you ask anyone how their thanksgiving was, the answer is almost always, "ok". there may be varying inflations of that "ok" depending on who you ask, or you may even get the liars that say "good!".
you're not fooling us.
thanksgiving is the beginning of the holiday season, and the first time (in probably a while) the entire family gets together for an extended period of time. you have the cook, who is stressed the f out trying not only to get everything done on time - but everything to delicious perfection (this job is usually combined with the host, so add the pressure making sure your house is spotless before the family arrives). you have the complainer, who is never satisfied ("is it done yet?", "these potatoes are too salty", "the turkey is under-cooked", etc.). you have that one family member who is just a little too blunt ("every year, you look a little thicker", "no man yet? you're not getting any younger. in fact, i see some gray hairs", etc.). you have the kids running around screaming, you have the person in the kitchen taste-testing and munching on everything before time to eat, you have the picky eater who you have to cook something completely inconvenient for - the list goes on.
i am one of those fortunate enough to have two thanksgivings to go to come that third thursday in november.
on our way from one thanksgiving to the other, my sister and i take our little cousin home.
[well. not that little. he's 14. a few months ago at a family function, my aunt took notice that he was now as tall as me while we were standing next to each other in the buffet line. disbelieving (i mean i'm 5' 8.5" and this kid is 8 years my junior), i turn to face him and looked him dead in the eyes. little to say, it kind of freaked me out. i used to babysit this kid.]
my aunt and uncle were not quite ready to leave the thanksgiving festivites, and the misery was evident all over the poor guy's face. he is at the stage in his early teen years where you aren't a kid any more - but you sure as hell aren't an adult - and being with your family is an awkward, miserable torture.
so we took him home.
on the way home my sister and i each grab a road beer (obviously not a good idea, or a great influence on our young cousin - but the day called for it. especially since it was only half way over.). my sister and i get pretty giddy around each other sometimes. when you love someone as much as we love each other, and you are so comfortable with them that you feel more yourself when you're with each other..... well, you just kind of loose it. we apologize and try to explain this to my - probably frightened now - cousin in the back seat.
"i was with this person everyday of my life for eighteen years!!" i say to him. it's still amazing to me when i think about that and how long of a time it is. we briefly reflect on when we were finally separated when going to different colleges.
"well, besides that time you went to camp," i say to my sister. "then i got a week vacation from you. ...i never went to camp." i turn to my cousin, "did you ever go to camp?"
my cousin shakes his head no.
"yeah. everyone always has camp stories and talks about how much fun it was. and now i'm too old. i feel like i missed out on something, like something is missing in my life."
my sister opens her beer and takes a sip. "this tastes like shit," she says.
"it's probably old. who knows how longs it's been in that fridge." my other aunt, who always hosts thanksgiving, is a huge hoarder. and that's an understatement.
"throw it out." she says. when we hit bluff road, with the bluffs to our left and fields to our right, i roll down my window. as we pass a sign i chuck the bottle. in slow motion i watch as it floats, spinning top over bottom, to the metal pole of the sign where is hits dead center and smashes.
"holy shit." i say.
"did you hit that?? i heard it smash," my sister says.
"yeah. i can't believe it. i've never actually done that. i always try to hit those and always miss. that was awesome...." i say. "....i am actually going to tell people that i did that." my cousin is laughing now, but probably thankful he is almost home.
i'm silent, still in shock of my own skill and coordination. "....kind of makes up for not going to camp..."
@ thxgiving. you can see my cousin - trying to hide how thrilled he is to be in this pic - and me and sister on the end :)
also, this is what happens when my uncle decides to deep fry a turkey--
petrified.
You didn't tell me you had a new Blog. Loves it!
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