Chapter 37: A Picnic in the Park

Saturday was a very nice day weather-wise. The temperature was eight-seven degrees rather than mid-nineties as had been predicted by the weatherman. The humidity was low, the sky was clear, and the wind was light. In short, it was a perfect day for a summer picnic.

Jack had wanted to paint his boat that day, but put it off to the next because his wife and daughter really wanted to go on this picnic. Harry was concerned because things had been a little tense between him and Jack since the last night he had spent at their house. Greg wasn’t all that happy about having to play with Sam and Sam was terrified that he was going to end up walking home.

The women were far more excited about the picnic then the men. Cathy was looking forward to having her father and Sam get to know each other better. June and Sharon were each thinking about comparing notes about their changes in lifestyle. Lisa was looking forward to a nice family day at the lake. The dynamics were the perfect recipe for disaster.

Greg, Harry, and Sam were standing around the barbecue grill waiting for the charcoal to burn down to coals. Holding a cold Coke, Jack returned to the group.

Once he arrived, he asked, “Whose idea was this?”

“It was Cathy’s. She wanted me to know the little shit a bit better and suggested the idea of the picnic,” Greg answered. He used his nickname for Sam without even thinking about it.

Sam heard the comment and was not too thrilled about being called ‘little shit.’

Jack asked, “So how did I get dragged into this?”

“I’m a coward. I didn’t want to face him alone,” Greg answered.

Jack laughed at the admission and said, “I don’t blame you. To tell the truth, I feel the same about Harry at times.”

“I have no doubts about that,” Greg said. He looked over at the boys and noticed the glare on Sam’s face. He thought about what he had just said and realized what he had done. Turning to Sam, he asked, “Did I just call you a little shit?”

“Yes,” Sam answered. He wasn’t too happy about it.

“I’m sorry about that.”

Unwilling to accept the apology, Sam said, “That doesn’t cut it.”

“You’re fucking his daughter. In my book, that’s reason enough for him to want to squash you like a bug,” Jack said looking over at Sam. He didn’t notice the expression on Harry’s face.

The language used by Jack shocked everyone; even Jack, once he realized what he’d said. The first one to react was Sam as he pointed his finger at Jack.

“I love her. I’ve loved her for a long time. I haven’t done anything wrong. There’s nothing wrong with loving someone!” he said fiercely.

Having said his piece, Sam turned away and folded his arms over his chest. He felt like crying, but his pride kept his tears in check. Coming on this picnic had been a horrible idea. He wanted to go home.

Greg watched the exchange and, with a sigh, said, “You’re right. There’s nothing wrong with loving someone.”

Sam glanced over at Greg, but didn’t say anything. He turned so that his back was to the other two men. Harry was fuming. Jack shook his head and said, “I guess it is wrong for us to let our love allow us to treat others like shit. I’m sorry.”

In a cold voice, Harry said, “You still meant what you said.”

“Oh, shit,” Jack said when he realized how his words must have sounded to Harry.

Recognizing how angry Harry had become, Greg said, “Harry, calm down.”

From over at the picnic tables, Cathy glanced over in the direction of the men. The smile on her face was quickly replaced by a frown. The unhappy expression was quickly picked up by the other women and they turned as a group to see what the problem was. From the expressions and gestures being made among the men, it was obvious that things weren’t going well over there.

Sharon said, “They don’t look too happy.”

“You don’t think that Dad said something nasty to Sam, do you?”

“Harry looks mad,” commented Lisa watching her boyfriend. The look he was giving her father was not exactly friendly.

Sharon looked at the body language of Sam and said, “He probably called him Little Shit. I was afraid of that.”

June, seeing the tension in Lisa and how the men were faced off against each other, said, “Jack is still trying to get over the fact that you and Harry are intimate. That’s not supposed to happen until you get married.”

“That’s stupid. You guys didn’t wait until you were married. Why should we?”

Laughing, June said, “What we did doesn’t matter. He’s a father and that’s how fathers act.”

Cathy was about to climb off the bench and go over to Sam. Before she had a chance complete the move, Sharon grabbed her shoulder and pressed her back onto the bench. In a soft voice, she said, “Let them be. They have to clear the air and you don’t want to make things worse.”

“Worse? Daddy’s going to kill Sam,” Cathy said staring at the developing scene in horror.

June said, “Don’t worry. They are just fighting over who is the most important man in your life. It’s going to take a little while for them to realize that they are each important, but just in different ways.”

Cathy and Lisa stared at June trying to process what she had said. Nodding her head, Sharon added, “You don’t want to make things worse by taking sides.”

June nodded her agreement. Seeing the worried looks on the two younger women’s faces, she said, “If you go over there, you’ll force your fathers to be nastier to the boys or you’ll end up driving away the boys.”

After glancing at the women, Harry turned to Jack and asked, “What is the real problem?”

Greg answered, “You boys are taking our little girls away from us.”

“We are not taking them away from you,” Sam replied spinning around to face the two older men. There was a bitter tone to his voice.

Harry moved over to stand beside Sam. Growling, he said, “We’re trying to become part of their lives.”

“They aren’t our little girls any more. They’ve become women,” Jack said without saying that the boys were the reason their little girls were now women. His fist clenched in a desire to hit something.

“They are growing up,” Harry replied glaring at Jack. With far more anger in his voice than he would ever imagine using on Jack, he added, “We’re teenagers moving into adulthood. She is! I am! We are growing up! We are learning the lessons of life!”

Jack stepped back and stared at Harry. The comment about growing up echoed in his head. Greg stared at Harry for a moment and then turned to look at Sam just in time to see the young man nod his head in agreement.

He was about to say something when Sam said, “You can’t turn back the hands of time.”

Jack and Greg turned and looked at each other. Jack’s shoulders sagged and, in a defeated voice, he said, “I know. I don’t like it, but I know it.”

“I want to grow up with Lisa,” Harry said. Seeing the expression on Jack’s face, he asked, “Is that so wrong?”

“No, it’s not wrong,” Jack answered. He couldn’t even say that Harry was pushing Lisa into adulthood. Lisa was marching along with Harry.

Greg turned to look at Sam. The kid had turned to face away from him; the tension evident in his posture. Greg said, “Sam. I’m sorry for calling you a little shit. I just wasn’t ready for Cathy to grow up. I know it isn’t your fault, but she’s growing up so fast.”

“So am I,” Sam said staring down at the ground. He wasn’t ready to deal with angry fathers.

Greg turned back to the grill and looked at the fire. The coals had a light coat of ash over them. In a soft voice, he said, “The fire is ready. Why don’t you young men go get the meat?”

Harry tugged on Sam’s arm and said, “Let’s go get the meat.”

Sam and Harry walked over to where the women were seated. When they got there, Sam rubbed a hand across Cathy’s back and felt the tension in it. Concerned, he asked, “What’s the matter?”

“Is everything all right?” Cathy asked.

“I guess,” Sam answered.

“Don’t worry boys. They’ll growl and bark, but they won’t bite,” Sharon said with a smile at Harry and Sam.

“They sent us over to get the meat,” Harry said bending down. He kissed Lisa on the neck and rubbed her arm.

Raising an eyebrow, Lisa asked, “They asked you to get some meat, so you come over here to molest me?”

Uncomfortable that his actions were misunderstood, Harry rose up and apologized, “No! I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean it that way.”

Lisa laughed at the expression on Harry’s face. She guessed that after the tense discussion with her father that Harry was overly sensitive to any criticism.

She said, “I know. I was just teasing you.”

“Oh,” Harry said.

“Don’t be so sensitive,” Lisa said. She pointed to the plate of meat and said, “Take that and carry it over to my daddy.”

Sam glanced down at the plate of meat and said, “I wouldn’t be surprised if Mr. Anders threw me on that grill to cook, along with the burgers.”

Glancing over at the two fathers standing by barbeque grill, Cathy said, “Don’t worry about them. Daddy will like you after he gets used to you. Until then, just grin and bear it.”