This, That, and the Other

For today’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt from Linda G. Hill, we are asked to use the word “grill” in our stream of consciousness post.

How appropriate for Memorial Day weekend, right? I will be grilling steaks, burgers, and fish on Monday and I’m really looking forward to it. But I figure that most everyone will be writing abour how they are planning to be out with their grills on their decks or patios or at the park or the beach grilling up a storm.

So just to be different, I thought I’d write a brief tale about a dysfunctional couple involving an apparently justifiable lack of trust. Here goes.

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“Late again, I see,” Betsy said when Jack walked through the front door.

Jack sighed, knowing what he was in for. “Dan’s meeting ran late and then traffic on the thruway was a bitch,” Jack said.

“Don’t lie to me Jack,” Betsy said. “I tried calling your cellphone but I got that damn message that you were driving and couldn’t answer.”

“My iPhone does that automatically when it senses that I’m driving in a car,” Jack explained.

“I know you can override that, Jack. So where were you really?” Betsy said.

“I swear, Betsy, Dan’s meeting ran long, and you know how bad traffic can be on a Friday night,” Jack said.

“Oh really? What was the meeting about?” Betsy wanted to know. “Who was in it? Any females?”

“Yes, of course there were females in the meeting. Half of Dan’s staff is made up of women.”

“So who did you sit next to at this long meeting? Was it Carolyn? What did you talk about?” Betsy asked. “And did you give her a ride home from this supposed meeting? She only lives about half a mile from here, right?”

“Jesus, Betsy, I can’t stand it when you grill me like this almost every time I come home from work even a few minutes late,” Jack said. “I’ve had it with this shit. I’m going to the pub for a few beers to give you time to calm down. You need to get a hold of yourself by the time I get back in a couple of hours.”

And with that, Jack turned around and walked out of the house. He got in his car and pulled away, burning some rubber in the process. After driving a few blocks, he pulled over to the side of the road and turned off the car’s engine. He picked up his cellphone and punched in a number.

When the call was answered, he said, “Dan, this is Jack. Betsy’s getting suspicious.”