the puppy glanced up and licked Amory’s nose, provoking a giggle which he took as a sign to pee in her lap, lightening the mood instantly. “Oh,” she laughed. “We need to housetrain him.”
The puppy jumped, his front paws landing on her chest, and licked her chin as if he was saying hello. She threw her head back and laughed. “OK, you’re forgiven.”
Mom came back in with a wet hand towel so Amory could clean herself up, which she took gratefully and uselessly wiped at her jeans.
“Do you want to borrow something of mine?” Aunt Bessie asked.
I stemmed my own giggles, picturing Amory in one of Aunt Bessie’s sparkly ensembles. Amory laughed too. “That would be great, Bessie, if you don’t mind.”
“Be right back,” she said, leaving the rest of us to coo over the puppy.
He was a ball of energy, and jumped and rolled on Amory’s lap. She lifted him to her face and kissed him on the nose. “Oh, he’s adorable. Thank you, Cruz. He’s a little ray of sunshine.”
“What are you going to call him?” Cruz asked, bending down to pat him.
She gave Cruz a peck on the cheek. “I don’t know, I’ll have to think about it. Get to know him first.”
As Amory went off to change, Aunt Bessie bustled to the kitchen. The scent of roasted meat and crispy potatoes had my mouth watering, despite the amount of food I’d already eaten.
“Stir the gravy, will you, Clio?”
“Sure.” She trusted me with the gravy? Yikes.
The turkey came out, roasted golden, then the root vegetables, which were crisp and glistened with butter. Aunt Bessie parboiled some green beans, drizzled them with olive oil and mixed through some pomegranate seeds that resembled shiny rubies. My old childhood nemesis, Brussels sprouts, were crumbed and deep-fried, and served with a melted cheese dipping sauce. They were disguised so well I was eager to try one and see if I really was a grown-up now – didn’t you achieve the highest level of adulting when you could eat Brussels sprouts?
Cruz wandered in. “Do you need a hand?”
Aunt Bessie threw him a grateful look. “Can you carve the turkey?”
He nodded and set to work.
She dusted her hands on her apron, and wrinkled her brow. “What am I forgetting?”
“The carrots?” I ventured, noticing that the neat julienned stems Kai had chopped were now swimming in a pan of garlic butter.
“Yes!” she laughed. “Also I made bread and butter sauce this year. Now don’t turn your nose up at it, it goes very well with the richness of the turkey.”
I held my hands up in surrender. “I’m not saying a word. I’m more than happy to eat a feast someone else cooked. And I’ll try all of it.”
“Good girl.” She kissed my cheek. “Start taking these to the table and I’ll bring the serving spoons.”
Once Amory had changed we all sat at the dining table, now laden with food and decorations, ready for our second feast of the day. With the puppy asleep in Amory’s lap I couldn’t help but smile as I saw how sweet they were together. I’d never thought Amory was a pet person, but here she was falling head over heels for a puppy.
I poured everyone a glass of wine, and Mom and Aunt Bessie went to fetch more platters before joining us at the table.
Jostling around in our seats, we turned when Aunt Bessie clinked her glass with a fork. “Now, I wanted to raise a toast before we start eating. Here’s to our first Christmas together in a long time.” She held her wineglass aloft, and blinked back sudden tears. “A big welcome to our guests,” she said, turning to look at each of my friends in turn, “and thank you for spending the day with us. Let’s hope it becomes a new tradition.” She beamed so hard it almost broke my heart. I hadn’t really thought in all the years I’d been away that it would have just been Mom and Aunt Bessie sharing a turkey lunch with all the trimmings. Why hadn’t I come home more? Since being back I’d realized I was as much to blame as Mom for the radio silence. Still, I was here now, and things were changing – albeit at a snail’s pace.
When Aunt Bessie sat down I was astonished when Mom lifted her glass, and cleared her throat to speak. I leaned forward so I wouldn’t miss a thing.
With downcast eyes, she said, “Thank you all for looking after my daughter. I know you’ve been there for her in one way or another in the past few months. It helps…” Her voice petered off, and tears sprung in my eyes. “…It helps knowing she has support and friendships that will carry her through the good and bad.”
Silence fell.
I was so shocked I couldn’t think of a thing to say, but the smile on my face must have spoken volumes because Mom gave me a small nod and a wobbly smile of her own.
Aunt Bessie broke the hush by saying, “Well, now we’ve got the toasting out of the way, let’s drink and be merry!” We all leaned forward and clinked glasses. I darted a quick glance at Kai, who was lost in thought, and I figured Mom’s words might have touched a chord with him too.
The chatter rose as we feasted on every delicious morsel. Even the bread and butter sauce was a hit, mixing with the steaming-hot gravy, and perfect for dipping each mouthful into. Combined with the nutty, herbaceous stuffing, it was a meal made in heaven, and one I wished I had the skills to recreate. I was awed by people who could cook so many things at once and not burn it all. Sadly, I didn’t reach peak adult status because the sprouts, no matter how dressed up, still tasted like bitter greens to me, and in a way I was thankful – who wanted to be an adult anyway?
The puppy chose that moment to steal a piece of gravy-covered turkey off Amory’s plate. It was too big for his little choppers, and somehow missed the napkin on her lap, but found her clothes. She slapped her head. “Outfit number three coming up! He’s a wardrobe menace!”
“Your jeans should be dry by now,” Aunt Bessie said. “You can change again after lunch.”
“Thank you.” Amory grinned. “I’ll throw these in the wash at the same time.”
Mom didn’t say much, but actually ate rather than picking at her food like she would usually do. She was so thin, it scared me, but just maybe this was a tipping point.
Empty plates sat in front of us all and no one moved. We were too full to do anything except sit with blank faces. Aunt Bessie was the only one still sprightly, and she ambled to the kitchen and returned with more mulled wine and a tray of peppermint chocolates.
“Thank you, gang, for making this one of the best Christmases we’ve had in a long time. I’m hoping your youth rubs off on me.”
We laughed, and sipped our wine, and my eyelids grew heavy from contentment.
“Have you all called your families?” Aunt Bessie asked into the satiated quiet. “They must miss you, being so far from home.”
Amory spoke up first. “I rang them this morning. My parents are enjoying their very first child-free Christmas! They’re traveling in India, and
