Thanks
a Hyde family pre-Thanksgiving
characters/characterizations from the Donna at 39 series.
Jackie put on the cinnamon scented flameless candle in the center of the kitchen restaurant style wooden booth
table and watched her daughter Tiffany cut out leaves from construction paper patterns with kiddie safety
scissors as she put her three-year-old daughter Hannah into her booster seat to prepare lunch.
"What do you kids want for lunch today?" Jackie closed her salon for two weeks and wanted to spend time with
her Husband and children.
"Grilled cheese with tomato and soup, please." Tiffany said not looking up from her art project or taking the
babies needs into consideration.
"ch—eer—os."
"You want Cheerios for lunch, Sweetie?"
"I DON'T want cereal!" Tiffany huffed
"Cereal!" Hannah banged her tiny fists on the table.
"Tiffany, no one is expecting you to eat cereal for your meal…Hannah is just a baby, can't you be nice to her?"
"She's three!" She stuck out her tongue to her sister when her Mother wasn't looking.
"Here you are, Curly Q," Hyde entered the kitchen with Hannah's little bear that they couldn't find this morning
and life came to a complete stop, "Tiffany, stop picking on your baby sister…"
"Steven…" Jackie stopped short of kissing him on the lips, "Where's Hunter?"
"I thought he was in here with you…."
"I thought he was helping you look for the bear…." Jackie started to feel the panic in her throat…and she
remembered the worst day of her life when Tiffany was lost in the chaos of New York City on a particular
September day.
"It's okay…." Hyde said, not trying to show any emotion, "Hunter…"
Jackie ran to look in his room and Hyde without his coat or boots on and went outside to see his wavy-haired
three-year-old son jumping up but not being able to reach the mailbox with its raised red flag.
"Hunter," he scooped him up, "What are you doing out here?"
"M...box."
He saw Jackie from the doorway and she had her hands in the 'thank God' position as she ran to greet them.
"Hunter Daniel Hyde…." But all Jackie wanted to do was hold him, "What were you thinking going outside
without permission?"
Hyde put down the flag and went to get the contents out of the mailbox that said Jackie & Steven Hyde on it in
country-cross-stitch style decals on it.
Hunter knew he did something wrong and cried on his Mother's shoulder as they all walked back inside the
house.
"Son, you had your Mother very worried…." Jackie smirked, I think you were worried too, Steven!
Hyde walked ahead to make sure that Tiffany wasn't poking Hannah with grade school issued safety scissors.
"It's okay, Baby…" Hunter held on to his Mother tight.
"Can I have my grilled cheese and soup now, please?" Tiffany asked
"Here let me hold him while you feed the Disney Princess…."
"I'm NOT a Disney Princess, Daddy…my name is Tiffany!"
How she could see her brother melting down and her sister about to over not getting her lunch made right away
was a certainly a mystery yet she acted like she was the only child in the room with her parents.
"Hunter, do you want to help Daddy open up the mail?" Since all of this started over his trip to the mailbox.
"Tiffany, quit whining!" Jackie said in her stern you-better-listen-to-Mommy-voice.
Hyde took Hunter into the quiet breakfast nook so they could look at the mail together.
"I don't think this royalty check excited you….," Hyde didn't trust direct deposit, "Let's move on…is it this green
envelope…..?" He gave it to his son to hold.
"Green!"
"Yes, it's green. Return address Donna and Eric Forman - Point Place, Wisconsin."
"O-open!"
Hyde opened up the green envelope with the embossed rose design on the back and a tiny annoying Yoda
sticker that said Thanks for the Memories!
Dear Jackie, Hyde, Tiffany, Hannah, & Hunter,
Enjoy your Official JcPenney Forman Family Christmas Portrait Early:
Love,
Donna, Eric, & Megan.
The Happy Forman Family
"Do you know who these people are?" Hyde asked
"Er—ic!"
"Yes, (the dork) the guy with that (god awful) Santa sweater is Eric…"
"Don-na!"
"Yep. The woman with the red hair (and stressed out looking face) is Donna….and who is that pretty little girl on
Eric's lap?"
"Me—g—an. Megan!"
"You must like her, you said her name twice!" He kissed his son on the cheek.
Megan was just getting used to her life in a wheelchair from the last time Jackie talked to Donna on the phone
because it was easier for her than sitting down to compose an email.
She was defiant over not being carried and would try to tip herself out. Hyde thought she was the cutest girl
(Hannah and Tiffany notwithstanding), she had a wonderful smile. Every milestone was a climb for Eric and
Donna's adopted daughter. She was in the hospital born addicted to the drugs her birth Mother took, she
almost died, and was in the NICU for months, she was behind the normal development curve and it was much
difficult for her to talk that she had a stutter, not to mention her hearing aid, and strong prescription glasses.
But now she had to handle being in a wheelchair all that at three years old. Hyde thought Tiffany should
spend a month with the Forman's to see how tough life really is when you have health limitations such as
Megan did.
"Steven, are you hungry?" Jackie poked her head in, he and Hunter were so cute together that she thought she
should have grabbed her cell phone to take pictures first.
"Not yet…here's a photo for the fridge…" Hyde handed her the rectangular Forman family Christmas portrait,
they'd probably be receiving the real framed photo in a few weeks.
"Wow! Donna looks tired – that sweater is doing Eric no favors, but Megan is so adorable! I feel for that baby
having to live in a wheelchair…we should buy her something nice for Christmas…."
"Mama!" Hannah cried
"Steven take care of Tiffany….." Jackie knew she had to have started something as she grabbed Hunter from his
Father's arms, "Let's make you lunch…what do you want?"
"PBJ…"
"Peanut butter and Jelly sounds yummy!" Jackie said - her little boy back in his good mood. Jackie held Hunter in
one arm and with the other free hand she used a guitar shaped magnet to put up the Forman picture.
"What happened?" Hyde asked
"Tiffy me—an!"
"What did you do?" Hyde and Jackie didn't understand how Tiffany could dislike her sister so much when she
was just a baby who never did anything to her.
"Why is it always my fault?"
Because it mostly always is!
Hyde patted Hannah on the head, took a deep breath, and grabbed Little Miss Highness.
"If you are being a baby then you need to take a nap…."
Jackie preferred to sit this drama out and continued to get the ingredients for Hunter's lunch after she put him in
his booster seat.
"Mommy!"
"Listen to your Father, Tiffany…."
Hyde carried her sideways and warned her about biting him. "Don't you dare bite me…."
"Santa is….."
"Finish that sentence in front of your sister and brother and you won't get any presents."
"I want to live with Eric and Donna!" Tiffany's little legs swung until Hyde put her on her bed.
"After your nap you can apologize to your sister - again."
"Don't wanna!"
"Then you can stay with the Meade's when we go to the Farmer's Market. Your choice, Tiffany. You are old
enough to know better." Hyde kissed her on the cheek. When he left the room she wiped her cheek from the
Daddy Germs and went to her closet to take out her little pink suitcase.
Jackie and Hyde found her 3 hours later sleeping on the floor with a half suitcase full of nicely folded clothes.
"She is so cute…" Jackie didn't like her behavior towards Hannah, but seeing her curled up next to her suitcase
tugged at her heart. "Take a picture, Steven.."
"I will…and I'll send it to Forman asking him if he wants to switch daughters…" he joked, kissing his Wife on the
cheek.
"Admit it…you could never give her up…."
With neither parent aware of the turbulent teenage years to come with their eldest daughter of the Hyde family,
Hyde took a picture with his phone. Tiffany was cute but her behavior since the twins were born left a lot to be
desired. They tried to be understanding with the how's and why's her biological Father died, but her boldness
with Hannah was something that both Jackie and Hyde hoped would go away in time.
They were sisters they should have been closer than this.
"Do you think Tiffany and Hannah will get along with each other someday?" Jackie asked putting her back into
her bed and covering her with her Sleeping Beauty blanket.
"It's a phase…" Hyde stated not realizing how long this phase was going to last and how the two sisters would
eventually connect.
"Let's just be thankful that we have 3 healthy children…." Jackie wouldn't understand the weight or poignancy of
this statement until years later.
The couple that was given the ultimate second (or third, or fourth) chance held hands as they left Tiffany's room.
When the door closed the young child stuck out her tongue and turned over to fall asleep once more.
When would they realize that she was the Queen?
END
Special Thanks to Marla's Lost for all your help and adventures to come! Continue to think Epic!