“Oh, well, I…” Jasper’s deer-in-the-headlights expression makes laughter bubble up inside me. He pauses in his vegetable chopping, knife held aloft. “You can…why don’t you…rest might be what you need, don’t you think? After a night of heavy drinking? It’s going to be busy and noisy this afternoon, so why don’t you take this opportunity to enjoy a bubble bath or watch some television or—”
“Just give me something to do Jasper!” Hadley snaps.
“Okay! You can…clean the mushrooms.”
She stares at him, unblinking. Finally, she says, “Clean the mushrooms. Fine. I’ll clean the mushrooms.” She mutters something about ‘the cleanest damn mushrooms you’ve ever seen’ as she bangs around in a cupboard and emerges with a large metal colander. She doesn’t miss Jasper’s quiet sound of distress, and she wheels on him. “What?”
“You’re not supposed to wash mushrooms,” he says hesitantly.
“Not supposed towashthem? Why? How do you get them clean then?”
“Mushrooms absorb whatever they’re exposed to. It’s handy for flavoring them, but it means if they're washed in water, they soak up the water. You need to use a dry cloth to wipe any dirt off them.”
Hadley sighs. I bet she’s wishing she’d gone for that bubble bath after all. “Fine. What cloth?”
Jasper sets down his knife and opens a drawer, pulling out a red-checkered cloth. “This one.”
“Ofcourseyou have a special mushroom-cleaning cloth.” She laughs, gripping his shoulders and rising up on her toes to kiss his cheek. “I’m sorry for being a bitch. It’s not fair of me to take my shitty mood out on you.”
From my spot at the table, I watch the siblings with a mixture of amusement and affection. Jasper murmurs something I don’t catch and kisses Hadley’s cheek before handing her the cloth and going back to his chopping.
Hadley pulls her phone from the pocket of her dress. “Music?”
*****
Everyone arrives at the same time. The apartment, which already felt on the small side with the three of us, seems to shrink by half. Now I understand why the Perrys always rent a house for their Christmas vacation; Jasper’s apartment serves its purpose for today, but I can’t imagine fitting everyone in here with a Christmas tree and what I’m sure is a mountain of presents, especially this year with a new baby in the family.
When Hadley left the kitchen after cleaning the mushrooms, Jasper asked me if I’d mind helping with the hosting duties today. I gladly accepted, appreciating his trust, along with his obvious attempt to loosen the control freak reins. I take everyone’s coats and cram them into the front closet and then help Jasper set up the folding tables and chairs that will serve as the dining table. He even relinquishes table setting duty when I offer to take over so he can spend time with the others.
I’ve just set the last decorative gourd on the table when Sherée’s laughter draws my attention across the room to where Jasper is easing Elizabeth from her mother’s arms. He cradles her close, bouncing gently from side to side when the baby fusses. His lips are moving so I know he’s talking to Elizabeth, even though I can’t hear the words. When he presses his nose into her dark curls, followed by his lips, I swear my uterus clenches along with my heart.
Since our makeshift dining table is only big enough for our plates and glasses, Jasper sets up the food buffet-style in the kitchen. Another folding table is crammed in near the window, and every available surface in the room is covered in dishes of delicious-smelling food.
“I’d like to propose a toast,” Jasper says when we’re all crowded around the tables. His eyes land on Gwen, Sherée, and me; we’ve been giggling about what a tight squeeze it is at the table and how we’ll likely end up bruised from elbowing each other through dinner.
“Are you going to make us go around the table and say what we’re thankful for?” Malcolm asks as Jasper gets to his feet and raises his glass.
“I actually like that when I see it on TV,” Hadley says.
“WellIlike to eat my food when it’s hot,” Malcolm replies, picking up his fork and poking at the gravy-smothered pile of mashed potatoes on his plate.
Jasper clears his throat. “Perhaps we can do that before dessert,” he suggests. “And in the interest of eating while the food is hot, I’ll keep this brief. It’s been years since the Perry clan spent Thanksgiving together, and I’m grateful we’re all together now. I’m also grateful for the new additions.” He pauses, inclining his glass toward Gwen and me and then across the room to where Elizabeth is napping in her swing. “Out of the many blessings in my life, the people assembled here are at the top of the list. Here’s to many more years of gathering together to celebrate life and family.”
With a chorus of “cheers” we all clink our glasses with whoever is within reach. I watch Jasper as he sits back down, waiting for him to meet my eyes. When he does, I incline my glass toward him. He smiles, raising his own glass again and nodding in my direction.
Conversation resumes as we all dig in. I swear I eat more at this one dinner than I’ve eaten in the last month. Jasper has outdone himself with the meatless dishes—mushroom and artichoke stuffing, homemade macaroni and cheese, a plethora of roasted seasonal veggies—and I eat until I’m full to bursting.
Everyone disperses between dinner and dessert. Sherée insists Jasper spend some quality time with his siblings while she starts to clean up. I jump in to help her, afraid if I sit down on one of the comfy couches now I’ll never get up again. We clear the tables and wash a few of the dishes by hand while the dishwasher runs through its first load. When Sherée tells me she’s ready for a break, I get out the desserts so they’ll be ready for people whenever they want.
Back in the living room, I find Gwen sitting alone at one of the folding tables, surveying the room. The soft smile on her face brightens when our eyes meet, and she waves me over.
“Are you giving yourself a time out from all the chaos?” I ask, plopping into the seat beside her.
She laughs. “Something like that.”
Now that I’m closer to her, I see her smile is wistful. She seems happy and relaxed, but I’ve known Gwen long enough to recognize her thinking face. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, fine. Great. I was thinking about my own family holidays growing up. After my mom left, holidays were just Dad and me. No other family, no Friendsgiving to go to like you and your mom. Despite Dad doing his best to make it feel special, I always wondered what it would be like to be part of something bigger. We grew up seeing these huge family get-togethers on TV, right? And even though they were chaotic and dysfunctional, there was always so much love and laughter. One part of me longed for that while the other part felt guilty, like I was betraying my dad, you know?”
