“What do you want to do with your life? I mean, I know that you’re only sixteen, but do you have any plans?” I ask.
“I’m not sure. I’ve never given it any thought. I’ve been told over and over again that I had to do one thing and one thing only. I had no choice.”
I take her hand in mine. “Listen, you can have your own voice. You shouldn’t let anyone control your future for you. If you don’t want to go down the path that they’re telling you to, then don’t.”
“But I don’t know how to do that. I don’t know how to do what you did.”
“What you do is, make it look like your following their plan. But have your own. Act like you’re doing what they want, but work towards your plan quietly, just below the surface.”
“How did you do it?” she asks, wiping a tear from her cheek.
“I made a plan with my guidance counselor. I told them what I wanted and worked with them towards that goal. Mom and dad never knew what I was planning. My counselor helped me with filling out applications, with applying to schools and everything else. I had a friend’s parents pay for my application fees and hid my excitement when I was accepted into a few schools. Mom and dad didn’t know until the day that they approached me with my acceptance letter into seminary school.”
“You applied?” she questions.
“No, they did.”
“Oh.”
“Listen, I did it and you can to. Be strong, and I will do whatever you need me to do to help.”
She looks up at me in shock. “You will? Even after—”
“You’re my sister. Sure, that whole thing sucked. But Dean and I will be okay. I get it, you wanted the pressure off of you. You saw an escape route, but mom and dad would have pushed this shit on you too, even if I went with what they wanted.”
“I don’t know if I’m strong enough.”
“You are.”
Chapter Ten
Dean
We have the turkey in the oven. Kaley and her sister started working on some of the sides yesterday, so those just need to go in the oven whenever the timers that they set on their phones chime. They have some weird system and it’s been interesting to watch.
They move in the kitchen together. It’s a choreographed dance, they silently hand one another something, and they both know what to do with it. I’ve never witnessed such a quiet Thanksgiving prep, but they make it look effortless.
The turkey was my single job.
I woke up early and followed a recipe on a website, then popped the bird in the oven and went back to sleep for a few hours.
My sister is talking with Maddie about some of her classes and Kaley is sitting beside me on the couch, tucked under my arm when there’s a knock on the door.
“That must be my parents,” I say, standing.
Once I open the door, my mom throws herself at me which makes my legs move back to steady myself at the onslaught of sudden weight.
“I’m so glad to see you, boy!” she says, pulling herself away and placing her hands on both sides of my face.
“Hey mom,” I smile.
“You look so handsome,” she gushes.
She looks away from me and bounces away as Denise stands up and gets the same greeting that I did.
“Son,” dad sticks his hand out.
“Dad.” I place my hand in his.
“Thank God you and your sister planned to do this. I don’t think I could have stood a meal with your aunts right now. Since they just got divorced, they’ve been raising enough hell that your mother was dreading Thanksgiving.” He smiles.
“They both got divorced?”
“Long story, short. Cheating and with the same woman for Christs’ sake.”
“I don’t want to know.” I shake my head.
“No, no son, you don’t.”
My dad and I walk further into the apartment and once Denise and my mom break away, I’m standing next to Kaley with my arm draped around her shoulder.
My mom turns to us and her mouth drops open. “What’s this? What’s happening here?” She points between us.
“Kaley and Dean are hooking up.” Denise grins.
“Correction D, we’re together. Like, we’re in a relationship.” I sneer playfully at my twin.
“When did this happen?” mom asks.
“Like a month ago, it’s still new.” Kaley responds.
My mom and dad look to one another, and when they both turn their heads back to us, mom has a huge smile and opens her arms.
“Come here, girl. It’s about damn time that you two acted on your feelings.”
Kaley disappears into my mom’s embrace.
Kaley
The table is set and I’m standing at the kitchen counter as Dean pulls out the turkey.
I scrunch my nose at a burnt smell.
“What is that?” I ask him.
“What is what?”
“You don’t smell that? It smells like someone died,” I cover my mouth.
“I smell nothing.” He shakes his head.
“Your smell receptors are broken.” I laugh turning around, “Mads, come in here a sec!”
A moment later, my sister walks into the kitchen with her nose in the air.
“Oh geez, what’s burning in here?” she asks immediately.
Dean’s mom then follows behind her. “Is everything okay? Oh lord, what is that smell?” she takes a step back and covers her mouth.
“You guys are freaking crazy, there is nothing in this kitchen that smells.” Dean shakes his head.
Dean turns and grabs the knives to start cutting into the bird, when my hand reaches across and grabs his arm.
“Wait!” I yell.
“Geez, woman! What?”
“Did you remove the giblets?” I ask.
“Oh no.” His mom steps forward.
“The what?” he asks.
“The giblets? Are you just making up words now?” he laughs.
“Honey, the giblets is the bag that’s placed inside the carcass of the turkey. You take the bag out before cooking and usually use it to make the gravy.”
“Still no clue what you’re talking about, the internet gave me these instructions, I’m pretty sure that if this imaginary bag you guys are talking about was in there, that they would have told me to take it out.” He shakes his head.
“Oh boy, you shouldn’t believe everything that you read on the internet,” Denise quips.
“Oh no, he cooked the giblets.” Maddie whispers.
“The giblets are the heart, liver, and gizzard, sometimes the neck. Oh no, we need to see if it was a plastic or paper bag.”
“A gizzard? What the hell type of language are you guys speaking?” He sets the knives down and looks at us with confusion.
“Is there a party in here that I wasn’t invited to?” Dean’s dad asks.
“Your son left in the giblets.” His mom replies.
His dad looks at him sympathetically then turns to his daughter who is now standing beside him.
“Take no chances, we’re ordering Chinese.”
“Come on dad, I’m sure everything will be fine.”