About 2 months after Frank & I started dating, he invited me over to his family’s house for a barbecue. His story was, this was a 4th of July barbecue. He left out the part about it also being a birthday party because his birthday is July 1st. “I didn’t want to tell you it was my birthday because I didn’t want you to feel like you had to get me something.” That was his excuse. (In case you’re wondering, that was 25 years ago, this July and I have absolutely no idea whether or not I ended up getting him a belated birthday present .)
I had already met his parents & his sister but at the party, I got to meet some of his friends. It was also when I learned about this leaning towards pyromania that my kids seem to have inherited.
I’ve witnessed many, many lightings of charcoal for barbecues over the years. I have never, either before or since that day, seen anyone light charcoal in quite that manner. There was no lighter fluid, no electric fire starting thingie, & none of that match-light stuff. That was for wimps. This was a real fire.
I watched as Frank & his father piled crumpled newspaper into the barbecue pit. This was followed by small twigs, gradually working up to larger sticks. Finally came the charcoal briquettes. These were carefully balanced on top of the entire structure. Frank seemed to have a particular method and had this down to a science with a very specific number of briquettes. This was serious business and they could not just be randomly placed. Then came the ceremonial lighting. Flames shot up about 2 stories high. You could feel the heat halfway down the block.
When the smoke and flames finally settled down, amazingly, the charcoals did seem to be lit up just like any other barbecue. Food was grilled and eaten and I still dated him, although I did keep him away from matches after that.
May 27th, 2007 at 10:05 pm Quote
Maybe it would be a false sense of security on my part, but I would feel okay as long as all of that was happening outside in the BBQ. I’d be seriously scared, though, if I saw him looking at the fireplace in the livingroom with a gleam in his eye
!!!
May 27th, 2007 at 10:14 pm Quote
Hmmm…. maybe when we’re ready to go house hunting again (if the stupid housing market ever picks up) we had better stay away from houses with fireplaces. The house we planned on buying did have a fireplace. It also had a pool so if we get a similar house and anyone catches fire, they can always run outside and jump in the pool.
May 28th, 2007 at 8:00 am Quote
I call that very good planning on your part; you are one very smart Monkling
! Plus, after all the excitement caused by the pyrotechnics, it’s always nice to have a pool to sit by to sip a cool drink or two and get your bearings…
Have a good holiday!