To be thankful

What exactly is that? I’m thankful I’m not some random dumbass. Happy I’m cognizant and able to react and able to self determine to a degree.

Love in my life. Good family and good friends. Fuzzy loving critters. Animals are to your hands and heart what delicious pie is to your mouth and stomach. Try to have at least two wandering around at all times. Trust me.

A few days back my ex called me and asked if I wouldn’t mind not attending what has become the annual Thanksgiving dinner for the misfit toys. Those of us not from here and without geographically convenient family. A burgeoning tradition. She was bringing her boyfriend and was concerned about his comfort level.

In the interest of diplomacy and respect, I agreed not to show.

In the days since I gave her my word, I’ve begun to regret it.

These are my friends. Before they were her friends. The house at which the dinner takes place belongs to one of my very best friends of some two decades.

I smell chickenshit.

I’ve made other plans, I’ll be fine.

The more I think about it, the more it irks me.

She’s met my girlfriend. As a matter of fact, she met her for the first time at last year’s Thanksgiving dinner for the misfit toys. I realize I’m walking on ice here but I’m pissed off enough to flirt with indignant.

They’re about to move in together and he’s not comfortable enough to meet me with my friends and my girlfriend?

Then the very worst occurs to me. She’s embarrassed. Of me. Maybe it’s her and she doesn’t want him to know me because she’s ashamed. Maybe my friends agree. What an awful thought. Any part of that idea would crush me.

Sheezus, that’s ugly. I’d rather go with the idea of him being a gigantic vagina.

She could knock on the door of any member of my family on any day and be invited in, loved, engaged and fed under any circumstances. She could bring her man and not a single eyebrow would be raised.

My family adores her. Her family thinks very little of me.

This sucks. I’m pissed.

Thanksgiving day:

I had an extraordinarily pleasant evening in house full of people I’d never seen before. Nice, normal friendly folks. Excellent food and I brought excellent wine because that’s what I do. Wonderfully moist turkey, home made mac n’ cheese. String beans and red potatos with bacon, dressing with apple, pecans and onions. Serious cornbread prepared by an actual matriarch.

Lemon cake, peach cobbler, pumpkin pie cheesecake.

I’m not sure where we were but we drove around downtown. Way around. It stayed on my right. Downtown. We collected my girlfriend’s son in a place called Cerritos. One of the craziest houses I’ve ever been inside. Giant murky fishtanks everywhere. Wierd. Dark and bubbling.

He’s an awesome kid. At first he was detached and uncommunicative, but we were brawling openly by the time we got to where we were going.

I bought him a jar of ham glaze for his sixteenth birthday.

We stopped at a place called the Liquor Bank on Crenshaw for cigarettes. He and I sat in the car. He advised me to stay in the car despite my superpowers. This place was amazing. I need to go there again before I can tell you about it. She thinks as long as I’m cool, nobody would think twice.

Before it was over, he steadfastly refused to believe I could defeat a dragon with a fork. My point was show me a dragon and hand me a fork.

Warm people, good food. My girlfriend’s friend is awesome. A strong woman with one son in college and another bound for it.

We talked politics and we talked Barack. A well informed group of people. Skeptical and honest.

At the risk of sounding gratuitous, I was the only white man there.

Drinks for my friends.

3 Responses to “To be thankful”

  • So did you enjoy the peach cobbler? I made one too…but mine turned into a 5 pound monster, but we defeated it with forks…..

    I was thankful yesterday….but not all THAT thankful…I couldn’t find a decent merlot to save my life….maybe today I’ll have better luck…and it might be on sale!!!!

    I’ll have some Chivas……

  • waterfall:

    Purple haze. I got a new sic kitten i named pumpkin,”punk” it’s very ill, my sister and her man are both unemployed I bought anti- biotics via the internet. Hope the Rx gets ,here soon! We got some human stuff ya know antibotics from animal scratches to her man, he’s always saving strays! Should we break it up and melt it into an eye dropper? This house should be an animal santcuary; there’s about 5o cats. Oh geez nope, I don’t believe that the X “snapper ‘is embarrassed about you whatsoever. Holidays are kind of emotional. I don’t agree with her request.., asking you not to attend though! More than likely she’d have been concerned that you and the Brad Pittish, new man; would just be too buddy, buddy, for her personal comfort zone. Who am I; to have so many nosey opinions. This is very un like me. Sorry You people seem kind a like Hollywood porn stars, and star warzish, combined with Christianity the anti- Christ and astronomical, understandings peace and love, thrown in for good measure. I’m a coward. Way too insecure to have real relationships. But I thought that We’re the peeps now, we all need to stop thinking so much and just soul travel, then we ain’t white,or black, unless we take the time to remind ourselves of that every second that we breath. I’m thankful, cause I’m always full of it! Your a good bud to hang with on the internet, what more can we peeps ask for. Shit, smile then have a drink would ya, your audience luvs ya up man!

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