By Candace of The Mom at Law
Partygoers stood in horror this past weekend as local dad, Kevin Brown, left the food at his backyard barbecue out for a rather questionable amount of time.
“I got here at 4:30, and I know the potato salad had been out for at least three hours at that point. It’s not even on ice,” gasped Brown’s niece, Ashley Stephens. “One, two, three, four; yep, that’s at least three hours,” she continued, counting on her fingers.
According to a neighbor, Brown’s wife Samantha began organizing the party food on an outdoor table around noon that day—well before guests had arrived for the bash, a joint anniversary/birthday party.
“I noticed Sam arranging some bread rolls and chips on the deck while I cleaned the pool filter, and that was just before lunch. I don’t know if that red pepper hummus has been out the entire time, but there’s no way it could still be good now.”
“It’s kind of watery looking. That can’t be a good sign,” he added concernedly.
As guests glanced at the mostly picked-over remnants that had been left for hours in the blistering sun, Brown made rounds encouraging guests to have more.
“There’s plenty left,” he said, gesturing at a wilted iceberg lettuce salad, the shredded cheddar that had been freshly sprinkled on top now limp and melted in the summer heat. Charred chicken thighs sat atop a smokeless grill and an ice cream cake spilled over a checkered table cloth as Brown attempted to hand out paper plates and aluminum foil.
“I know you love my famous chicken,” Brown winked at his cousin, David.
At press time, a line of ants had gathered near a puddle of spilled soda, and Brown’s wife Samantha began scooping the questionable leftovers into Tupperware containers, which would eventually sit in the family’s refrigerator, uneaten, for another ten days.
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About the Author
Candace is a practicing attorney, working parents advocate, freelance writer, and proud mom. Her writing has been featured on Scary Mommy, Fairygodboss, Reality Moms, Her View From Home, Perfection Pending, and other places around the web. She can be found writing about law, motherhood, and more on her blog as The Mom at Law. She can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.