Bonus story : More than just colleagues : Part 13 : The Barbecue

On Saturday morning, Aldric arrived at Patrick's house. The sun was already shining brightly, and the day promised to be a hot one. When he pushed open the small gate leading into the garden, he heard music coming from the terrace. Patrick was standing near the barbecue, wearing shorts and a T-shirt as he arranged several dishes on a table. Two bags of charcoal rested against the wall, and a cooler occupied one corner of the terrace.

"You're already here," Patrick observed.

"I'm beginning to know your safety margins."

Aldric placed the bag he was carrying on the table. He had brought several drinks and some bread.

"What remains to be prepared?"

Patrick pointed to the vegetables.

"Mostly those. And we need to move the second table."

Aldric picked up the table stored against the house and placed it beside the first one to create more space. He then set out the chairs, checked their stability, and began taking the drinks out of his bag.

"You know you're a guest, right?"

"Yes."

"So you can wait until the others arrive before preparing everything."

"We'll save time."

The doorbell rang, and Aldric headed toward the gate, but Patrick stopped him.

"I'll get it. Otherwise Lucas is going to think you live here."

They did not even need to reach the entrance. Lucas was already coming down the path with two bags in his hands.

"You're early."

"I wanted to make sure there'd still be food left."

"We haven't even started cooking yet."

"Exactly. That's why I'm not worried."

He placed his bags on the table, then watched Aldric as he finished arranging the bottles in the cooler.

"Wait."

Aldric looked up.

"What?"

"You're officially his second-in-command now."

"His second-in-command within what structure?"

"Here. He's preparing the barbecue, you're setting everything up. You two look like you're running an operation."

Patrick burst out laughing.

"Don't give him ideas."

"I don't see the need for a hierarchy at a barbecue," Aldric replied.

"Did you seriously just say that after checking the stability of every single chair?"

"An unstable chair presents an unnecessary risk."

Karim arrived shortly afterward with several large containers of salads prepared by Samira. Yanis was with him, carrying a small bag of bread in both hands with great seriousness.

"I brought the bread!"

"Mission accomplished."

Yanis smiled proudly. Lucas looked up.

"He's already talking to him like a knight."

Karim placed the salads on the table.

"He still hasn't stopped talking about that day at the park."

"I almost beat Aldric," Yanis announced.

Lucas turned toward him.

"Almost?"

"I hit him once."

"Then technically..."

"That does not constitute a victory."

Yanis nodded seriously.

"I know."

Lucas looked at Karim.

"He's even teaching him to reject easy victories."

Emma arrived carrying a dish covered with aluminum foil. She greeted everyone before placing her dessert in the kitchen so it wouldn't sit in the sun.

"I brought a tart."

Lucas raised his hand.

"I can check if it's good."

"Before the meal?" Emma asked.

"Quality control."

Patrick turned to Aldric.

"See what happens when someone uses your methods without your discipline?"

"The comparison seems inaccurate," he replied.

Patrick took care of the barbecue. He checked the coals before placing the meat on the grill. Emma took the vegetables and began cutting them on a board. Karim opened the different salads and prepared the cutlery, while Aldric arranged the dishes, sauces, and bread so that everyone could easily reach them.

"What about me?" Lucas asked.

"You can try not to burn anything," Patrick said.

"Very funny."

Emma handed him a basket containing several pieces of bread.

"You can grill these."

"This mission again."

Lucas walked over to the barbecue and placed several slices on the side rack.

"I know how to grill bread."

Patrick turned over a skewer.

"Keep an eye on it."

"I know."

Patrick held out a plate to Karim.

"Can you get me the merguez?"

Karim already had the container in his hand.

"Here."

Emma looked for the salt, and Aldric handed her the shaker.

"Thanks."

"You guys are scary. It's like you communicate without talking," Lucas said.

"The tasks are simple and predictable."

"Of course you have an explanation."

The smell of something burning spread through the air, and Patrick turned his head as Lucas froze.

"Lucas."

"Yes?"

"The bread."

"It's not that bad..."

Patrick picked up a slice and showed it to him.

"It's burned to a crisp."

"It's crispy."

Karim grabbed the basket and removed the remaining slices.

"I'm saving the rest."

"You're exaggerating..."

Karim examined one of the blackened slices.

"I think we can use this as charcoal."

"I knew I should've stayed seated."

Patrick handed him another batch of bread.

"Try again. And this time, stay in front of it."

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"None of you have any faith in me."

Aldric examined the burned pieces.

"The previous attempt justifies this caution."

"Even you, Aldric?..."

"Especially after a practical demonstration."

Yanis burst out laughing.

Lucas looked at the boy.

"You're taking their side now too?"

"Yes."

"Fine. It's me against everyone."

The second attempt was much more successful. Lucas remained almost completely still in front of the grill until Patrick confirmed that the bread was properly toasted. He then placed it on the table.

"There."

"Congratulations," Emma said.

"Thank you."

"You managed to heat bread without destroying it."

"I'd rather ignore that part."

The meal was ready shortly after noon. Patrick brought over the last pieces of meat, and everyone settled around the table. Yanis sat next to Aldric, while Lucas took the seat across from Patrick. Karim chose the chair beside his son, and Emma sat next to Lucas.

Lucas tasted one of the skewers.

"Patrick, I'll admit this turned out well."

"You had doubts?"

"You should always maintain a critical mind."

Karim looked at the bread.

"Start with your own."

Lucas shook his head.

"That story is already over."

Emma took a slice.

"It's going to last for months."

Patrick nodded.

"At least."

Aldric tasted the food in turn.

"It's very well cooked."

"Thank you."

The conversation then drifted toward their weekend activities. Lucas explained that he had spent the previous evening with several old friends from high school.

"You didn't sleep?" Patrick asked.

"I did."

"How long?" Karim asked.

"Long enough..."

"So three hours," Patrick concluded.

"Four..."

Emma smiled.

"I'm not sure that improves your case."

Lucas took a sip of his drink before shrugging.

"That reminds me of my worst date."

Patrick closed his eyes.

"How did we get here?"

"The lack of sleep."

Emma set down her fork.

"Wait. Now I want to hear this."

"Finally, someone who respects my stories."

"What was the problem?" Aldric asked.

"I was twenty-two. I was supposed to meet a girl at a restaurant. Great restaurant, by the way. I got there twenty minutes early because I wanted to make a good impression."

"You? Early?" Patrick asked.

"I was in love..."

"Before the first date?" Karim asked.

"Let me tell the story."

Lucas continued, explaining that he had waited for almost an hour before receiving a message telling him that his date was at another restaurant with almost the same name.

"You went to the wrong address?" Emma asked.

"No."

Patrick cut in.

"Yes."

Lucas turned toward him.

"You weren't there."

"You've told me this story three times."

"My phone misinterpreted the address."

"You'd only read the name of the restaurant."

"So you did get it wrong..." Karim said.

Lucas sighed.

"Fine. I was at the wrong restaurant."

"Why didn't you check the full address before leaving?"

"Thank you, Aldric. I wish I'd known you existed years ago."

Emma burst out laughing.

Lucas continued. By the time he had finally reached the correct restaurant, his date had already ordered and eaten part of her meal.

"Was there a second date?" Karim asked.

Lucas shook his head, and Patrick took another bite.

"Surprising."

"How?" Aldric asked.

"Her name was Léa. The problem was, I was convinced her name was Laura."

"How can you get the name of the person you're on a date with wrong?" Emma asked.

"I'd been talking to several people that week. I mixed up two conversations, and for some reason I still don't understand, my brain decided her name was Laura."

"How many times did you call her Laura?" Patrick asked.

"Dozens of times..."

"And she never corrected you?" Emma asked.

"I think she wanted to see how long I'd keep going before I realized."

"So she knew you were mistaken but deliberately chose not to say anything?" Aldric asked. "Why would she do that?"

Lucas shrugged.

"I think she was curious."

Patrick nodded.

"I can understand that."

"Thanks for the support."

"But how did you finally realize?" Emma asked.

"The waiter saved us. Well, he saved her. He finished me off. He came over with our drinks and asked which one was for Léa... I looked around."

"You looked for Léa?"

"For two seconds! Then she looked at me. The waiter looked at me. I looked at the glass. And that's when I realized."

"Did you apologize?" Aldric asked.

"I should have..."

"What did you do?" Patrick asked.

"I panicked. I told her I knew her name and that Laura was a coworker we'd just been talking about."

"Had you talked about a Laura?" Karim asked.

"Absolutely not."

Emma immediately burst out laughing again.

"But why would you make up something she obviously knew wasn't true?"

"Because I had about one second to come up with an explanation!"

"Admitting your mistake would probably have been more effective," Aldric observed.

Lucas pointed at him.

"Yes. That excellent solution also occurred to me. About three hours later."

Patrick picked up his glass again.

"And there was a second date?"

"What do you think?"

"I'd rather have confirmation."

"No."

"Strange," Karim said.

Lucas let his head fall back against his chair.

"I hate all of you."

The laughter took a few more moments to die down before the conversation drifted toward other memories. Patrick shared a few stories from his younger years, including his first job at a building supply store, where he had been hired to unload trucks and organize stock.

"So you were already moving heavy things," Aldric observed.

"Apparently, I never really changed fields."

"It was his destiny," Karim said.

Patrick explained how, during his first week, he had tried to move a pallet by himself because he thought it was much lighter than it actually was.

"Did it fall?" Karim asked.

"No. I just couldn't get it to move."

Lucas looked at Aldric.

"He would've carried it."

"A full pallet can weigh several hundred kilograms," Aldric replied.

Patrick raised his glass.

"Thank you for not destroying my dignity."

Emma then shared some of her own experiences at work. She talked about a couple who had viewed eight apartments in three weeks while changing their criteria after every visit. At first, they had been looking for a two-bedroom apartment in central Paris. By the end, they were almost considering a house in the suburbs.

"So they didn't know what they wanted," Aldric concluded. "Why begin the viewings before establishing their requirements?"

"Because humans don't always function like a checklist."

Lucas immediately raised his glass.

"Thank you."

"That method considerably increases the number of unnecessary viewings."

Patrick smiled.

"He's going to end up becoming a real estate agent."

Emma burst out laughing.

After the meal, no one seemed particularly interested in remaining seated around the table. Yanis had already retrieved a ball from the garden and was trying to convince his father to play with him when Lucas stood up.

"I'm playing."

Karim looked at his son.

"You just made a mistake."

Lucas picked up the ball.

"I play soccer every Sunday."

Yanis stood in front of him.

"So do I."

"You're seven."

"And a half."

"Why do you always have to specify that?"

The first game turned into a small improvised match. Patrick used two bags as goalposts, while Emma remained near the terrace, announcing that she refused to participate in any activity likely to make her fall.

Aldric took his place beside Yanis.

"No, Aldric... Not you two together."

"Why?"

"Because that's not balanced."

"My soccer skills are limited."

Lucas shook his head.

"You run faster than all of us, and you could kick the ball into another city."

"I can control my strength."

"That's even more worrying."

They eventually formed two teams: Lucas, Patrick, and Emma against Karim, Aldric, and Yanis. Emma protested that she had never agreed to play.

"Too late," Lucas replied.

The match lasted less than twenty minutes. Lucas protested several nonexistent referee decisions, mainly because there was no referee. Patrick insisted that the ball had gone out while Lucas argued the opposite. Yanis ran everywhere with seemingly endless energy.

Aldric limited his speed and never kicked the ball hard. Even so, his habit of observing people's movements allowed him to predict where the ball would go.

"You know you're taking this way too seriously?" Emma said.

"I'm playing."

"You're watching everyone like you're calculating their movements."

"It's useful."

Lucas shouted from the other side.

"I told you!"

Aldric intercepted the ball before passing it to Yanis. The boy scored and threw his arms into the air. Karim applauded.

Lucas looked at Aldric.

"You did that on purpose."

"I made a pass."

"Exactly."

After soccer, Patrick took a frisbee out of a storage box near the terrace. Aldric spent several minutes studying the angle required for the object to reach its destination. Emma eventually received a perfect throw directly into her hands.

"Nice one," Emma said.

Lucas tried to imitate him and sent the frisbee into a hedge.

"Almost..." Karim said.

"Thanks..."

Patrick then retrieved a Mölkky set from his garage. He explained the rules to Yanis and Aldric.

"Why are you still reading after he explained everything?" Emma asked.

"To verify the details."

"Patrick just explained all of it."

"He may have forgotten a rule."

"I'm standing right here..."

"I'm not questioning your abilities."

"Thank you, I think."

The game began. After a few throws, Aldric understood that aiming accurately wasn't enough. He also had to manage his score in order to reach exactly fifty points. He therefore began calculating.

"Stop thinking so much. We're playing for fun..." Lucas said.

"I am indeed participating in this activity."

Lucas ran a hand over his face.

"This is impossible."

"What?"

"Nothing..."

Aldric threw.

The pin struck exactly the skittle he had been aiming for.

Lucas looked at the score.

"He's actually calculating everything."

Karim smiled.

"You wanted to play with him."

"I thought he was going to relax."

Patrick leaned toward Lucas.

"He is relaxed."

Lucas eventually began taking the competition much more seriously than Aldric himself because he was absolutely determined to beat him. When Aldric went over fifty points after throwing too hard and dropped back to twenty-five, Lucas celebrated.

"Finally!"

"I made an error in my estimation."

"You're human!!!"

"I never claimed otherwise."

Yanis looked at Lucas.

"Dad says you lose a lot."

Karim nearly choked with laughter as Lucas slowly turned toward him.

"Karim..."

"I haven't said anything today."

"You're turning your son against me."

The Mölkky game was followed by an improvised game of pétanque using an old set that belonged to Patrick. This time, Aldric was already familiar with the basic principle. He did, however, discover that Patrick was particularly good at it.

After several rounds, Patrick's boule was almost touching the jack.

"Nice throw," Aldric said.

"Thanks."

"Why does he get a 'nice throw' while my bread was only 'properly toasted'?" Lucas asked.

"You're never going to let that go, are you?" Emma said.

"Never."

The sun began to sink lower in the sky. After several hours of eating, talking, and playing games, everyone returned to the terrace. Yanis sat beside his father with a glass of juice, visibly exhausted from the afternoon. Lucas occupied a lounge chair, Emma had settled in the shade, and Patrick was making coffee.

Lucas remained silent long enough for Patrick to notice.

"You okay?"

"Yeah."

"You look thoughtful. Are you thinking?" Emma asked.

"It happens."

"Rarely," Karim said.

Lucas placed his glass on the table.

"I have an idea."

Patrick closed his eyes.

"No."

"You don't even know what I'm going to suggest."

"I know your track record."

"I want to hear it," Emma said.

Lucas leaned toward the table.

"Next Saturday..."

He paused dramatically. Aldric waited while Yanis looked up at him.

"We're having a completely ridiculous competition..."

"What kind of competition?" Aldric asked.

Lucas immediately raised a finger.

"See? At least he's interested."

"You just made a mistake," Patrick said.

"I'm merely trying to understand."

Lucas's smile widened.

"Several events. Teams. Points. And at the end, a winner."

"What events?" Karim asked.

"I don't know yet."

"So your idea isn't even fully formed."

"It's the concept that matters."

"And what do we win?" Emma asked.

"Glory."

Patrick stood up with his cup.

"I already regret next Saturday."

Yanis raised his hand.

"I want to play!"

Karim sighed.

"Of course."

Lucas turned toward Aldric.

"So?"

Aldric considered the proposal. A competition with no practical objective, involving events that did not even exist yet and an entirely symbolic reward, seemed to have very little practical value.

Yet he looked at Patrick trying to hide his smile, Emma still laughing at the proposal, Karim explaining to his son that he did not even know whether he would be able to participate, and Lucas eagerly waiting for his answer.

"I'll be there," Aldric said.

Lucas threw his arms into the air.

"Perfect!"

Patrick sighed again.

"There. Now we're committed."

"I'm already afraid of the events," Emma said.

Lucas grabbed his phone.

"I'm going to plan this."

Karim pointed at him.

"Nothing dangerous."

"Obviously."

Patrick added:

"Nothing expensive."

"Obviously."

"And nothing that involves running ten kilometers," Emma said.

"You're destroying my creativity before I've even started..."

Lucas began writing down his ideas on his phone.