Page 86 of Player
I open the large varnished wooden door and find my grandmother behind it. Immediately, the good smell of her cornbread tickles my nostrils.
"Hello, Grandma!"
I'm not much taller than she is, but the wiser, elegant older woman has a presence that impresses everyone, including me.
"Hello, Dixie."
I plant a kiss on her cheek.
"Let me help you," I offer, pretending to take the dish from her hands.
Her gaze hardens, and she sassily says, "Listen here! I'm not a decrepit old woman yet, I can carry my cornbread to the kitchen."
I smile as she walks past me and finds her way through the house. I hear her greeting my mother, "Hello, Liane."
I don't even have time to move from my spot before the doorbell rings again. I open it and a small army passes by me. My two uncles, my father's brothers, Nick and Percy, are here. They're accompanied by their wives and daughters, and analmost entirely female tribe descends into the hallway. Immediately, Taohia and Tara, the twins, fall into my arms. We're almost the same age and we get along really well.
They all start talking at the same time. "So, what's OMU like?"
"Are there any hot guys?"
They continue like this, and I don't get a chance to get a word in.
"We're having a blast in L.A.!" Tara informs me.
Much to their parents' dismay, who would have preferred having them nearby, they were admitted to UCLA and moved to the other side of the country.
My cousins don't stop talking, and I listen to them with pleasure. I've missed them a lot.
Despite the size of the space, the noise level reaches new heights in the living room, as everyone is talking at once. Conversations cross paths, and I hang back a bit, observing each member of my family, trying to fill my brother's absence with their presence. If he were here, I know he'd tell me that Aunt Sallie looks like she already opened a bottle at home to get in the mood.
To which I would reply that Aunt Eva isn't in any better shape and that I suspect they meet up before leaving. Indeed, our uncles live in neighboring houses. Literally, their homes are almost attached.
A smile stretches across my lips, but all this is just in my mind, the sad reality is that Bradley will spend Thanksgiving with other Marines, far from his family. Suddenly, I regret not flying to join him, even though I doubt they'd let him receive visitors on the base.
My father takes charge of distributing drinks to everyone, while I move from group to group to chat with each person. Family is my center of balance, and I miss them all very much.We're just settling in the dining room when the doorbell rings again.
"I'll see who it is," my mother announces as she leaves the room.
The senseless hope that Bradley might surprise us makes my heart beat faster. I wait, trying to hear what's happening at the front door, but it's hopeless—the ambient chatter prevents me from catching the slightest sound.
When my mother returns, she's alone, and disappointment floods through me to the point of bringing tears to my eyes. I realize then that I really couldn't imagine a Thanksgiving without Bradley...
"Dixie?"
My mother's voice pulls me from my thoughts, and I turn my attention to her.
"Can you come here, please?"
Immediately, my heart starts racing again. Maybe all hope isn't lost?
Stop hoping so much!
I get up and walk around the table to join my mother who's standing near the entrance.
"You have a visitor in the parlor room, honey."
I frown, perplexed. The parlor? Mom almost never uses that, it’s barely big enough for the little bit of ‘fancy’ furniture she has. My old high school friends don't know I'm back, although they must suspect I'm home for Thanksgiving, but I can't see them showing up here...
