Hidden Burdens (working title)

Thanksgiving: Round Two

Kimmy slowly ate her pie for the first fifteen minutes of the movie and held onto the empty plate for the rest. Halfway through the movie, Maple jumped onto the couch. Kimmy moved the plate out of her reach. Maple didn't seem fazed and snuggled beside her in a ball, herself.

Kimmy was so engrossed in the movie, that she jumped when Kimmy felt the plate taken from the arm of the recliner. Ariel took the plate to the sink to rinse off and set it in the dishwasher.

The evening wasn't too crazy. Not near as much as the night before. While they were getting ready to leave, Oliver was telling Ben and Kayla they needed to have them over more often now that the house was fully unpacked and settled.

"The kids, too." He smiled over at the girls.

Kimmy stole a glance at him before looking away again.

The adults finished saying good-bye with hugs. Claudia was the first one out the door so Kimmy followed her out to Ben's truck.

While the girls waited, Kimmy kicked the rocks on the sidewalk back with the rest of the rocks. It was late in the evening so that meant Kimmy missed Stephen and Mal's stream. They were supposed to be starting a new game too. It shouldn't have been a big deal since the stream would be edited into short videos onto YouTube. Kimmy was so used to her world being so small and controlled. It scared her how much the world was opening up around her.

This time, Ben remembered his casserole dish he had left and handed it off to Kayla when he climbed into his seat. On the drive home, he reminded the girls they had another Thanksgiving dinner with Kayla's family the next day. Unlike his family, Grandma Joy preferred everyone to be semi-dressed for the occasion. When they had gone shopping for winter clothes, Kayla had to compromise with Kimmy, picking out something nicer than her usual clothes but was still comfortable for her.

It was another long battle until Kayla and Kimmy settled on a pair of khaki shorts with a waistband similar to her basketball shorts and a blue short-sleeved, button-up shirt. Kayla helped Kimmy with the shirt buttons after she had gotten out of the shower, late Saturday afternoon. She didn't make her tuck in the shirt. She did, however, take a picture to send to Stella, which would end up being the first of many pictures that evening.

Grandma Joy cherished family and memories more than any of their family, and one of the first things they did once everyone arrived was take pictures in her small backyard, including the girls. Samson had been invited as well and was included with Ben, Kayla, and the girls' portrait, sitting right in front. It took a lot of coaxing to get the girls to join them. Once Claudia gave in, Kimmy shortly followed suit with more reluctance.

Since the birthday party, Kayla's brother, Dalton, had proposed to his girlfriend, Rachel, who proudly showed off the ring. Her topic of choice was also centered around the wedding they set for May.

While they were talking, Kimmy noticed Kayla look at her phone when it buzzed. The look on her face seemed troubled. She assumed it was probably Stella, having seen the picture Kayla sent before they left. Ben noticed as well and asked, but Kayla leaned in to whisper to him instead.

Kimmy lowered her head onto her folded arms she held on the couch arm. It hurt to realize Stella was more than likely spending Thanksgiving weekend alone. They didn't have any extended family and the kids' dad didn't want anything to do with them, especially Stella. It didn't help that the other kids got to go spend Thanksgiving with their families, so why couldn't Kimmy and Zach spend it with their mom?

Thanksgiving at home was usually sleeping in and waking up usually around the time the holiday parade in New York started while Stella got the turkey ready to throw in the oven. Then the rest of the day would be like any other until the food was ready and they would eat while watching The Peanuts' Thanksgiving special. Then the rest of the long weekend was about the same as any other weekend while they ate turkey sandwiches for lunch. It wasn't much, but it was their family's tradition.