WE GATHER TOGETHER by Edward L. Woodyard

We Gather Together Chapter Thirty-Two

Ben McCulloch turned to Alison Donnelly who was still sitting on his bed but was now hugging his pillow. He put down his cell phone and then pulled down the shade on his dorm window.

"That's done. You're having Thanksgiving with us."

"I feel so awkward doing that, Ben. I need to take something at least. I feel like I invited myself."

"No, I invited you. I don't think a Sabrett's hotdog is a good substitute for a terrific Thanksgiving meal with the McCullochs. You'll get to meet the whole family. Except Scott. Which is okay since we're used to him not being there. You'll also get to meet Aunt Emma. Which I don't think anyone ever gets used to that. Except Mom. But that's just another story for another time. We're a normal American family: dysfunctional."

"Your family sounds wonderful. And functional."

"What did Tolstoy say? 'All happy families are happy the same way, but unhappy families are unhappy in their own way?'"

"Not exactly, but something like that. It's why I'm the English major and you're not."

"I guess we're just like every family, yours included."

"I guess I'd better call my mother and let her know. I can always blame it on the transportation strike."

"Tell her the truth."

"Tell her that I didn't want to come home because. . ."

"Because you got asked to have Thanksgiving with the family of your new boyfriend."

Alison heard the word "boyfriend" and put the pillow back near the headboard. She got nervous, which Ben sensed. He broke the tension by smiling at her. Relieved, she smiled back.

"Now that would be telling her a lie," she retorted.

"No, it wouldn't."

"Then my mother would be asking me a lot of questions about you."

"Okay, then I'm not your boyfriend. I'm a friend who happens to be a boy."

"But how can you say that? We're not even dating?"

"What's today?"

"Monday, November the. . ."

"The whatever. That's a date. We went skating today. That's another date. Two dates. Now we're dating," Ben said, thinking himself fairly clever. "And now we're going to have a study date."

"And it doesn't mean studying each other."

"Alison, I know that much. I have a test tomorrow. Go get your books from your room. And bring your pillow and laptop with you."

"Why my pillow?"

"Because you were squeezing all the feathers out of mine."

Alison fluffed Ben's pillow by his headboard and got off the bed. Ben watched her as he sat at his desk. Before leaving his room, she kissed him on the cheek. "You may think you're my boyfriend. But I am not your girlfriend. . ." She opened his dorm door and looked back at him. ". . . yet."

She closed the door before Ben could chase after her.