Red took a deep breath as he pulled up the long driveway. Brix saw it, and put a hand on Red’s thigh. “It’ll be all right,” he said.
Red gave him a small smile. “At least we’re here early enough to still go get lunch in town if things go bad.”
They got in front of the house. Some cars were parked there already. “Shit,” Red said, “I thought it was going to be just the immediate family.”
“All the more people to not cause a scene with,” Brixl said as Red parked the car behind a station wagon.
“I haven’t seen my cousins since before I left for Afganistan.” He got out of the car and counted seven cars. “They’re probably in the back.”
“Or inside,” said Brix, pulling on his jacket. “Is it always this cold?”
Red laughed, “Welcome to New England.”
Red led Brixl up the porch steps. The inside door was open, and the screen door was closed. Red could hear people talking, and he peered inside but could see nothing. He called upon the reserves, the steely strength he had when he defused bombs, put his hand on the door and exhaled. He opened the door.
People did not stop talking when he did, as he expected. He held the door open for Brix, and they walked inside. Just past the mud room was the living room, with a fireplace burning in the hearth and people gathered around it.
One person looked up. “Steve!” Then the whole room looked his way and called his name. They were his cousins, some married, some single, one of his female cousins with a boyfriend – a different one than he remembered the last time.
“Hi, this is – ” Better just say it, “My fiance Brixl.”
There were no gasps, no awkward moments, no plastered smiles and fake expressions of welcome. Red’s cousins came forward and shook Brixl’s hand, introducing themselves and their significant others, offering congratulations and saying their kids were outside playing. Red’s cousin Arthur said with a conspiratorial grin, “You sure you want to be part of this crazy family?”
“If it’s as crazy as Red is, I won’t mind,” Brixl said.
Red wanted to reach out and take his hand, but was afraid that would be pushing the issue too much. “Where’s mom and dad?”
“You know your mother,” said Juliette, his cousin Ralph’s wife. She rolled her eyes when she said it, and a couple of other people did, too.
“She’s racking up the number of cars at her funeral,” another cousin, Kate, said. Someone ribbed her, but she continued, “It’s true! She wants a big turn out.”
“Who do we have here?” came a deep voice behind them.
Red turned around along with Brixl. “Hi, dad,” he said. The man before him stood just as tall as Red, bald, with a strongly chiseled face. His shoulders were broad but he had a paunch, which tapered down into skinny legs encased in plaid shorts. Red put a hand on Brixl’s shoulder. “This is my fiance, Brixl.”
Now comes the moment of awkwardness that I expect, Red thought, but none came. Red’s father held out his hand. “I’m Tom, and I’m very happy to meet you.” The smile on his face was genuine, the handshake firm. Tom even reached out and put a hand on Brixl’s other shoulder as he shook hands.
“It’s nice to meet you, too, sir,” said Brixl, and smiled also.
“Call me Tom. Come on in the kitchen, you can meet a few more people.”
“Bye, Steve, Brixl!” “Come back soon!” “Bring beer!” Laughter.
“Where’s mom?” Red asked.
“With Mrs. Simmons over in the high-rise.” He frowned. “She’ll be here for lunch, she said.” They turned a corner and were in the dining room area, where people sat talking.
“Lizbeth,” Tom said, interrupting a conversation between two women, and a stocky woman with shoulder-length bleached-blond hair turned to look at them. She had Red’s green eyes, which contrasted with the bottled blond hair look. She looked from Red to Brixl.
Red couldn’t read the emotions on her face, there were too many. A frown indicated displeasure, but her eyes were alight. Did she think he was cute? Red moved close to Brixl as Lizbeth got up. “So you’re the Enrico on the invitation.”
“That would be me,” Brixl said, and stepped forward with a hand outstretched. “I’m Brixl.’
She gave him a very limp handshake. “I’m Elizabeth, Steve’s older sister.”
“It’s good to meet you,” Brixl said, and pulled his hand away. “I’ve heard alot about you.”
“Probably all bad,” she said, looking at Steve. “Where’s my kiss, or are you not allowed to kiss anyone else when your boyfriend is around?”
The way she said it, it was not meant to be sarcastic. Red went over and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek. “Good to see you, sis. Where’s Nicole?”
“Outside with the other kids.”
Tom called, “Brixl, what do you know about grilling?”
Here it comes, Red thought. The Talk.
Brixl knew what was coming too, because he said, “A little bit.”
“Want to come help me with this?” He held out a metal pan full of hot dogs and hamburgers. “You don’t mind if I steal him for a little while, do you, Steve?” Tom asked with a sort of a wink.
“Sure, dad,” Red said and before he knew what he was doing, planted a kiss on Brixl’s cheek before he left. They stared at each other for a half a second, because they both had agreed they’d act as just friends. Red’s face flushed, and Brixl chuckled, then grabbed the metal pan and headed out the door to follow Tom.
Red looked around and realized he was left alone among the lions.