Building on Dreams

Chapter 12 - Thanksgiving Stories

"Shall we eat?" Susan invited.

It was Thanksgiving Day and with Abernathy household full of people and the Thanksgiving prayers said, they were finally ready to dig in to the feast spread out before them on the table.

"Kids, let's fill your plates and take you into the kitchen. Adults, everyone be seated, and pass the food clockwise please," Susan announced.

With Susan's invitation there was a great moving about and scraping of chairs as everyone sat down, mothers filled their children's plates and got up again, and food began to be passed around. Greg got up and poured the wine for those who wanted some, and the entire family spent the next thirty to forty minutes feasting and enjoying each other's company, before Matt ran back in and announced that half time was over and the football game on TV was back on. Several of the men excused themselves, pushing back from the table to return to the family room, leaving the women in the dining room and the children still eating in the kitchen.

"Shall we clear away?" Jenny wondered.

"I'm not sure actually," Susan told her. "There are some more people coming ... Alan and Julie's mother and her husband, and some friends of ours said they'd be late. I'm not sure how late though."

"Alan and Julie's mother?" Mrs. Abernathy asked. "You don't mean Greg's ex-wife?"

"Mom was his first wife actually," Julie said.

"Lucky me. I get two mother-in-laws," Cindy quipped.

"I told you about that," Susan objected. "Ruth gets to be your mother-in-law. I decline, completely."

"Why?" Julie demanded looking insulted.

"Because ... for the same reason I couldn't possibly be a step-mother to either you or Alan, Julie. We talked about this in Australia, before the wedding, remember?" Susan reminded her.

Julie stared at her. "I thought you were kidding," she told her.

"Why? What did you say, Susan?" her mother asked.

"Julie is only four years younger than I am, Mom," Susan told her. "And Alan's only four years younger than that."

Mrs. Abernathy didn't reply. She just continued to look at her daughter expectantly.

"I told them we should consider one another to be friends, with a connection through family," Susan explained.

Mrs. Abernathy arched a brow at her daughter.

"You're more than just friends, Susan. You're married to their father. You're sleeping with him. That makes you more," Mrs. Abernathy said pointedly.

Susan blushed bright red, but she didn't argue the point.

"She is right you know," Julie told her. "I know you don't feel that way Susan, but you have Dad's ear more than anybody else I've ever known. Not Mom, not Madeline."

"Which makes me your dad's wife, but not your mother," Susan argued, "and not Cindy's mother-in-law either. Nobody needs more than one of those."

"I agree with that," Julie said.

"So do I," Mrs. Abernathy added unexpectedly. "But you don't even have one, do you, Susie? Not anymore."

"Oh, I don't know, Mom. Wouldn't Mrs. Cooper still be? Sort of?" Susan asked. "I mean she's still the kid's grandmother and I'm still their mother."

"That is true Susan, but I doubt she'd claim you, not with Rachelle in the picture," Mrs. Abernathy said.

"Why? What did she say?" Susan asked curiously.