Chapter 8

It didn't take long to figure out we didn't have enough refrigerator and freezer space for everything we picked up. I called Daddy's cell phone, got voice mail and left a message that we'd be over later to put some stuff in his place. He put a huge double side by side refrigerator in when he remodeled the kitchen and there's a big chest type freezer in the garage.

I worked with June to figure out what the two of us could store while I had Jack make three kinds of dip. We covered them in Saran Wrap and took them, the burgers, chicken and corn and the fresh cream over there.

Wherever Daddy and Wanda took off to, they were still there. There were no surprises at the house, and we were in and out within twenty minutes. I noticed that the refrigerator seemed a lot emptier than it had been while I was living there.

When we got back, Jack and I went over to the house and had a war council with June and Mary.

The first thing June said to me was, "Didn't I tell you that Alex was going to bring drinks for everybody?"

"Oh, Shit. Sorry — I meant shucks."

"I'm sure you did."

Jack chimed in, "We'll keep it in the garage. If we need it, we'll use it. Otherwise we can always return it."

June then said, "Where are you going to put everybody?"

I knew the answer to that one. "You said we could use the back yard."

"So, are you going to have everyone eat off the ground?"

Jack said, "Tables."

His sister said, "Good one, Einstein."

June gave Mary the look before the two of them could get into it with each other.

"I've ordered twelve long folding tables with benches for tomorrow. They'll be here sometime between nine and ten. Alex is also going to bring three sets of sawhorses and full sheets of plywood to keep food over near the barbecues. He won't need that much room for his stuff, so you can set up a buffet for your chips and veggies. People can just grab what they want and take it to their tables. Are you going to make people eat with their fingers?"

I said, "Silverware."

Mom didn't even give Mary a chance. "Plastic. And paper plates and bowls and some trash bags and you'll need bowls for the ice cream. Some plastic table cloths for the tables wouldn't be a bad idea, either. And you know there are some people who are going to want to put their drinks in a cup."

Jack was elected to get the paper and plastic goods this afternoon and make a run for ice first thing in the morning. Alex was coming by at 9 with the drinks, so they could be put on ice for the party at 1.

Once the tables were set up, he'd be off to my father's to get the things we'd already taken over there.

Jack said he wanted to take Sara with him and Mary went in to get her. Sara was fine with it, especially when Jack said it would give them time to talk.

June told Jack where he could get tablecloths and gave him some money. She told him how many of each thing he should get. When I thought the amounts were pretty high, she said that some people would be back and forth for food three or four times and would get clean plates each time. And most of them would dump their silverware before they realized there was ice cream. Any who used cups would use a lot, especially kids.

After Jack and Sara headed out, the three of us teamed up to make the potato salad. Mary and I went upstairs and scrubbed potatoes and put them in tin foil, then we broke up the broccoli and cauliflower, rinsed them and put them on plates. The pieces of carrot and celery got rinsed and went on plates, too, then everything was covered in Saran Wrap and stored in the refrigerator. We decided to hold off on the green salad until the last minute, but washed and cut all the stuff for the shish kebabs. By that time, the beef and prawns had soaked long enough and we put everything on the skewers. Mary almost lost it when I pretended to swallow a whole one. I could probably have come close to doing it for real, but the last thing I wanted was to stick a long nail down my throat. And if I'm going to put raw meat down there, that's not the kind I want.

Jack and Sara came back. She'd talked him into getting some napkins, and he got some big rolls of clear shipping tape so we could make sure the tablecloths stayed put. The place June had sent them for the tablecloths was a party supply store. They had everything we needed there, but it probably would have cost three or four times as much as they did at Costco for the rest of the stuff. Jack did pick up four plastic frames, designed to hold big trash bags. They probably wouldn't last past the party, but they'd do the same job as new trash cans at a fraction of the cost. He picked up a big box of bags at Costco.

Sara looked better when they got back than she had this morning. She took off after helping him put everything in the garage for tomorrow.

"Did you two figure anything out?"

"We're working on it."

"Good enough."

"What are we going to do for dinner tonight?"

"I don't know. I'm wiped out. Maybe your mom has something planned."

"When did you last let the beast out?"

"God, he hasn't been out since we got back."

"I think I'll take him down with me before he hurts himself."

"I'll go with you."

My dog can run down the stairs really fast when he's motivated. He seemed motivated. He watered three bushes on the front lawn before he came running up to me with his tongue hanging out. Jack was busy paying attention to Queenie.

We went into the house and the girls were in the dining room, setting a bunch of places. Jack said, "While I've got all three of you... you need to clean up after your dogs tomorrow morning. The last thing we need is a bunch of people stepping in shit."

I was all set to put on my "please help poor little old me" act when Sara said, "I'll do it. You guys have enough to do without picking up shit."

Both Mary and I thanked her.

Mom came down the hall. "Oh, there you are. I just tried to call you. Jill, your father called a few minutes ago. He and Wanda will be here in about 45 minutes. They're bringing pizza."

Mary said, "From Perlione's?"

"God, Mary. You look like Bozo this afternoon when he was watching us make shish kebab. Don't drool on yourself. And to answer your question, as far as my father's concerned, Perlione's is the only place they make pizza.

Jack said, "Yeah. He thinks Pizza Hut is a character from Star Wars."

Mom laughed but the rest of us just stared at him.

Mom said, "See what happens when you hang out with children, Jackie?"

His survival instinct must have kicked in because he just squeezed my hand and said, "They're good for some things, Mom."

She pretended to look at each of us, then back at Jack. "They? Mary too?"

"Oh, I could tell you stories about Mary."

His sister blurted out, "JAACKEEEIE!"

He kept quiet but that didn't stop June from examining Mary like she was under a microscope. "Maybe it's time you and I had a talk."

Mary said, "Mom, you already...", then turned red and covered her mouth as she ran out of the room.

June just said, "That girl. Even when she first learned to get around, she was always on her knees, trying to put something into her mouth."

I got this picture of a full size Mary crawling around and grabbing... Anyway, if I'd been eating or drinking something, it would have come out of my nose, I laughed so hard. Jack was right there with me. Sara laughed a little but was weird about it. Like she thought she shouldn't be laughing but couldn't help it, trying to stifle it.