Willfully Blind

CHAPTER 3 Do Drop In

Daryn sat on a bar stool stationed next to Courtney, watching him flip and turn neatly lined sirloin burgers and kosher hot dogs.

"Wait, I think I just heard the doorbell!" Daryn hopped off the stool and blazed past Courtney as swiftly as she could in her high-heeled sandals. He snapped out of his grilling trance and looked over in time to see her scurrying towards the house.

Courtney was grateful for how the day had shaped up. The first thing that morning, it looked like rain, and he'd started putting a mental plan in place in case they were forced to bring the party indoors. But mostly cloudy had become partly cloudy and had ultimately turned into mostly sunny. Added bonus, his slacker neighbor had finally broken down and cut his grass, albeit he still managed to leave grass clippings on their lawn.

Even with Courtney's wireless earbuds in, he could hear Dirk's undeniable bray in the distance. It was almost high-pitched, and if you didn't know him, you'd think he was corny. Moments later he appeared, gripping a bottle of beer.

                                                                                               *****

"What's up, Court?" Dirk walked towards the grill, eyes fixed on the multiple rows of burgers. It took only seconds for him to realize how hungry he was. Those two bowls of cereal for breakfast had long worn off. Courtney transferred the tongs he was holding to his left hand and engaged Dirk in a shoulder bump.

"Bro, what happened to you coming by early to lend a hand? You just left me out there, huh?"

"Man Court, I kept trying to rush Lisa, but she was dragging her ass. I got here as soon as I could." Dirk spoke in a hushed tone, index finger pressed against his lips.

"Oh no, you didn't just accuse me of slowing us down. Don't even try it, Dirk!" Stepping out onto the deck, Lisa slid the patio door closed behind her and placed a bottle of pinot on the bar with several other bottles. She paid twice as much as she normally would, mostly because she didn't want to come across as cheap,

"Courtney, you know your boy is any metrosexual man." Lisa brushed past Dirk and gave Courtney a quick hug.

"Hey, sweetheart. This guy treating you right?" Courtney asked, giving Dirk the side eye.

"Can't you tell? Blaming me for making us late after taking a thirty-minute shower. You know Dirk has no sense of time!" she said, rolling her eyes in his direction.

"Aww, come on, baby. You know I was just kidding," Dirk said, moving over towards Lisa, who playfully folded her arms and turned in the opposite direction.

"I knew this joker was lying, Lisa. Just like back in college. He was always one of the last to get to class."

"Aye, man! Why you tryin' to pile on?" Dirk threw a few light jabs at Courtney's ribs. "Just wait until Daryn gets out here. We'll see how you like it."

As if signaled, Daryn stepped back onto the deck, carrying a stack of cloth napkins in one hand, a matching tablecloth in the other and the house phone stuffed under her arm.

"Can I help you with anything Daryn?" Lisa offered.

"Oh, no I'm fine, Lisa. You guys just relax and enjoy yourselves." Daryn smiled warmly.

"You don't have to tell me twice, Dee!" Dirk announced, taking a swig of his beer.

"Uh, huh...have you been behaving yourself?" Daryn asked, now cutting her eyes in Dirk's direction.

"Of course! Why does everybody wanna give me a hard way to go? What is this, a "pounce on Dirk" cookout?"

They all broke out into laughter right in sync, Dirk included.

Pulling the last bratwursts from the grill, Courtney loaded them onto a platter and carried them into the house, his boy trailing behind. Dirk was going on and on about a recent news story he'd seen on Facebook about a Black Lives Matter demonstration on their old college campus, leaving Daryn and Lisa amongst themselves.