Chapter 40 - Epilogue

Mrs. de Gras sat across from me, eyes slightly downcast, round, plump shoulders primly and perfectly squared. She looked so elegant, perfect manicure, coiffed black and grey and white curls neatly half back in a demure barrette, makeup subtle and flattering to her rosy red complexion. I wondered if she ever looked disheveled or scruffy. I doubted it. Her ivory cardigan and shell looked to be made of something fine and soft, angora or cashmere. It occurred to me that if I chose to, I could also wear such nice things every day. I’d be Basil’s wife. Would I be proper like his mother? I’d changed so much over the past year, how much more would I change in the next?


She couldn’t quite meet my eyes, and I wasn’t trying to meet hers. My gaze danced around the room, resting on neutral items like the pink teapot or the cups with blowsy roses scattered around the rim. “It is good to see you,” she said in a careful tone. “I was hoping to put that… business behind us, as I understand that I am, at long last, to have a daughter-in-law.”


With a bracing breath, I summoned my courage and looked her square in the face, trying to show my sincerity in my expression. “I’m glad to see you too. I want to have a good relationship with you and Mr. de Gras.”


She met my gaze with shock in her eyes, and a strange procession of emotion followed. Shock faded to curiosity, then, a surprising warmth. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear that.” There was a small catch in her voice, so small I almost missed it. She cleared her throat and looked away to compose herself before continuing. “I want the same thing, dear. Thank you for coming to dinner.”


“It’s my pleasure, Mrs. de Gras,” I said, and meant it.


“Oh, please, Millie! Call me,” she pursed her lips and looked girlishly shy for a moment, “Call me Tania. I was…” she chuckled. “My own mother-in-law told me, with the primmest manner you could ever imagine, to call her Mother. You could hear the capital letter and everything!”


A relieved giggle seized me, and she joined in. I’d never imagined her to have this playful, silly side, but it was delightful. “Of course,” she went on, adjusting her legs and smoothing the peach and ivory fabric of her skirt – was that silk? It had that subdued sheen – over her knees, “I have become almost as prim as her. She… oh goodness, the shock about you and Bazzy would have given her fits.” She laughed softly, a shadow of worry passing over her face again before dissipating.


“I’m so sorry,” I blurted. “I know how important your family is, and I embarrassed you all. Well, us all. I was quite embarrassed too.”


Tania shook her head, her smooth, coiffed locks bouncing evenly. “Don’t tell my husband, but in a way…” it looked like she was struggling with what to say, biting her lip and gazing upward. “In a way, I was grateful that my son had found someone who adores all of him.” Her eyes dropped and she looked into my eyes with a sympathetic warmth. “My husband and I love each other dearly, and we wanted that for our children too. It’s hard for our family to find love.”


“I do, I love Baz,” I rushed to say. “He brings out the best in me and I hope I do the same for him.”


“I think you do,” she said, putting her teacup down to pick up a lovely-looking lemon tart. “You know, dear, you’ll have to teach us about Human wedding and holiday traditions. I’ve seen them in movies, of course, but I don’t think I’d be able to do them quite properly.”


Now I laughed. “Oh, I wouldn’t worry too much about that. I never really had any.”


A concerned look rose in her eyes, then became sad. Oh no, she was about to pity me. I braced myself. “I’m sorry, I forgot for a moment. Well, I hope you’ll join us in ours.”


“I’m really looking forward to the holidays,” I said cheerfully, grateful that she didn’t sob over my dramatic and tragic past that was utterly ordinary to me. “Do you have any recipes I could learn? Obviously, Baz does a lot of the cooking but I sneak into the kitchen every now and then to surprise him.”


She rolled her eyes and chuckled. “Of course, dear, after dinner I’ll pull the recipe box out. Does he actually forbid you to cook?”


“Forbid is a strong word, but he does usually shoo me out before I can make anything.” I laughed. “Unless it’s cookies, that is, especially the black pepper cookies I make.”


Tania perked up and looked excited. “Piparkokur!” I must have looked baffled. She explained, “Black pepper cookies. I haven’t had those since my grandmother made them.”


“I’ll have to whip up a batch for you, then!” This visit was going approximately a trillion times better than I had hoped. We weren’t just mending fences to tolerate each other. I saw a warm, funny side of Basil’s mom I hadn’t expected, and she seemed to enjoy my company as well. “Provided Baz lets me in the kitchen. You know how he is.”


“He can be a bit, er, meticulous. Controlling to be blunt. And a bit full of himself,” she said with rueful affection. “I know he gets that from me and my husband, so I suppose I can’t blame him.”


I shrugged. “He needs that confidence to put himself out there in the world.” She looked regretful, suddenly. Wounded, even. I hurried to apologize. “I’m sorry, I know that’s a sensitive subject.”


She opened and closed her mouth abruptly. “Millie, may I ask you something? Something serious.”


“Of course, anything,” I said. I scootched forward in my chair, legs dangling. The furniture in his family’s home made me feel doll-sized.


“I fear – no, I know that I’ve driven Bazzy away. He’s always wanted to be on center stage, a born performer. I never understood that or even tried to accept it.” She took a deep breath, her broad bosom rising and falling. “Until now. Do you think I can mend things? I miss my boy. I want to be in your life. Both of your lives. Even if I am a stuffy old woman.”


The knot in my chest I’d barely registered unwound and relaxed. “I bet if you say exactly what you said to me, he’d be really touched.”


She seemed to relax too, and straightened her shoulders. “Maybe I will.” Tania took a sip of her tea with a faint, hopeful smile. “By the way, is it true you convinced my son to get a pet?”


“A cat! He’s a neurotic, chatty little orange goofball.” I pulled my phone out, a picture of Basil and Roux as my lock screen. It was in profile at my apartment, and Roux was curled up on Baz’s chest, between his warm moobs while Baz gazed down fondly at the little cat, his thick chins bulging softly. No cat had ever had such a plush resting place.


Tania cooed over the picture and laughed at the cat’s name. “Does he live with you or Basil?”


I blushed. “He lives with Baz, but he comes along when Baz spends the, um, when he visits me.”


She gave me a knowing look. “I’m old, but not that old, Millie. You’re going to live together before the wedding, of course. It’s simply good sense to find out if there are any problems before the wedding.”


Well, this made that conversation much easier. “I’ll be moving in when my lease is up.”


Tania nodded approvingly. “Now, would you indulge an old woman in a cliche?” I nodded a little amused at her. She leaned toward me with a conspiratorial air. “Would you like to see some baby pictures?”


“More than anything,” She rose and pulled several huge tomes filled with pictures off the shelf. Basil as a chubby boy, and a plump teen, his family, large in every sense, Baz wearing a rugby uniform, a teenage Baz holding a diploma, then holding a pair of car keys standing by his great-grandfather’s convertible, Baz carrying Will on his broad shoulders as she grinned, displaying her missing front teeth, picture after picture illustrating his past.


I wished I could see what the future held as easily as I could look at the past. For the first time though, I didn’t feel afraid of what might lie ahead. I had found love and friendship and work that nourished my spirit. The way Tania warmly patted my shoulder and fondly called me ‘dear’, it looked like I was getting a family too. I was so excited


Basil poked his head into the parlor with a wary expression. Upon seeing us cozily poring over photo albums, a big grin burst out, plumping his cheeks and crinkling the corners of his eyes behind his glasses. “Would you ladies be ready for dinner soon?” A delicious aroma wafted in through the open door.


“Yes, Bazzy, thank you,” his mother answered. Tania turned her deep green eyes to me and gave me a bright smile. “Shall we? Something wonderful awaits, I’m sure.”



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Thank you everyone who's been reading and commenting on Never Trust a Thin Chef! I started writing this as pure erotica, and then, while this is a cliche, I fell in love with the characters and wanted to explore their whole story -- not just their sex life. Your kind words have meant more to me than you can know.

I hope to explore more of Basil's family and this world in future installments. I am so grateful that I was able to make people laugh and even cry with my writing. Thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart.