Thanksgiving

Jeff and I decided it was time that our apartments became friends. We planned a Sunday dinner cook off: the boys would make dinner and the girls would bring dessert. Determined to excel in the domestic realm that we, as woman, are supposed to have a natural advantage in, we brought not one, but two desserts: pumpkin roll and cream puffs. Jeff and crew served us pasta and "homemade" bread sticks which he later confessed were made with frozen dough. Though the food was delicious and the company was enjoyable, this would be one of the last Sunday dinners Jeff and I shared with friends.

The Thanksgiving break was fast approaching and I was looking forward to a short trip home. One of my friends was getting married and I was excited to attend her wedding. My brother and I had planned to make the 10-hour drive home together on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The only thing that could lessen my excitement was that I wouldn't see Jeff for five whole days. The day before we were supposed to leave I had my suitcase on my bed and had just started pulling clothes out of my closet to put in it. My cell phone rang and I jumped up to answer it, assuming it was Jeff.

"Hello?" I answered breathlessly.
"Hi Carly." My brother's voice answered.
"Oh, hey. What's up?"
"Well, I have some bad news."
"What's that?"
"I don't think I can go home for Thanksgiving."
"WHAT?"
"Well, I really need to get some work done and it's a long drive and I just don't think I have time to go."

To my brother, this wasn't a big deal. He was 24, almost done with school, working full-time, and had a serious girlfriend. Making it home for every single holiday just wasn't a priority. But this was only my second year at school, and I wasn't used to being away from my family around the holidays. I could feel the tears threatening to escape from my eyes.

"But... but.. it's not that long of a drive. If we leave early we can be there before dark." I frantically sought for some reason to convince him still to go.

"You can go if you want, but I just don't think I can make it."

I could hear the finality in his tone, so I hung up and quickly dialed my parents' number. "Mom? Matt says he's not coming home for Thanksgiving so I am going to drive alone." My mom kindly reminded me of my tendency to fall asleep behind the wheel and suggested it probably wasn't such a good idea. She tried to book me a flight, but being so last minute the only flights available were outrageously expensive. In defeat, I mumbled my goodbyes into the phone and set it down on my desk. I wondered what it would be like to cook and eat my own Thanksgiving meal. I had never cooked a turkey before. Was it hard? As the reality set in, I laid my head on my pillow and cried. With blurred vision I composed a text message to Jeff letting him know I wasn't going home after all. Within seconds my phone rang.

"Hello? [sniff]"
"You're not going home?"
"No, Matt said he couldn't go and my mom won't let me drive alone and there are no flights left anymore so I'm stuck here and... and... [sniff]"
"Are you ok?"
"I will be, I just need a few minutes to mope about it."
"Well, where are you going for Thanksgiving?"
"Nowhere, I guess. I'll just have to make my own Thanksgiving."
"Wrong. You're coming with me."
"Really? But, well, I don't know. I mean, it's your whole family and I don't want to intrude and--"
"You won't be intruding. My family loves guests. And they all want to meet you anyway."
"Well, ok, if you're sure. Maybe you had better ask your mom first."
"Just trust me. Now, do you want to go see a movie tonight?"
"Um, sure. I guess I don't have to finish packing anymore so I don't have anything on my agenda."
"Great. I'll be by in a half hour."

. . .

Thanksgiving morning Jeff picked me up at 10 am. As we drove to his aunt's house, Jeff gave me the quick run down of everyone who would be there: grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and cousins once removed, not to mention his parents and sister. The longer the list got, the more nervous and tense I became during the 35 minute drive. By the time we pulled into the crowded driveway, I was ready to back right out and drive home. It was an awkward stage to be meeting so many of Jeff's extended family. We hadn't even officially determined that we were exclusively dating. But I pushed my fears aside and put on the best it's-just-another-Thanksgiving-and-there's-nothing-to-worry-about face I could as I followed Jeff up the stairs and into the house. The first person to greet us was Jeff's grandpa who was standing just inside the door. After introductions were had, he told me that today I might as well be family because there are no strangers at the Thanksgiving table. Then I met 3 of Jeff's aunts, and they each in turn pointed to and rattled off the names of everyone in the room who belong to them. My head was spinning with names and faces, and I knew there wasn't a chance I would remember any of them.

After a few minutes of socializing it was time to eat. We took out seats at the longest Thanksgiving table I had ever sat at. It spanned the entire length of the family and dining room, plus a few smaller tables for the kids off to the side. There were handmade place cards at each setting and I swallowed a lump when I saw that there was even one with my name on it. I had to admit, if I couldn't be with my own family for Thanksgiving, this was as close a second as I was probably ever going to find.

We ate... and ate and ate until my eyeballs were about to pop. It seemed the food would never stop coming. Some of the foods were new to me, but most were things that tables across America were also serving that day: Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, sweet potatoes, green beans, corn, salad, fruit, rolls, jello, stuffed mushrooms, and deviled eggs. After eating, we spread out around the house, some watching movies, others playing games, others just talking. After we'd all had a chance for the food to settle, we broke out the pies. And oh my. I had never seen so many pies. There was pumpkin (of course) and banana cream and coconut cream and chocolate and lemon meringue and pecan and cheesecake and apple and strawberry and others that I can't remember now. It seemed that everyone in the room could have had an entire pie to themselves. And so we ate again until our eyeballs popped, this time trying a little bit of each variety of pie. By the time we had finished, it was all I could do to mutter my thanks as we made our way to the door. Jeff's grandpa made it a point to say goodbye to me personally. He caught my arm just before I got to the door and pulled me into a hug. "Don't be a stranger, ok?" he told me before letting me go. I nodded and smiled, too full and sleepy to say anything.

Jeff opened my door and I slid into the passenger seat so he could drive me home. The rest of the evening we sat in my apartment, alternating between talking and laughing and watching holiday specials on TV. It was comfortable and cozy. I wondered what it would be like to spend every holiday like this. It was a nice thought.