All the way there, little Georgie held it in for a while, but he finally couldn't help himself and asked, "Mike, what was that all about earlier? You and that woman?"
As he spoke, a sleazy grin—the kind every guy instantly recognizes—spread across his face.
"Don't ask about Serena, and don't get curious. It's for your own good," Mike warned him seriously.
"I get it, I get it..." Georgie thought Mike was into some kind of thrill, and his grin got even sleazier.
Then, trying to be helpful, he added, "Hey, Mike, you know she's Pastor Jeff's wife, right? Doing that kinda thing..."
"What the heck are you thinking?" Mike shot him a hard glare. "Do I look like that kind of guy to you?"
Georgie stared at Mike's handsome face, nodded once, then quickly shook his head.
Mike didn't bother saying more. After all, the less an ordinary person knew about Serena's situation, the safer they were.
But Georgie didn't stay quiet for long. He switched topics and started griping, "Mike, those dating tips you gave me? Total bust. Especially after I told girls to 'drink more hot water'—they all ghosted me."
Mike, whose mood had been kinda heavy, almost burst out laughing when he heard that.
But laughing would be rude, so he held it in, patted Georgie's shoulder, and said, "Ever hear the saying 'failure is the mother of success'? Don't worry, a guy as great as you? One flop doesn't mean anything. You've got plenty more chances down the road."
Georgie lit up at the compliment. "You're right!"
Then he got insecure again and said, "Girls are just so hard to figure out. How about you point me toward a good one?"
Mike sized Georgie up and down. Aside from being a decent, honest guy, it was tough to spot any standout qualities. So he just said casually, "Next time. We'll talk when the opportunity comes up."
The two kept chatting idly as they reached the activity area.
The grassy field was divided into several sections: some spots for ring toss, others with empty bottles set up for a fishing game, and right in the middle, a two-legged race was going on.
Most of the activities had parents playing alongside their kids. The prizes were little crosses provided by the church.
Little Sheldon and Missy, with the three adults keeping an eye on them, were lined up at the starting line for the two-legged race.
The two-legged race: two people have one leg tied to their partner's, and they have to run from the start to the finish like that.
It really tests how in sync the pair is.
But right then, at the starting line, Sheldon was complaining about all the bugs in the grass making him uncomfortable.
Missy kept looking around, and when she spotted Mike coming over, she asked excitedly, "Mom, I don't want to be paired with Sheldon. Can I team up with Mike instead?"
"No way," Mary shot it down right away. Seeing her daughter's pout, she explained patiently, "Mike's legs are way too long. You'd just get dragged along if you teamed with him. You want that?"
Imagining the ridiculous scene, Missy quickly shook her head to shake off the mental picture. At the same time, she swore to herself: someday she's gonna grow up to be a tall, long-legged beauty.
Mike headed over to say hi to the Coopers.
On the other side, Georgie saw Sheldon hadn't started yet and got pumped. "Mike, come on! Let's join this race."
It was a rare chance for Georgie to outright beat his little brother, so he was all in.
Mike glanced at Sheldon, who was clearly out of it and didn't want to play at all. "Us joining—wouldn't that be kinda bullying the kids?"
"Nah, look over there," Georgie said, brushing it off.
Following his finger, Mike saw that around the starting line, there were actually some older kids gearing up too.
Turns out the church's little events were all about participation and having fun.
So, at Georgie's insistent urging, Mike finally signed up for the two-legged race.
As soon as the starting gun went off, tall and long-legged Mike quickly adjusted to Georgie's pace.
It wasn't hard for him at all.
Pretty soon, the two of them—in perfect sync—pulled ahead of the competition and closed in on the finish line a hundred yards away.
Just as they were about ten yards from the end, a bunch of surprised gasps came from behind, mixed with laughter from the parents on the sidelines.
Mike wanted to turn and see what happened, but he noticed how bad Georgie wanted this win.
So he swallowed his curiosity and didn't hold his partner back.
A few seconds later, after they crossed the finish line, Mike finally had a chance to look back.
Out on the course, Sheldon was flailing his arms in pure terror, screaming without even realizing it.
Two little bees were buzzing around his head.
Sheldon tried to run, but he wasn't as strong as Missy and got yanked back in place.
The hilarious sight was basically Sheldon's ultimate social nightmare.
All the parents nearby were cracking up, with Meemaw (Connie) laughing the loudest.
Mary made sure her youngest wasn't in real danger, then grinned and urged, "George, quick—grab the camera and snap this. It's gonna be an unforgettable moment..."
Finally, just as Sheldon was about to burst into tears, Missy crouched down, looking totally grossed out, and untied the rope from their ankles.
Free at last, Sheldon scrambled on all fours like a maniac across the grass.
The sidelines erupted in another wave of good-natured laughter.
In the end, Meemaw went over, scooped up her grandbaby, and soothed him: "It's okay, Moonpie. Meemaw's got you."
With the comforting, Sheldon calmed down a lot, but he flat-out refused to join any more games.
Georgie, clutching his little cross prize, finally got to gloat in front of his brother for a bit.
Then, at Meemaw's suggestion, Mike entered the ring toss and the fishing game. Thanks to his natural talent, he snagged two more little crosses before everything wrapped up.
He gave those two to Sheldon and Missy.
As evening rolled in, the Cooper family—full of happy memories—headed home satisfied.
In George's car, Sheldon and Missy each clutched their little crosses, sound asleep.
With the cool evening breeze blowing, Mary looked over at her husband behind the wheel and sighed, "What a great day~"
"Yeah, doesn't happen often—getting to see Shelly make a fool of himself," George said, killing the vibe a little.
His camera was full of shots: Meemaw, Georgie, Mike, everybody. All precious family memories.
Over in Meemaw's car, Georgie had conked out in the back seat too. Smacking his lips now and then, he looked like he was having a sweet dream.
Meemaw, quietly driving, suddenly glanced at Mike in the passenger seat and asked, "Hey, whatever happened to that girl Lena this afternoon? Didn't see her around."
"Maybe she had other stuff to do," Mike said casually.
But inside, he knew why Lena hadn't come looking for him again. One reason: she was probably wiped out from earlier and needed rest. The other: scared her mom might catch on.
Gotta say, Lena's a good kid.