Thanksgiving Surprise
It was 8 O’clock in the morning, and the telephone rang. Rick jumped out of bed and ran across the room as best as he could to jump over clothes and books and papers while still half asleep. He slumped into his chair and picked up the phone. There was no one on the other end. “Oh, I forgot to turn the ringer off last night,” he said to himself. He turned his computer on and waited for the screen to come up. “Happy Thanksgiving,” it said aloud over the small speakers hidden in the wall. A picture on the screen of a turkey came up and a listing of all files on the computer appeared. The files began to move into the turkeys mouth as he gobbled them up. “Oh, damn,” he said, slamming his hands on the keyboard. He reached forward over his now spilt drink and turned the computer off. The water was beginning to fall on the floor so he grabbed some nearby papers and tried to dry it up. “Damn hackers, always wanting to ruin my holidays. I wish they’d get caught and be thrown in jail for life. Other people call here to play games, but no,” he said lengthened out, “these fools want to destroy something!”
He got out of his chair and walked out of the room into the kitchen, opening the door of the freezer to pull out what was left of last weeks pizza. He placed it on a paper plate and took it back to his room. There was a knock on his door, and he turned around, waiting to see who would be comming through.
“Happy Thanksgiving, Rick”, said his sister as she walked in the room, slumping down on his bed after trying to make it up. She pulled the pillow over her head and hung her feet off the side, grunting. Rick looked at her, laughing saying, “Fun last night?”
“Yea,” she said, “me and Chris had a great time.” Rick looked at her and laughed. Kirstin took the pillow off her head and placed it under her arm, proping herself up to get a better look at Rick’s room. “Gesh.. your room looks great,” looking on the floor at the magazines and clothes. “Looks like the hotel room after me and Chris left last night.” She giggled and burried her head in the pillow rolling over, falling off the bed.
“You idiot,” Rick said. Kirstin got up off the floor and straightened her shirt. She threw the pillow at Rick landing right in his face. When he took the pillow off, she had already walked out leaving the door open behind her. He looked into his walk-in closet which was to cluttered to see the wall on the other side and reached over piles of boxes for the clothes rack. He fumbled through everything in it, even those he knew he couldn’t wear or didn’t like, such as the one his aunt gave him for Christmas last year with pink flowers all over it and the outline of a pocket protector some old guy must have had before he brought it to the goodwill trailer.
Finally, he pulled out a pair of black pants and a flannel type shirt. He threw them on the bed and changed into the clothes, throwing his old ones in the corner, adding to the already huge pile there. He grabbed a comb off the dresser and closed his door to look into the mirror on the back of it. He slicked his hair back, and spit in his hand, rubbing the comb through it, wetting it enough so that his hair would not need any spray.
He slumped down on an old love seat he found at the local landfill; on the left hand side, never the right side. That was saved for that special someone that would he would find one day and bring back to his house to hang. He reached into a nearby corner to pull out his old Gremlin guitar and started strumming it trying to make a song which he had been hoping to have down a
few months ago for a friend’s band. His door opened up and his mom came walking through, “Breakfast is ready,” she said. He put the guitar back into the corner and walked into the dinning room where his mom had three plates of scrambled eggs, toast, sausage and a glass of orange juice ready, one for her, his sister and himself. He sat down and started eating
before anyone else did.
“You hungry,” asked Kirstin as she sat watching Rick gobble down his food. “You’ll have plenty to eat tonight, you know.”
“Yea, I know, I’ve just been up all night. By the way, whose all comming tonight, mom?”
“I’m not sure yet. I know it will be us three, your grandparents, aunt and uncle, and cousin. Some more people might come, just not decided yet.”
“Ok, that’s cool,” he said drinking some orange juice. After finishing his plate, he got up and called a friend. “Hey, Roger, what’s going on,” he asked silently. “Yea, me too. You busy today? I was hoping we could do something before tonight.” He paused waiting his response. “Ok, great. I’ll be over sometime, watch for me.” He hung up the phone and walked back to his room, turning on the radio and sitting back in the love seat. His sister walked in the room, still holding a glass of juice in her hand and leaving a trial of toast crumbs behind her.
“Whatcha doing,” she asked.
“Sitting down, why?”
She walked over to the love seat and sat down beside him, on the right hand side. “You really going to Roger’s today?”
Rick looked at her angrily. “Maybe, now go away!”
“Oh, well excuse me, little self-righteous too-proud-to-have-anyone-sit-beside him brother!” She got up and stood in the doorway. “You know, Dad might be comming tonight.”
“No, he ain’t! He’s in Ohio, probabally with some girl he met just last night. I won’t be here if he comes.”
“Yea,” Kirstin said hastily, “but, mom got a letter yesterday saying he is on his way. Personally, I don’t believe it, but you never know.”
“Yea, well… we’ll see. I doubt he’ll be here, we haven’t even talked to him since last Christmas.
“Yea, we’ll see,” she said, winking her eye and turning slowly to walk out of his room. Rick put on his shoes and gathered his wallet, comb and keys and placed them in his pockets. He told his mom he’d be back before supper and went to Roger’s house.
“Hey, man! What’s up,” Roger said as he opened the door.
“Not much, just hanging.”
“I hear ya. Come on in.” Rick followed Roger into his room. He was always eager to go to Roger’s house because he had pictures of those bimbo girls all over his walls like you can get even at K-Mart and his mom didn’t seem to care. “Tonight’s gonna be hell,” Roger said as he sat on the bar stool at his desk. “My whole family’s comming over, and I am stuck here. How about
you?”
“Same here,” Rick said slowly. “Dad might be comming.”
“What? You’re kidding! I thought you said he dissappeared!”
“Well, I did. But, mom got a letter yesterday saying that he’s comming today. I don’t believe it, though.”
“No, no way, man! He hasn’t even sent you anything for your birthday! I would skip town, leave, find some girls. Do something!”
“Yea, maybe. But, my mom might get just a little bit upset. Besides, if he does come, I can just leave,” Rick said looking around the room.
After a few hours of talking and watching TV, Rick decided it was about time to go home. To no surprise, when he arrived his Dad was not there. Ricks mom and sister were busy scurrying around the kitchen and dinning area trying to make last minute foods and set up everything to be just perfect. He asked if there was anything he could do, but they only replied that he
would be in the way, so he went to his room and sat on his love seat, left hand side, of course, picked up his guitar and strumed a few chords.
After a while, people started to arrive who all gathered in the living room until supper was ready. Rick’s mom was in the bedroom, and she could be heard crying under the sheets as his grandmother tried to comfort her. He knew what she was crying about, and so did Kirsten, but no one else.
Kirsten was left in the kitchen with her aunt to prepare the food for the perfect Thanksgiving supper. Finally, it was all ready, and the men that were in the living room watching TV had to be drug away to the table. They all sat down at the table and said their Thanksgiving prayer. Afterwards, Rick’s grandfather cut the turkey and passed slices around to everyone.
Everything was perfect, the food was great and nothing had been spilt or turned over yet.
There was a knock at the door. Everyone stopped talking and put their food down in their plates. Rick’s mom looked at his grandmother and smiled. Kirstin got up, since no one else did, and opened the door.
“Dad,” she screamed as he stepped inside. Kirstin threw her arms around him and he did the same. “Look, everyone! Dad’s home!”
Everyone got out of their seats and ran to the door standing there waiting for him to say something. “Mind if I join my family?”
“Sure,” Rick’s mom said, “come on, let me fix you a plate.” She hurried back to the kitchen to fix a plate for him. Rick, still at the table, gathered his plate, silverware and drink and snuck to his room, whispering to Kirstin “You know where I’ll be.” She sighed lightly and went to join the
family sitting at the table. Rick sat his plate and drink on a nearby table and slumped in his love seat, left hand side. He picked up his guitar and started playing.
“Where’s my son,” asked Rick’s father.
“In his room,” replied Kirstin.
Rick’s mom and dad got up and walked towards the doorway. He stopped before opening the door, and listened to Rick playing his guitar. “I recognize that sound anywhere! That’s my old Gremlin!”
“Yea, it is. You left it here, so I let him have it.” She paused and looked at his expression. He was smiling in delight that he could play so well.
“No, I don’t mind. Let me go talk to him,” he said hinting for her to leave them alone. She walked back to the table and sat down to eat. Rick’s dad knocked on the door. He stopped playing and said, “come in.”
His dad opened the door to find Rick on the love seat, guitar still in hand. “You’re getting pretty good with my old guitar,” he said. Rick had a puzzled look on his face. His dad walked over to the love seat and sat down beside him, on the right hand side. That special side that was saved for that special someone Rick would meet one day.
“So, how’s life been going,” Rick’s dad asked softly.