During our family vacation, my son Eric, who is twenty years old, requested that he be allowed to accompany his new girlfriend, Jessica. My curiosity led me to accept to meet her.

My husband was immediately smitten by her stunning appearance and charming personality, but as a mother, I couldn’t ignore the feeling that something was amiss with her.

Jessica did not appear to have any familiarity with Eric after they had been dating for three months. Her eyes blinked and she said, “Basketball?” when I asked her if she had ever seen him play basketball, which had been his lifetime obsession. We have never discussed the topic before.

She was completely unaware of his choice of major, and she disregarded any activity that he recommended. In the meantime, I was searching through his suitcase for sunscreen when I came upon a velvet box that contained a diamond necklace. Eric was unable to purchase it because it was so steeply priced. Even though my stomach was churning, I did not speak.

On the final day, Eric’s phone that was sitting on the counter buzzed while he and Jessica were in the pool. “Add an additional $500 to our deal,” I froze just as I stared at the page.