After catching up with my family for old time's sake, finding out about Steven and Connie's new baby boy Sirius, and making up for lost time with April, Quilene and I decide it's time to go back to New Jersey and meet her family. It shouldn't be too awkward, right? I've met Professor Hillenburg, and I've certainly met Patrick (and by extension, the rest of his family). However, I've never met the rest of Quilene's family. Patrick and Professor Hillenburg are friendly enough people, but I have no idea what Quilene's third father is like. I have no idea what her moms are like. I don't even know what her siblings are like. While Quilene's told me about her siblings and what they do, I'm not entirely sure if I could get along with them or not. Okay, okay, calm down, Hope. Don't sweat this meeting, okay? You've already met at least two of the people in her family. You got this.

As we're driving towards Possumtown (which happens to be fairly close to Rutgers, lucky me), my mind can't help but wander when it comes to thinking about what Quilene's family must be like. How exactly have they set boundaries for themselves? How do they agree on the best ways to take care of the kids? How do they know what to do when it comes to finances? How do they make everything work? I know how Mom and the rest of the people living with us in the beach house have handled things, but how does Quilene's family handle things?

Some time passes before Quilene finally asks me something.

"Everything alright?" she asks me.

It takes me a few seconds to respond. "I'm fine. Just not sure how to handle everything."

"You nervous about meeting the family?"

"A little. I've already met two of your dads, but I don't know what the rest of the family is like." Pause. "Do you think they'll like me?"

Quilene giggles like a little kid. "Of course they'll like you. You're one of Dad's best students. I'm sure they're very proud of what you've managed to accomplish at Rutgers so far."

"I mean, I'm pretty sure you're right about that, but I still don't know."

"Believe you me, I was nervous about how your family would accept me, too. It was actually so great when they treated me like just another member of the family. I'm sure my family will do the same for you."

"That's reassuring."

We finally arrive at Quilene's house in Possumtown on 81 Bristol Rd. I just can't believe my eyes at what I'm actually seeing. Her house is built in a Colonial style with a covered front porch and beautiful curb appeal. It's been painted this bright white paint with chestnut brown shutters on the windows, and the rooftop has been adorned with slate gray shingles to boot. There's also a two-car garage attached to the side of the house like a conjoined twin, identical in aesthetics in just about every way possible.

"So what do you think?" Quilene asks me curiously.

"This all looks very impressive, Quilene," I reply in astonishment. "I just can't believe you live here."

"Me neither." Quilene can't help but shake her head in disbelief. "It's amazing how someone like Dad who worked as a fry cook back in Hawaii was able to make enough money to afford a house like this, especially when he was only earning about one hundred dollars a month when he first started working."

"Does he tell people about that very often?"

"When he has to, yeah. Otherwise, he'll want to talk about life back in Hawaii or bug-catching or whatever's on his mind."

"Uh-huh." I just nod my head to show I understand. "What about your other dads? Will they want to talk about anything interesting? I'm sure Patrick will want to bring up that time Professor Hillenburg had to rescue him while on temporary lifeguard duty."

"I'm sure Papa will, too. He's not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, but he's got a good sense of humor about that whole situation."

"Yeah, that's what I figured."

We finally get out of the car and make our way up to the front door. Neither of us can decide who's going to knock first.

"So which of us you want to knock?" I ask.

"Um, maybe you should do it," Quilene answers uncertainly.

"I'm a little uneasy. How about you do it?"

"I'm uneasy, too. This is the first time I've been home since before I left for Rutgers."

"Okay, okay, how about we both knock?"

Quilene gives a small nod. "Okay, that sounds good."

And so we both knock on the door. A few seconds pass by before someone opens up. To my utter relief, it's actually Professor Hillenburg, giving off his goofy gap-toothed smile as always. As opposed to his usual attire, he's wearing a yellow sweater over a white lapeled long-sleeved dress shirt. He still wears a red tie, but it's barely noticeable, most of it having been tucked underneath his sweater. He wears brown dress pants and black dress shows to complement the whole outfit.

"Quilene, Hope!" Professor Hillenburg exclaims with glee while flapping his hands up and down. "It's so good to see you two. How do you know each other?"

"Oh, uh, we're roommates," I just reply.

"Roommates, huh? Well, it's nice to see Quilene make at least one friend while she's in college."

Quilene gives an uncomfortable chuckle. "Uh, thanks, Dad. That was really necessary."

"Okay," I quickly speak up. "How about we just head inside? Man, it must be really chilly out here, huh?"

"Oh, of course." Professor Hillenburg extends his arm out towards the interior of the house. "Why don't I show you around, Hope? I guarantee you, you will love this place."

"Is it a really nice house?"

"Of course. While I still have fond memories of my first house back in Hawaii, nothing could ever beat out this humble little abode."

Quilene and I are quick to follow him inside. It was good to see that Professor Hillenburg was every bit as nice outside the classroom as he was inside it.