"... I got the barbecue out"

"... I got the barbecue out" Wasn't really the answer I was expecting.

Conversations after church over a cup of tea are pretty always good. I like them! You get to connect, to share and to know each other. I had been doing well with Ron, his week hadn't been good workwise, carwise or in fact catwise. Suzy family pet for many years had died and I was being talked through the decision to cremate rather than bury. My pastoral face was caring and unshakeable.

".... Sorry to hear about your cat, so how does cremation for pets work?"
The answer asked intense questions of my pastoral face.

"Ron... You barbecued your dead cat? It must've taken ages...!"

"yeah... even after I stuffed her with fire lighters! ... we got there in the end, Marlene bought a new biscuit tin for the ashes..."
The pastoral face disappeared.
"Ron I don't want you taking this personally, don't be surprised if I don't come to a barbecue at your place!

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