Grandfather rolled a pinner so he could get out of church early and go ring the bell. We had been watching him, while they watched the anthology video, a Krystial Sundie tradition.

So we had church and then momma got in the car to go get the burgers. While we waited, somebody opened a jar of corn liquor, and passed it around. Before it got to me, I had to go inside and break up a fight.

One of the children had said "Jesus is stronger than John Lennon ’cause Jesus can walk on water," and the other little boy hit him with a rolled up newspaper. The other children pounced on him while another’s mother said "Don’t be laying bad vibes on John Lennon on Krystial Sundie! Now git!" And so all the kids ran and hid underneath the Chevy Nova that was up on blocks in the front yard.

Charlie said "I picked your kids up from the side of the road, and this is the thanks I get!" As he tried to start his truck to go get some more beer, his radio came on full blast playing John Cougar Mellencamp, and he quickly dashed to turn it off, looking nervously over his shoulder in case the others heard it.

I went back inside to find all the old people with their rocking chairs in a circle, listening to the white album. The kids were bored to death, waiting for all of this to be over so they could just go home and play nintendo or sony playstations or some such.

Mamma got back just in time for Helter Skelter, so we all sat down and prayed and then ate tiny square hamburgers until they were all gone. One year there was a bunch left over, and mamma had to get rid of them, but she wouldn’t say how.

Grampa left, and we could hear him in the distance, talking to them.