Lumps in the Thanksgiving Dinner
Leanne poked the lumps in her mashed potatoes with a fork. She didn’t understand how Aunt Patty could never manage to remove them even though she used a hand-held mixer to mash potatoes. Leanne grabbed a forkful of potatoes sans lumps and swallowed the creamy starch. She glanced around the table. Aunt Patty ignored her food and kept refilling her glass, which was strange. She usually never shut up about how good her food was during dinner. Uncle Roger was concentrating on eating everything on his plate. Leanne’s four cousins whispered to each other and giggled at Leanne when they thought she couldn’t see them. She was used to being made fun of by them by now. Leanne’s mom was fixing her blouse for the thousandth time since sitting down, trying to get the worn out material to stop sliding off her shoulders.
Every Thanksgiving was celebrated the same way. Leanne and her mom went to Aunt Patty’s house. Aunt Patty bossed Leanne’s mom around and Leanne’s mom never complained. Without Aunt Patty and Uncle Roger, instead of a Thanksgiving feast, Leanne and her mom would be eating TV dinners they bought on sale from Wal-Mart. Leanne knew nothing about her dad and her mom changed the subject if she asked about him. Aunt Patty always gave Leanne a present when she came over on Thanksgiving as if to make up for his absence. Last year it had been a rosary. This year it was a cross necklace. Leanne gave these presents to her mom when Aunt Patty’s back was turned. Leanne’s mom rolled her eyes at the gifts and donated them to Goodwill.
Leanne started sawing the slice of turkey on her plate. The plate was cleared enough that she could read the words, Blessed Day, that had been painted on the plate. Leanne’s cousin, Mary, had decorated the plate at a youth group event at church. Leanne had been staying with Aunt Patty at the time, because her mom was at a work conference, and had been forced to go with Mary. Leanne accidentally-on-purpose broke her own plate. Leanne was still sawing at the same slice of Turkey and her fingers were starting to cramp from the effort.
“Leanne, stop messing around with that turkey!” Aunt Patty yelled.
The room grew silent. Leanne had never heard Aunt Patty yell. Her cousins tried to hide their grins by hurriedly stuffing their mouths with mashed potatoes. Uncle Roger was frozen in place. A forkful of turkey drowned in gravy had halted halfway to his mouth. Leanne’s mom looked nervous and she was gripping her fork so tight Leanne could see the outline of the bones in her knuckles. Aunt Patty’s face was red and she took a deep gulp from her glass that Leanne guessed wasn’t cranberry juice. Leanne had been born after Aunt Patty became sober and had never seen her drunk. Leanne’s mom rose halfway up from her seat, still gripping onto her fork, before Aunt Patty yelled at her to sit down.
“Don’t you dare try to calm me down, Stacy!” Aunt Patty yelled at her. She pointed her glass to Leanne and red liquid swished dangerously from side to side. “I saw you give the necklace to your mom!” Red liquid sloshed around as the glass was pointed to Leanne’s mom, who now looked like a deer caught in headlights. “I saw you roll your eyes at me, Stacy! How dare you? I’m trying to help your daughter! She needs as much help as she can get to get into heaven after being born in prison!”
Leanne’s cousins stared at their mom. Mashed potato brew dripped from their mouths that were open from shock. Uncle Roger’s fork slipped from his grasp and fell on his plate. Gravy splashed all over his shirt. Leanne’s mom cradled her head in her hands and her blouse slipped halfway off her shoulders. Aunt Patty took another gulp from her drink and let out a giant burp.
Leanne stared at her plate. She wished she hadn’t eaten the mashed potatoes. The words, Blessed Day, looked up at her. They were soon covered up as Leanne threw up on her plate. That was the last time she was invited to celebrate Thanksgiving at Aunt Patty’s house.