Page 35 of Finding Basil
“Mom will murder you!”
“Not if you don’t tell her!”
Herb assured, “I won’t let him tell. We all need our little secrets.”
Basil groaned, and Herb figured out why. It was probably not the best thing to say to the father of a guy he wanted to date. “What secrets have you got? Another boyfriend? Family?”
“Oh, no! I mean, no, nothing like that. My secrets are more of the underwear on the floor variety. I pick them up before company comes, of course.”
Michael Jimenez, Basil’s father, didn’t look convinced.
“Dad, stop. If I even thought it was a dirty secret, I wouldn’t be here.”
With a deep scowl on his darkly sun-kissed face, Michael pointed out, “Didn’t stop you from dating that…Steve.”
“Dad, it’s not his fault. He can’t help that he had a disease.”
“He could have helped you by telling you about it and letting you make up your own mind.”
Herb stepped in to say, “I swear, sir, I have no secrets that big, or that bad. I drink right from the milk carton, and I put the broken eggs back in the carton so I can toss them all at once.”
Basil groaned again.
“You’re fixin’ to be a farmer and you’re not even making your own compost?”
“I…uh…”
“I’m teaching him, remember, Dad?”
“Well, do what you have to, but I don’t see a farmer in you,” he said, then added, “No offense.”
“None taken. I’m not a farmer yet, but I am going to try my best. I tend to finish anything I set out to do, so until I’m truly finished, I’ll keep trying.”
“Good for you. Good way to be.”
“Thank you, sir.”
While Basil favored his mother, Michael was an older version of his son, Juan. Handsome, darker-skinned than Basil, but the entire family was good looking. His older eyes seemed like they’d seen far too much for the smile he wore to ever quite reach them.
One day, he’d ask more about Michael’s life. He was sure the stories wouldn’t always be easy to hear, but he wanted to know the family, as they were such a big part of Basil.
Once Michael had gone inside the hall, Basil took Herb’s hand in his. “He’s old and grumpy, but he’s a great guy, really.”
“I know. I doubt any of your family isn’t. They’re lovely people, and you are the loveliest.”
Basil glowed with the compliment and kissed him tenderly. “Thanks. I think you’re pretty great too.”
He was kissed goodbye on his front porch, like some nineteen fifties teenager, and once inside, he listened for signs of water pouring, walls crumbling, anything. After hearing nothing unusual, he did a visual inspection and was overjoyed that everything seemed to be working fine.
After a great sleep, dreaming of Basil the entire night, he rose and started dressing when the first knock came, and he laughed as he hurried down the stairs.
It was Lila who’d been knocking, and she pushed her way inside before he’d gotten the chance to ask her in. “What the hell took you so long?”
“I was getting dressed.”
She scowled. “Oh, one of those that sleep in, huh? Not if you’re gonna be a farmer. Let’s get going.”
“Excuse me, but…why are you here?”
