Chapter 4

After we ate, I left Bob cleaning up the kitchen and went to the living room to phone the girls. As I had predicted, they were willing to come and the picnic was set for noon. Bob and I decided that the easiest thing to do was to go into town and pick up chicken and the works from Bobby's, a restaurant owned by one of our numerous cousins.

Once that was done, we played gin rummy out on the porch until everyone arrived.

Tammy Sue was first and Bob lost a quarter to me. He had wagered that Lisa Rogers would be the first. Tammy Sue was wearing black shorts that came to just above her knees, a red tee-shirt, and red sandals. She had followed the rules I set for what to wear, including a bra. Her yellow blonde hair was pulled back into a pony tail. She was immaculate as always.

Amy Guthrie and Megan Childers arrived together. They're cousins and have been inseparable since they were kids. With short black hair and blue eyes, they could pass for sisters. They reminded me of Joanie from the TV show Happy Days. Their blue shirts and shorts matched. They were wearing white tennis shoes with lacey socks.

Lisa was next. She had highlighted her shoulder-length auburn curls with dark purple highlights. Her outfit was purple and she had matching socks and with white sneakers. Her almond shaped dark eyes were highlighted heavily with purple mascara.

Mandy and Tiffany Davis arrived not long after Lisa. They're identical twins and the only way to tell them apart is their white blonde hair. Mandy wears hers short and Tiffany's almost touches her butt. They had on matching outfits of lime green that brought out their green eyes.

Chrissy Johnson arrived on her motorcycle. When she pulled off her protective clothing, she was dressed in denim shorts and a black tee-shirt. She wore black ankle boots with matching tights. Her brown curls were bobbed in a style that looked haphazard, but great. She wore John-Lennon type glasses in order to see the world clearly with her hazel eyes.

Beth Martin was last. Her Aunt Belle, named after Belle Watling in Gone With the Wind, brought her. Mrs. Martin died when she had driven her car in front of a train. Beth had been a little over a year-old. Her daddy decided not to remarry and enlisted his spinster sister Belle to help raise his daughter. Beth was dressed, as always, in a calf- length dress, socks, and penny loafers that Belle insisted that she wear. Her fawn-colored hair was platted in two braids that fell just below her shoulders. Her gray eyes always seem to reflect that she's a bit lost in the world. Shy, she rarely says anything, but when you can get her out of her shell, she's one of the nicest people you'll ever meet.

With everyone there, we gathered up our stuff and headed out.

Though they were competing for my uncle, the girls were all friendly toward one another, and the walk through the pasture was pleasant. When we reached the three big oak trees on the east side of the pond, we spread two blankets. I sat on one end while Bob sat at the other. Everyone else was seated in a circle alphabetically to keep down any hard feelings that might arise with each girl wanting to sit beside the love of their life.