Thanksgiving Dinner

Pam and Steve had invited us for Thanksgiving dinner for the first time ever.  We were beyond excited, since Pam was a trained chef.  Dinner was bound to be absolutely spectacular!  

 

On Thanksgiving morning, around seven, Ben and I loaded up our three kids and headed out to pick up Mom.  My brother could have done it, but he didn’t get along with her any better than I did and he figured if we picked her up the kids would act as a buffer. 

The trip there was great.  We sang Christmas carols and told Christmas stories all the way.  Once we got there, though, the tension immediately surrounded us.  Of course, my mother wasn’t ready.  She said that she  had overslept, then had stomach issues, and she didn’t even know if she should go to dinner.  I asked her why she hadn’t called and said something before we drove over an hour to get her.  “Of course, it’s my fault,” she whined, like she always did.  “I was having issues, but I was supposed to take the time to stop and call you.”

I told her that it was fine, we would leave, but SHE would have to call my sister and explain why she wasn’t there for dinner.  Immediately, she felt better.  She needed all three kids to help her carry stuff to the car.  Although Pam had insisted that no one bring anything, our mother had bought three different pies to bring AND had made potato salad.  

 

We got everything loaded in the car and headed towards Pam’s.  No music, though, because no matter what we were playing, Mom didn’t like it.  The kids knew this and didn’t ask.  My mother asked a million questions of the kids about school, Christmas wishes, and all sorts of other things.  If I uttered a word, however, she had something sarcastic or smart - alecky to say, so I kept my mouth shut.

We got to Pam’s early, as she had requested.  Dinner was still three hours away, and we had fed the kids breakfast, but naturally they began whining that they were hungry.  This opened the door for my mother to begin stating that Ben and I didn’t parent correctly and that if we had fed the kids they wouldn’t be whining.  Ben, the kids, and I tried to tell her that they HAD eaten breakfast, but of course we were lying and the kids were trying to cover up for us.

 

Eventually, Pam called me into the kitchen and asked if I would help with the vegetables.  I headed into the kitchen.  Steve and Ben corralled our three kids and brought them out front to play football with the rest of the neighborhood.  

 

Pam and Steve had recently had a baby.  He was three months old, but severely learning disabled.  The doctors had said that he would probably never even sit up on his own.  I was asking Pam how he was doing when our mother came into the kitchen.  She had come in to let us know that Tommy, our brother, had arrived with “some girl” and they were outside.  Tommy was playing football, and the girl was watching.  Pam smoothed it over, saying that the girl didn’t know anyone and she was probably nervous.

 

Mom asked where Johnny, Pam’s son was, and she stated that since she had to cook and all that, that she had sent him to Steve’s sister, because they didn’t do anything for Thanksgiving.  Mom asked how much longer until dinner, and Pam said it would be ready in about thirty to forty-five minutes.  Mom decided she was going to go lay down in Pam’s room (which Steve absolutely HATED) and take herself a short nap.

Pam no longer needed my help, so I headed outside to watch the neighborhood football game.  About fifteen minutes after I went out, Steve excused himself from the game and went in to help Pam with the final touches.  As he headed into the house, he said that this would definitely be a Thanksgiving to remember.

 

When Pam called, we all rushed into the house, jostling one another to see who would get into the bathroom first to wash up.  When everyone was done, we all headed to the table.  Pam had woken Mom up, and she came to the table complaining about all the noise we had made outside.  Steve told her it couldn’t have  bothered her much, because he had heard her snoring when he came in to help Pam.

We went around the table, as most family’s do, saying what we were most thankful for.  When we got to Tommy’s girlfriend, she introduced herself as Tammy and said she was thankful for a family to share Thanksgiving with.

 

When everyone was done, Steve stood to carve the turkey.  Before taking off the lid, he said he wanted to make an announcement.  He then stated that Pam had done something really special with the dinner this year.  With that, he lifted the lid off of the roaster to carve.  

We all screamed when we saw little baby Johnny, nicely browned, smelling great, and surrounded by gravy, in the pot.