Saranya Chapter 11 #2
As Dad pulled out Mom’s chair, Cowboy was in the process of doing the same for me. I knew my parents had taken note of it. Once everyone was seated, I pointed out the dishes and explained them to Cowboy.
“Hon, I told Mae? that you have eaten several Thai dishes and loved them. Generally, when she cooks, she combines both traditional Thai dishes and more American-style ones. Ph?x, Dad, enjoys both the same as I do. The chili oil is here to increase the heat if it’s not hot enough, just like what we do at my place. ”
“It all looks and smells delicious. I can’t wait. I’ll try it all,” he said enthusiastically.
There was roasted chicken, seasoned roasted red potatoes, and steamed broccoli. On the Thai side was white rice and pad thai, which he had at my house. The other two he hadn’t had, so I explained them to him.
“This is Larb. This one is made of finely chopped chicken, though you can use pork, beef, or even fish. It’s flavored with Thai chilies, cilantro, Thai basil, shallots, toasted rice, mint, fish sauce, and lime juice.
It’s a family favorite. This dish is a sesame cucumber salad.
It’s made with chopped peanuts, red pepper, onion, and sesame oil. ”
“Go ahead, dig in,” Dad said.
Cowboy nodded, then asked me, “Which ones are you eating?”
“I want a little of everything, too. It’s hard to choose, so I don’t.”
Without another word, he picked up the roasted chicken.
He placed a small amount on my plate, then a larger one on his.
It was what he did whenever we ate at home, so I sat there and watched him.
I’d protested at first, but he refused to let me serve him or to do mine myself.
He claimed it was how he was raised. It was the opposite of how I’d been raised.
Dad hadn’t insisted on Mom waiting on him.
It was part of her culture to do so. It was her way of demonstrating love for her husband.
After our plates were filled, we waited for my parents to finish serving theirs. When they were, Dad shook his head. “Damn, he’s showing me up, again, Malai.”
She laughed. “Preston, I’m the one who made you allow me to serve you when we got together, remember? Although I do like seeing Cowboy ensuring our daughter is served first. Is that how you were raised?”
“It is. Dad taught me that it was done in his family to ensure the women and children were fed. If there was enough left over, then the men ate.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful that they were so caring. I love that concept, though I still want to serve my husband,” Mom sighed.
Our meal passed full of praise for the delicious food and general chatter.
My parents wanted to know where Cowboy grew up, about his family, and his days in rodeo.
They shared how they met and talked of how Dad built his business.
Even though Mom had been a stay-at-home mom, she had done a great deal to support Dad’s clinic and still did.
She kept the books and ensured that payroll was processed and bills were paid.
She took that on so my dad could focus on his patients.
I updated my parents on the progress of my clinic.
Dad asked if I was satisfied with the job Jordan had done. I assured him I was.
After we finished eating, the men put away the leftovers, while we ladies put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher and wiped down the surfaces.
Then, we went outside to enjoy the evening.
Being on the edge of the ocean, it tended to be cooler.
Dad lit the firepit. Mom was always colder than the rest of us, hence why she had a blanket over her legs.
“Babe, do you need a blanket?” Cowboy asked.
“No, I’m good. Mom is cold-blooded. I run hotter than her,” I explained.
Cowboy leaned over to whisper in my ear, “You sure are hot,” he growled before kissing me.
My man had no qualms about showing PDA in front of my parents.
They were the same. They often hugged, snuck kisses, and held hands.
They’d been that way my whole life. We’d been out there for maybe half an hour when the dogs began barking.
They took off around the house. Moments later, the sound of a vehicle reached our ears.
In unison, Cowboy and Dad rose to their feet.
“Ladies, stay here. We’ll be back,” Cowboy said.
I heard the demand in his tone, but I didn’t get upset.
His hand went to his low back. I now knew he was checking to make sure his gun was there.
It was a reflex for him, I knew. Despite his club’s non-outlaw status, Cowboy was always cautious.
He’d told me that didn’t guarantee protection. He’d rather be safe.
I was anxious as I waited to find out who it was. More than likely, it was a friend. I was relieved when no shots were heard. It was only three minutes or so until they returned, and they weren’t alone. Trailing them was Dad’s partner, Jordan.
“Hello, Malai.” He came over and kissed Mom’s cheek before continuing. “Sorry for the interruption. I totally spaced that Preston said you were having Saranya over. Hello, Saranya, it’s good to see you.”
“Hello, Jordan. No need to apologize.”
“Your dad was nice enough to ask me to stay for a drink, even though I crashed your get-together,” Jordan added as he took the seat to my left between Mom and me. Dad popped inside, no doubt, to get his refreshment. Cowboy sat on my right and picked up my hand again.
“I’ve got to say, I was a bit shocked to see a biker come around the house with Preston. For a moment, I was wondering if everything was okay.” Jordan’s words were said without negative inflection, and he was smiling, but I felt there was a dig there.
Hoping I was wrong, I let it pass. The way Cowboy’s fingers flexed around mine told me he thought the same. I was learning how prejudiced many people were against bikers. I hated that I had been as ignorant about them. So many of us believed in these stereotypes.
“Cowboy may appear intimidating, but as long as you’re not out to harm him, his club, those he claims, or innocent people, then you should be safe. His club, the Horsemen of Wrath, is full of wonderful people. I love visiting with them.” I defended Cowboy.
“You’ve been to their club?” he asked disbelievingly. Clearly, my parents hadn’t told him about what they did on New Year’s Eve. Maybe not even the meeting on the Night of Lights tour.
“She’s right. And yes, she adores hanging out at our compound. Preston and Malai have also been there. They enjoyed themselves, I think,” Cowboy added.
Dad had returned and handed Jordan a glass of lemonade. “Oh, we did enjoy it. Can’t wait to go back. I assume since you are our daughter’s man, we’ll be invited back,” Dad said, grinning.
“How could I say no? Though Malai, you may have to teach the old ladies how to cook Thai food. My brothers would love what we had tonight,” Cowboy told Mom, beaming at her.
“Saranya is dating him?” Jordan asked. He seemed not to be able to believe it.
“Yes, she is. Even War approved of him. I’d love to teach them if they want to learn,” Mom said with pride.
War’s word went a long way with my family. I sat there and basked in the warmth of my family’s approval of my choice. I had a feeling that Cowboy and I were a solid, lasting couple.