Chapter 12: Let's Rock Back

Author's Note: Chapters one through eleven covers three days after the Easter Weekend of 2017. I wanted to have a barbeque in Kathrine's and James' backyard but the April weather is not conducive for that. So, I decided to jump into the last week of May to accommodate the family backyard get together. Bear in mind that Kami has yet to make her presentation at The University of Suffolk in Ipswich on the article she wrote. Kami's uncle and his family are not really a part of this story in anyway other than in passing comments.

Ellen put the finishing touches on the picnic table as she stood back and admired her work. Looking across to her four-year-old daughter, Jael, she asked her to bring the small vase with the flowers. The little girl was always happy when she got to help the older persons around her do something.

Kathrine smiled at Jael and praised her good work which made the child beam. Her older brother Daniel was helping his father Andrew, and James get the barbeque pit going. His job was to pass the coals to the older men as everything was set for the lunch that was going to begin soon.

Ellen and her family lived about a fifteen-minute walk from James and Kathrine's home in Brooklyn, and often visited the elderly couple. That day, Ellen offered to come over early to assist getting the back yard organized. Everyone who was invited insisted in walking with a dish for the luncheon barbeque meal together.

"Pappy, every time I come in this backyard I fall in love with it all over again. You and Nana have done a beautiful job turning this space into one that is so welcoming". Ellen complimented the elderly gentleman whom she loved like her grandfather. James smiled graciously as he thanked Ellen for the compliment.

Kathrine and James bought a lovely Brownstone building when Kami was in her teens. Through the years they did renovations on the building and changed the décor to suit their evolving needs. Then several years ago, when the two adjacent Brownstones went up for sale, the senior couple bought them immediately. The large garden space that was available behind the building to the left was the selling point for the couple. The building to the right had a driveway that gave access to the back yard, a rare thing with the Brooklyn Brownstones. James and his company used every contact they had in City Hall to get all the permits needed to combine the three Brownstone buildings into one. The new Brownstone was bigger and better as one building, than the original separate buildings were. The structure immediately lifted the value of the other homes along their street. Added to this was an oasis of a garden that was beautifully landscaped, anyone who came by and spent time in the back yard always wanted to come again. Their home was featured more than once through the years in home and garden type magazines because of their tasteful furnishing, décor and landscaped backyard.

"What time is Kami and her friends arriving Kathy?" Pappy asked his wife as he wanted to begin putting the burgers on so that their guests would not have long to wait for their meal.

"She told me that they were car pooling in three cars, and promised to be here by 1pm for the latest. Well obviously, that plan went out the window because it is already 1:15pm and they are not here as yet", Kathrine shook her head as she pursed her lips. When she was actively working at her own company, she detested people who were habitually late for appointments or dates. She still had little patience for people who regularly wasted other persons time by being late but she also knew that sometimes things did come up unexpectedly to delay one's plans.

Ellen listened to Nana and smiled because she remembered how many times over the years Nana reprimanded her for being late when they met for lunch or dinner somewhere.

"Let me give Kami a call to see where they are", Ellen suggested and immediately put the call through to her friend.

"Hey, Kams where are you guys? Your grandfather is ready to put the burgers on and your grandmother is getting a little antsy about the time". Ellen said to Kami when she answered the cell phone.

"Hi, El. Tell Pappy to go ahead and put the burgers on, and tell Nana to open the side gate so we can park off road in her driveway. We just turned off Nostrand Avenue onto Dean Street so we are literally one block away. Tell her I said do not get her panties in a bunch", Kami laughed into the phone before signing off.

Ellen told Pappy what Kami said before turning to Nana and giving her the message verbatim. Nana listened and rolled her eyes as she went to open the gate.

Less than a minute later three cars pulled into the side driveway and the laughing work family spilled out.

"Hi Nana", Edgar's four-year-old twin daughters Hope and Faith called out to her as the adults piled out of the cars.

"Hello, my darlings", Nana replied as she gave them a hug as they ran to her. The children proceeded to give her a drawing they made together for her and Pappy. They explained that they forgot it on the couch and their Daddy had to turn the car around and take them back for it because they wanted to give it to her and Pappy.

Kami smiled at her grandmother, she knew Kathrine was a little upset that the group was running late for lunch. She walked over to her and lovingly kissed her cheek and Hildy did the same.

"Nana, how could we refuse to turn back for the twins' picture when the picture was for their gracious hosts?" Kami asked her grandmother with a twinkle in her eyes. Nana looked at her and smiled. Then the entire entourage all took turns hugging Kathrine before proceeding to the backyard garden and hugging Pappy also.

Ellen's children and Edgar's daughters began running around the yard almost immediately as the adults began socializing. James and Andrew oversaw the grill and in no time flat the backyard garden was filled with the most mouth watering aromas. There were beef, lamb and chicken burgers sizzling over hot coals. When the meats were almost finished, they put on a few North Sea pink salmons to cook. The bread to go with the burgers were homemade and baked by Edgar's wife Dani. The mixed veggies were prepared by Terry and Emma, and the multiple salads were made by David, Abbi and Jim.

Kathrine loved to make exotic fruit juices and she ensured there were several flavours of freshly squeezed juices that afternoon. Both James and Kathrine were very particular with their health and they only bought meat that they were sure came from free ranged animals. They did not use any artificial sweeteners and seldom use sugar, preferring to sweeten beverages with honey they got from a man they knew personally with hives in Florida.

Kami was able to rope Hildy into helping her with the deserts, and they brought a carrot cake and sweetbread plus coconut homemade ice cream. The cake and sweetbread got a little bit burned as they stayed in the oven too long. Hildy distracted Kami in a way that had her purring on their dining table when she should have been paying attention to the bread and cake in the oven.

When everything was ready, the beautifully set table was laid out with the food, and eventually everyone took a seat as Pappy stood to offer the blessing on the meal.

"Heavenly Father, we come before Your throne with humble hearts to offer thanks to You for this meal. Be with everyone here today and continue to protect us in our comings and goings. I ask a special blessing on Daniel, Jael, Hope and Faith, Dear Lord. You know the world we live in is filled with wolves. Please allow your Holy Angels to guard these children with the might of Your Celestial Army. Please continue to supply all our needs according to Your riches in Glory, as we also ask You to provide something to eat to all those who are hungry today. In the precious name of your Son Jesus Christ, Amen". Everyone echoed a solemn Amen in agreement to the words of the blessing.

The family dug into their meal as the table was full and overflowing with a little bit of everything to appeal to the eclectic taste of the family. Compliments were offered to the barbeque chefs and everyone who contributed to the meal.

The sound of laughter could be heard several houses away and the family enjoyed their time together. The children were seated in between the adults and were included in all the conversation as the adults made sure what they chatted and joked about was age appropriate.

If it were possible for Hildy's heart to be filled with more love for Kami, it was filled at that picnic table. She literally could not keep her eyes off of her lover as she admired everything about her. From the rosiness of her cheeks, to the intricate design of her cane-rowed hairstyle. Then the tie-dyed pattern dress Kami wore just drew Hildy's hand as she could not help herself tracing designs along the patterns on the dress.

Hildy's coworkers had known her for a long time, and they observed the adoration she had in her eyes as she looked at her lover. They were all pleased for their friend who before Kami came into her life was never in a meaningful relationship. They individually thanked God that everything was on track in Hildy's life.

Jim leaned over to Terry and asked him softly; "You heard anything else about Dexter since we finished off the case involving the congressman?".

Terry softly replied "I spoke to Barbara a few days ago and she said that there should be a police press release in a couple days. They finally have enough evidence to send the Congressman away for several years. She gave Dexter a lot of praise. Said he went beyond the call of duty to help them gather intel on what was going on behind the scenes".

Jim made a scoffing sound with his mouth before saying "Yeah, right. He wants to keep his name out of the papers and his tail out of jail so of course he will be very helpful". The two men continued eating in silence as the laughter continued around them.

Jim continued, "I hope he does not come around Kami or Hildy again. Somehow I got the feeling that he was not phased when we threatened him weeks ago".

Terry nodded "I got that feeling too. Our ladies are going to be married before the end of the year and I do not want anything upsetting Hildy. Dexter knew the exact button to push that time in our office when he taunted her".

Jim was quiet for a moment, "Terry, how did you find out what he said?" Terry was not one to gossip but when it came to his family he did not consider it to be gossip but rather discussing family matters. "Hildy told me when I asked her about it sometime after. Do you know what was said?" Terry asked as he looked at Jim.

"Yes, Abbi told us after Dave mentioned to her that he tried to instill some fear into old Dexter. Abbi said she was glad and then she shared with us what Dexter told Hildy". Terry nodded and then turned to little Hope who was trying to get his attention on the other side to give him a joke.

After the group had seconds and in some cases thirds, the picnic table was cleared and David announced to everyone; "Lets rock back and have some fun".

Blankets were immediately spread on the back lawn as the family broke into groups to play board games.

Living in this present age of almost all things electronic, they wanted to teach the children an appreciation of old fashion board games. In a matter of minutes, a fierce battle began to wage between David and Hildy over a game of Chinese Checkers with Daniel paying close attention as he learned the rules of the game. Andrew, Ellen and Dani sat with Hope and Jael showing them how to play Ludo. And Abbi and Edgar were having fun with Faith as they tried to avoid the Snakes on the Snakes and Ladders board. The rest of the work family lay on the grass and chatted with each other.

James and Kathrine sat on the back-porch swing and watched from the side as they enjoyed the scene in front of them. After a few minutes Kami joined them as she snuggled herself between her grandparents.

"Are you all packed and ready for your trip to Ipswich Baby Girl?" James asked her.

"Almost. I just have a few things to add to my suitcase. Hildy is really excited about visiting England for the first time", Kami said with a smile as she watched her lover lose her game to David who got up and did a victory dance much to the delight of the children and the chagrin of the adults. Then to add insult to injury, he began to sing off key at the top of his lungs the song made popular by the pop band Queen called 'We Are the Champions'. Of course, David changed some of the lyrics to suit himself and encourage more laughter from the children.

Kami joined in the laughter before turning her attention back to her grandparents.

"I can't wait to spend some time with Mom and Dad. I love living back in New York City and being near you both but I miss being in Ipswich too. I hope they will be able to move back here before the end of the year as they hope", Kami said wistfully. Kathrine leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on her temple as she softly said, "I hope so too love".

Just them Hildy called out to her fiancé "Hey Kams, helllppp. You are the only person who can give David a run for his money in Chinese Checkers" Hildy kneeled on the grass as she begged Kami to assist her.

James chuckled as he said to his granddaughter "Duty calls, go and win for your woman", and he playfully pushed Kami off the swing.

The rest of the afternoon and early evening was simply happy.

Author's note: Cain-row is the same as corn-row. It is a very popular hairstyle in the Caribbean islands.