Page 49 of Tossed into the Mob
The flowers from Flint’s garden were bedraggled and most of the food was sodden. All of Grandpa’s and Rudy’s planning was for nothing. It had literally gone down the drain.
I squelched through the soggy grass, as the kids refused to leave, and jumped in puddles. They squealed and ran up and down the drive trying to splash each other.
Flint was standing in the front door issuing instructions. “There are spare clothes in the basement if anyone wants to change.” They’d been planning on giving them to charity.
“Will you lock us down there and say you have to weigh up whether to k-i-l-l us?” Hunter sniggered.
Flint rolled his eyes at his youngest brother’s reference to him putting Tony there. “You’re hilarious.”
“I don’t get it,” Niles said to Brock in a low voice.
“It’s silly. Just a family joke.” I didn’t want that story coming out or Niles might head to the airport.
“I’m sorry about the food and the flowers and everything.” I took Brock’s hand and wiped raindrops off his cheeks.
“Actually, we’ll look back on this day and laugh.”
“We can go back to the guest house and change.”
But Rudy overheard me and said there were plenty of clothes for everyone, and as we wandered down the stairs, we passed Hunter in too-tight red pants and an oversized T-shirt. The rest of the family were in mismatched clothes that included dressing gowns, PJs, shorts and T-shirts, a paternity shirt, and pants that had to be rolled up. We made fun of Ranger in a vest and a pair of swim trunks.
Brock was right. No one would ever forget our wedding, and we snapped pics as keepsakes.
“I’m hungry, Grandpa.” Kendric tugged at Rudy’s tux.
“We have eggs, smoked salmon, and bread.” My grandpa was already in the kitchen.
“Sounds like a feast,” I told him.
“Flint, Ranger, Hunter, get in here,” Grandpa yelled. If Flint was annoyed at being given orders, he didn’t show it. “We’re going to make scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and toast. Plus we have enough milk for pancakes.”
Grandpa gave Brock an apologetic look. “I’m sorry.”
My mate hugged him. “It’s going to be delicious. How can we help?”
Grandpa said we needed a conveyor belt of people. The kids were being hustled into the den, so Grandpa told Rudy and Niles they were making toast.
“I can do that.” Rudy was overconfident and set the toaster to a high heat until Niles lowered it.
Madd was cracking eggs and complaining to Flint about having no food in the house. But our cousin responded that there was supposed to be leftovers. “But most of it is now waterlogged.”
Grandpa was cooking the eggs while Flint and Hunter were arguing about how much milk to add in the pancakes. Gale and his mate set the table, and Ranger searched for cream cheese and capers that Grandpa said we had to have, while my folks cut up fruit.
The kids charged out of the den and got under the large dining room table, pretending they were hiding from dinosaurs. Matt and Odell picked flowers from the garden that were sprinkled with raindrops while Tony collapsed in an armchair and the kids ran around him until they were so dizzy they collapsed.
Everyone was talking at once, but we were all together.
“Your family’s doing this for us.” Brock adjusted the gas flame as we readied to cook the pancakes. “The house is full of love, and that’s how a wedding should be.”
“They’re your family now too.”
“Ready for the flip.” Brock gripped the cast-iron saucepan.
“Can he do it?” Ranger yelled.
“Yes he can,” everyone chanted. “Yes he can.”
My mate did the perfect flip, and it was like those comedies where the pancake seemed to rise and turn over in slow motion.
