by C. B. Haight
“Well, Mom said we should come and help you, so how can we help?” Tracy stated.
“You can start by washing and chopping those veggies for me and while you’re at it, tell me about this boy you’ve been seeing. Ashley, why don’t you get the fruit salad made for me? And when I’m finished hearing about Tracy, Ashley, you can tell me all about school.”
With that, both girls got down to business. Collett remained quiet while she prepared stuffing for the turkey. She watched the way both women chattered and confided in Jenny as they all moved from one task to the next. It all seemed so very normal to Collett.
Suddenly, the conversation took a quick and unexpected turn. “So Collett… tell me, are you in love with Uncle Cade?” Tracy asked abruptly.
Collett’s eyes widened, “Um…” was all she could get out.
Ashley used her soft voice to reprimand Tracy, “That isn’t any of your business.”
“Yes it is, he’s our Uncle, and we care about him. If they intend to be together it affects us, in a roundabout way,” Tracy insisted with a shrug.
Annoyed, Ashley shook her head, and Jenny gave Collett a sympathetic glance, but otherwise kept quiet.
“So, do you love him?” Tracy asked again.
Collett took a breath, then answered bravely, “Yes, Tracy. I do. I love him very much.”
Tracy smiled, “Good! I am glad to hear it. From what I gather, he loves you. I just wanted to verify it wasn’t one sided.”
Collett nodded, bringing the two women to an easy understanding. Collett felt a small sadness in the room and suspected it came from Ashley, though, because it was so slight, she had a difficult time filtering and confirming that.
Jenny moved the conversation along to a different topic and that was that. From there they all talked of inconsequential things. The rest of the morning just slipped by in easy conversation and welcomed companionship.
Several times different people slipped in and out of the room to check on the dinner progress. James would come in so he could tease and joke with them occasionally. He would try to sneak the food, only to be quickly reprimanded by Jenny. She would slap his hand and scold him. He would plead starvation, and she relented giving him a small taste of this or that.
James pretended to hit on Collett, and when he was politely rebuffed, he promptly promised Jenny marriage, something Collett realized he did often. The mood was happy and light.
When Cynda wandered in and joined them, she was under several watchful eyes. She was not allowed to mess with anything. They reminisced of past dinners when Cynda contributed, and laughed about the botched, inedible foods.
“Do you remember the time mom tried to make homemade bread?” Tracy asked.
“Yeah, I remember,” Ashley replied, giggling.
Collett wanted to know what had them both laughing so hard, and also made Cynda glare at the two women, while half-heartedly scolding them, “Alright now, that’s enough.”
Realizing Collett didn’t understand the joke, Tracy supplied with choking giggles, “She forgot the yeast. She couldn’t figure out why it wouldn’t rise. The recipe said, let rise until doubled, and it wouldn’t rise, ooh! Mom got so frustrated.”
Ashley offered in a poor imitation of Jenny’s voice, “Well dear, how much yeast did you put in?”
“Then Mom answered,” Tracy explained, and then even more poorly imitating Cynda finished, “Yeast… I didn’t use yeast. The recipe doesn’t call for yeast.”
“So I took her in the kitchen and showed her the little white recipe card.” Jenny chimed in. “Sure enough, it didn’t call for yeast, on the front of the card anyway. There it was, plainly written the on back of the card. Two tablespoons yeast. Put in warm water to soften.” Then Jenny indulged in a little chortle herself.
They were all laughing, including Collett and even an embarrassed Cynda, when Rederrick, Cade and Nate sauntered in.
“What’s so funny?” Nate asked.
“We’re just remembering Mom’s attempt at homemade bread.” Ashley answered.
Rederrick and Cade grinned, each of them also easily understanding the reference to the fond memory. Then Rederrick lightly jested, “That’s nothing. None of you remember what it was like before Jenny came along.”
Cade smiled and teased, “You better be careful, or you won’t have a bed to sleep in tonight.”
“Nah. She wouldn’t do that, she loves me too much,” Rederrick replied. He topped off his bold proclamation with a wink to Cynda, who smiled in return.
“We’ll see, won’t we?” she quipped.
Cade moved around the other two men and went to Collett, who now sat in one of the four wrought-iron stools, cutting apples for a pie. Cade dipped down and kissed her cheek and said easily, “At least I know now that you can cook.”
She smiled up at him, “Would it have mattered if I couldn’t?”
“Not a bit, we’d simply have to eat here for the rest of our lives,” Cade teased.
Everyone’s eyes were now focused intently on the two of them. Collett felt embarrassed and touched.
He stole an apple slice from Collett’s pile and bit into it. “When do we get to eat? I’m hungry.”
“The sooner you boys leave us be, the sooner we’ll eat.” Jenny huffed.
“You heard her, get out of here. Shoo!” Tracy agreed.
Cade grinned. “Alright we’re leaving.” He pulled Collett’s chin up and kissed her smoothly on the mouth, melting her insides with a quick kiss. When he was finished and had pulled away, Collett’s cheeks bloomed, the reddish color of embarrassment that often accompanied such public displays of affection. She knew everyone was watching them. Cade smiled unabashedly and rubbed the pad of his thumb over her warmed cheeks.
“Now, I think the boy over there has a good idea. There are many different kinds of sustenance in the world.” Rederrick said as he grabbed Cynda’s arm and pulled her to him, planting a firm kiss on her lips and dipping her down low as he did. When he swung the now giggling Cynda back up, he said, “Now, we’ll leave you ladies to it.”
“Now just hold on a minute,” declared Nate. “I’ll be damned if I’m going to be the only man here, to walk out of this room without a kiss.” He promptly stepped up and wrapped a stunned Ashley into his arms kissing her soundly right in front of everyone.
Ashley was too surprised to put up any sort of a fight. Not that she would have, and Rederrick and Cynda were too flabbergasted to offer any protest. Neither one of them said a word as Nate plopped Ashley back on unsteady legs and tipped his head saying, “ladies,” and waltzed out of the room, whistling lightly as he went.
As Rederrick and Cade followed fast on his heels, four out of five women stared at each other with bemused or surprised expressions plastered across their faces.
The fifth woman, Collett, decided then, she wouldn’t have to worry so much about Ashley’s feelings for Cade.
He may have made it look like a joke, but she felt Nate’s sudden, unguarded and unexpected feelings for the younger Williams daughter, as if he’d been waiting years to do that. And though Ashley was stunned, Collett felt the excitement from her as well. Collett smiled to herself. As she continued to slice apples for her pie, she thought, maybe feeling little snippets of emotion wasn’t so bad after all.
****
Thanksgiving dinner was a chaotic and lively event. They all gathered in the formal dining room together. Cynda had taken extreme efforts to set a beautiful and elegant table. She pulled out her very expensive and fragile China to eat on. The China was adorned with dainty, hand-painted pink flowers around each edge and gold rimmed on the outside. It was all set on an exquisite lace tablecloth.
Waterford Crystal goblets and silver cutlery accented the beauty of the place settings on the long, formal table. Soft, cream-colored, linen napkins were expertly folded and placed in the center of each plate. The crystal chandelier that hung from the ceiling sparkled almost magically, and the glow coming from it set the perfect
mood in the room.
It was a warm and inviting setting, one Collett felt honored to be a part of. Cade pulled out one of the high-backed chairs for her and she gracefully slid into it. He constantly made old-fashioned gestures such as this, and she was woman enough to love all of them.
Cade sat down next to her. Unlike most days, today Cade wore a suit coat to match his slacks. He looked very distinguished, sitting there in a fancy, candlelit dining room, in his handsome clothes that she suspected he secretly hated.
Everyone else, including her, was similarly dressed. They all wore their nice dress clothes, nothing too flashy or too formal, just simply nice. Collett had chosen a denim skirt that reached her ankles. The skirt had slits on both sides that ran back up to her knees. She had picked a red, button-up blouse for her top.
Cade leaned over to her, “You look better than any Red Riding Hood I could have dreamed up,” he teased.
“Hmm, maybe I’ll sneak off to see the big bad wolf later.” She boldly replied, despite the rising color in her cheeks.
Eventually, everyone else found their seats. As they did, Collett reflected on all that happened to her these past weeks. She, more than anyone here, had so much to be thankful for.
As everyone she knew was seated, a young man with soft brown hair and angular features came into the room. Collett smiled to him assuming he must be Cody. When he seated himself directly across from her, she carefully scrutinized him.
He was tall and slim, with sharp blue eyes, framed by dark brown brows. His brown hair was cut in a shaggy modern style, and his long stride had eaten up the distance from the door to the table in a few easy steps. His thin, angular features didn’t make him less handsome. He was young, maybe twenty at the most. But something about him bothered Collett right away, though she couldn’t figure it out right then. He didn’t smile when he came in. Instead he kept his head down.
When he settled in his seat, Collett introduced herself. “Hi, I’m Collett.”
Cody looked up, realizing she was talking to him.
“I forgot you two haven’t met yet. Cody, meet Collett, Collett…Cody,” injected Cade.
“Hi,” replied Cody with a quick, awkward wave from across the table.
“I’m glad to meet you,” Collett politely responded.
“Yeah,” he replied.
Collett was slightly confused by his disinterested reaction, but then Rederrick stood and distracted her when he said, “Alright now, let’s say grace then we can dig into this delicious meal. Before we do though, I would like to thank everyone one here for all their hard work. These past weeks have been taxing on all of us, so let’s enjoy tonight. Let’s be thankful we have each other. Because good friends and a loving family are all a man really needs to survive.”
“Here, here.” Everyone agreed.
Collett noticed Cody didn’t say a word. Instead he averted his eyes to the floor again. She tried to sense his emotions, and found a small inkling of guilt. As Collett looked across the table, trying to understand what bothered him, he lifted his gaze. When their eyes met she shivered. She wondered what it was about him that bothered her.
She didn’t have any further time to think on it. After Rederrick said grace, expressing his thanks for his many blessings, the room immediately erupted into a cacophony of separate conversations and rattling dishes. Everyone seemed to be talking at once, and yet to Collett, they all acted like they understood each other perfectly.
The confusing chaos warmed her. She was surprised to find that she was good at keeping up with the multiple conversations. Overall, Collett mostly kept to herself, just observing the goings on, learning and understanding the family dynamic.
She saw that Nate placed himself next to Ashley, and it made Collett smile inside. It was obvious to her that Nate had his sights set on Ashley, probably had for a long time. Nate kept Ashley engaged in conversation, asking how school was, and did she like Michigan. It was a simple conversation. Cody sat on Ashley’s other side. He added his input once in a while, but mostly kept to himself throughout the meal.
Collett listened when Tracy teased James. James, in turn, playfully took jabs at Cade’s expense. She watched the way they all understood references to long-past memories, and even older jokes. She enjoyed observing the lighthearted antics, and listening to the fun boisterous, laughter that erupted between them.
She saw the way Rederrick kept touching Cynda. A pat on her shoulder, a rub on her back, holding her hand, they were easy familiar touches for him. Cynda was so used to them, Collett doubted she noticed anymore. Much like Rederrick didn’t notice the long sparkly looks Cynda gave him. It was just a natural part of their relationship, as natural as breathing.
To them, this was simply another Thanksgiving dinner, something they’d done, time and time again in years past. It was all so easy and basic, and yet it wasn’t. Collett realized then; this was her family now. These people here at this table, accepted her, protected her and sacrificed for her. All the things a family does for each other, they did for her, despite the fact that some of them barely even knew her.
Collett suspected it had always been that way. She wondered what life tragedies had originally brought Nate and Cody into the fold of this loving family. Because it was plain to see that they were as much a part of this family as Tracy, James and Ashley. They were just as important as Cade or Jenny, and now Collett was like them. I am part of a family, she thought, this family. Knowing that gave her an odd kind of comfort.
She opened herself to the warmth and love and soaked it all into her soul. Collett decided her future no longer mattered this, right here, was all that mattered to her now.
Chapter Twenty-Six
The fun and levity went on well into the evening. After dinner, the men cleared the dishes and saw to cleaning them, a rule Cynda put in place years ago. She explained to Collett it was only fair, seeing how the ladies slaved all day with the cooking and in her case, preparations.
Cody avoided his fate with a scrub brush, by claiming he would check on security. Nate, James, Cade, and Rederrick all did the task with little complaint, due to years of training, or so Cynda claimed.
The women went into the parlor to relax. They were enjoying each other’s company, when Cynda asked Tracy casually, “Tell me, is it serious with this boy you’ve been seeing?”
“Not yet, we’re still getting to know each other.”
“What’s his name again?” Ashley questioned.
“Derek,” said Tracy.
“Well get on it, will ya?” Cynda chirped. “I keep hoping eventually one of you children will get married and give me grandchildren I can dote on.”
Tracy gave her mother a sideways glance, “Give me a break. I’m not even thinking of a brood of kids right now. My life is too complicated.”
Collett smiled as vivid images of three pretty girls running around this very room, came into her mind. “Such pretty girls,” she said wistfully without realizing she said it aloud.
Everyone turned to her, puzzled by her out of context statement. “What?” she asked.
“You said, such pretty girls, with a dewy sigh, right out of the blue,” Cynda explained.
“What were you talking about?” Ashley asked more than a little curious.
“I said it out loud?”
They all answered her question with varying confirmations.
Collett sheepishly apologized, “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize… I didn’t mean to.”
“Don’t apologize. Did you remember something?” Cynda asked comfortingly.
“Not exactly,” Collett replied hesitantly, and then feeling foolish, “It was more like I…um…”
“You can tell us,” Ashley prodded.
“Well I pictured something. At least, I think I did anyway. Maybe I imagined it.”
Everybody’s expressions shifted from polite curiosity, to avid interest.
Tentatively, she explained. “You mentioned Tracy having children. I saw three children
here in this room. They were running around. They were little girls with long dark hair, green eyes, and soft, bell-like giggles bubbled from them as they chased each other.”
All the women looked back and forth to each other, with astonished, yet knowing expressions.
“When did you see this?” Tracy asked.
“Um…well, a second ago, when Cynda was prodding you to get married.”
"You said she was an empath,” Tracy accused Cynda.
“She is,” Cynda insisted. Then she narrowed her eyes as she thought about it more carefully, “But she can do something else. Something I’ve never seen an ordinary empath do.”
“What are you talking about, Mom?” Ashley questioned.
“No I can’t explain it. You have to experience it yourself. You probably wouldn’t believe me in any case, and she would have to show you regardless. Collett, show Ashley.”
Collett was taken aback. She didn’t understand the whole of this conversation. “What do you want me to show her?” She questioned with calm she didn’t feel. In fact, her stomach had twisted into a tight knot at this point, making her regret the second helping of sweet potatoes.
“Just read her emotions, she will understand,” Cynda explained.
“Oh,” Collett replied. She turned to Ashley, “Can I have your permission to read your emotions, Ashley?”
“Okay…” came her reluctant response.
Collett walked closer to her to make it a bit simpler to reach into her. She closed her eyes, filtered through the emotions in the room, reaching for Ashley.
She easily brushed aside Cynda and Jenny because she was so familiar with them now. Collett passed Tracy and her feelings quicker than she would have expected, whether it was because of long hours of practice, or because she immediately recognized the woman’s self-confidence, hardly mattered. Right now, Collett concentrated on Ashley.
When she could focus on Ashley, the first thing Collett felt was the small, sad pang of a lost childhood crush. A crush Ashley clung to as a safety net. Collett understood more clearly now. Ashley had a crush on Cade, as she suspected, but it was more fantasy than reality. Really she was more saddened by the loss of her fantasy then she was by the loss of Cade.