lunch with the in-laws (m)

My husband is from a small family. Two siblings. One niece. Two sisters-in-law (okay, five if you include ex-wives). Everyone lives in New England yet we see his brothers about twice each year. When you get an invite to do something with any of them, you take the opportunity. It might be another year before the next one arises.

T's younger brother calls on Friday. His daughter is coming up from New Jersey. Would we like to meet sometime on Sunday at his home on the Cape (which is about an hour and twenty minutes from our home)?

Sunday is at the worst day for traffic and I'm planning to pack all day for an 8-day trip with Harrison for a skating competition and to look at colleges.

I ask my husband if we can compromise and meet halfway. He and his brother settle on brunch at a restaurant.

"What restaurant? What time?" I ask. I can tell my husband is exasperated by my questions.

Sunday morning comes...8 o clock, 9 o'clock, 10 o'clock. No firm plan yet.

By 10:30, I ask my husband to call his brother to get the plan. T thinks I'm being "pushy."

At 11 o'clock, my husband calls his brother only to find out his 28 year-old daughter is still asleep. We'll have to wait until she wakes up to get the plan together.

Is it me? Can we not make a plan for the afternoon, assuming she is not dead and will wake at some point? All I wanted was to be able to plan my day.

At noon, we get a plan. 1 p.m. at the Cheesecake Factory. My husband was to call for reservations. At 1:30 my husband remembers to call for reservations.

Fortunately, the place was empty on this hot, sunny day.

We order lunch and catch up on about 10 months worth of topics...my niece's job, her new house, her husband, my brother-in-law and sister-in-law's trip to Alaska, my sister-in-law's tattoo.

What's new with you guys? they ask.

They still haven't commented on my weight loss. I bring it up. They don't say anything.

I order grill shrimp and eat half the order (the portions were too big even when I was a lot heavier). My brother-in-law gets some enormous salad that never seems to get smaller. He chomps and chomps and the bowl looks the same. I grow tired just watching him eat.

After about an hour and a half, we said our goodbyes and agree to get together soon.

Can't wait.