by McClung, Amy
It was a few weeks before Thanksgiving, and the weather was still sitting in the sixties which is getting to be a normal temperature for November in Nashville. The Parthenon sits in the middle of Centennial Park in downtown, and it's the world's only full-scale reproduction of the ancient building. Taking Lanie's hand in mine, I walk toward the building and am immediately taken back by the beautiful architecture that had gone into the reproduction. I feel a pull on my arm as I realize that I'd stopped, but Lanie had kept going. She giggled and stepped back, "Sorry, I didn’t know you stopped."
"I should've warned you that I tend to go slowly with this stuff so I might end up getting on your nerves."
"I doubt that. Once we get inside you'll see that I'm the same way," Lanie admitted.
The cost of admission was much cheaper than I expected and as you entered through the bottom of the building you first come upon an art gallery. We strolled through the small gallery and took our time checking out the beautiful paintings. Once we made it to the end of the gallery, we took the staircase up to the second level and as we turned the corner we both gasped.
In the middle of this large open room filled with columns, there was a statue of the Goddess Athena. According to the sign next to it, the statue stood forty-two feet tall. It was quite an amazing site to see, covered with gold. We found a small bench off to the side and sat down with our fingers entwined as we took in every inch of the amazing sculpture.
The security guard tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Sir, we're ready to close. I need you two to move toward the exit. You can finish your tour in the other room but please do so quickly."
"Thanks, sorry we lost track of time I suppose," I said, extending my hand to Lanie to help her up.
"It happens. She's a beauty. I come in here and stare at her many times myself. That's why I chose to apply for this job instead of completely retiring. She reminds me of my late wife. We shared fifty years of marriage. " The old man stared up at the statue and his eyes became misty. "She loved Greek mythology. If there was a movie or a book written about it, she knew and had read or seen it." He shook his head to wipe the memory and said, "Enjoy this beautiful woman, son. They are taken from us way too soon."
He patted my back and walked away from us. I leaned over and kissed Lanie's forehead and noticed she had tears in her eyes. "You're so sweet, you know that."
"Fifty years. Marriages these days will barely last half that time. It's beautiful," Lanie squeezed my hand.
"Do you want to see the other room or would you rather grab some dinner?"
"Let's go. I don’t want to keep them open any later."
Lanie and I waved goodbye to the security guard as we passed him on the way out the door. The sun had gone down, and it was getting late in the evening. "I hate to end our night together but I need to go get Macy before she thinks I abandoned her."
Lanie chuckled, "I seriously doubt she'd ever believe you did that. It's fine though; I can grab some dinner after you drop me off."
"Hold that thought," I said holding one finger up as I dialed my cell. "Hey, MJ have you guys had dinner yet? Great. How about meeting Lanie and I for dinner? We're down near Rotier's now I could get us a table." I laughed as Mary Jane didn’t hesitate to take me up on the offer especially when she heard Rotier's.
"Where are we going?" Lanie asked after I hung up.
"Rotier's. It's a family owned restaurant and bar that is around the corner. They make the best food, especially cheeseburgers. It's quite famous to the locals and a lot of visitor's. They have celebrities in there all the time too."
Lanie's stomach growled, and she placed her palm over it. "My stomach wants to go there."
The place was pretty packed, as usual for a weekend evening. We only had to wait a few minutes before getting a table for six at the back. While waiting, we shared an order of cheese sticks and talked a bit.
"What do you usually do for Thanksgiving? I know you told me you weren’t close to your family." I wasn’t sure if Lanie and I were at the point where we could share holidays together, but I hated the thought of her being alone.
She shrugged nonchalantly, "It's just a Thursday to me. I normally stay in and watch movies. Put up my Christmas tree if I'm in the mood. What about you?"
"When we were in Florida, Macy and I would make a big dinner for ourselves and eat the leftovers for the next week. Last year we had a similar dinner with Angel and MJ. This year Gracie and Ashton want to have a big traditional Thanksgiving dinner with all their friends. If you're up for it, I'd like you to go with me."
She tried to act as though it wasn’t a big deal, but I noticed her face light up at the suggestion. I'm not sure it was necessarily the implications of how serious our relationship is or if it was the prospect of not being alone this year. Macy and I had spent too many Thanksgiving dinners alone before I realized how sad it made me. The year with Angel and MJ was one of the best memories. We ate a huge dinner, stayed up late watching movies and then spent the entire next day decorating the house for Christmas.
Before my mom got sick, we would go to the extended family dinner on my dad's side of the family. After her memory had lapsed enough for hospitalization, we stopped seeing his family at all. The last time we heard from any of them was just before he abandoned us. I suppose it's in their blood to give up on the family. Luckily it's not in mine to give up on anyone.
"I'd love to go with you, T. Can you ask Gracie to let me know if there is something I can cook for it?"
"Sure, no problem," it meant a lot to me that she was excited about it. I wanted to tell her about my crazy past holidays, but I wasn’t ready to bring the conversation to such a depressing level. Hands covered my eyes and a voice that tried to disguise itself said, "Guess who."
"Hmm…could it be…" I reached behind my back and began tickling her stomach eliciting a fit of giggles. "Macy," I exclaimed in mock surprise as she sat beside me. "Did you have fun?"
"Yep. MJ helped me pick out the perfect Christmas gift for you today too."
"Really? You guys are shopping early," I said to Derrick as he held the chair out for MJ to sit.
"From now until the end of the year the bar is going to be insanely busy. During the holidays people drink to forget they're alone, they drink to celebrate, they drink for no other reason than to feel like they're accomplishing something. I wanted a chance to help my wife do some of the shopping before that happens." He bent down and kissed her very extended belly and said, "Plus our little one will be here around Christmas, and we have to get their room ready too."
"I'm glad to help on my days off, MJ. Say the word, and I'll be there," I spouted before even considering how that may sound to Lanie. When I glanced to see if she appeared jealous or insecure, I noticed that she hadn’t been distressed at all.
"I'll have a lot of time off during the holidays too. It's one of the perks of being a teacher. You can consider me available as well," she said excitedly, then something changed, and she grew quiet. Sheepishly she peered at Mary Jane, "I'm sorry, that was insensitive of me."
Mary Jane and I exchanged a look of confusion. Nothing she said had been insensitive in the least. It seemed to dawn on Mary Jane first because she reached across the table and patted Lanie's hand. "I would love to spend time with you. You're dating one of my dearest friends, and I'd like to know you better."
Lanie's shoulders eased with relief. I put two and two together and figured out that Lanie thought Mary Jane wouldn't want to spend time with her considering the way things happened before when she dated Derrick briefly.
"Katelyn are you excited about your baby brother getting here?" I felt we had needed a change of subject before the two girls started questioning the odd moment between Lanie and MJ.
"Oh yeah, I plan to teach him everything I know," she stated proudly.
All of us guffawed over her comment until the waitress came up to take our orders. Mary Jane ordered one of every appetizer and a grilled cheeseburger and fries for her
main course. She had been such a healthy eater before this pregnancy that it was still strange to see her eat so much. Occasionally I still marvel at her beauty, inside and out. There are no romantic feelings there, but I admire her forgiving nature and wish I could be the same with people that had done me wrong. My dad, being one, in particular.
Around the holidays, I get sentimental and wish my parents were here. Reality sets in, and I realize how much was wrong with my father that I eventually feel better about the way Macy and I turned out.
Mary Jane leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Are you alright?"
I draped my arm over her shoulder and whispered back, "I'm great. Thanks for what you said to Lanie before." Without saying a word, she smiled then kissed my cheek and nodded in understanding.
At this moment, I did see a flicker in Lanie's eyes. It disappeared when she noticed me looking. I'd have to be sure to remind her how strong my feelings are getting for her. Mary Jane's phone rang, and she beamed with excitement as she asked, "How are you?" She paused a moment and glanced at me, "Yeah, he's right here. Hang on." She handed me the phone and said, "It's Angel."
Lanie's face fell when I excitedly took the phone and gave my normal greeting without thinking, "Hey beautiful, how are you?" Mary Jane kicked me under the table, and as I rubbed my sore shin I tried to maintain my conversation with Angel. "We're all good, hun. Can Macy and I come see you next week?"
"Please do, Tristan, I miss you two so much," Angel spoke sadly.
"We miss you too. It's very quiet around the house without you," I teased.
"I'd smack you right now if I were close," Angel teased back. "I can't talk long. I wanted to thank you for helping me get here. It's been eye-opening."
"Glad to help. I want you back good as new. And as for the next visitor's day. We'll be there."
"Thanks, T. I love you guys."
"Love you too, Angel," I said glancing up at Lanie, who squirmed uncomfortably. Once again, Mary Jane kicked me under the table. After hanging up, I turn to MJ and through gritted teeth I spout, "Do you have a twitch?"
Mary Jane pursed her lips in anger and said, "Why don't you take Lanie outside to get Macy's stuff out of our car."
Lanie took the hint immediately though I still felt confused. "Now?"
Lanie grabbed my arm and said, "Come on."
Once outside, she crossed her arms chilled from the cool air. I took my jacket off and wrapped it around her shoulders. "What did I miss in there?
"I think Mary Jane thought I felt a little insecure at your conversation with Angel. And, to be honest, I did. It's odd the relationship you two share but I get it. Mary Jane wanted to help by having us talk about it which is sweet. We're still new, Tristan, and it's okay that we don't know if we're forever yet."
My lips answered with actions instead of words. I pulled her against me and planted a kiss on her. "You don’t need to be jealous of Angel. We're friends only. I care about you, Lanie. My feelings for you are new, and they're exciting and scary at the same time. We have to go into this with our eyes and hearts open and our walls down. We need to trust each other if this will work. I have a lot of women friends, but there's only one woman I want to spend romantic time with and that's you."
"That's what I needed to hear," she smiled and gave me another kiss before insisting we go back inside.
Chapter Twenty-five
A lot to be thankful for
I knew Thanksgiving Day would be hectic, but I couldn’t have prepared for everything that would happen. The morning started off fine; I woke up as normal and had breakfast with Macy. We cleaned the dishes and began to make our contribution to the potluck dinner at Ashton and Gracie’s this afternoon. Macy decided she wanted to be in charge of the sweet potatoes. I’d never made them before, and neither had she so we started early in the morning so we could taste test and possibly make another one if the first turned out gross.
“Do we want to put pecans, marshmallows or cornflakes on top?” I asked as I searched for the multiple recipes online.
“Marshmallows, of course. Eww, cornflakes, really? That sounds too weird,” Macy said with a soured look.
“I agree,” I commented while tossing her a bag of mini-marshmallows out of the cabinet. “What’s the next ingredient?”
“Brown sugar,” Macy called out. I grabbed a bag from the pantry and sat it next to the marshmallows. “Lastly, sweet potatoes.”
My face dropped open in utter shock and how dumb I felt. “I forgot the sweet potatoes.”
Macy started laughing, “How do you forget sweet potatoes when making sweet potato casserole?”
A knock on the door made me cringe. “Great, Lanie’s here to see what a doof I am.”
Macy rolled her eyes, “A big doof.”
Lanie greeted me with a smile and handed me a casserole dish.
“What is this?”
Lanie glanced over my shoulders at Macy, and I turned and caught her waving her hands frantically. When she saw my head turn, she dropped her hands but it was too late. “Sweet potato casserole,” Lanie stated timidly.
Macy sighed, “I forgot to tell you not to tell him.”
“Tell me what?” I asked curiously, still confused about the situation going on.
“Neither of us are great cooks, T. This is our first Thanksgiving with a big group of people. I asked Lanie if she had ever made it before and she said that she’d made them for school, and they all loved her recipe. So I asked her to make a casserole for us in case ours was a disaster.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, squirt.” I felt defeated that my younger sister had no faith in my cooking abilities, but I had to admit she was probably right in feeling that way.
Gracie's house was filled with excited voices when I arrived with Macy and Lanie on each arm. Mary Jane sat at the kitchen table filling eggs with the deviled egg mixture. "Happy Thanksgiving!"
I bent to kiss her cheek and said, "Happy Thanksgiving gorgeous. What are you doing in here alone?"
"I was ordered to stay off my feet and this is the only way I can help."
"Mind if I keep you company?" I asked just as I felt my arm being tugged.
Gracie interrupted us, "Nope, sorry T, I need you in the kitchen. Lanie is our guest today; she can keep MJ company."
Lanie grinned, "It would be my pleasure." She handed me the sweet potato casserole as Gracie continued to drag me away.
"You're making the men slave away in the kitchen?" I teased as I saw Derrick, Ashton, and Gavin all working on a separate dish.
Gracie put her hands on her hips and gave me a seriously scary look of distaste at my choice of words. "You think the women belong in the kitchen instead?"
"It was just a joke, Gracie."
She chuckled, "I know, mine was too. I suck at cooking though, and I think the more time Lanie and Mary Jane spend together the better. You two are getting serious, they have a weird history, it seems to be the best solution to everything."
"I agree. Thanks for that. Now do I have a bird to stuff or potatoes to peel?"
"Step over here to my station, T. I can use some help with this veggie tray," Gavin said. He handed me a knife and led me to the counter full of carrots, celery, broccoli, and tomatoes.
"Been a while since we've seen each other. How are things with you and Macy?"
"Pretty good. She's doing well in school, and I think she has her first boyfriend. They went out a few times; I don’t know if they've decided to go steady or whatever kids call it these days. "
Gavin snickered, "I don't think people 'go steady' anymore. I'm glad you're both happy though."
"Where's Cam?"
"He's on baby watch. He's in Gracie's bedroom keeping Autumn and Addison entertained. Things must be pretty serious for you and Lanie if you invited her for the holidays." Gavin pressed for information.
"Yeah, they are, I think."
Gracie moved over next to us, sliding a large dish with separate bowls for each vegetable. "Here guy
s, fill it up and we'll set it out for dinner. Mrs. Collins will be here soon, as will Marcus.
"Marcus? My bartender?"
Gracie nodded, "That's the one. Ash found out that he'd be spending Thanksgiving alone, so he invited him to join us. I think he might be bringing a date too, a girl that frequents the club who'd also be spending it alone."
The doorbell rang, and a few minutes later Marcus came into the kitchen. "Happy Thanksgiving, T." He gave me a one-armed hug, and then grabbed a carrot and tossed it in his mouth.
"Good to see you outside the club, Marcus. What girl did you bring?"
"The one you introduced me too, the gymnast, Bailey," he said, grabbing another handful of veggies.
I dropped the last bit of vegetables into the bowl and cleaned my hands off. "Gracie, I need to get in the living room. I'll be back in a few minutes."
Bailey and Lanie weren't exactly friendly toward each other. Bailey throwing herself at me, even after knowing I had a girlfriend, didn’t sit well with Lanie, and I completely understood why. I didn’t want our first holiday to end with a cat fight. The moment I walked into the room the temperature dropped. Bailey sat on the couch and when she saw me she jumped up.
"Tristan, hi," Bailey said, coming up and kissing my cheek. I pushed her away politely greeting her.
"Bailey did you meet Mary Jane, Derrick's wife?" they shook hands, Mary Jane kept glancing over at Lanie nervously. "And Lanie, my girlfriend."
It seemed to dawn on Bailey suddenly why Lanie and Mary Jane had barely spoken a word to her. "Oh, um, hi."
Lanie glanced at Mary Jane, took a deep breath and said, "Nice to meet you, Bailey."
Sighing with relief, I asked Lanie to join me outside for a minute. "I had no clue she'd be here. She's dating Marcus, I guess."
"It's fine, Tristan."
"You're being extremely nice to her."
"When I went out with Derrick, I said things to Mary Jane that I wasn't proud of, thinking it would get me a second chance with Derrick. Granted, I didn’t get naked and throw myself at him," she said distastefully, "but Mary Jane granted me a second chance. I feel this is my way to pay it forward. If she happens to rip her clothes off again and try to have sex with you though, I swear I will…"