Actually, wine would go great with that.
When I get to Books and Brews, it appears lively inside. I open the door and am instantly hit by the wafting smell of…turkey?
“Danny!” Hughie runs up to me, wearing what appears to be an attempt at making a pilgrim hat from construction paper. “Happy Thanksgiving!”
The pub tables have been pushed together, and almost every square inch is covered in food. I see turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole. I see sweet potatoes covered inmarshmallows, deviled eggs, stuffing. Cranberry sauce, what can only be homemade apple sauce. Mac and cheese.
I see apple pie, pumpkin pie, even pecan pie on the bar top. Where Niall is standing, smiling in my direction. With Leo, Anders, and John drinking beers beside him.
“What…what is all this? Did you guys make all this?”
Niall pops the top off a beer and hands it to me. Pumpkin beer.
“We divided and conquered, yes. Hughie did a lot of research into what actually goes into a Thanksgiving dinner. And there were a lot of different, erm…variations.”
“It can vary a bit. Like regionally.”
“Ahh,” Niall says, opening himself a pumpkin beer. “Well Hughie didn’t want to miss any of it, this being his first Thanksgiving and all. I did check in with Felicia to make sure we at least had the necessities.”
Of course Mom helped, and didn’t even give the slightest hint of what was coming. “We couldn’t get a turkey like the pictures,” Hughie says, disappointment on his face.
“What Hughie means to say,” Leo steps from behind the bar, “is that whole turkeys aren’t all that popular here. Mainly because no one has an oven big enough to cook them. I had to get a few breasts and make do.”
John snorts. “Bet that’s the first time for you, yeah?”
“Oh, fuck off,” Leo snipes back, grabbing me by the elbow and leads me to the edge of the table. “Everyone go grab a plate and fill up. Food’s getting cold.”
***
“You alright?” Niall whispers into my ear, amidst the meal. He points towards his eyes, and it dawns on me that I’m tearing up.
I chuckle, swiping my eyes. “Yeah. It’s just…this was all unexpected. And very thoughtful.”
“Well, if TV has taught us anything it’s that Americans love some Thanksgiving. Although the reason you celebrate—”
“It’s more about the food and family.”
“Right. And I bet you were missing your mum today, and probably Michael too. It was actually Hughie’s idea. He’s been watching a lot ofFriendslately, which I’m not sure why, but caught a Thanksgiving episode. Asked me about it and where you were going to get all of this.”
Hughie is talking animatedly at John, his fork flailing a piece of turkey around in the air. “Let me guess. He gathered the troops and assigned out tasks.”
“Honestly, it’s a miracle this all came together. Some of these dishes are so weird. Marshmallows on sweet potatoes? A gelatinous dish of green beans and mushroom soup? I feel like someone was on an acid trip creating this shit.”
I put a bite of green bean casserole in my mouth. “But it’s so good.”
Niall copies me. “It’s oddly good, yes.”
The meal starts to wind down, so Niall brings out takeaway boxes for everyone to pack up meals for the next few days. We slowly find our way back to the table for dessert. I sit with a piece of apple pie almost equally as big to the piece of pumpkin next to it.
“What else happens on Thanksgiving?” Anders asks, already doubling up on the pecan pie after trying a bite.
“Well, normally football is on. American football. After dinner we usually lounge around and watch whatever game is on. Then typically Michael and I would have watched each of our favorite Christmas movies that night. It’s a tradition from when I was a kid.”
I think back to how I would always debate between wanting to watchHome AloneorNational Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, so my parents would always choose whatever I didn’t. Michael and I, in the condo, would extend the movie watching throughout the weekend, making sure to hit all of our favorites. But, even with him, it was always those two movies.
“We could do that! Well, the movie thing,” Hughie clarifies, covering his piece of pie with a mound of whipped cream. “We can all head up to Uncle Niall’s, right?”
Niall nods. I turn to Hughie. “That sounds nice Hughie. What would you like to watch?”
