CHAPTER ELEVEN
Grissom opened up his door at home to let his best friend in. He poured a drink for both of them.
"Women troubles," Grissom said, cutting to the chase.
"Oy ve," answered Brass, "you don't know the half, Gil".
"I've never had this before. I mean it was totally different when it was Annie, Nancy and I. Now it's Annie and Iris. Annie wants me hot and heavy and it's been tough this week. Iris is…I don't know…she's not trying for me in that way." Brass held the cold glass to the side of his head to ease the throbbing in his temples.
"Jim, as much as I would like to I can't tell you what to do or how to do it or with whom, but I will say that Iris won't settle," Gil said firmly.
"Iris has been saying this 'as you wish' line to me all week since Annie showed up and it's starting to tick me off and, by the way, what's a bashert?" growled Brass.
"I think I can wing those for you," Gil said after taking a long drink from his glass. He went on to explain that he and Iris were something of movie buffs and would occasionally test one another with a movie quote. One time she had simply said 'as you wish' which for once had stumped Grissom. It turned out to be a quote from "The Princess Bride" where the title character would order about a young farm hand who as he did every task she put him to would simply reply with 'as you wish'. And that one day, the princess was amazed to discover that when he was saying, "As you wish," what he meant was, "I love you." As far as explaining bashert, Gil smiled, as he went on to describe the meaning of the Hebrew word and Jewish concept of one's predestined mate as when people commonly yearn for their soul mate, what they are really yearning for is "the one and only" person who can make them complete. "This is their "twin flame" or "Bashert" and when we are with our "Bashert", we realize that we are "two halves of the same person". Our "Bashert" gives us the opportunity to grow in love like no other person can."
"Thanks for the drink, Gil, got some thinking to do," Brass said as he drained his glass. "Annie awaits me."
On getting back to his home, Brass asked Annie to tell him fully of what she and Iris had discussed over their lunch. She found this to be an odd request but held nothing back as she relayed the main points of the conversation. Jim and Annie talked long into the night.
