Abel replied, âNot yet! Let Mommy wait a little longer.â
âMommy, it will take a little longer to prepare the meat skewers.â
âOkay,â Emmeline patted Sunâs head.
Moon ran over to ask Waylon, âWhat about your chicken wings? Are they ready? Mommy is hungry.â
Waylon explained, âThis is the hardest to grill. I think your mommy will have to wait a while longer!â
âSo, the calamari is the fastest,â Star concluded in the end.
Benjamin came over with the grilled calamari and said, âThe calamari is ready! Itâs freshly grilled and sizzling!â
âGreat! This is awesome.â
Sun took it from Benjamin.
âWe should all feed Mommy together,â Timothy suggested.
Sun agreed with a nod, âYeah, letâs work together!â
âNo problem!â
Moon and Star were full of confidence.
Sun held the squid to Emmelineâs mouth and said, âMommy, take a small bite. Be careful, itâs hot.â
âThank you, my lovely children!â Emmeline opened her mouth and gently took a bite. She praised it, saying, âWow, itâs so delicious and tender.â When the munchkins saw how content their mother seemed, they experienced a strong sense of accomplishment. Moon took a tissue and gently wiped the oil from Emmelineâs lips. Star handed her a glass of water and reminded her, âMommy, have a sip of water to wash it down.â The children surrounded their beautiful mother and dotted her. âThe meat skewers are ready! Come over here and eat up, kids!â Abel brought a sizable plate of cumin-scented meat skewers. The kids gathered around, but instead of eating, they all took turns feeding it to Emmeline. Abel grinned broadly and said, âLeave your mother to me. Iâll look after her. You four should concentrate on having your food.â Timothy said, âThen you need to be careful not to burn Mommy.â Sun urged, âFeed her little by little.â Moon added, âAnd help Mommy to wipe her mouth.â Finally, Star reminded him, âDonât forget to give Mommy water to drink. Eating too much barbecue would make her feel hot.â
Abel patted the childrenâs heads and said with a smile, âJust relax and leave it to me.â
The four kids nodded as though they were adults and began to eat.
âThe chicken wings are ready too!â Waylon rushed over excitedly and said, âItâs piping hot and aromatically grilled chicken wings! Itâs free of charge, no matter how it tastes!â
The children gathered around him again.
âUncle Adelmar, give me a chicken wing.â
âAnd me.â
âMe too.â
âWow, it smells so good!â
Kendra also took a chicken wing, biting off small pieces of meat to feed Quincy.
Quincy giggled.
Timothy held Quincyâs chubby little hand and said, âAuntie Kendra, little sister also likes to party.â
Kendra remarked with a cheerful grin, âThatâs right, she likes to play with all four of her older brothers.â
The children joined hands and sang nursery rhymes as they surrounded Quincy.
Quincy even clapped her tiny hands joyfully, and she made everyone laugh.
âJanie, try this,â Benjamin urged as he opened a scallop and handed it to Janie.
Janie smiled as she took it. She asked, âAre these grilled scallops? Iâve never had it at a barbecue.â
Benjamin explained, âWe always grill them like this back on Adelmar Island.â
Janie took a bite of the scallop, and it melted in her mouth. It tasted fresh and tender.
Janie laughed and said, âIt tastes really good. I fell in love with the taste right away.â
âThen Iâll grill more for you.â
Benjamin was overjoyed. He frequently grilled seafood for Emmeline when they were on Adelmar Island. Benjamin was unable to keep up with the girlâs quick consumption of the food because she had such a voracious appetite.
She looked like a little insatiable cat when she stared at the grill without blinking and was afraid to miss out on any cooked seafood.
Benjamin could not help but glance at Emmeline as he thought about this.
She was sitting in a chair. Abel sat beside her and took such good care of her, as though she were a princess.
When Benjamin saw this, he was both envious and at ease. He could not help but smile.
Janie followed his tender gaze and saw Emmeline sitting across from her. She could not help but feel bitterness surging up in her heart.
I couldnât find my way into Benjaminâs heart after all.