Thanksgiving Tale

I'ts Thanksgiving week here in the good ole USA.  It's freezing cold in many areas in the states and winter is definitely here no matter what the calendar says.  It's lovely here though, cold at night but warm during the days - just perfect for me.

The kids arrive today for Thanksgiving.  I'm excited, it's been a while and they'll be here until Friday morning.  It will be busy, filled with lots of activity and visiting with friends and family and the time will go quickly.  The best part is that in only a little less than a month we will be together again.

Okay, enough jibber jabber, here's this week's Thanksgiving tale.
  

Once upon a time in a land far far away, Kayce woke up to realize it was Thanksgiving, and she had to cook dinner.  Having never done it before, she panicked.  “What the hell was I thinking inviting everyone?” I know what happened, the words spewed out of my mouth before my brain was in gear.  Jake is always warning, hell spanking, me about this very thing.

She rolled over, shook Jake and hopped out of bed.  Hitting the shower and thinking of all the things that needed doing, she finished much quicker than usual. The turkey took the longest, and she knew she best get it in the oven.  Luckily, she viewed a blog post that it took two days to defrost a turkey, or it would still be in the freezer.  Removing the turkey from the fridge, she washed it down and placed it in the pan, seasoned it with the packet of stuff she purchased and set it aside while the oven preheated.

“Phew, glad that part is done,” she said to Jake, who had just entered the kitchen.

“Honey, don’t forget to put the giblets and stuff in a pan of water to make gravy later. That’s what my mom always did.”

“What giblets? What are you talking about?”

“The packet that’s always stuffed in the turkey.”

“There was nothing in the turkey.”

“Are you sure, my mom…” Kayce put her hand up to effectively shush Jake.

“Jake, no offense but I don’t want to hear about what your mom did or didn’t do.”

“This is going to be a long day Kayce, you best start watching your attitude, starting now.” Jake said in that tone she understood so very well.

Kayce had a fractious relationship with her mother-in-law to say the least.  Esther Conlee was one of those women who knew everything and did it better than everyone else.  She was overbearing and at times Jake agreed.  Jake’s dad, Stan, long ago just closed down.  When he and Esther were together, he barely spoke and immediately did whatever Esther demanded of him.  When Stan was alone, he was a different man.  Kayce could never understand why he didn’t stand up to her and asked him one time when she’d had too many glasses of wine, and he responded that it was just easier. Jake was not going to turn into his father or allow her to turn into his mother. Before she’d even met his parents, he explained he would lead in whatever relationship he engaged, and if she didn’t want that she should move on.  After meeting his parents, she understood.

Jake was a loving husband and doted on Kayce but there were things that just were not allowed; disrespect was one of them.  He warned her, and that would be the only one she would receive.  If she didn’t heed the warning, she knew the consequences, so she tried keeping her attitude in check.  She didn’t want to sit down to Thanksgiving dinner on a sore bottom.

“I’m sorry, Jake.  I’m just a little stressed right now.  I’ll be better; I promise.”

He took her in his arms and hugged her right.  “Okay, honey.  Relax, everything will be fine.”  He slapped her bum and walked away.

Kayce planned on stuffing the turkey with oranges, limes and cilantro and took the fruit out of the fridge.  When she was stuffing the produce into the turkey, she double- checked for anything she might have missed.  Sure enough, there was a packet of stuff in the neck cavity, she hadn’t checked that before.  “What do I do now, do I just throw it out along with the rest of this stuff or should I admit I missed it?  I think I’ll just put it here with the rest of the stuff to dispose and pretend I just missed it. That stuff looks nasty anyway,” she said to herself.

She stuffed the turkey, popped it in the oven and started on the rest of the kitchen chores.  Her guests were bringing desserts and their part of the menu included sweet potatoes, stuffing with mushrooms, fresh green beans with almonds, cranberry relish she purchased from the gourmet deli, and a ginger pumpkin soup she was making from scratch.  Pleased with the progress, she started to set the table.

Wanting to use the china and silver received as wedding gifts, she enlisted Jake’s help to get it out and wash them before setting them on the table.  They were washing and drying the dishes and as she went to set the dishes on the table, she bent over to reach something and the target was just too appealing. Jake swatted her perfectly showcased bottom with the dishtowel, she oomphed and wiggled her fanny at him, and he swatted her again.  One thing led to another and the next thing she knew, they rearranged the table to their advantage and Jake alleviated Kayce’s stress.

“How’s the stress level now Sweetie?”

“Stress, what stress?  Except now we have to start all over again and this time, keep the dish towel to yourself?”

“Really,” he said as he swatted her again.  He took her in his arms and held her tightly while he told her just how much she meant to him. 

                                               ____________________

The dinner turned out perfectly.  Kayce’s parents and her brother remarked at how beautiful the table looked and Jake gave Kayce a look that started her giggling.  Every time she placed another side dish on the table, she giggled.  Jake brought in the turkey last, placing it so that the legs faced him.  Jake kept looking at Kaycee and pretended to look into the cavity to remove the stuffing.

“Honey, there’s no stuffing in this turkey.  Is it because it’s a tom and not a hen?”

Kayce completely lost it and was laughing so hard, tears were rolling down her face. Their little joke lost on the others around the table.  As usual, Jake remained his calm self with just the slightest smirk at the corners of his lips.  Esther, however, was being her usual bitchy self.

“How can you have turkey without stuffing?” and she started in on her tirade about how young people today ignored traditions of the past and on and on.  Stan, of course, ignored Esther’s tirade as usual and kept sinking down further and further in his chair.  Jake tried silencing his mother, but she was on a roll and there was no stopping her.

Kayce stopped laughing and piped up with “Why don’t you stuff it, Esther.”

“What did you say?”

“Why don’t you stuff it, Esther?  I don’t care what you think.  You are always criticizing everything and I am tired of listening to you. Look at the faces around this table, your husband can’t slink down any further and every one else is wishing you would just keep quiet.  Before your mouth started to spew out it’s usual vitriol, if you had looked at the table, you would have noticed the dish of stuffing to your right.”

“Well, I’ve never been talked to this way and to think it’s happening in my son’s home,” and she rose from the table.

“Esther, it’s my home too and it’s about time you remember that.”

“Jake, are you going to allow your wife to talk to me that way?”  Jake didn’t have a chance to react before Stan suddenly got some backbone.

“Esther, you have been dishing out your opinions, wanted or not, for years and I’ve allowed it to happen.  I’m glad someone finally had the chutzpah to stand up to you.  Lord knows, I haven’t.  That stops now.  Son, excuse us.  I’m taking your mother outside now while we have a discussion about manners. Please start your dinner, we will back shortly.”

Stunned silence surrounded the table, as the front door closed.  Jake started to carve the turkey, conversation resumed as dishes began passing around the table. Kayce went back into the kitchen to get another spoon and glanced out the window.  She watched Stan pointing his finger at Esther and could just imagine the conversation when suddenly he turned her against his hip and starting spanking her bottom.  She couldn’t move, she was stuck to that spot and couldn’t peel her eyes away.  Hearing Jake’s voice ask if everything was all right, brought her back to reality.  She returned to the dining room with a smile on her face and a spring in her step.  Jake pulled out her chair and whispered in her ear that he loved her but they would be having their own discussion later.

Kayce tried to control her smirk when Jake’s parents returned to the table.  Esther had the look of a chastened woman and Stan sat up straighter in his chair.  The rest of the dinner went off without a hitch and even Esther complimented Kayce on how wonderful everything tasted.

“Even the stuffing, Esther.”

“Especially, the stuffing,” she turned and gave her husband a big smile.

When the day was over, the company gone, Jake took Kayce’s hand and asked if she was ready for her roasting.  She pretended to be surprised and asked why.

“Surely, you didn’t think you were going to get away with today’s little tirade, did you?”

He asked her with a big grin on his face as he took her over his knee and delivered five sharp swats before they started to dance their version of the turkey trot.

See you later for more Aimless Ramblings.