Luck or Fate?

Thanksgiving Day

It's Thanksgiving morning and I'm preparing for dinner tonight. Yesterday, Henry and I looked at recipes online and found some that looked good. Then, we went shopping and got the ingredients. Henry comes out of his room as I take out the turkey. "Hey Henry. Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, thanks." He says, coming over with his book. "Do you want any help?"

"Sure. Would you mind starting on the stuffing recipe?"

"Yeah, of course." He says, setting down his book and picking up the recipe I printed out. We both get to work and a few minutes later I notice it's almost dead silent except for the pans sizzling.

"You know what I want to do?" I ask.

"What?" He says, looking up from his stuffing.

"I really want to put on some Christmas music. You know, to get in the spirit."

"But it's not Christmas yet!" Henry says, laughing.

"Please?" I ask.

"Oh, all right." He says. I take out my phone and attach it to my mini speaker. Our apartment only allows mini speakers because the walls are so thin, but I turn the volume up so we can both hear the music. I scroll through my phone and find a Christmas playlist. "Jingle Bell Rock" comes on and we both start singing along.

Once I put the turkey in the oven, I come over to Henry and find that he's almost done with the stuffing. "Looks good!" I say. "Want to make the mashed potatoes next?"

"Yeah!" He says, putting the stuffing in the fridge. I check on the turkey and then get started on making cranberry sauce. About half an hour later, I've finished the sauce and put it in the fridge next to the stuffing. I look over at Henry and see him peeling the potatoes.

"Want some help?" I ask.

"Sure." He says, and I grab another peeler. I check the clock and it's already noon. "Wow, the time went by fast." I say. "It's already noon."

"Wow." Henry says, grabbing another potato.

"I think we should finish peeling and when the potatoes are boiling I can warm up some lunch, okay?"

"Okay." He says.

I turn on the stove and set the timer for 20 minutes. I open the fridge and ask, "What do you want for lunch?" We had agreed to have a light lunch so we could eat a big dinner. "We have some spaghetti, some orange chicken, or I could make grilled cheese."

"I'll take a grilled cheese, please." He says, smiling.

"You're a poet and you didn't even know it." I say, and we both chuckle.

I set down a plate of grilled cheeses for both of us and we eat quickly. Just as I'm finishing up, the timer goes off and I turn off the stove. Henry finishes his sandwich and takes our plates over to the sink. "Thanks," I say.

"You're welcome." He says, washing his hands. "Is it time to mash the potatoes?"

"Yes, Henry." I say, smiling.

"Yay! This is my favorite part." He says, getting to work.

I take the last recipe, which is for the cornbread, and get to work on it. A few hours later, we're done with the cornbread and the mashed potatoes. We put them in the fridge and I check on the turkey before we sit at the table.