Bauer BBQ 2017 by Robansuefarm Part 4

Author’s Note: We continue with the Bauer BBQ. There are more people around than I’ve specifically named. Feel free to mentally insert any favorite I’ve skipped. Feel free to write in what your fav is doing.

Scene 14

Rick called out, “The spread is served. Let’s eat!” He continued ringing a dinner bell (a large triangle) that Mindy had got him to more fit in with the Oklahoma theme she was slowly working into the Bauer BBQ traditions. People who had been scattered all over the back yard started making their way over to the tables spread with all kinds of food. There was Bea’s recipe potato salad, Holly’s recipe fruit salad, Wanda’s Three Bean Salad (made with 5 beans), lettuce salad, Buzz’s chili, corn on the cob, grilled sweet corn from a farmer’s market, deviled eggs, coleslaw, baked beans, Lakeland Country Club green beans (boy are they good), Oklahoma BBQ, plus much more. The watermelon and desserts were saved for later, including patriotically decorated cupcakes and Bert’s Apple Pies courtesy of Michelle. And of course last, but not least the hot dogs, chicken breasts, and Bauer Burgers.

The twenty-somethings congregated under the pergola behind the hot tub. Maureen, Zach, Kevin, and Jason and a few of their college friends that they’d invited to the party spread out claiming the space.

Not quite ready to sit around quietly, the teen set, -Leah, Robbie, Jude, and Clarissa – sat on the edge of the deep end of the pool, feet dangling into the water, occasionally splashing each other as the boys stuffed themselves and even the girls ate more than they normally did of the wonderful Bauer burgers and other special food of THE BBQ of the summer. Molly started out with her best friend Clarissa near the pool, but slowly started to gravitate to the young adults initially sitting with her friend Zach to ease into the group. Zach said hey and shoulder bumped her, but most of the others didn’t pay her any attention as they continued with their discussion of the latest band trying to go regional out of the 22nd Second Century – the renamed Millennium.

The pre-teens were in the shallow end of the pool some of them actually sitting in the water as Hope, Sarah, and Emma continued to be excited about the Las Tres Amigas science club’s latest project and Henry, Colin, and Peyton rough housed in between eating. Frankie, Little Billy, Dani, and their new friend Hamp played around near their parents. Billy was holding court as he, Hawk, and many of the other adults chipped in telling Paul about his Grandpa Hamp, his playing football, his mean saxophone, and the leadership he had shown in the business community with Towers. With a twinkle in his eye, Billy also threw in a few stories of the kind of trouble Kat and Bridget used to get into leading Kat and Bridget to head in to kick Rick and Blake off the grills. Bridget insisted Ed had taught her to make a Bauer Burger or as they were known in THEIR house Reardon Burgers (which wasn’t true, a Bauer Burger was a Bauer Burger), but she still liked to needle Rick. Blake needed no such encouragement gladly handing over the chicken cooking duties to Kat as Bridget and Kat took the chance to catch up.

Rick also had decided he’d cooked enough for now and took off “the hat” and apron and hung them by the grill. He headed over and sat down next to Phillip with his overflowing plate.

Phillip grinned at the amount of food, “Find enough to eat did we?”

Rick cocked an eyebrow at Phillip. “Running a BBQ is a lot of work. I’ve got to keep my strength up.” They bantered back and forth as they continued to eat. Then Phillip’s eye fell on Danny and Michelle across the patio.

“Hey, I’ve been wanting to ask you, is something up with Danny and Michelle?”

Rick looked up. “What?”

“Well, it seems like there has been some tension between those two lately. He seems to be a little controlling. Beth asked Michelle to bring over one of the paintings and when she picked it up Danny came running over and insisted on doing it himself. Michelle got that stubborn look, you know the one she gets sometimes…. I don’t know it just seems like something is going on. Listen, I hope I’m wrong. I thought those two had figured out the stupidity of splitting up with their true love and getting back together again a lot sooner than we did.”

“They HAVE figured it out…at least I hope so.” Rick looked across at the couple, looking a little worried himself. He slid back into the banter. “Though I don’t know they have as many marriages as I do and they’re just one behind you….if you count vow renewals.” (see note)

“Yes, but they’ve only been married to each other which is more than you or I can say….I hope they have figured it out….Then again, maybe Danny is just getting tired of having to hang out with you so much….” And they were off again.

 

Vanessa, still regally ignoring Billy while pointedly aiming her pique at him, sat stiffly on the steps by the hot tub, merely picking at her plate before setting it aside. Matt watched her for a few minutes from a distance before abandoning his own plate and walking over to join her on the step.

“Hey, Contessa. What’s wrong?”

Vanessa replied very distinctly and carrying tone. “NOTHING is wrong. I’m certainly capable of taking care of myself.”

“If anyone knows that I do,” Matt said ruefully remembering when she’d taken off alone to die rather than share her illness with him. “I thought you got over thinking you couldn’t share things with me. We’re still friends, right? We couldn’t co-parent Maureen as well as we have if we weren’t.”

Vanessa turned to Matt and smiled warmly. “Yes, of course we are. But honestly nothing is wrong…at least nothing I can’t take care of…. It’s just that sometimes Billy makes me want to clout him on the head…. It reminds me of all the times he let me down.”

“I know. He’d hurt you deeply. If he hadn’t, you wouldn’t have been up on the lake and we wouldn’t have met like we did……You know I’ve been thinking about our lake house lately. I noticed you spent a lot of studying that ‘mystery’ painting from the Spaulding attic. That painting kind of reminds me of us.”

The mystery painting from the Spaulding attic is now being played by Guiding Light by Mary Pettis

“How so?”

“The raging storm below to the lighthouse above.”

Vanessa titled her head, squinting at the painting clear across the yard. “Yes……I guess I can see that.”

“You were always my Guiding Light, Vanessa….Are you planning on bidding on it?”

“I’m not sure, but it’s definitely growing on me.”

Matt stood up and reaching back down he held out his hand. “Should we go take another look at your art?”

Vanessa raised her voice again, “I’d LOVE to. I want to look at the lovely set of restoration blueprints of the lighthouse you donated again.”

Taking his hand she stood up and they walked across the yard back towards the artwork, Matt’s hand on the small of her back. Billy’s eyes narrowed and followed them.

Linked from Fine Art America, Matt’s Lighthouse Restoration Blueprints are now being played by Block Island Lighthouse Blueprint by Daniel Hagerman

The woman with the tight black bun looked at the cheerful tables of ample food with distaste. She did eat a little, mostly staying in the shadows. Before Danny temporarily abandoned the drink bar to eat himself, she walked over and requested a Long Island Iced Tea.

“Sorry, we don’t have any hard liquor. It’s a BBQ. The closest I can offer is a beer.”

“A beer?” her lip curled in disgust. “Then I will take a regular iced tea.” He gave her one as she walked off she muttered “Plebeians.”

Danny watched her go and felt something in him that hadn’t snapped to attention for a long time. He headed over to where Frank and Ray stood talking to point the woman out to both of them before going to get his own plate to join Michelle. Maybe his situation with Michelle just had him on edge, but he wasn’t taking any chances. He remained very aware of where the woman was even as he jokingly talked to Michelle and their friends.

 

The kids working on the “mural” for Cedars had all run off back to their folks or with their friends eating. Mindy stood, arms crossed, her back the happy crowd, staring at the now deserted space that was still full of signs of kids.

An arm came around her shoulders, “Well, darlin’, if you don’t get a move on their isn’t going to be any of the proper Oklahoma BBQ left.”

Mindy elbowed him gently, but not hard enough to make him let go. “Hey, there’ll be plenty. We haven’t taught enough of these northerners what good food is yet.”

“You’ve been pretty quiet today. Is something wrong? Because you know you can tell me anything or if you just need to burn off some steam. I’m your man.”

Mindy turned around and looked over to where Dylan was laughing talking to Billy. “No, no, you’re not. But I was thinking back to when you were together or at least when I wanted us to be.”

“Mindy…”

“Oh relax! Rick and I were meant to be together. I don’t doubt that. But if we’d gotten together back then like Daddy and Reva did for awhile, maybe we’d have a “Dylan” of our own running around here.”

“Mindy Girl, come here.” Rusty pulled her into a hug. “You wanted a baby for a long time. I’m sorry it didn’t happen.”

“It’s alright….most of the time. I enjoy being a step-mom and the best aunt. Michelle and Danny’s kids have been a God send…but it’s just some days. I miss the baby I lost. I miss the babies Rick and I never had, the babies you and I never had. Today seems to be one of those days…..I’m glad you are here though. It’s hard to talk about this with Rick. He always wanted kids so badly himself and when he finally got Jude and Leah, their moms kept them away from him. I know he wishes he had a bigger role in their lives early on and that he’d had more kids. It isn’t fair to put my regrets on him, too.”

“I’m sure Rick would want to talk to you about this, but not when he’s in general mode, come on we’ve got to get you some of that Oklahoma BBQ.” Rusty’s arm still around her shoulder, he led Mindy over to the BBQ.

Over by the pool, Robbie splashed Jude who had suddenly stopped talking and stood. Jude ignored Robbie as he watched his step-mom and Little Billy’s great uncle Rusty walk across the yard.

Scene 15

Between Chicago and Springfield, the rider of the south bound motorcycle had also had a burger for lunch. It wasn’t a Bauer Burger though. He walked out of Bob’s Biker Burgers, remounted the bike, and once again headed south.

NOTE: The wedding counts for Phillip and Rick are both off of Soap Central and count up to the end of the show. At the end of show Manny were on wedding/vow renewal #6. In Bauer BBQ 2014 they renewed their vows again.

Robansuefarm is the handle of one of Manny and Guiding Light‘s biggest fans following in her family’s footsteps of Guiding Light fandom since 1939. This blog is an effort to make it easy to find Guiding Light and especially Manny online. Check back here for her blog, find fanfic previews and fake WSPR newscasts on her YouTube, find podcasts that look back to old shows and audios of her fanfics on Blog Talk Radio, and finally follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

 

Tags: Bauer BBQ, Bauer BBQ 2017, GL, Guiding Light, Guiding Light fanfic, Guiding Light fanfiction