Misalignment | ✔

thankful

The smells of
cooking food
greet me as I
enter the kitchen
the following morning.
My mother is already
hard at work
preparing the massive turkey
she had picked up
a week ago
(and nearly had
lost a fight
with our freezer
to keep frozen
for that time).
I still don't understand
why she bought such a
large bird
when originally there was only
going to be the two of us.

Shadowing my mother is
Matty,
who must have arrived
quite early
to already be
this entrenched
in what my mother
likes to call
her 'cooking mania.'
My mother is a flurry
of hands and arms
at times like this,
surprisingly coordinated
in spite of her
usually clumsy self.
I sometimes think
that the kitchen
is one of
the only places
that her true talent shines.

And Matty isn't
much different.
While she is
a bit slower
and more contained
than her spastic companion,
her ease and skill
in the kitchen
is quite obvious.
While my mother
jabbers away about
cooking times and
possible dishes to make
(she never plans anything
besides the stuffing
and the turkey
ahead of time),
Matty keeps to herself
and chops the vegetables
set before her
with a glance and a nod
to my mother
every now and again
to show that
she is, indeed,
still paying attention.
Her expression is still
a bit more reserved
than usual;
I'm hoping that
there isn't anything
too seriously
wrong with her
today.

"Should we bake
any pies?"
my mother asks
when she catches sight
of me standing
in the kitchen doorway.
"I bought a pumpkin
and some apples
and even
a few bunches of
cherries
the other day."

"Maybe you should
stick with
the main course
for now,"
I sigh in response.
From the other end
of the room,
I can hear Matty
trying (and failing)
to suppress a laugh.
"Turkey and stuffing
isn't a full meal."

"I could eat
just stuffing
for any meal,"
my mother muses
absently -
and this time,
Matty's giggles
can be heard by
both of us.
My mother shoots her
a martyred look
that only provokes her further.
I myself
can only roll my eyes
in reply.
She is,
beyond the shadow
of a doubt,
the most hopeless
stuffing addict
I have ever met.

"Did you get
any green beans?"
Matty finally
calms down
enough to ask.
"I know
a good recipe
for a green bean casserole
we could make."

"That's the one thing
I've never gotten
a recipe for!"
my mother exclaims,
beaming ear to ear.
"What would I
ever do
without you, Matty?"

"It's nothing,
Mrs. Shills-"

"I told you,
call me Flory,"
she laughs.
"'Mrs.' makes me feel
old and married -
neither of which
I am."

Matty looks bemused
by the statement -
especially when my mother
proceeds to
crack herself up with
her own pathetic joke -
but only nods
in reply,
hiding a small grin.
How she's able
to handle my mother
with so much patience
and grace
is beyond me.
I can't say
I'm not thankful for it,
though.
She's already
starting to feel
like a natural part
of our family -
another addition to
our makeshift amalgamation.
Where it once was just
my mother and I
against the world,
there is now
a trio of us,
and I'm surprised by
how normal it feels.

Glancing up again,
Matty catches my eye
and smiles fully,
an expression that conveys
all her gratitude,
I'm sure.
I hope that
the same feeling
is shown in my
answering grin.
Somehow,
I can't imagine
a life without her
in it.
I can't even remember
who I used to be
before I met her.
She's changed my life
for the better -
and I am
more than thankful
for it.

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Gettin' some gooooooood family vibes here... This chapter just makes me smile. They're all such nerds but they're so good together and I love them all to death. I sort of wish Matty was an actual part of their family because it seriously would have saved everyone a lot of pain in the end.

If you guys liked this chapter, I would love if you would vote and leave me some feedback below! It would be much appreciated c: