Page 60 of Finding Basil
“One of those tiered plates. Cake pops on top, tres leches on the second tier, strawberry shortcake on the bottom. Lit up, too. So, it’s almost like a Christmas tree for the kids.”
Sabrina clapped her hands as she laughed, and Abuela gave him the best compliment of his life. “You are already one of the family.”
Mr. German Buffet and Mrs. Katherine Buffet had come a week beforehand to stay with Herb at the house. As skeptical as they were when they entered the place, they seemed to love it. “It’s…old, of course, but nice,” his mother said as she looked picked up a vase and checked for dust.
His father, the bullish man with the barrel chest and gravelly voice, said, “Good investment with the land, of course.”
His mother was dainty and looked fragile as a ceramic doll, but her stubbornness made her tough as cow leather. She went right to the kitchen, and after giving it a good examination, stepped onto the back deck and took in the sights there.
His father asked, “This is all yours?”
“All the rows you see are mine except those with the corn in the distance. Those belong to Lila, my neighbor and friend.”
“Friend?”
They may have been surprised that a neighbor bore the title of friend, since they’d rarely spoken to their neighbors.
“I met her on the first day. You’ll meet her. She is the one who sent Basil to me to help me learn farming.”
His mother still looked skeptical. “Herb…he was hired to help you. Please tell me you were not ignorant enough to let someone into your life that might want you for…well, you know…”
“What your mother means, son, is—”
“I know what she means, Dad. And the two of you better get that out of your heads fast. He’ll be here to meet you soon, and if you are rude to him in any way, you may as well go back home. You will be uninvited to the wedding.”
“Herb!”
“Yes, Mother, you heard me right. He’s the best thing that ever happened to me. He is…well, wait until you meet him. I don’t have to talk him up. He’ll do that himself.”
When the knock on the front door came, Herb smiled automatically. He rushed to the living room and heard his parents cautiously moving behind him. Basil came in and hugged him close, telling him, “I saw the car. Are they here?”
Herb nodded and then turned Basil to them as they emerged into the living room. “Mom, Dad, this is Basil. Basil, this is German and Katherine Buffet.”
Basil didn’t shake their proffered hands, no. Instead, he went to each of them and hugged them, kissing their cheeks.
German was so shocked, his face looked as though he’d seen a ghost, and there was a blush over Katherine’s pale cheeks. “It’s so nice to meet you! My parents have met Herb, of course, and they adore him. They said he must have amazing parents to raise such a wonderful man.”
Katherine’s hand covered her throat, and her eyes welled a little when she heard that. “Well, give them our thanks.”
“You can give that yourself. They’ve invited you all to brunch. Herb can cook, but…we cook better.”
Herb was thrilled, but both his parents looked nervous. He told them, “It’s true. They’re wonderful cooks.” To Basil, he asked, “Anything…not spicy?”
“Duh. Mom made roasted chicken, and Daddy is cookingcarne asadaand spiceless steaks. There're fresh breads, and tortillas Abuela made. It’ll be fine.”
When they were driving Herb’s parents to the Jimenez home, Basil turned to speak to them, telling them all about the farm, and how fast Herb was taking to it. They didn’t have a lot to say, but when Herb glanced into the rearview mirror, he saw their shells cracking a bit.
Overall, the drive was nice, and he also caught his mom gazing out at the scenery, and her face was as calm and smooth as he’d ever seen it. She was the type of person that always had those two lines between her brows showing deeply, always worrying, or judging, or just annoyed. Not on that drive. She saw what Herb saw every day, and it had a way, to take the stress and make a person just feel…soft.
The entire family was gathered at the Jimenez house, and they took Herb’s parents to different areas immediately. German was taken to the huge barrel grill, and Katherine was pulled into the kitchen. Basil held him, smiling. “They’ll be one of us before the end of this brunch.”
“I love you and your optimism. They’re probably scared to death.”
“I doubt that. You don’t give them much credit.”
Herb just knew them. Basil took his hand, and Sabrina leaned over her huge belly to kiss his cheek. “The folks meeting. How nervous are you?”
“It doesn’t show?”
