Black Friday Eve

Part 3

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The family all sat around their tent for their final supper before Black Friday Eve; the night they all dedicated the last few months for preparation. The past few months had been the closest the family had ever been: they ate two meals together every day, there was no technology to get in the way of real human interaction, and there were no separate rooms for the family members to seclude themselves. For once, the Macys felt like an actual family. It was Hell.

The family all waited at the miniature fold-out dinner table. Ralph sat next to his sister and across from his mom/sparring partner. His dad was just taking the entrée out of the oven—microwave oven, that is.

"Just finishing up," Oscar chirped, placing the steaming bowl in front of them all. "And dinner is served." He took the lid off from the pot to reveal dinner, "Hot Pockets served with instant mac 'n' cheese, all fresh out of our portable microwave."

MMMMMMM.

"Wow Dad! Smells good!"

"MMM. Daddy!"

"Aww, thanks kids, glad you like it." The relief on Oscar's face was clear as day. He stressed over the meal every day, a man must know how to cook a good meal. Oscar looked to the matriarch of the family for the final word on his prepared dinner.

"Yes, my little honeybear, well done on dinner; not that I'm surprised or anything."

"Oh, I am so glad; especially after that fiasco that was last night." Oscar rested his hand on his chest to ease his elevated heartbeat.

"No, no, it wasn't a fiasco, it was just different for my taste, that's all."

"And by different you mean horrible, don't you!" Oscar snapped back.

"Honeybear! Don't be so moody, it was fine." Pat's face softened and she gently rubbed Oscar's shoulder. "Plus, I don't want you stressing about the past; can't have my lil' honeybear getting wrinkles. What's the point of marrying a younger man if no one can tell you're younger?"

"Okay. I'm sorry for acting up," Oscar said. Pat's reassurance alleviated his stress.

"No, answer the question."

This demand clearly caught Oscar off guard, being that he thought Pat previously posed a rhetorical question. "...Well, there is no reason."

"Exactly."

This awkward silence, full of power stares from Pat and suppressed whimpers from Oscar, was finally broken as Oscar failed to realistically act as if he was unscathed by his wife's threat.

"So kids, do you know what tomorrow is?"

"It's Black Friday Eve, duh."

"Yes, but do you know—or DYK, for short—that it used to be something entirely different? It used to be called Thanksgiving."

"Why Daddy? Because we are thankful for Black Friday being one day away?

"Awww, sweetie. Near the end, yes; but it existed before Black Friday even existed."