Tuk, tuk, tuk… the ball hits the wall and back into the young man's hand. Tuk tuk tuk… Alone, in the darkness. This is how this day always is. Ever since he was a little boy, ever since he could remember - all this day has ever gotten him is sadness, left him in despair, Depressed. Arnold closes his eyes - may be that was not always true. The ever optimist in him does not let him dwell in despair even. He smiles to himself, but a tear rolls down the side of his face instead. He wanted this Thanksgiving to be different, he wanted this thanksgiving to end all the sadness and he thought he knew how. He just was very slow in understanding it… very dense indeed… he was just... too little too late.
Thud. Arnold throws the ball in his hand against the wall, a few things fall off. His eyes well up with tears when he gets down on his knees examining the damage - his father's journal, now on the floor and the parents' day photograph of him with his grandparents - with the frame shattered. "God, I hate this day!". Wasn't it around thanksgiving when he had barely turned one that his parents left him? May be that was the reason his grandma refused to celebrate Thanksgiving in October. How much he missed them. His parents and grandparents both. He needed his grandpa's advice now more than ever. He wanted his grandma to cheer him up. But like everyone else they left him. First it was his parents,then his grandparents and now her…
As Arnold tries to replace the fallen objects, a newspaper clip drops down from his father journal. Arnold reaches out and reads the headline - Mayflower II - Declared as an official city landmark. Memories of this day from his nine year old self flood back to him. They seem such long time ago. He remember racing down to the pier on his bike to see the christening of the Mayflower. Arnold smiles to himself at the memory, he was so young, so hopeful, so optimistic. All he wanted on that day was to have a normal thanksgiving, if only he knew then what he knows now… All he would want was any kind of thanksgiving with his family. With a pang in his stomach, he remembers that it was also his first thanksgiving with Helga. She was always there with him to make this day better. She was always the silver lining on his grey cloud.