Page 61 of Finding Basil
“You keep it chill. Cordelia is here, and Lila. Thought a few white faces might make them feel more at home,” she said with a giggle. “Now, I’m heading into the kitchen to meet your mom and see what’s finished so I can pick.”
“The doctor said not to gain over five pounds in the next two weeks.”
“Yeah, and can you believe my horrible husband hasn’t let me come to my mother’s house all this time because of all the food around all the time? Torture!”
Basil laughed and told her, “You eat, Sabrina. I want my nieces all fat and cute.”
Herb tensed as they entered the kitchen, and then he got the shock of his life. His mother was giggling as she was scarfing down tortilla chips and salsa.
“Herb! Have you tasted this? It’s marvelous!”
“Isn’t it hot, Mom?”
“I eat Indian and Thai. I’m not a total wimp, son.”
“Yeah,” Michelle agreed. “Let her eat!”
The women were all giggling and then glaring at the two men in their midst, so Basil and Herb took their leave and the second they were out of the kitchen, a roar of laughter followed them.
Basil was joyous, but Herb was just shocked. “That cannot be my mother.”
“It is. Our parents have different sides to them. Let’s go see your Pops.”
“As long as you don’t call him that.”
When they got to the grill, he saw his father with a beer with a lime shoved in it in one hand and a bottle of tequila in the other. That was enough of a shock, but he also saw German pointing to thecarne asadaand telling Michael to add more red peppers. “Make it nice and spicy.”
“Dad? You know how hot that already is?”
“Son, do you think this is the first time I’ve eaten Mexican food? I’ve lived in California all my life, and your mother and I have vacationed there countless times. We love spicy food.”
“See what happens when you only get to know the surface of your parents and not all the parts of them?”
Having to agree, he smiled and said, “I forget that they’re real people and not just the people who brought me into the world. I doubt I’m alone in that.”
“I doubt that too. Don’t worry. It’s not too late to get to know them better. I’ll help.”
“I’m sure you will.”
The brunch was fabulous, with salads, steaks, chicken, iced tea and beer, tres leches cake for dessert. He was so full, he could barely move.
“I am sure my parents would like to get back to my place to settle in.”
They agreed, but before they could get up from the cleared and clean table, Michelle said, “Okay, tomorrow the boys are going to have their bachelor party, and since we have no bride, we are having a party for the ladies, and putting together the gift bags along with drinking a lot of wine and eating food we won’t work off for months. Katherine, I’ll pick you up at six, before they get started. The rest, remember what you all are supposed to do. Juan, pick up the tuxedos, May, get the gowns to steam. Everyone, it’s almost time. Don’t mess up this wedding for me!”
Michael leaned in to correct his wife. “Honey, it’s their wedding.”
“Oh…right. Don’t mess it up for me or them!”
Chapter Sixteen
Theirbachelorpartywasa party, but it had no strippers or porn movies. They all sat around card tables and played poker, and at the end of the night, all the winnings were given to the couple to begin their lives together.
Outside the little diner they’d had the party, Herb held Basil tightly, unwilling to let him go home. “This lack of sex is killing me.”
“It’s been a week, and we’re getting married in two days. I think you’ll live.”
“See, you’ve never had sex with you. You have no idea how addictive it is. You’re not playing fair.”
