At the pool party my uncle rested his belly on the table.

"That's better," he said. "There you go big fella', take a load off," he said, to his belly.

Everyone ate chicken wings and drank Pepsi. The chicken wings were vegetarian chicken wings so they were made of tofu and all the Pepsi cans had rum in them.

"God, my belly," said my uncle, "it's just off today, anyone else feeling off today?"

Everyone ate their chicken wings. You couldn't see their eyes because they wore sunglasses but my family was crying. I wanted to do something special for them but I couldn't eat.

"God damn it," said my uncle. "Here I am, resting my belly on this mildly inexpensive patio table like I usually do, and it still hurts, what gives?"

"Pain is truth," said the ghost of my grandfather doing push-ups on the lawn. "Just kidding, pain isn't truth," he said, "that just sounded good. Pain is useless."

My uncle rubbed his belly more. "Easy," he said.

In the pool was an inflatable shark but someone had forgotten to blow up the fin and the shark was on its side.

"Poor shark," I said, "he's not living his best life."

"Like my belly," said my uncle.

For dessert there was rum cake and rum raisin ice cream and after everyone didn't go swimming my family smiled for the sugar.

"Good news everyone," said my uncle, "my belly is back on track, all set, nothing to worry about here."

As the sun went down I jumped off the diving board and into the shade on the water. My uncle shouted for a cannonball but I just jumped with my legs and arms loosely at my sides.

My third wife ate cake with my first son on the lawn. I stood up in the shallow end and my grandfather gave me a big thumbs up.

My uncle said, "I'll show you a cannonball."

Next door another family was having a pool party. God was there beating a horse-shaped piñata with two suns for eyes.