Charlotte's Story

Turkey Day

Renee's POV:

"Are you going home for Thanksgiving?" Josh asked; he was wearing a business suit, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. I watched him make homemade pizza. He was just unrolling the dough, using flour to get it to stay down.

"No" I do not want to talk about the subject of Thanksgiving plans.

"Why not?" he starts kneading the edges of the dough; he is trying to make the crust looked crisscrossed.

His endless ideas for meals surprises me; he should have been a chef rather than a certified public accountant. He had told me that cooking was just a hobby of his. That was the only way at first he could get Luke to start talking again after his parents had passed away.

"Various reasons.." His eyes perk up, thinking of all the possible reasons. "Expenses being one of them" My cell phone had sat idle since leaving home, no phone calls from home had come through.

I hadn't talked to my parents; the last time was me standing in their kitchen, feeling like a complete stranger.

They didn't know who their new daughter was, the one that wanted to leave and not look back. They were good parents; they just didn't really know what was going in my life in high school, just like now. They hadn't even known Chad had broken up with me until the month I was getting ready to leave.

"That is a sad way to spend it" Josh frowns, thinking about me not going home for Thanksgiving, as if it is the worst thing that could happen.

This had become my routine, every Sunday sitting in the kitchen while I watch Josh cook.

The other three would always come in later, leaving a few hours where I could learn about each and every one of them while Josh told stories.

It was that day I had known about Luke.

"He was in the vehicle with them." His voice was low, no happiness in it. "I was away at college" He had stopped kneading, just staring at his hands. "Ryder and Mandy were at their basketball game. Luke and my parents were going to watch Ryder play; Mandy was a cheerleader. Ryder and Mandy didn't find out until a few hours after the game. I drove back immediately, hearing there was one survivor from the car accident. The only name Luke would say was Ryder. He wanted to see Ryder. After Ryder and Mandy showed up, he wouldn't say a word; he just sat there, thinking about what had happened, seeing his parents dead. He held onto Ryder's hand the rest of the night, falling asleep with his hand wrapped inside of his. He had a broken leg, a few scratches on his face and arms, but the damage was mostly all emotional." The door swung open, the three of them laughing about something; And now I saw all three of them in a different light.

I saw them as survivors.

"She is downstairs" Luke tapped me on the shoulder after he walked over to us.

I look at him differently, seeing him as one of the strongest people I know. "Who is?"

"Daisy," he looks upset. "Sunday is for family only."

"I'm not family," I said a small string pulling at my heart inwardly.

"Close enough," he shrugs, walking over to the couch.

Ryder's eyes lock onto mine; this time, he doesn't look away, a small smile spreading across his face. His eyes seem to be sparkling.

I wait for Daisy to knock, but she doesn't come, and I am glad because, for once, I feel like I am becoming a part of something special.

Even though in real-time now Daisy and her family was the only family I had.

December 22, 2009
Title: Wonderment
Writer: Charlotte