Steaks & Memories

Puck sat over his breakfast strawberry yogurt and completely unbruised banana (a feat in this house), wrapped up in his green Angry Birds hoodie blanket. A spider raced across the linoleum. Second in 24 hours. Crackers wasn’t doing her job. Puck grabbed a squirt bottle filled with water, still inexplicably sitting on the table.

“Do spiders like water, Mom?”

“Not really…”

“Good. You keep an eye on that side; I’ll keep an eye on this side.”

Right before the service started, Francis passed me a photo of a pig snuggling with a cow. Below it, a bacon cheeseburger titled “Best Friends Forever.” Brothers.

Anyway, after the service the gang populated the still new-and-shiny Goldilocks over at the Big House for a comfortable drive to Columbia and Dad’s old stomping grounds. Highways of bobbing Queen Anne’s Lace and patchy blue skies on the way.

G&D Steakhouse. Same old gentleman with the heavy accent, trolling out plates stacked with steaks and baked potatoes. I ordered the gyro (yee-ro; finally got the authentic pronunciation guide from their menu) and caught the game about six tables back. Joe took in Nascar from the other wall. And Irish gave Puck a quarter to put in the bouncy ball machine for a yellow rubber ball.

A drive/walk around the campus, stadium, etc., inciting the usual questions directed towards Dad such as:

“Oh, Dad, is that the building where they invented the wheel?”

“Where were the chariot races held again, Dad?”

It wasn’t ten minutes we were back at the Big House and Dad walked into the loungers of the living room discussing all our back and neck issues. (We blame Dad for his extra vertebrae).

“So, everyone ready for Silky’s?”

A few groans. But there were requests for Dilly Bars anyway.