Storytime

After departing Natalie's company, I collected myself a beer and went to join Scott and Sarah Jean at the grill. I was rebuffed. “Go and mingle,” Scott declared.

“I would like to have an opportunity to defend myself,” I responded.

Scott gestured mightily. “Go!” I complied. Scott is a big fella. Sarah Jean giggled at me as I walked away. Whatever.

The backyard had pockets of conversation. The seating had been arranged in an attempt to keep everyone together but the group was too big for that to work. The group had splintered into a half-dozen or so smaller groups chit-chatting away. When I saw the man in the lawn-chair sheltering in the shade of a large tree, I approached him. Grinning, I noted “I thought you were allergic to the sun.”

Mike looked up from the plate balanced in his lap, squinting at me. “There's a reason I'm under the tree ya know.”

Our conversation started with this good natured silliness. We quickly ran through a few standard comments, the 'been awhile', the 'good to see you', the 'answer your email occasionally' sorts of things. Once these were complete, Mike observed “I see you're still with the redhead. Excellent choice my friend. Admittedly she's at a distance right now but she looks hotter than I remember.”

“I don't know how you remember her but she is hotter than that.”

“And yet she hangs out with a slug like you,” he teased.

“Yeah, I don't get it either,” I joked in response. “How goes the writing?”

He gave me a Look. “We start filming next week. Dude, read your email.”

“Really?” He nodded. “I'm sorry, I dunno how I missed that. Been busy.”

“I'm sure you have been,” he responded. “I would be. If you gotta skip some of my notes in order to be busy with her then I understand totally. I'll write more for you to skip! I'm not like that!”

I found his rant entertaining until Sarah Jean began bounding our way. At that point, it suddenly became less entertaining. For some reason, I was afraid she'd hear him, which was silly. If she wanted to, she could pick it out of my mind. In theory she could pick it out of Mike's mind but I don't think she'd go there again unless she absolutely had to do so. Her energetic pace combined with her sassy expression combined with her low cut shirt was too much for Mike to keep silent. “I mean, come on!”

Apart from turning her smug smile to Mike for a moment, she ignored him, keeping her focus on me. She stared at me long enough to make the situation a bit uncomfortable. Before I could prompt her, she stated “I know about Kitty Frou-Frou.” Her grin that much more smug, she bounded back to the chortling Scott.

“No no no!: I protested. “Not cool!” Mike died laughing. “Jerk.”

I suppose now you want to know the story too. Jerks.