None the Worse ✓

31) 'Family Members That You Only See Once A Year Asking Annoying Questions'...

"Is there anything else you do?"

"No, that's it really."

"Seriously?"

"Well, typically, people invite family over and play games."

"Oh, and you don't?"

"Yeah... sadly, we do. But you know, video games are much more fun."

"What kind of people is your family?"

Benjamin pulled up his nose. "You'll see."

Only a day later, some guy from a catering service came to bring the turkey—already stuffed and everything—and Eleanor got busy laying the table. This was her time to shine, so she went all out. She got out her best table cloth and all the gold-rimmed glasses and plates made in the whateverth century. There were a lot of people coming and she would never stop reminding everyone that there was a reason why they celebrated Thanksgiving at their house. They had the biggest one.

Benjamin II was nowhere to be found. Naturally, Benjamin III followed his father's example and hid in a random room, pulling Thijmen inside with him. If they weren't far away enough from his mom, they'd be buried in chores.

"Um, what are we doing?" asked Thijmen.

"Waiting for the guests to arrive," Benjamin replied, while looking around to see what room they were even in. He should have brought his Nintendo Switch. The dust-covered bookcases wouldn't start filling themselves.

At least there were chairs they could sit on. Benjamin's back broke as he tried flipping one over. He heard a sigh behind him and then felt a pair of hands pulling him aside. After Thijmen turned it upright with effort—it had to be made of pure lead—he asked Ben, "When are they arriving then?"

"Not long. Thirty minutes or so."

"Oh, okay."

"Why?"

He shrugged.

"Do you want to do something?"

"No, I just... Like what?"

Benjamin shrugged.

"Okay."

"Like the other time," he explained.

"Ben, what are you talking about?"

"Theater room."

Thijmen stood up and was about to leave when Benjamin pulled him back to the ground. Thijmen could've easily shrugged him off, but complied anyway. He wasn't amused. Benjamin was too embarrassed to say anything and so he just picked on the sleeves of his dress shirt and pretended they were TV show characters and his actual self was watching them through a screen.

"Seriously," Thijmen mumbled.

"W-what?" Stuttering wasn't manly. Benjamin cleared his throat and pretended he had a beard to scratch. He didn't have to look at the side to know he was being stared at.

"You're just so... you."

"I mean, I can't be anyone else."

"Exactly."

Ben hoped that was positive.

"Nonetheless, doing something like in the theater room doesn't sound like a very good idea right now. Your family will be here sooner than you think."

He had a point there. So they killed time on their phones—mostly Ben's, because Thijmen had one of those really old models that crashed when you kept too many apps open. He claimed he didn't need anything else, but the annoyed growls he let out every time it wasn't working properly told a different story.