Happy Father's Day! Enjoy!


"Alan! What are you doing back here?" Alan's sister-in-law Louisa Jenners asked him.

"Just sitting here, in the backyard, watching my sons argue over how to cook the hamburgers," he answered

It was Father's Day. The first Father's Day without his beloved wife Margaret.

"That's a stretch, and you know it! You just want to make sure they don't burn the food."

That's a stretch…Margaret always said that when she knew he was only telling part of the story.

"No, I'm just enjoying watching them work things out."

"Don't worry so much, Uncle Alan." Louisa's oldest, Marjorie, said as she and her daughters walked over to them.

"I'm not worried!"

"Yes you are," she countered before handing him her youngest, Margaret, to him. The baby giggled at him, as if she was saying, You're worried. Just stop and enjoy your day off from everything.

"Fine, yes, I am worried. But you remember what happened last year." The two women nodded.

Last year, Charlie & Don had gotten into an argument over how the hamburgers should be cooked, and had ended up burning a third of the food. All three of their male cousins who had come hadn't been allowed anywhere near the barbecue grill while the food was cooking because, they said, the three younger men weren't old enough.

"That's not going to happen this year," Marjorie said.

"Tim! Why don't you go help your cousins with the cooking," Louisa said to her youngest son.

"That's okay, Aunt Louisa. We've got it," Don told her.

"Yeah, they've got it," Tim said before adding, "I'm gonna go help Aunt Elisa."

Before Louisa could answer, Tim had dashed into the house. He returned two minutes later with a tray of marinated chicken and took it over to the barbecue where his two older cousins were now talking. The three parents watched as the three young men talked and put the chicken on the grill.

"They're going to burn the food again, aren't they," an older male voice asked. The others turned to see Richard, Alan's younger brother, approaching them with his own brood in tow.

"No they're not. And don't you even think about going over there, Rick," Louisa said to him.

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Instead, two of his sons walked over to their cousins and soon the five men were talking and laughing while carefully watching the food cook.

"I guess they're old enough to cook, this year."

"They said you have to be 16 before you can cook at the grill for Father's Day," Marjorie told them.

"Well, I guess they're old enough then," Louisa said.

"Food's done!" Tim called to the others, and soon everyone was feasting on chicken and hamburgers.

"Happy Father's Day, Dad!"


Sorry if it seems stupid, but I just thought I should write some Father's Day fluff.