(July 4th-Bundy Style)
shaggy77
(fictional story about fictional characters)
It was July 4th and when Al Bundy descended the stairs into his living room, he declared to his family: "good morning leeches and Queen Leech; now this is what America is all about...hot, sweaty, sunny day; spending all my money on a backyard barbeque; and surrounded by the last people on earth I want to be near. At least the shoe-store is closed so I won't have to put up with fat, smelly women who insist on fitting their size 10 hooves into a size 5."
"We love you too, Daddy," his beautiful blond teenage daughter, Kelly, sarcastically answered.
He continued with his rant: "ah yes...the Fourth of July...a true American holiday. Not one of those fake "Monday" holidays...the Fourth is observed on...well...the Fourth, just like our forefathers intended. We honor them by celebrating just the way they did: with a backyard cookout and fireworks." His redheaded wife Peggy, Kelly, and his acne-faced son Bud all rolled their eyes as they sat around the kitchen table. "Now Bud, I want you to run down to the store. Get the freshest chopped meat they have...no skimping on Al's famous Fourth of July burgers; and all the fixin's. Get the good buns...nothing pre-cut and nothing with seeds."
"Jeez Dad," Bud protested, "it's a holiday, the store will be jammed. Why didn't you get the stuff yesterday?"
"Not fresh enough, oh mistake-of-my-loins," Al responded. Turning to Kelly: "and you Pumpkin...since all the neighbors are away spending their vacations at amusement parks and tropical beaches; you know they all stash their spare keys under the mat or in the mailbox. Plunder the neighborhood for soda, beer, and chips...and none of that un-American imported beer."
Peggy spoke up: "oh Kelly, when you get to the McPherson's, get me some Ranch Doritos...they always have 'em."
"OK Mom," Kelly said and took off out the door; empty grocery bags under her arms.
Grabbing a cold beer, Al gave Peggy her instructions: "go down to the basement, get the lawn chairs out and scrub 'em down. I'm going to get some coals going so they're just right for grillin'." He was the epitome of a suburban holiday reveler with his long Hawaiian board shorts, his tropical print button-up shirt and his leather sandals (with black socks, of course). Wandering out to the back yard, the first thing Al did was flip over the turtle-shaped kiddie pool, which had been draining bottom side up since Memorial Day, and turn on the garden hose so that the pool would fill. This was Al's fiefdom and he was the king of this domain. He poured nearly a whole bag of charcoal into his rusting-out old grill, poured a more-than-generous amount of lighter fluid on them and when he lit a match, the fire ignited with a loud "foof."
He sat on the bench of the picnic table, sipping on his beer, and watched as Peggy dragged the dirty lawn chairs up from the basement and proceeded to hose them down and scrub them. Normally, the last thing Al thought of was sex with his wife; but watching her ass undulate in her tight Capri pants as she worked on the chairs was having an arousing effect on him. Of course, the beer on an empty stomach may have been a factor. As she was bent over washing down a chair, Al sidled up behind her and pressed his groin against her cheeks; so tight that she could feel his growing erection. On almost any other occasion Peggy would have welcomed the attention, but it was a humid 90 degrees in Chicago and the perspiration was pouring off her face. The last thing she wanted was Al climbing on top of her. "Oh Al, not now," she complained.
"But Peg, it's a holiday...an all-American holiday," Al told her, grinding against her butt.
She was saved when Kelly came busting through the open sliding door, her arms full of grocery bags. "I'm back," she declared as she dropped the bags on the picnic table. "Boy, the neighbors sure leave their fridges packed when they go away."
"Ahhh, the rich...you see," Al pontificated, "we're doing them a favor. All this would expire by the time they got back. Let's see what you got." "Oooo, Fritos," he exclaimed as he unpacked the bags, "wow, Michelob in bottles. That must be from the Nelson's...they're classy." Kelly nodded her head as she threw a bag of Ranch Doritos to Peggy. "Name brand soda," Al was excited as he pulled a six-pack of Coke from a bag.
"Jeez it's hot," Kelly declared as she wiped her brow with the back of her arm, "I couldn't wait to get back and have a cold one." She was already twisting the cap off a bottle of Bud when she realized what she was doing, and that Al was staring at her. She tried hard to keep the illusion that she was a "good girl," and quickly recovered: "well, I've always wanted to try a beer...on the commercials that's what all Americans do on hot summer days."
"Well, since it's a holiday; and you are eighteen; go ahead Pumpkin," Al told her, "just be careful...problem drinking starts with one." He grabbed his beer and they "clinked" bottles.
"The Lopez' have a new big screen TV," Kelly informed them, "it's huge...covers a whole wall."
"Yeah, she probably earned that on her back," Al laughed and Peggy joined in. Kelly just looked puzzled and gulped her beer before reaching for another. As they were draining their bottles, Bud walked out into the backyard, also dropping grocery bags on the picnic table. "How did you make out, son," Al asked.
"I had the dullard behind the meat counter grind it fresh, Dad, and he wasn't happy," Bud proudly stated.
"Well, he probably isn't an American anyway," Al stated, "you know...working on the holiday." He began pawing through the bags and came across a couple tomatoes. "What the heck are these for," he demanded.
"Well you said get all the fixin's," Bud answered.
"Bundy's don't eat vegetables," Al exclaimed and threw the red orb over the fence into his neighbor's back yard.
They heard their neighbor, Jefferson Darcy's voice yell "owww," and then, "thanks Al...be a little more careful. Hey we'll be over in a few minutes...Marcy's getting the potato salad together."
"Sorry buddy," Al yelled back, all the while snickering, "help yourself to the tomato. Don't forget the beer."
"What a weenie," Bud chuckled and all the Bundy's laughed.
"When I said fixin's, I meant cheese," Al addressed his son, "you know, good old American cheese...slices or can. None of that foreign stuff like Swiss, or what ever else they have."
"Got it, Dad," Bud told him while rummaging through the bags and producing a giant package of slices, and a couple cans of aerosol cheese.
"That's my boy," Al pretended to tear up, "now this is a holiday. This is what America is all about: burgers, beer, and big 'uns."
"Oh, by the way, Dad," Kelly spoke up, "when I was coming out of the Reilly's house, Officer Dan saw me and was giving me the stink-eye; so I invited him to the barbeque. He grinned; gave me a thumbs-up, and just kept crusin'. Did I do good?"
"Yes you did, Pumpkin," Al smiled, "it'll give Griff someone to talk to." Now there was nothing racist about Al; he was just insensitive. Griff, a large Black man, worked with him at the shoe store and they were best friends who both joked about the others' stereotyped tendencies. Officer Dan was the beat-cop in their neighborhood, who also happened to be Black. They all agreed that one of the things wrong in America was that everyone was too sensitive and had lost their sense of humor. Case in point was Al's neighbor, Marcy Darcy, who at that moment popped through the gap in the back fence of their adjoining yards carrying a large ceramic bowl of potato salad. Al had accidently caused the hole when he was trying to terminate the rabbit that had been feasting on his garden.
Marcy had admonished Al on several occasions, but her husband Jefferson, who was right behind her carrying a case of beer, always laughed about the hole and this was no exception: "hey Al, if it wasn't for that "wascally wabbit" we would have to walk all the way around." Marcy turned and gave him a hard stare, but Jefferson just laughed.
"Hey neighbors," Al greeted them, "a whole case Jefferson...you're always welcome. Don't worry about any cannibalism Marcy, only good old American burgers are served here...no chicken." Al always kidded her about her resemblance to birds as a whole, most specifically chickens. She was very skinny and had short cropped hair, and did actually bear a striking similarity to a bird.
As if proving his point, she set the bowl on the picnic table, placed her hands on her hips and when she talked her head bobbed like a pigeon, as she berated the laughing men: "oh you think that's funny Jefferson...well just you wait 'till later and no sugar for you. Now take that beer inside and put it in the refrigerator." When she turned her back to pick up the bowl, Jefferson started to bob his head in a mocking gesture, and Al laughed again.
Peggy interrupted: "I'll take that, Jefferson and you two morons can stay out here and count your toes. If you are going to be swilling beer all day, I'm going in to make a pitcher of daiquiris for us girls...come on Marcy, I can feel my IQ decreasing just by being around those two." All three of the women went into the kitchen.
"Thanks for inviting us Al," Jefferson acknowledged, "it would have been a long day at home; she's on me to get a job again." Jefferson was just a pretty-boy, trophy husband who had never had to work a day in his life. Marcy had married him while drunk and missing her former husband, Steve.
Al had long ago given up resenting Jefferson for not having to work, and asked: "jeez Jefferson, you're a good looking guy...why Marcy."
"Well Al, it's like this," Jefferson confessed, "she makes six figures at the bank...and she actually is a tiger in the sack."