The Donovan kitchen, only a few days from now, would be warm with the scents of turkey and pumpkin pie. Winnie would arrive early with her sister Bea in order to prepare a delicious feast. There would be potatoes, gravy, and pudding. Cranberry sauce and a special stuffing handed down to Winnie and Bea from their grandmother would highlight the meal, along with a beautiful array of steaming vegetables and sparkling beverages. Teddi had never dreaded a day more in her life. She stood in the corner of that kitchen, which was currently dry and cool and smelling of cleaning fluid, holding a telephone receiver against her ear.
"She's being cruel."
"No, Teddi, she's being grandmother."
"You've got that right. Inviting the Chatfields over and canceling our trip! She promised me."
"It's fine, Teddi. Don't worry about it. Mac's here. His family. And I have the baby. I'm fine."
"I'm not," Teddi grumbled. Her grandmother surprised her two weeks ago when she agreed to spend Thanksgiving at the Plaza in New York City with Teddi and her grandfather. An even bigger surprise emerged when Mrs. Donovan gave Teddi a very tiny smile and told her to ask Liza, if she and the baby would like to come and watch the Thanksgiving Day parade with them that morning on 5th Avenue. Teddi couldn't believe it; her grandmother was melting. She was going to try and accept Liza, after all this time. Of course, that idea had been too good to be true for just this morning over poached eggs and dry wheat toast, the old woman announced that there had been a change in plans.
Mrs. Chatfield's sister has fallen ill so she and Samantha won't be going to Boston this holiday.
Teddi pretended to act concerned, not caring one tiny bit about the Chatfields. She still had not forgiven Samantha's hag of a mother for ratting her out to her grandmother years ago.
Well, I'm glad you're so concerned, Theodora, because I've invited them here for dinner. Mrs. Chatfield is bringing her nephew Hugh as well, so I've invited the Hollidays to join us. We'll go to New York next year.
Teddi had been furious. How could she think she'd rather spend her holiday with Samantha and that bucket of slime Hugh instead of with her sister? And as much as she knew Ben might be disappointed, she desparately needed time with her sister. She tried to argue with her grandmother, but she may as well have been talking to her poached egg. The woman was a walking contradiction. One minute she seemed to try and embrace her oldest grandchild, the next she would do something like this.
The kitchen door opened with a creak, and Teddi looked over her shoulder to see her grandfather enter holding an empty teacup.
"Ah, Teddi dear, I was just looking for you, but I see you're on the phone." He placed the teacup on the counter and faced her, making no move to leave the room.
"Is something wrong?" Teddi said, moving the phone away from her ear as not to alarm Liza unnecessarily.
"No, I just wondered if you would cancel our hotel reservation and take the train tickets back to the station for me. I haven't had time to do it."
Teddi looked at him strangely. He had that tone of conspiracy he liked to use when they were attempting to get something over on her grandmother. "Sure."
"Because you know, I'd hate for any of it to go to waste. If there was someone I knew who wanted to take them, I'd surely be content on letting it be an early Christmas gift."
"Grandpa, you don't mean—"
"I think you may have some news for whomever it is you have on the line there."
Teddi grinned. Those tickets were hers, and she had a hotel room all to herself in New York City.
She bounced on her toes with excitement and screeched into the phone, "Liza, you won't believe this!"
YOU ARE READING
Forget Me Not, Books I, II and III
Historical FictionAre you defined by who you were born to or who you choose to become? Theodora "Teddi" Donovan's overprotective grandmother forbids her to see Calvin Wynne, an orphan tied to their family's shameful past, but when they find a way to see each other...