After getting over the initial shock of meeting their future daughter in-law, and me pointing out for the millionth time in my life to Mom that Pops really was white no matter how many ways she tried to justify it in her mind that he wasn’t, we reconvened in the living room. Since the only response I got was the usual eye-roll anyhow, I just shook my head and rolled my own eyes. To say Mom was stubborn and set in her ways would be the understatement of the year.

“I still better get my damn vacation,” Mom muttered before Pops pulled her down on the couch with him.

“Calm down now, sweetheart. I’m sure our boy has better sense than to mention a vacation to us, and then just yank it back. Especially after dropping such a sweet bombshell on us just now.”

“Who knows what sense he got these days? Looks like his damn brain is down there in his balls.” I tried to cover up my laugh with a cough a second too late. “I don’t know what you over there laughing at, I know you knew about this,” Mom said.

“Mom! Even if I did know about it, it wasn’t my place to say anything. This is all on Max, not me.” Of course she’d somehow turn it around to me. Ugh.

“Mom, Justine only just found out last night. And, yes, you will be getting your vacation. We’re having the wedding in Hershey, Pennsylvania.” Max smiled and sat back, giving Chelsea’s hand a reassuring squeeze as he did so, like he had just accomplished his big goal. Silly boy.

“I want a vacation soon, son, and not sometime next year.”

Sooner than you think, Mom.

“Well, it actually will be before next year.” Poor Chelsea hadn’t said a damn word, just sat there getting more and more red, or was that green, as Max continued on. “It’s going to be the week after next.”

That did it. That one sentence was the equivalent of lighting a match to a box of dynamite. Mom and Pops starting going off, ramming questions at Max so fast there was no way he could keep up. I sure as shit couldn’t.

When I looked over at Chelsea she had surpassed the red and turned fully green, and looked as though she were about to explode. I hurried over to where she sat with Max, snatched her up by the arm, and ran/walked her to the downstairs bathroom that looked like a broom closet to everyone on their first visit to the house. I got her to the toilet and pulled her hair back just in time. I don’t think they even noticed we were no longer in the room.

After she hurled a few times and got it all out of her system, she mumbled a thank you to me. When she got up and rinsed her mouth out, I guided her to the kitchen to get her a glass of water. Deciding now was as good a time as any, I asked her, “Do you love my brother?”

“Of course I do. And the little monster that he put inside me that keeps making me throw up and won’t let me eat hamburgers anymore,” she responded with a shy and timid smile.

“And I can tell he loves you. Come on.”

As we walked back into the living room I took a deep breath then shouted at them, “Can it!”

That got their attention. Once everyone’s eyes were on me, I spoke to them all as a whole. “Mom, Pops, your son is in love, grown, and ready to have a family of his own. It may not be ideal to you guys or anyone else, but it’s just what happens to be right for him. Though he could have told you in a better way than this.” I gave Max a pointed look at that, “But, now that we all know, let’s just support him and get this shindig on the road.”

“And just how do you get an entire wedding planned halfway across the country within two weeks?”

“This was my initial response, too. And, yes, we have come up with a plan. Amongst our friends everyone has a task: Chase is looking up Pennsylvania marriage laws to see if we can just pick up the license here so that can be already taken care of and out of the way and he’s also in charge of the rings; Donny is at the travel agency booking them a short trip to Paris; Danielle is taking care of travel arrangements to get everyone to Pennsylvania; Chelsea and her friends are going to find a wedding dress; the food catering is being handled by her sister since she still lives down there, and I’m taking care of the venue online tonight.”

“Well, looks like y’all really got this handled,” Pops said proudly.

“Pops, I am my father’s daughter.”

“I had a hand in things too,” mumbled Max.

“Yeah, slightly.”

Mom finally chimed in, “Well, welcome to the family, Chelsea. I guess you’ll blend in. I’ll just try to think of you as albino.”

At least it was a start.