Hensley was sitting in his blue Dodge Charger when he received a phone call. He was nervous to answer it. The call was persistent. Whoever that was, wasn't letting up, & the person wasn't taking NO for an answer. Hensley sighed. It was his estranged brother, Rollie.
Rollie became estranged from the family after losing his phone while working on a cruise ship. He couldn't remember anyone's phone numbers because everyone in the family made a goofy deal to change their numbers, all at the same time, prior to him losing his phone. It has been 14 years.
Rollie found out Hensley's current phone number by persistently searching on Google. Eventually, he got the right one. When he talked to Hensley, he said, "Hey, Hensley. Do you remember when we would go to Wendy's every Sunday?"
Hensley said, "Uh, yeah."
Rollie gave a goofy laugh & asked him, "Do you still like to order that light lemonade with your meal? Ah, hahahahahahahahaha!"
Hensley responded, 'Well. I've moved past that, but whatever. I don't see why it's so funny."
Rollie snapped back & said, "Well, aren't you salty! Haven't people told you that when life gives you lemons, then make lemonade? It sounds like you're long overdue for a Master Cleanse."
Hensley told him, "Well, we all could use a detox, I suppose. Maybe I need to detox my attitude. I know. My attitude stinks worse than my breath, right now. I've been officially diagnosed with having halitosis."
Rollie was shocked. "Big bro, you CAN'T be serious! I mean, who the hell suffers halitosis nowadays, when oil pulling has become so popular?"
Hensley came back & said, "Gotcha!" (As in, he was just joking.)
So, they arranged for a time to have Wendy's for lunch, & they both ordered a light lemonade with their Alaskan cod fish sandwich combos & a chocolate frosty. They talked & joked, & they kept in touch ever since. Soon after, it became a family tradition for everyone to go to Wendy's every Sunday & order whatever they were in the mood for, as long as they ordered that light lemonade. & the entire family vowed to stay in touch & never fade away again.
THE END
***This fiction short story is dedicated to my biological brother, Wyatt Shantel Grandpre. Forever in our hearts. You will be sorely missed.
09/10/1979-08/24/2024
I remember, in 2005, before Hurricane Katrina, we would go to my twin sister's house & spend a lot of time there. & on Sundays for lunch, we would go to the Wendy's in Gretna on Stumpf Blvd. off of the Westbank Expressway. I feel terrible that I forgot what food he used to order, but he used to tell me to bring back a light lemonade to drink.