daphne was fighting for him on the phone with his Mom.

The way he didn’t fight for her made his Mom think that he and Daphne were just friends. His Mom thought Daphne was delusional, as if she was the one that went after him and was convinced that they’re in love.

He was the one that came after her! She told him she wasn’t ready for a relationship because she still had neither healed nor moved on from the guy who dumped her nine years ago.

Danny persevered!

She told him that she wasn’t interested in marriage, sex, family, and kids because marriage and sex had caused a huge trauma for her during childhood.

Danny persevered!

She told him that due to many heartbreaks, she is now very mentally unstable, which in turn had made her very toxic.

Danny persevered!

She also told him that she has both abandonment and attachment issues, as well as a spectrum of insecurities.

Danny persevered!

She told him that she is autistic so she doesn’t deal well with changes and spontaneity.

Danny persevered!

After a few months, she fell for him due to his kindness and patience. He then fed her all the lies and now here she was, screaming and crying inside her car because SHE STILL LOVES HIM!

He had forgotten her and but she hadn’t.

She still had his myriad of messages where he assured and promised her that he loves her, that he didn’t mind if she didn’t want to get married and have kids with him, that he would never leave her and that he would fight for her.

ALL LIES!

She also had the heartless email he sent her when she begged him to take her back six days after he broke up with her.

Just leave, Daphne. Don’t disturb me with your calls and emails. It’s over. There is nothing between us. I don’t have any feelings for you anymore. This is final. I will not unblock you.  Don’t disturb me anymore.

She was unable to fathom how someone so kind and patient could become so heartless.

When she finally managed to calm down, she saw that forty minutes had passed. She hoped no one had come looking for her and saw her crying in her car.  Then she remembered Aioli.

Should I reply to her? Nah, I’m just gonna ignore it.

But she’s gonna get married to the Mommy’s Boy, I should help her out.

She’s the reason you’re not with him anymore. Just ignore her.

No, that was him Mom’s doing. Aioli had no clue about any of this.

Not my circus, not my monkeys. Not my circus, not my monkeys. Not my circus, not my monkeys.

Despite her mantra, Daphne found herself typing out a reply to Aioli.

Hi Aioli. Looks like Danny is still a Mommy’s Boy. He’s a really great guy but when it comes to his Mom, no matter what promises he makes you, he would always listen to her.

He said he would never leave me and I still have all his messages to prove that. Yet, he left me because his Mom was against it. Just. Like. That. My heart was already soooo broken and this Mommy’s Boy showed me he can break it even further.

So yes, he would always put his Mom’s wishes and wellbeing before yours. If you’re not ready to commit to that kinda life, you have two options. One, call off the wedding. Run as far away as you can from that ventriloquist woman and her puppet son.  

But if you really do love him, then you have to do something to stop him from being a Mommy’s Boy. I’ve tried loads of times before but all he left me with were empty promises, a broken dam of tears and a fine-powdered heart.

I’m sorry but that’s all I got. I wish you all the best, Aioli!

~~~~~

13th of January, 2024

The wedding was over. Danny and Aioli said goodbye to the last of guests. The wedding was beautiful, the party was a blast and they were both exhausted.

Do something to stop him from being a Mommy’s Boy.

Daphne’s words rang through Aioli’s head. In fact, it had been repeating in her head since she received Daphne’s message two days ago.

Do something to stop him from being a Mommy’s Boy.

She had been grasping at straws thinking of ways to make Danny become his own person, to not rely completely on his Mom and to stick to the decisions that he makes regardless of what his Mom thinks.

Do something to stop him from being a Mommy’s Boy.

While getting ready for bed, Aioli had a thought. Danny can only be a Mommy’s Boy if he had a Mom. Oh no, not kill her, but Aioli thought that sending her away somewhere would be good.

Or should I just kill her? Nah, Danny would be devastated.

But even if I send her away somewhere, the woman would call her son every day and he would consult her for every single decision.

Maybe I should just kill her. And tell Danny what? Oops, sorry Babe, the knife slipped?

I gotta make it look like an accident. What the hell, stop it Aioli, you’re not killing your mother-in-law!

But what is a valid enough excuse to make Danny agree to send his Mom to some place that takes care of old people?

Oh God, that’s such a terrible thing to do, to send her away. Maybe I should just kill her. Wait, how is that better than sending her away?

No wait, it’s the best. Killing is a one-time action that would ensure she doesn’t return ever again.

“BABE!”

Aioli snapped out of her reverie and realized that Danny was shaking her by her shoulders.

“Sorry Babe, really tired. I sorta fell asleep with my eyes open. What’s up?”

Danny eyed her suspiciously, “Mom wants to have a word with you”.

“What, now?! It’s our wedding night and–” Aioli stopped short when she spotted Danny’s Mom awkwardly waving at her from the doorway.

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Aioli got out of bed and followed Danny’s Mom.

Do something to stop him from being a Mommy’s Boy.

Danny decided to scroll through TikTok while waiting for Aioli to return. After almost an hour, he went looking for her.

He was met with darkness when he stepped outside his room. He thought the electricity was out but remembered that the light was on in his room.

Once his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw an eerie glow emanating from downstairs.

“Mom? Aioli?” he called out as he was going down the stairs. Shadows danced on the walls and he heard light murmurs, like a soft chanting.

“Babe, are you playing a prank on me? Is Mom in on it too? Is this why you wanted to see Aioli, Mom? To pull this prank?”

Upon reaching downstairs, he saw that candles were lit up everywhere. He entered the living room and it gave him a sight that he would never forget.

Hooded figures were everywhere and they held a candle each. They stood huddled around something on the floor and were chanting something incomprehensible, possibly esoteric.

Danny’s heart dropped when he saw Aioli on the floor. There was a star drawn on the floor with what seemed like blood and there was a circle around it.

At each tip of the star was Aioli’s head, left hand, right hand, left leg, and right leg, respectively. It closely resembled the Sigil of Baphomet.

He couldn’t look away from her, as if in a trance. A hooded figure pulled him several feet away from Aioli.

It lowered its hood.

“Mom! You’re okay! What’s going on here? Who are all these people? Is Aioli okay?”

“Oh she’s dead, we don’t need her”, she said nonchalantly. “These…”, his Mom gestured the hooded figures who had followed them, “…are members of my cult and I’m their leader”.

“A cult? You…the leader? But why? And why’d you have to kill Aioli?!”

“For you, my dear boy! I did all of this for you!" she waved her arms around, gesturing at Danny. "For your wellbeing. For you to succeed in life. Today’s sacrifice was for you to get a promotion at work!”

“Not that I agree with any of these but you could have killed anyone! Why Aioli?!”

“She would have come in between us, Danny. I need you all to myself. Why did you think I used your Dad as a sacrifice for you to excel in your studies? To have you all to myself”.

“DAD DIED FROM CANCER! I WAS THERE WHEN HE DIED!” Danny shouted.

“Danny dear, not everything is as it seems. He did have cancer but my cult and I got to him before the cancer did!”

Author’s Note:

To all the Mommy’s Boys out there, please change yourselves before it is too late. You don’t want to end up like Danny, do you? When you want something in your life, learn to fight for it. Don’t abandon it just because Mommy told you to.

Your Mommy isn’t going to be with you forever. You would be the one stuck living your life based on her decisions. Only you know what you want/need and what's best for you.
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