Sunday, August 27th, 2023.

“Dude, I’m telling you. Jennifer Connelly was so much hotter back in the late eighties and like early nineties ” Tony says to Dave as Tony starts to flip over a Beef patty, we’re at a cook-out over at the unfenced backyard of Tony’s deceased friend’s house that he now owns, the previous owner being a old man named Roger that he used to be good friends with back in the 90s and 00s that passed away about a decade ago, went in his sleep. It’s nice and warm out and there’s a nice cool breeze coming through, it’s not too hot even though it’s the end of August. The smell of barbecue is in the air and I can hear the sound of the music playing through a Bluetooth speaker, the song “Hold On Loosely” by 38 Special. Tony put it on some random classic rock Spotify playlist via his own phone. This playlist was made by some random person and not Spotify made specifically.  Our wives talking amongst each other near the table, mostly about how the money we’ve gotten is life changing of course. My daughter is playing some puzzle game on her tablet sitting next to Nicole. And Vincent and his girlfriend are seemingly talking and flirty and playing around with their friends on Facetime with their phones, seemingly off a bit more in the background

Roger worked at Denny’s for about 15 years and then retired, Tony told us when we first came over. He and his wife have been good friends of Tony's family throughout the years before their deaths.  His wife passed away right before the pandemic hit in early 2020 of some sort of stroke, and they didn’t have any children or anything like that, so they wrote Tony in the will about a year before Roger went, seemingly getting their house and the like. Tony mostly rents it out to people, making good money on the side for it. There’s no-one leasing at the moment so he decided to have us all get together out here, our first in person reunion since all the events of the Shrinkage incident that happened earlier in the year. Something that’s changed all of our lives forever, especially with our bank accounts. Our wives are retiring early as well too, although their kids are still working and seem to have a plan for their own lives and making their own money. Tony Jr and Francine are still off at their respective colleges, or in Tony Jr’s case, welding school. Vincent, Tony’s Younger son is seemingly here though, although he still lives at home since he’s still in school.

“I don’t know bro, she was a total smoke show in that New Top Gun movie that we rented when we were stuck in that shrinkage thing at the agency. I remember seeing her in The Rocketeer when I was a kid and she was pretty attractive in that. I’ve seen Requiem for a Dream and she wasn’t bad looking in that either, but man. She’s a total milf in Top Gun. She ages like fine wine” Dave says, sipping on a bottle of Cherry flavored Clearly Canadian. A drink that’s made a comeback from the 90s in recent years, I’ve noticed. Seeing them in stores around Atlanta back at home. Dave and Tony and I grabbed a few when we went to Mejier to grab stuff for this cookout that Tony’s doing. Meijer is a pretty big midwestern grocery chain, especially out here in Grand Rapids since that’s where it’s headquartered, as Tony told us when we went with him. I think I might have heard of it once or twice in the past through Molly, maybe in passing conversation when talking about Illinois. 

“Yeah but dude, Career Opportunities. Jen was a total babe in that, I remember seeing it in the mid-nineties on cable TV when it had been out a few years, it was on HBO. I was getting started in life, living over a former work friend’s grandparents house when I first moved up here. Out in Muskegon, about an hour outside of Grand Rapids. Little lakeside town. I remember seeing her in this movie called Some Girls as well too that came on TV during that time, but no-one really talks about that one” Tony says.

“I’ve never given Connelly much thought, I used to really have a thing for Uma Thurman, Kill Bill and all that when I saw it on a Plane in like 2006 flying out to go see my ex-girlfriend in New York. Volume 1 I think it was. Tall blondes, I guess are my Kryptonite” I say, joking a bit with my last statement. 

“One of the most beautiful women of my generation, Jennifer Connelly. Nice tits, a nice smile, those eyebrows, man those eyebrows. Especially back then. Her voice as well too, and she’s smart as all hell” Tony says.

“Are you guys forgetting you have wives?” I hear Erica call out from a few feet where we’re at, and Nicole and Dave’s Jennifer crack up.

“Hey, you’ve had huge crushes on Michael B. Jordan and Denzel Washington and Ice Cube in the past before and gushed about it. So let me have my turn too” I say talking a little bit loud to Nicole, and both groups laugh at this. My daughter is still seemingly into her tablet, not really caring too much about what’s going on.  Ironically enough, that “867-5309” song starts to play through the speaker. 

“But yeah. Jennifer Connelly’s a hottie. So how have you guys been spending your time since y’know, we can retire now” Tony says, as he begins to put some of the beef patties and the sausage links on a nearby plate.

“Y’know, I’ve been mostly relaxing. Reading and just spending time with my daughter, picking her up from school and taking her out to the zoo or whatever on the weekends. Or after me and Nicole pick her up from school sometimes Just quality family time pretty much. Quitting the firm and all and finding peace with everything.  I still can’t believe we’ve actually managed to get Jack Cooper’s phone number since we’ve all met him before at some point, except for you Tony obviously. Brandon got us in contact with him when we were in that holding cell or whatever, and I’m surprised he still remembers us from those pretty short interactions all those years ago” I say.

“I didn’t actually know that you guys had met him before you mentioned it to Brandon when he came to visit for about 15 minutes once” Tony says, as he begins to put some more burgers and sausage links on the grill, replacing the ones he just took off. He waves a few flies away, the flies somewhat gathering in this area near the grill.  

“Yeah, it’s an even stranger coincidence considering it was just two out of three of us, considering what’s happened before” I say, alluding a little bit to our pasts a little bit in this too, I wonder if they catch this.

Tony walks over and puts the plate of food next to the table where our wives are, and there’s an assortment of buns and cheese and condiments and the like next to it, for the burgers and the sausages. Dave takes over for a little bit, making sure the burgers and the like don’t burn as Tony makes his walk from the table to back to the grill. 

“Last batch then I’m done” Tony says, as he walks back up the grill, regaining control of the grill again.

“I’m in no rush, you can’t rush perfection. Everyone else seems to be picking and eating a little bit anyways” I say, and Dave smiles at this as Tony chuckles.

“Yeah. But it’s been a pretty easy five months roughly since then. Life can’t get any better than this. You guys plan on moving or are you guys going to stay where you’re at like I am” Tony says.

“I’ve thought about moving to California, but nah. Money would still go further in Georgia. Besides, my wife’s family is there and stuff. And I think Atlanta is where I’m going to remain for the rest of my foreseeable future” I say.

“I’ll probably move to Cincinnati where Jenny’s from by the end of the year, San Francisco is expensive and honestly I’m liking the Midwest judging by what I’m seeing, cheaper, not as crowded. At least out here in Grand Rapids, we just got here yesterday” Dave says.

“Yeah, it’s a cool place” Tony says.

It’s quiet between us, Tony focusing more on the grill and me and Tony looking more at our phones. My family and my wife's family are well aware of the situation I went through this year, them being pretty sympathetic about it and everything. Not really asking us for money but mostly just leaving us be. It's not like my family, like my mom is hurting for money. Although my brother asked for a few thousands here or there, and I gave him some. Nicole's family are doing pretty good too even without the money and never really asked for anything about it.

I’ve talked to a few of my old friends since the shrinkage thing, Alex, All of my Baltimore Friends, Richie, and Jon. All over the course of a few months, Richie being the last one to know since I told him about a month ago. Alex seemingly surprised that it happened again, even after all these years later. Him still being the only one knowing that this isn’t the first time that this has happened to me. I see memes about that whole Trump thing that’s still going on and him having his Mugshot taken and all that stuff, jammed into my feed. Funny to think he was in Atlanta when he took it.

Tony finishes cooking the final batch of burgers and sausages and we all come together to dig in at the outside table, the time being at that point around 4:00 in the afternoon. We had been over his house since 12 roughly, Me and my wife and kid and Dave and his wife flew in last night from Atlanta and San Francisco. Tony initiated this cookout via text through our shared phone numbers sometime last week, we don’t have a group chat although I figure that we probably should. We talk about weekly though, at least me and Tony and Dave do. 

We eat, and talk a little bit. I notice that Tony turns the music off via his phone. Mostly about our lives and how grateful we are with this money, Jennifer uses the money to pay off her student loans. And Tony used the money to pay off his Camaro, now owning it outright. Which is something he seems pretty pleased about, and he’s using it to help his kids out with their college and the like as well too. My daughter doesn’t say much during this at all, neither does Vincent and his girlfriend either. All three are pretty much into their food and everything too.

We eat and talk a little more, mostly about just getting to know each other a little more, although Tony and Dave and I know each other a lot due to the fact what we’ve been through together, plus being in the holding cell at that shrink agency as well for about five days as well too. So it’s mostly just the women talking to each other, I think Vincent and his girlfriend slip away, Her mumbling something about her parents calling her home for some sorta family game night or whatever, Tony or Erica doesn’t seem to notice or care all too much about this when he does slip out with his girlfriend. I notice he’s pretty lax on him and doesn’t question Vincent too much for a seventeen year old, although Tony has said in the past that he’s a pretty good kid and never really gives him much trouble or anything like that. I notice his son’s wearing a “Thrasher” t-shirt that all kids these days seemingly love to wear these past few years and some ripped jeans and some Green high top Vans, his jet black hair seemingly it’s regular nature looking style as well too.

We finish eating around 6 or so, the conversation’s seemingly die down and everyone getting their fill of food, there’s a few sausages here and there and a few burger patties as well too.

Us guys, Tony and Dave and I get up and walk more into the grassy area, more towards the field and the trees in the background and the like and a little bit pass a old tire swing.

“That was some good food, Tony” I say, stifling a burp, I feel a little bloated to be honest with you. 

“Yeah, I haven’t eaten at a cookout like that since, probably summertime during my teenage years”  Dave says.

“Yeah, I thought this would be a good way for us to get in touch with each other again. Y’know I wish Brandon and Molly could be here, I know you reached out to them but obviously they were busy with, y’know, their duties with the agency and working for the F.B.I as a whole and everything”  Tony says, looking towards me. 

“Yeah, it would been nice if they would have joined,” I say, as we walk a little further into the fields, a little bit away from the tables and the house. The house is in this more rural area of town, not too far from the airport.

“Y’know too, next month will be twenty five years since me and Erica first met. And it was out here as well too, Roger’s wife’s friends and everything, I’ve told you guys how we met so you know the deal. But it’s crazy to think I’ve known her for that long now, and how it’s nearly twenty five years too” Tony says.

“Yeah, time does go by,” Dave says.

A few minutes pass of just silence, the wind blowing and everything and the distant chatter of our wives still at the table, talking still. Not really noticing us too much far off in the distance

“I remember Brandon said he had a song associated when he got shrunk, saying Surrender by Cheap Trick was played a lot on the radio and some of the lyrics repeated in his head the day he met Jack Cooper and everything. Do you guys have some sorta experience like that? I remember this band, my high school friend was into it, this band called Sugarcult. Typical pop punk stuff at the time, dime a dozen sorta thing. I remember the day I got back before July 4th, their song "Stuck in America” really rang in my head after he played it in the car once I came back from Europe, with Molly in the car and we were headed to the mall ” I say, filling the silence.

“Yeah, I get what you’re saying. Movies by Alien Ant Farm was a song I remember hearing a lot on my local rock radio station when I was shrunk back when I was like, Vincent’s age. Although the song wasn’t exactly new back then, since this was like, 2011. I guess it fit my situation, since I remember thinking all the shrink stuff was like being in a movie. I remember the lyrics would ring out in my head” Dave says.

“Nah, because it was a way of life for me compared to like, a week or two deal for you guys” Tony says, sounding quite blunt about it.

“Yeah, yeah that’s true” I say, as I start to think about the song. I remember my younger brother had their “Antology” CD, and he’d play it in his room sometimes when we were teenagers living in Charlotte. Alien Ant Farm was one of his favorite bands back then, that whole nu-metal thing back then. This Alien Ant Farm band is something I haven’t thought about in years, it was one of his few bands that I did like and had a couple songs I didn’t mind, Movies being one of the songs. This band was more sing-y and not as screamy in their songs as most nu-metal bands he liked. 

“Y’know, I’m just glad we survived this ordeal and the previous ones. I’m just glad we made it” I say, and Tony and Dave nod in agreement.

We all walk back to the table to join our wives and probably head back to hotels and get ready for the next day. We’re heading back to our respective cities on Wednesday morning, since we’re going to hang out in Grand Rapids with Tony and Erica a little bit longer. Don’t wanna keep Alexis out of school too long anyways, especially at the start of the school year. I hear something about Erica saying she’s going to go inside and bake some Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies that she bought earlier to make for dessert as we get closer again and we can hear their conversations more clearly, as she starts to get up to go inside the house and begin to bake. 

And I guess, Just Like The Movies, we played out our last scene.