Divine Intervention: Thanksgiving

Are We OK?

I got home and slipped into the door quietly. I took off my shoes and hung up my jacket. The light was on in the kitchen so I assumed that was where I would find him. He had various ingredients and dishes spread out over the counter top and something in the oven smelled amazing. He was standing in front of the stove stirring some kind of sauce in a pot. I stepped up behind him and slipped my arms around his waist and laid my head against his back. He put one hand over my joined ones on his tummy.  I sighed. “I’m sorry about leaving that way.”

He stopped stirring and turned around and pulled me into his arms.  “It’s ok. I get it. This is overwhelming. I think we need to talk some more though.” He held me tight and rubbed my back. “I’m sorry for what I said. I didn’t mean it how you took it. I wasn’t thinking.”

I nodded and sniffed. He kissed the top of my head. “However, I need to get back to this if you want to eat dinner.” He smiled and let me go and returned to his sauce.

“What are we having? Can I do anything to help?” I moved to load the dishwasher.

He stopped me and sat me in a chair at the kitchen table. “Just sit here and tell me a story. As far as dinner goes, it’s a surprise.” He winked and smiled.

"It smells amazing." I sighed and started my story. "Once upon a time there was a girl who went through a really rough time. Her longtime friends and family tried to help her through it, but they struggled. It turns out that a newish friend was able to provide her with the most support and understanding." I paused when he chuckled.

"Not the story I thought you would tell, but please continue." He was loading the dishwasher and putting away the things he was finished with.

"Anyway. Where was I? Oh yes. I remember now. However, after some time had passed, the girl learned the true identity of this friend and she got confused. She was unsure of how to feel about this friend now they had revealed themselves to be more than a friend. Everything was moving so fast and even though it all felt amazing, it seemed like the pair were skipping steps. It was all a jumble in the girl's brain and she wanted to pause for a minute and figure things out." I found myself twiddling my fingers and looking at the floor.

He had stopped what he was doing and leaned back against the counter. "I could see why she would want to do that. It probably feels like she is in a speeding car with no brakes." His voice was quiet but matter of fact.

"You see. she didn't want the ride to end, she just wanted to feel like she had a little more control, but she didn't know how to tell her friend that." My voice had started to shake a little, so I took a couple of deep breaths.

He crossed his arms over his chest and I couldn't decipher his expression. He tugged on his beard with one hand and looked at the ceiling. "I bet that the friend is more understanding than the girl might think. In fact, it's entirely possible that the friend might feel the same way."

I bit my lip and looked up at him. "Probably. Her heart was in the right place, but her head was a mess, so she wasn't thinking clearly. She started to wonder if she was doing the right thing, and if she was, was it for the right reasons."

Avi washed and dried his hands and sat in the chair he pulled up in front of mine. He took my hands in his and kissed my knuckles. "I think I know this story. Her friend had the exact same thoughts, but he decided that he liked how the ride felt and didn't want to change anything for fear of it stopping." 

I smiled at him, my eyes were filling with tears again. "She definitely didn't want the ride to stop, but she had hoped that those around her would understand why she was on it." I swallowed hard.

He wiped away a tear that slipped down my cheek. "He understands that. He also knows that once the outsiders have experienced the ride themselves, they will understand. They just need to wait their turn." His eyes were wet too.

At that moment the timer went off on the oven. Avi smiled at me. wiped his own eyes, and went to see to dinner. "Can you set the table, please?"

It seemed we were in the process of getting on the same page. I pulled myself together and did as he asked. He brought dinner to the table and plated it for us and poured the wine I didn't know I had. He had made some kind of baked chicken with homemade stuffing. He topped it with some kind of gravy and served it with broccoli. It was delicious and I felt very well taken care of. We paused our discussion and ate in companionable silence. We finished cleaning up the kitchen and moved to the living room couch with our wine.