The Look Of Hope

Chapter 59: Sparks

The day of the big high school reunion rolled around. With only four days until Thanksgiving, Saturday, November eighteenth was hectic. This year's Thanksgiving dinner will be hosted at Bobby and Mary's house. His dear, sweet Granny insisted on it. "I've never even seen their home. I want to see it before I die. And I want to see the twins. I've never seen them either. Why I don't know. I am their Great Grandmother," she proclaimed, putting emphasis on the word great. What she really means is she wants to critique, Mary's housekeeping and mothering skills. 

Mama Kate gave her the turkey recipe, to be completed on Wednesday evening. Wednesday itself, she and Mary would be grocery shopping for last-minute items. Then she's going to thoroughly go over each recipe with her daughter-in-law. Early Thursday morning, she would come over to their house and help Mary cook each dish. 

Mary thanked her repeatedly. She shuddered at the thought of Granny eating anything she had actually made herself. Granny would have more ammunition to launch at her. Mary can picture it in her head. "Why this is the worst food I've ever tasted. It's a shame Home Ec isn't taught the way it should be anymore. Robert must be going hungry with cooking like this. It's a shame his wife isn't more capable."

Bringing her out of her thoughts is Robert's voice. "Sweetie your appointment is in thirty minutes. Shouldn't you be leaving?"

Oh yes, that. "I should. I was just standing here thinking about Thanksgiving dinner and our house. It's a mess. We need to have it cleaned, but I don't know who would help us on short notice." She scanned the living room. Baby toys are in piles around the room. She's going to have to find creative ways to hide them. Baskets might work.

Arms wrapped around her. "I know you're worried about my Granny. If she tries any of her vitriolic barbs, then I'll throw her out. But I don't think she will. Last Christmas was enough at my parent's house. Now, breathe and go get your nails pretty for tonight."

Leaning into her husband, she soaked in his love. "Alright Bobby, but if she makes one negative sound regarding the twins I'll lose it. She goes on and on about Lydia and Grace. Lydia is too this and Grace is too that. It's frustrating for me, and sad for them, to hear those things," she told him.

He agreed with her as she grabbed her purse and slipped on a pair of boots. Kissing him bye, she drove over to Prim and Polished. Once there, her nails and toes became beautiful again. With four kids, her nails are the last priority. Raising four kids is an extreme sport. That's why she wears workout clothes every day. Not really, but sometimes it does feel like it.

While she relaxed at the nail salon, thoughts of tonight ran through her mind too. Earlier in the month a "reunion committee member" phoned. The woman asked her to say a few words during the evening. She said, "Several of your classmates have been asked to do the same." Then she told Mary to keep it brief and give an update on her life.

Thinking about her life, since high school, made old insecurities flair up. Reconciling people's expectations and reality do match. She hasn't really thought too much about it, since the year in college she was pregnant with Lydia. Remembering how she was teased and taunted for being pregnant made her feel like a less than. She can't help but think that may happen again tonight.

What has she accomplished since graduating? She has been married to Bobby for ten years. That's something right? She has four children. One in second grade, one in kindergarten, and two twin babies. They're all healthy and relatively happy. Personally, she thinks her family is her greatest accomplishment, but people don't care about that these days. This is sad in itself because family is important. If you don't have a good family, then what do you have? She thinks about the kids in the youth group, who come to her and Bobby, crying over their families. "Why doesn't my father (or mother) love me?", "Aren't I good enough?", and "My parents are getting a divorce and I'm super confused about that", so on and so on it goes. It hurts her heart.