“Man, this place is dope!” Shane scanned the open interior of the Banana Patch, with wooden walls draped with bright-colored fabrics and pots of lush plants decorating the corners of the room. Open sliders revealed a view of ponds surrounded by banana palms and hibiscus. “Wow, Aunt Vanessa was right. This is exactly what we were looking for.”
Aimee linked her arm in his. “See? I told you.”
Suddenly, a strange voice repeated what she’d said. “See? I told you.” A parrot squawked.
They both turned to find a large bird with feathers of red, orange, yellow, and blue. “I told you. I told you,” the parrot repeated, bobbing its head up and down.
Shane laughed. Before he could say anything, the parrot started up again. “Knock, knock.”
Aimee grinned. “Who’s there?” she said, playing along.
The bird squawked. “Who’s there? Who’s there? A parrot.”
“A parrot who?” Shane asked.
“A-parrot-ly, some birds can talk!”
Amid their laughter, Halia swept into the room, wearing a caftan, and her long brown hair wrapped in a turban. “I see you’ve met Coconut.”
Aimee greeted her with a wave. “Yes, we did. Your parrot friend is a riot.”
“Yeah,” Shane agreed. “And quite the comedian.”
“I’m glad you think so. Perhaps we could arrange for Coconut to officiate your ceremony,” Haila offered, teasing. “Then again, your mom might not appreciate going with that choice.”
A smile wiggled at the edges of Shane’s mouth. “I suppose not,” he agreed. “A parrot marrying us would definitely put her over the top.”
Aimee gently elbowed him. “Oh, stop. Your mom has been very supportive, even when we diverted from her preferred plans.”
Over the next hour, Aimee and Shane followed Halia through the grounds and discussed all the options before them. After considering multiple places for the actual ceremony to take place, eventually, they landed on a spot in front of the serenity pond.
The water was shallow and lined with a large stone patio and walkway. There was plenty of room for chairs. They heartily agreed when Halia suggested they surround the entire area with candles and lit torches. The ceremony would take place at dusk, and she said the ambience would be stunning.
“It’s perfect,” Aimee said, clasping her hands together and smiling widely. “Just perfect.”
Shane grinned over at his fiancée. He loved it when she was this happy.