Here is the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it. Thanks to all of our guest reviewers!
"Dad, are you ready? Ricky and Rusty should be here any minute to pick us up."
Bill comes walking out of his bedroom. "Yes, I am ready to leave, son."
Just as he finishes his sentence, the doorbell rings. Lee turns around and opens the front door while Bill takes another look in the mirror and straightens his tie.
"You guys are right on time! We just finished getting ready." Then he whispers to Ricky and Rusty, "Is everything arranged?"
In order to avoid being suspicious, the two young men simply give Lee a thumb's up. Lee seems relieved and returns the gesture with a little smile on his lips. Then he turns to his dad and calls out to him, "Are you coming, Dad?"
"I sure am! I am really curious what you three have planned for my bachelor party. I also wonder what the ladies have planned for Sharon."
"They left about an hour before us, they had a bit of a longer drive," Ricky says. "Alright, we better go or we will be late. We don't want to make Mr. Shanahan wait." Ricky smirks at Bill.
"Mr. Shanahan! That name doesn't ring a bell. Where are they taking me?" Bill thinks.
They all leave the apartment and make their way to the car. Bill gets in the front with Ricky, while Lee and Rusty take their seats in the back of the car. They are going on the I-5 and drive towards Downtown LA. Then they change onto the CA-110 before taking the exit on W 6th Street a couple of minutes later. After 0.4 miles, they take a right on S Grand Ave and then turn left on W 7th street, arriving at their destination – 515 West 7th Street. Luckily, they find a parking spot right in front of the building.
As they get out of the car, Bill looks confused. He is standing in front of a shop called Cantina Suavecita, a Mexican restaurant.
"Uhm, this is it?" Bill asks.
"Yup," all three young men say at once.
"I am… I think I am a bit too overdressed for this." Bill looks down at himself and considers his attire.
Lee, Ricky, and Rusty break into laughter. "Dad, look UP," Lee says.
Bill does as he is told and then he gasps. "Oh, oh my, the Seven Grand. I have heard about this place. It is supposed to be one of the best whiskey tasting venues in Los Angeles. This is where you are taking me?"
"Yes, it is Bill," Ricky assures him. "We know you love a good drop of whiskey and arranged a private tasting with Pedro Shanahan."
"Are you ready, Bill?" Rusty asks. "Oh yeah, and obviously I will be driving you guys home. Since I am not 21, I can't join you in this taste adventure and I am not into alcohol anyway. My mom and her boyfriends made sure of that."
The four men make their way up to the 2nd floor of the building and enter the Seven Grand. The whole place looks very elegant, with dark wooden furnishing and wall panels. The bar displays a grand variety of assorted whiskey brands.
As they look around, Mr. Shanahan appears to welcome his guests.
"Welcome to the Seven Grand. I am Pedro Shanahan, your host for this whiskey tasting. Who of you is the groom-to-be?"
"That would be me," Bill replies. "And this is my son Lee, and my two soon-to-be step sons Rusty and Ricky. There are only three of us doing the tasting though. Rusty is the designated driver for today."
"Very well! Please come and take your seats at the bar. We can get started right away. I hope you gentlemen ate well before you came here? Well, I will have some snacks for you ready in a moment, just in case."
As the four men take their seats, Pedro shortly disappears in what seems to be the kitchen and reappears with two trays, which he then places before his guests. One plate offers a range of different crackers, nuts, and cheddar cheese. The other smaller tray offers shortbread biscuits. Next, Pedro pours a glass of water for everyone, including Rusty.
"Would you like to drink something else, young man? We have sparkling water, ginger ale, or Shirley Temples for guests who don't drink alcohol."
"I would like a Ginger Ale, please," Rusty replies.
After pouring the Ginger Ale for Rusty, he turns his attention to Bill, Lee, and Ricky.
"Have any of you been to a whiskey tasting before?" Pedro asks.
All three shake their head in unison.
"Alright then, here is how it works. Step one, choose one of the following whiskey categories that you would like to explore today. You have the option between Bourbon, Rye, Single Malt Scotch, and Irish."
After a moment of consideration, the three men decide on the Single Malt Scotch.
"Alright, step two. What is your level of experience? Introductory, Intermediate, or Connoisseur?"
"I think I would describe myself as Intermediate," Bill answers first.
Ricky and Lee both turn out to be Introductory level.
"Step three," Pedro continues, "the actual tasting. I will now have you taste an assorted range of Single Malt Scotch whiskies, three introductory whiskies and three intermediate ones. While you taste, I will tell you a bit about the whiskies, about the history of whiskey, past and present production and maturing practice, the determining factors in the classification of the whiskies, and most importantly, why the whiskies taste the way they do."
"Sounds great. I am really excited. Thank you so much for this lovely surprise, boys. I couldn't have wished for a better bachelor party." Bill smiles broadly.
In the next three hours, they taste a Lowland Auchentoshan Classic, a 10-year-old Highland Glenmorangie, a 12-year-old Speyside Glenfarclas, a 10-year-old Lowland Glenkinchie, a 12-year-old Highland Stornachie, and a Speyside Glenrothes Select Barrel. All of them listen carefully to what Pedro tells them about each of the whiskies, while taking turns at tasting, drinking water, and filling their stomachs with a couple of the snacks.
"Wow, this was all so interesting. I can't believe how quickly these past three hours have passed." Rusty is still completely astonished by all the information he has just learned.
"Thank you so much, Pedro. It was an excellent tasting and so very educational and entertaining. I will certainly recommend you to my friends and colleagues. I know a few people who also enjoy a good drop of whiskey. I might be back with them sometime soon." Bill is still very enthralled.
"Which one was your favorite, Dad?" Lee asks.
"Oh, that is a tough question, since they were all really good. But I would say the Lowland Glenkinchie was my absolute favorite. It just made my taste buds explode in sheer joy. Which one did you like, Lee?" Bill asks in return.
"I really liked the Highland Glenmorangie," he answers.
"That was my favorite too," Ricky adds in.
"I am so glad everyone found a whiskey to their liking. If you'll excuse me, I will get started on cleaning up a bit. Why don't you take a seat over there in our comfortable leather chairs," Pedro suggests.
"Oh yes, that sounds very tempting, thank you," Bill addresses Pedro.
While Pedro is cleaning up and running back and forth between the bar and the kitchen, the four men take their water glasses and take a seat where Pedro showed them. The chairs really were comfortable. He sure wasn't exaggerating.
"So Dad, have you decided on where you will be living after you get married? Is Sharon moving in with you or are you moving into her condo?" Lee asks.
"What do you mean? We are both staying where we are. It's been working really well this way so far," he explains matter-of-factly. Lee must have looked really shocked and confused, because suddenly, Ricky, Bill and Rusty break into hysterical laughter, which confuses Lee only more.
"Son, I am joking. I am moving in with Sharon of course. I like my place, it's nice, but Sharon's condo, the whole apartment complex is much nicer and has several more amenities. It has a gym, a pool and her view is pretty good. Besides, I am living alone, Sharon still has Rusty living with her."
"Very funny dad, but I am glad you seem to have worked that out. I mean, the wedding is already in two days. I just never got the chance to ask about that before. I am very happy for you Dad, and I am very excited to get two new brothers and a sister."
Suddenly, Pedro appears behind Bill so Lee jumps up from his chair. "Right, here comes our gift to you. Thank you Pedro."
Bill looks surprised. Lee hands him a bottle of Lowland Glenkinchie. "Here you go. I am so glad you could decide on a favorite whiskey. We thought if you had a favorite all three of us would get you your own bottle, to please your taste buds at home as well."
"That is so thoughtful of you boys. Thank you. I can only repeat myself from earlier. This has been an amazing bachelor party. I was afraid you might take me to a strip club or something." Bill laughs.
"Oh goodness, no Bill," Ricky says, "we wanted something classy for you. Just like the girls are doing something classy for our mom. We know you two well."
They all talk a bit more about Bill and Sharon's plans for the future. About an hour later, they slowly make their way back home. Rusty drops Lee and Bill off at his house and then drives himself and Ricky back to the condo.
Hope you enjoyed it. As always, reviews are appreciated and loved.