COUSINS -- the continuing saga . . . .
(Part 3.) “Lunch on Paper”
Jill was still bristling after the morning’s work. It was clear to her now that she was in some sort of all out competition with Danny to win the time and attention of Cousin Bill. And of course, it went without saying, she was eager to win from him so much more than that! It was lunch time, and she knew she dare not spend too much time out of Bill and Danny. She believed now that Danny would take advantage of any such moments to “friendly up” even more to her handsome young cousin. Jill could not let that happen.
Nevertheless when she went back to her room and looked in the mirror (one of her favorite places to stand) she nearly blew a gasket. There were bits of grass and leaves tucked away in her hair and on her clothes! “I wasn’t supposed to get dirty! Dad can be so cruel!” But she didn’t mean it. She loved her father more than almost anything. No, she was just angry that her sister had had more fun working with Bill than she had. She brushed off the hair quickly. It wasn’t fair that little Danny had little or no concern over her
appearances and always seemed to be ready for anything in a jiffy.
Still, fair or not, Jill knew she had to be quick because Danny had just followed Bill straight into the kitchen to get ready for lunch. No doubt her sister was using all this extra time with Bill to “get ahead in the game.” It wouldn’t help her this time – Jill insisted to herself! This was a game she simply had to win.
When Jill came down to the kitchen Bill and Danny were already seated right next to each other – the latter giggling as usual and holding a spoon up to Bill’s face. “Am I going to have to feed you, Bill? Like you’re my great big baby?” Bill flushed red with embarrassment but laughed in spite of himself. “Stop it, Dan-Girl! I’m not your baby and you know it!”
“Why not?” she shot back with a toss of her curls. “You know I’ve always wanted a baby –,” she giggled.
“Danny!” called her father in a firm tone. “ I think that’s about enough.”
“You can feed me – if you’re real careful,” volunteered Jack. “And if you give me exactly what I want!” Gene laughed in spite of himself.
Danny made a face at him, and Jill used this distraction to take a seat just opposite Bill. She put on her biggest smile for him and was pleased to see it have a good effect: he beamed back at her with that wonderful innocent look that lately was making her sigh.
No sooner had this exchange taken place than her mother called, “Jill could you and Danny give me a hand getting some things on the table?” That was more than a hint. Danny surprised herself by springing into action to wait on her cousin. Jill, not to be out done, got up with some show of enthusiasm as well.
The girls brought sandwiches, fruit salad, and chips to the table, and the rest of the silverware. “Hope you don’t mind paper plates for lunch, Bill,” commented Margaret with a smile. “Not at all, Aunt Margaret! It makes it more like a picnic with paper plates.”
“We ought to go on a real picnic sometime while Bill is here,” chirped Danny. Jill grimaced at her sister but wished she had thought of it herself.
The girls resumed their seats, while Margaret offered, “Jill helped make the chicken salad.”
Bill looked at her and smiled. She loved it when he looked at her that way. “I love chicken salad. I never get it at home it seems. Jill, you better not put your mom out of a job!” he winked at Aunt Margaret.
“I don’t care who made it! This is really good stuff,” blurted Jack who had already taken a bite of his sandwich. “Where’s your manners, Jacko! You know we got to say a prayer.”
“Yes, let’s all return thanks please,” added Uncle Gene. He suited words to actions and they all fell to their meal.
“Do you kids have plans for the afternoon?” asked Margaret.
“Well, I thought I’d see if Uncle Gene needed more help,” added Bill. But he was hoping the work was mostly over for the day.
“I think we got the big part of it done,” answered Gene. “I was looking at the creek this morning. It’s pretty full and running clear. I bet a guy could catch some fish there today if he had a mind for it.” Bill’s ears perked up at this. He loved to fish.
“It’d be real good for swimming too,” added Jill. “Bill wanted to go swimming with us,” she said, winking at him. He was a little caught off guard by this, but saw her wink and nodded. “S-sure,” he nodded. “That’d be okay. We could go swimming too.”
“Bill, did you bring a swimsuit with you?” asked his aunt.
“I brought a couple of pairs of shorts. I think one of them would work.”
“Oh, that’d be fine,” nodded Jill. “We’ll go swimming together,” she smiled prettily.
“All of us!” added Danny with another toss of her long, brown pony tail.
“Me too!” added Jack between bites.
“You ought to let your food settle first,” said Uncle Gene.
“Okay,” gulped Bill, enjoying his fruit salad.
“While their food is settling, I’ll change into my swimsuit!” quipped Jill.
“And your t-shirt,” added her sister with a sly grin. Jill stuck out her tongue at Danny – and then could hardly believe she had done that! “I’m too old to do that any more,” she said to herself. But she couldn’t help but notice Danny returned the favor when her father wasn’t watching.
”Can I help do the dishes for lunch?” asked Jack with a big grin. “Sure,” answered his uncle. “But since we used paper plates for this meal, I’d be real obliged if you helped us this evening when we use real dishes, Nephew!”
Jack’s face went from enthusiastic to glum. “Shouldn’t have shot your mouth off like that, Nephew!” grinned Bill. “I’ve seen Aunt Margaret’s real dishes,” he added. “Looks like you
just got yourself a real job!”
Before he had finished laughing at his own joke, he suddenly noticed both girls had vanished from the table.
He helped clean up the table then went to the guest room to change into his swimming shorts and a ragged t-shirt; then snatched up a novel he was reading and walked out to the Grayson’s back porch. It was a long, concrete affair with posts around the edge which held up the old-fashioned roof. The old porch was one of his favorite things about his uncle’s home. He found an old lounge seat and opened up his book to the marked page. To his
surprise he was about to doze off when he was suddenly shaken fully awake. Bill looked up to see Jill standing beside him with her hand still on his shoulder and smiling very prettily. “Well, is your food
digested yet?" she asked. "The ol’ swimming hole is calling to us, Bill!” The screen door slammed, and as if on cue, out ran Jack followed by Danny.
The latter paused long enough to say, “Come on, Bill! We can’t get in without you! You’re the life guard of the hour!” She giggled again and ran after Jack.
“Let’s go, Bill,” urged Jill, squeezing his shoulder. “We can walk together. You don’t have to run ahead like the children,” she said so seriously. “Geee . . . . Thanks,” he mumbled.
(Part 3.) “Lunch on Paper”
 |
| Jill just had a moment to primp before lunch . . . . |
Jill was still bristling after the morning’s work. It was clear to her now that she was in some sort of all out competition with Danny to win the time and attention of Cousin Bill. And of course, it went without saying, she was eager to win from him so much more than that! It was lunch time, and she knew she dare not spend too much time out of Bill and Danny. She believed now that Danny would take advantage of any such moments to “friendly up” even more to her handsome young cousin. Jill could not let that happen.
Nevertheless when she went back to her room and looked in the mirror (one of her favorite places to stand) she nearly blew a gasket. There were bits of grass and leaves tucked away in her hair and on her clothes! “I wasn’t supposed to get dirty! Dad can be so cruel!” But she didn’t mean it. She loved her father more than almost anything. No, she was just angry that her sister had had more fun working with Bill than she had. She brushed off the hair quickly. It wasn’t fair that little Danny had little or no concern over her
 |
| Danny's love for Bill was innocent and fun . . |
Still, fair or not, Jill knew she had to be quick because Danny had just followed Bill straight into the kitchen to get ready for lunch. No doubt her sister was using all this extra time with Bill to “get ahead in the game.” It wouldn’t help her this time – Jill insisted to herself! This was a game she simply had to win.
When Jill came down to the kitchen Bill and Danny were already seated right next to each other – the latter giggling as usual and holding a spoon up to Bill’s face. “Am I going to have to feed you, Bill? Like you’re my great big baby?” Bill flushed red with embarrassment but laughed in spite of himself. “Stop it, Dan-Girl! I’m not your baby and you know it!”
“Why not?” she shot back with a toss of her curls. “You know I’ve always wanted a baby –,” she giggled.
“Danny!” called her father in a firm tone. “ I think that’s about enough.”
“You can feed me – if you’re real careful,” volunteered Jack. “And if you give me exactly what I want!” Gene laughed in spite of himself.
 |
| He loved her chicken salad sandwiches . . . . |
Danny made a face at him, and Jill used this distraction to take a seat just opposite Bill. She put on her biggest smile for him and was pleased to see it have a good effect: he beamed back at her with that wonderful innocent look that lately was making her sigh.
No sooner had this exchange taken place than her mother called, “Jill could you and Danny give me a hand getting some things on the table?” That was more than a hint. Danny surprised herself by springing into action to wait on her cousin. Jill, not to be out done, got up with some show of enthusiasm as well.
The girls brought sandwiches, fruit salad, and chips to the table, and the rest of the silverware. “Hope you don’t mind paper plates for lunch, Bill,” commented Margaret with a smile. “Not at all, Aunt Margaret! It makes it more like a picnic with paper plates.”
“We ought to go on a real picnic sometime while Bill is here,” chirped Danny. Jill grimaced at her sister but wished she had thought of it herself.
The girls resumed their seats, while Margaret offered, “Jill helped make the chicken salad.”
Bill looked at her and smiled. She loved it when he looked at her that way. “I love chicken salad. I never get it at home it seems. Jill, you better not put your mom out of a job!” he winked at Aunt Margaret.
 |
| Uncle Gene led them in a prayer of thanks to God. |
“I don’t care who made it! This is really good stuff,” blurted Jack who had already taken a bite of his sandwich. “Where’s your manners, Jacko! You know we got to say a prayer.”
“Yes, let’s all return thanks please,” added Uncle Gene. He suited words to actions and they all fell to their meal.
“Do you kids have plans for the afternoon?” asked Margaret.
“Well, I thought I’d see if Uncle Gene needed more help,” added Bill. But he was hoping the work was mostly over for the day.
“I think we got the big part of it done,” answered Gene. “I was looking at the creek this morning. It’s pretty full and running clear. I bet a guy could catch some fish there today if he had a mind for it.” Bill’s ears perked up at this. He loved to fish.
“It’d be real good for swimming too,” added Jill. “Bill wanted to go swimming with us,” she said, winking at him. He was a little caught off guard by this, but saw her wink and nodded. “S-sure,” he nodded. “That’d be okay. We could go swimming too.”
“Bill, did you bring a swimsuit with you?” asked his aunt.
 |
| Bill remembered their good, ol' swimming hole in the woods at back of the house |
“Oh, that’d be fine,” nodded Jill. “We’ll go swimming together,” she smiled prettily.
“All of us!” added Danny with another toss of her long, brown pony tail.
“Me too!” added Jack between bites.
“You ought to let your food settle first,” said Uncle Gene.
“Okay,” gulped Bill, enjoying his fruit salad.
“While their food is settling, I’ll change into my swimsuit!” quipped Jill.
“And your t-shirt,” added her sister with a sly grin. Jill stuck out her tongue at Danny – and then could hardly believe she had done that! “I’m too old to do that any more,” she said to herself. But she couldn’t help but notice Danny returned the favor when her father wasn’t watching.
 |
| She stuck out her tongue at him . . . . |
Jack’s face went from enthusiastic to glum. “Shouldn’t have shot your mouth off like that, Nephew!” grinned Bill. “I’ve seen Aunt Margaret’s real dishes,” he added. “Looks like you
just got yourself a real job!”
Before he had finished laughing at his own joke, he suddenly noticed both girls had vanished from the table.
He helped clean up the table then went to the guest room to change into his swimming shorts and a ragged t-shirt; then snatched up a novel he was reading and walked out to the Grayson’s back porch. It was a long, concrete affair with posts around the edge which held up the old-fashioned roof. The old porch was one of his favorite things about his uncle’s home. He found an old lounge seat and opened up his book to the marked page. To his
 |
| He loved their back porch. It was a favorite place to lounge and daydream . . . . |
digested yet?" she asked. "The ol’ swimming hole is calling to us, Bill!” The screen door slammed, and as if on cue, out ran Jack followed by Danny.
The latter paused long enough to say, “Come on, Bill! We can’t get in without you! You’re the life guard of the hour!” She giggled again and ran after Jack.
“Let’s go, Bill,” urged Jill, squeezing his shoulder. “We can walk together. You don’t have to run ahead like the children,” she said so seriously. “Geee . . . . Thanks,” he mumbled.
LBC
