Thanksgiving Day

Flash Fiction

Thanksgiving Day

The food was on the table. Turkey, of course, mashed potatoes, gravy, a bit of vegetables because who cares…. There were pies in the kitchen, pumpkin, of course, but apple too, waiting. And of course, a cake, Mom always made a cake. All the needed accessories for Thanksgiving, plus ice cream, in case you’d rather! Or, you could do all of them, over the afternoon!! It was Thanksgiving Day!

Jared woke. Yes, Thanksgiving Day, but there was no turkey. The only food Jared had in his tiny apartment was a bag of left-overs from the night before. And then, only because he was so tired he fell asleep before he could finish them.

Jared laid in bed thinking of the dream. That was his childhood, before he lost his parents. Mom in an accident, and Dad just so lost without her, he decided to go along, all by himself. Jared had already been technically on his own. But he so missed them. Sometimes even wishing he could join them. He, himself, was a quiet person, too quiet.

Getting up, he cleaned, getting things back in order before he went down to the coffee shop for breakfast.

Out the door he met Aggie from the next apartment. She and her husband Bert, though he hardly knew them. “Happy Thanksgiving!” she called. “Where are you going?”

“Just out for breakfast…”

“No, I meant for dinner…” then she looked hard, “You aren’t going anywhere are you… you need to eat with us!”

He couldn’t change her mind (and didn’t really want to) so plans were made. Thanksgiving Dinner with Aggie and Bert!

“Oh, and our daughter!” Aggie said, “You’ve never met Angela, have you?”

He met Angela at one thirty that very day. They got married two years later. Thanksgiving, it works.