Antics and laughter

Jen giggles and nods. “Yeah, Kyle’s a quirker alright.” She shakes her head. “One of a kind. Can’t help but love him though.”

She looks up at Katie, question in her eye. “So what’s up with you and Jamie anyway? I smell trouble.”

“And I smell food,” Scott intervenes. “I think the food’s gonna be ready soon.”


Con threatens Nate with a backhanded swipe. “Watch it, bub. You ain’t too far behind me, ya know.” He picks up his end of the table again, emphasizing how easy it is. “So sush and put your muscles where your mouth is.”

Mike laughs and shakes his head. “Come on you two, quit bickering.”

After seeing that Bret and Charlotte would stay, Mike nods to another table. “Nate, Bret, you two can handle that other table and…” He looks to Charlotte. “You’re the referee in case these guys get out of hand.”

“Ooh, I wouldn’t want her as a ref.” Bret takes up an end of the other picnic table. “She’ll take the other guys’ side.”

“Good.” Con grins. “Maybe then somebody will finally be on MY side.”

Lugging the two tables down toward the activity, the guys finally get them set up with the other rows, in preparation for the meal. The smell of smoke wafts through the air as Wyatt and a Mitts cousin, Mark, fire up the grill.

“Send down the hamburgers!” someone calls.

“You got a plate?”

“Where are the hotdogs?”

“Michaela get down from that tree!”

“Tommy, where have you been?!”

“It was Kyle’s fault!”

“Hey, who stole the bug spray?”

“I found the hotdog buns!”

Con sets his hands on his hips and surveys the family chaos, enjoying it. It reminded him of his own family reunions. They had always been fun. His eyes scan the crowd for Jamie, and he finally spots her off to one side with some of the children. A smile spreads. It was a cute picture.

A boy comes running pell-mell down the small slope under the trees and is aiming for his brother near one of the tables, but as he races by, his foot catches on a tree root. Down he goes, hard enough it could be heard. Tears immediately well up in his eyes and he starts to cry, sitting up and holding his knee.

No family members seem to be in sight, so Con automatically goes to him, used to taking care of his own little cousins. “Hey, hey there, little man.” He kneels down next to him. “You took quite a spill there, didn’t you?”

The six-year-old looks up at Con with wide eyes, more surprised at his size than scared. He nods and wipes his eyes with a grimy hand.

“Can I take a look?”

The youngster lets go of his knee, revealing a scrape that was only bleeding a little.

“Aw, look at that.” Con pretends to examine it quite carefully. His eyes widen and his jaw drops. He points to the small cut. “Do you know what this means?”

The boy’s lower lip quivers and he shakes his head.

“It means…you’re gonna be just fine.” Con smiles and holds out his hand. “I’m Con. What’s your name?”

The boy sniffs and timidly takes Con’s hand. “Caleb.”

“Yo! Meat’s on! Bring yourselves over!” The shout comes from Mark at the grill.

Con keeps his attention on Caleb. “Hungry?”

“Uh-huh.”

Con stands up. “You coming?”

Caleb looks down.

Not letting the boy pout, Con reaches down and scoops him up, throwing him over his shoulder. “I say you are, how about that?”

Con’s peaceful nature evokes no fear, but instead brings a shriek and laughter out of Caleb. “Put me down!”

“Ohhh no.” Con starts towards where everyone is beginning to gather. “You’re not getting away that easy.”

By the time he’s halfway to the tables, two other cousins of Caleb’s have joined him and formed a rescue party. And by the time Con has reached the tables, he’s still got Caleb over his shoulder, another little boy under his other arm, a little girl hanging on his leg, and another boy clinging to him, trying to get Caleb down.

By now, Kyle is back with a soaking Tommy and he starts to laugh at the sight. “Con, you look like a magnet with a bunch of paperclips around. What happened?”

Con’s laughter delays his response. “I have no idea.” He spins around, looking for Jamie, who still has her little friend. “Help!”

Bret stands back with Charlotte and crosses his arms, a grin on his face. He shakes his head. “I knew he was a big teddy bear.” He elbows Charlotte. “Look at that – and the guys at work are afraid of him.”

A sopping wet Tommy comes bounding to the picnic tables, Kyle right behind as everyone gathers. Scott takes Katie’s hand again and moves closer to the group, Mike coming over to push Jen to give her a rest as they move closer as well.

Carson sees everyone congregating around the food and gives a little sight. “Well…I think I’m hungry. What about you?”

After Dan offers as prayer for the meal, chaos ensues once more as the line starts forward, everyone getting a hamburger or hotdog, then pigging out on potato chips, salads and deserts. Kids run and scream and laugh, adults chatter, and soon most everyone is sat down at one table or another. Those not part of the family are welcomed as if they were, and everyone is included in conversations. No one is left out.

“I want to sit by Con!”

“No, me!” Caleb squeezes in a small space on the bench to sit next to him, competing with his older brother.

“Nu-uh.” Jordan shoves him over, almost losing his plate of food in the process. Neither dare to take the other side where Jamie is.

“Hey now,” Con chides. “Jordan, you sit here.” He sets him down right next to him. Seeing the disappointed look in Caleb’s eye, he grins. “And you come right up here.” He takes the boy’s plate and puts it next to his, then twists around, lifting the small boy up over his brother to set him down on his knee. A prouder look on a child’s face could not be found.

“Phil, no! No! No! I… Ahhhh!” Kyle jumps up from his place a couple tables down, dancing like a crazed man as the ice cubes make their way out of his shirt. “Oh, oh oh! You’re dead, Phil! Dead!”

Phil backs off, trying to contain his laughter. “I’m sorry…I couldn’t resist.”

“Hey, Kyle!” Scott calls to him and tosses him a fresh ice cube. “Send one down his shirt for me!”

Kyle grins and starts after Phil, the two ending up in a chase around the tables.

“Get him, Kyle!” Camryn calls. She laughs and shakes her head, turning to Jason’s solemn look. “Oh, come on, it’s funny.”

Jason rolls his eyes. “Sure.”

“You are certainly a party pooper today, aren’t you?”

“I’m tired.”

Camryn sighs. “Well fine, be miserable. I’m having fun.”

Bret watches the antics, unable to avoid the contagious atmosphere of fun. For the first time in a long time, he actually was enjoying himself in a group of people. Chuckling at the laughter going on around him, he shakes his head and goes back to eating, only to steal a potato chip from Charlotte’s plate.

“Who’s up for frisbee after supper?” Mike yells.

Several hands shoot up.

“Teams!” someone shouts.

“Mike’s a captain!” another joins in.

As Kyle races past one of the tables, still chasing Phil even though the ice cube was almost melted by now, he points, yelling, “Carson’s the other captain!”

Carson’s eyes shoot up. “Hey, who said I’d…”

“Can’t decline once you’re picked!” Phil calls over his shoulder.