At five o’clock, Bill and I went outside to start the grill while Carol worked in the kitchen. A few minutes later, my sister came out with cans of beer for us. We chatted while waiting for the coals to burn down. Like most days, all of us wore shorts and tee shirts. It would be too chilly in Boston, but it was in the eighties in North Carolina.
We sat at the patio table, drinking beer, and enjoying our steaks. I commented about gaining weight if I had to stay much longer.
“I know. If the gyms stay closed, I’m going to get fat again,” Carol said.
“You were never fat,” Bill said.
“I wasn’t skinny, that’s for sure,” Carol said.
Not knowing how to react, I smiled. I never felt my sister was fat, but I didn’t feel commenting.
We finished eating but stayed outside, drinking our cold beers. At about six-thirty, we decided to head inside. Bill and I took care of the dishes while Carol sat on a stool at the island counter watching. Getting up, my sister hugged Bill from behind.
“I want to get toasted tonight. Let’s go upstairs,” Carol said.
Bill laughed, turned around, and hugged Carol. He kissed her neck and then whispered in her ear. When my sister nodded, Bill went to the refrigerator and got a couple of lemons.
We went upstairs and into the bonus room. Bill put the lemons in the small refrigerator behind the bar. He gave each of us a beer and turned on the television.
“Can we watch something other than the news? It is so depressing,” Carol said.
“Sure, what do you want to watch, baby?” Bill replied.
“Put in a movie. I don’t care which one as long as it’s funny,” Carol said.
Opening a drawer in the entertainment center, Bill flipped through a stack of DVDs. He held up one, putting it into the player when my sister nodded. I chuckled when I saw it was Spaceballs.
We sat in our usual spots, watching the movie and laughing. About halfway through the film, Bill paused it. He said he was going to shower and change. Carol followed her husband to their bedroom. I decided showering and changing was a good idea and went to my room.
About a half-hour later, we regrouped in the bonus room. We opened new beers, sat down, and Bill resumed the movie. I noticed my sister wore a pair of pajama bottoms and a tank-top. Like me, Bill wore a pair of shorts and a tee-shirt.
“I want a shot,” Carol said.
Bill went to the bar, took out one of the lemons, and cut it into half-slices. Next, he put three rocks glasses on the bar. I watched him take a bottle of tequila from under the bar and pour the golden liquid into the glasses.
I followed Carol to the bar. After putting salt on the backs of our hands, we picked up our glasses and tapped them together. We drank our shots, grabbed a slice of lemon, and bit into it.
Placing her glass on the bar, chuckled, and said, “Thank you, sir, may I have another?”
Laughing, Bill refilled our drinks. We repeated the process, taking a sip of beer after biting the lemons. After a few minutes, Bill poured another shot for each of us. I knew there was more than one ounce of booze in each of our drinks.
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