I was sound asleep at my sister’s house. I had gone to her beach house to attend her baby shower! When my cell phone rang. Coming out of my sleepy haze, I let voice-mail pick it up. I called to retrieve the message and my neighbor was checking in to see if everything was okay. “I see the police and firetruck at your house and I just wanted to make sure everyone was alright.” I jolted up in my bed, what?! Now, I knew that tonight my husband was at home, without kids (except our teenage son) or wife and had planned a “boy’s night”! Boy’s night is all about meat on the grill, including the testicles of the lamb Devon and Bouchaib had butchered, cigars, scotch and fire pit. My sister’s house was very quiet with everyone sound asleep, so I texted my husband. “Why are the police and firemen at our house?” The reply he sent, “How did you know?” After many exchanges of texts, I found out what happened. One of our neighbors had called 911 to report the boy’s firepit.
(Let me just set the record straight, we’ve had a fire pit for three years and have never had a problem. Devon was told that a permit is required in Baltimore city. So, I wasn’t there to see or hear if that fire was a bit bigger than the pit…or if the boy’s night was getting a bit loud..my hubby says it was fine and they were just having fun.)
Once the firemen accessed the situation and realized they had disrupted a sacred, gathering of the men folk, they sheepishly apologized and told the boys they had to extinguish the fire. “Guys, we’re sorry…don’t let this stop you from drinkin’ your beer and eating your meat…continue! But, because we got called, you have to put it out.” My husband turned on our hose, but is was frozen. He couldn’t put it out. So, being protectors of the law, the firemen dragged their hoses to the top of our street, hooked them up, and extinguished the fire with a “man sized” piece of equipment! It was the perfect ending to, what I hear, was a near perfect evening.
For those of you who are wondering, only three guys stepped up to the plate to sample the grilled lamb balls. My husband (how could he not lead by example), his brother (could not be out done by his older sibling) and Cliff (a friend who spent most his life in the Antarctic) were the only partakers. When described…Devon said, “It had the texture of tofu and took on the flavors of cumin, salt and pepper.” All three said they’d probably never eat it again! Maybe next time they’ll try a more sophisticated recipe!
