As Luck Would Have It

27) Life

A couple hours have passed by since we last left our young cast of characters. The parades were finished and everyone in the city was all in transit to their next destination. Like any American citizen, they love to celebrate their most cherished holiday in the way they would like. This would involve such activities as the famous hot dog eating contest at Coney Island, maybe a visit to patriotic landmarks in the city such as the Statue of Liberty or Ground Zero of the September 11th attacks, or just a cheerful get together with friends and family with an all-American grill out.

One such venue was starting to buzz with the smell of sizzling sausages and burgers, and a growing commotion of noise of young voices bickering inside a small house. The activity inside caught a glance by folks passing by, but one young blonde in a black t-shirt and ripped black jeans kept her eye on the house almost for any sign of warning.

Felicia crept her way round' to the back of the house, where she found a collection of cases stacked aside a large van in the alley. She eyed the crates intently with numerous thoughts circulating through her mind. She needed to get to them in order to inform Peter what they were planning, but the sudden sound of the back door opening broke her thought. From out of the house, J-Mac and a couple others strutted up to the car.

Felicia didn't worry about being noticed, their vision was blocked by bushes along a fence line that stretched the perimeter of the yard. The boys all piled into the car and gave a few thumbs-up back to the house. She looked back to find Tombstone standing atop the staircase staring back at them. He gave a thumbs-up back, and Felicia noted how each of them had the same brand of watch on their wrists. Most people wouldn't notice this, but Felicia was taught well in noticing the littlest details, and this detail signaled some red flags. Her first thought was synchronized watches, meaning that there had to be a rendezvous later, or different events happening simultaneously. Either way, she knew that both Tombstone and J-Mac needed to be watched, and J-Mac made it difficult by driving to who knows where.

In a last-minute thought, she dialed Peter's phone. It rang and rang until his voicemail message played. "Hey Peter, it's Felicia. I just found Tombstone and J-Mac at a house in Jackson Heights. They're all wearing watches and a couple guys are about to leave with J-Mac in a van filled with a shit load of boxes. I'm gonna follow them to see what happens. If you can, keep an eye on Tombstone at the house. I'll send you the address."

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Elsewhere, in Flushing Meadows Park, the community picnic was already in full swing. Many families gathered to enjoy each other's company and to celebrate. A long line of picnic tables topped with bowls of fruit, various dipping sauces, and chips kept their cravings in check, as Frank stood to the side working the grill while watching everyone enjoy themselves. Next to him was a decently sized sound system tuned into a radio station playing some of the great music to ever grace the air waves, such as Chuck Berry's "Back in the USA." To the side of a large group of tables was a large open field of grass, a perfect space for kids and adults alike to play games. Peter and May were in the midst of a fun game of cornhole (bags game) with a mother and her young son. Michelle watched on the grass near the Parker's side as the game played out. Peter would often look her direction any time she wasn't looking, or anytime he tossed a bag, hoping to see her reaction.

It was the last toss for each team, the game point. "WE WON! WE WON! WE WON MOMMY!" the boy cheered excitedly as his bag fell through the hole. Everyone smiled at the boy's happiness and May called it quits for a while, claiming that she had played enough games for a while. Michelle stood up and walked with them over to the food table where they loaded their plates with whatever they desired. It wasn't long before Frank came over by the trio for some feedback.