There will be some time jumps here and there for a while. This chapter will be a Thanksgiving chapter and then we'll probably jump toward Christmas in the next. Carol has established certain family traditions that she wants in her home. She likes as she said in the last chapter "a full table".
A Full Table
Carol gave a last survey of the dining room table in the great room. It was ready for Thanksgiving. Her grandmother's china and silverware was gleaming. The men had taken the couches into the barn for the afternoon and long folding tables were set up. The day outside was dark and dreary but it was bright and warm inside. The people that she loved were in this room and for a little while they would concentrate on overeating and being together.
Tyreese gave the blessing on the food and the crowd began to move around the buffet table. Carol circulated making certain that everyone had plenty to eat and was having a good time. The food was a mutual project. Every family brought food and shared with everyone else.
Carol finally sat down between Daryl and Caleb and across from her was Melody and David Hakim. This was their first visit to the homestead and Carol wanted to make them feel at home. The food was good and everyone ate too much. After dinner the clean- up crews took up the tables and put back the couches.. The kitchen crew did the dishes. Then, everyone grabbed a chair while Brandon played the piano and he and Beth sang. Beth led the others in singing some holiday standards. It was a happy crowd that gathered their pots and pans and said goodbye to Carol and Daryl at the door.
Melody and David were among the last to leave. She hugged Carol and thanked for inviting her family to Thanksgiving. Carol said, "You are invited for next year, so don't forget".
"I will want to come up and check on you and Michonne and your babies next year," Melody said. Melody turned to go and saw that Caleb had slipped back to talk with Ariel.
David walked over to Caleb ,"We have to go, Caleb. It's getting late and that mist looks like it wants to turn to snow". David walked back to Melody and they went to their jeep. Caleb and Ariel followed them out. They were dropping her off at her gate and going on home.
The house seemed quiet for a while even though it was full. Jesse and Michonne were staying over tonight. Jesse, Daryl, and Rick were going on a "Black Friday Run" tomorrow. They were refusing to let the women go because they wanted to "shop" without them.
…..
Carol was tired and went to bed early. Lizzie and Mika came in to lie beside her and talk about the day. Their memories of Thanksgiving with their family were a little vague. Lizzie said that they had usually gone to the cabin for Thanksgiving weekend and Carol knew by the shadow across Lizzie's face that was remembering her mother's death. Carol thought about Sophia and understood the shadow. Thanksgiving was not a happy time in the Peletier household. Carol hugged Lizzie and Mika closer and said, "Tomorrow we will go up to the attic and look for Christmas decorations. That distracted the girls and they chatted about putting up a tree.
"That has to wait for a few weeks, but we can hang the wreath and some decorations. We can look to see what is there and get it organized. We may need to share with Jesse and Michonne too," Carol said.
Daryl came in and stood at the foot of the bed and crossed his arms, "Get the hell out and get upstairs".
The girls rolled with laughter, Daryl starting laughing too. He had become more comfortable with Lizzie and Mika since he had returned from his long run. Daryl had been surprised at home much he missed them while he was gone. He sat down in a chair by the bed, "What are you three plotting in here?"
Mika started, "Papa, we are going in the attic tomorrow and look through Christmas decorations".
Lizzie yawned and said, "Okay, we will get the hell out and go upstairs".
Carol gave her a reproving look, the battle to clean up Lizzie's language was ongoing. They hugged and kissed Carol and Daryl good night and then got the hell out.
Daryl went into the bathroom and got ready for bed. He came out in his boxers and carrying a red pebble. He sat down on the chair beside of Carol still holding the stone, but Carol took it from him, "Thank you for being so good natured about Thanksgiving. It is a lot of bother to move all that furniture around. This was the happiest Thanksgiving in my life. I had you, the baby, and the people that I love with me today. I loved Thanksgiving here when I was a little girl, but this was even better. I can enjoy it more because I had miserable Thanksgivings that I just spent praying that Ed didn't get drunk. I am thankful that I have you." She handed the pebble back to Daryl.
"Well, you should be grateful for having a prize like me," Daryl growled. "I want to talk about how I feel about Caleb. He's turned out good, hasn't he?" Carol nodded not sure where Daryl was going with this.
Daryl continued, "I haven't talked to you a whole lot about our baby. I was in shock for bit when you told me. Sure, I was happy and I was scared that something will go wrong with having the baby. But, what I was afraid of and didn't know how to tell you was that I was afraid of the baby". Carol just listened.
"My father would make up reasons to hurt me. He battered me in the body and in the heart. He would tell me that nobody would ever want a loser like me. He would criticize everything I did until I got so wound up that I would explode and then he would punish me for exploding. He used a whip on by back because I broke my arm playing with some kids and one of the parents took me to the hospital. He was mad about that and whipped me until I passed out. Maybe he whipped me after that. My mother was better but she was too afraid of him to do anything about what he did to me. She just wanted to drink wine and read. That was her way to escape." Daryl paused for a minute because he knew that he could tell horror stories all day and not say what he wanted to say.
"I am just bringing that shit up to tell you why I was afraid of our baby. First, I was afraid that I would hurt the baby because I am my father's son. I have always been afraid of being like him. You know that part and you might not like this next part. I was afraid that our baby might be like dear ole Mom and Dad." Carol tried to digest this new idea. Daryl was afraid that his child might be like his parents.
"Then, I met Caleb. He's Merle's son. Merle was a mean son of a bitch and Caleb is tough as nails but he isn't mean like my father or his father. He isn't weak like my mother. He is a good person. Caleb talked to me when we went hunting about what happened when the shit hit the fan up here. He was at home watching the news. Caleb had watched a boatload of zombie movies and he knew what to do. He was in martial arts classes and he had swords and weapons. He grabbed them and went to the hospital. David was just finishing surgery and they went to find Melody. One of her patients needed to have a caesarian and the nurses had gone home. David helped Melody do surgery and Caleb and the baby's father stood outside the operating room and killed walkers. After the surgery they loaded everybody up and went home. They brought the new mother, the baby's father, and the baby with them. They had to dodge walkers in the road and fight their way into the house. David and Melody put boards over the bottom floor windows while Caleb and the baby's father knocked back walkers."
Daryl went on, "Druggies would come to their house thinking there might be drugs there and they would have to fight them off. Melody would deliver babies at their home or they would all load up and go to some strange house to deliver a baby. It was months before any kind of order was restored."
Daryl said, "I realized that Caleb is the way he is because David and Melody are good people. They raised him right. You and I can raise a child right, hell, we are doing fine with Lizzie and Mika. Do you understand what I am trying to say?
Carol smiled, "I was never afraid that our baby would be some sort of demon seed, but I know what you mean. David Hakim was disowned by some of his family when he married a gentile woman pregnant with another man's baby. He had to take huge loans to get through medical school. Melody said that he never once complained about what he had lost out on in marrying her. Gradually, his family began to accept them but he always put Melody and Caleb first."
She paused for a minute and rubbed the rock gently. "The day you found me in that steel building I was at rock bottom. You chose me and the girls over everyone else. You have accepted me and all that I have done and showed me over and over again that I am somebody that you love and want. You know how to love me, Lizzie and Mika, and you will love our baby the same way. Your father was wrong about you, and he told you a lie when he said that nobody will ever want you. I want you and I ain't nobody. Lizzie and Mika love you and they ain't nobody. Our baby will love you. There isn't anyone in this house that doesn't love you. But no one not even our baby will ever love you as much as I do".
Daryl took the stone back, "It started to snow a little while ago. It's laying on already. Let's go get the girls up and go out and make snow angels. I never got to do shit like that when I was little and it never snowed all that much. We can heat up some apple cider and drink something warm when we get finished."
Carol laughed and got dressed. They got every dressed and turned on the floodlights so that they could see. The snowflakes were huge and the girls and Carl ran around trying to catch them with their tongue. Judith kept trying to catch them. Jesse brought out his digital camera and snapped pictures. Rick and Andrea put snow down each other's back. Jesse and Michonne made a little snowman holding a stick like a sword. Daryl held Carol's hand and laughed at all the snowy antics. Jesse arranged his camera and put it in the barn loft to get a special shot. They were all lying in a circle with their hands outstretched but still touching and made a huge circle of snow angels. The snow just kept coming and they eventually went inside and had the apple cider with some added spices and left over pumpkin pie.
Carol was almost asleep when she said to Daryl, "That was so much fun and I love you".
Daryl said, "Next year, we will be taking our baby out in the snow."
Carol decided to cry and Daryl laughed as he wiped away her tears, "Sweetheart, I love you, I won't make you drag our baby into the snow."
"I am crying because I can cry and you won't get mad. I am crying because it's almost Christmas and I love Christmas even more than Thanksgiving."
Daryl pretend groaned and wished that Carol wasn't so sleepy. He felt wide awake and wanted to be with her tears and all. He was even more wide awake when she moved closer to him and said, "I should have put some snow down your back", she ran her fingers all the way down from his neck to his ass.
"I should have put the snow down your front" and he traced her lips with his forefinger and then down to her breasts. He knew to take it slow and easy but he could tell by her breathing that is was going to be a Thanksgiving to remember.
I am lucky enough to be a member of a family that celebrates Thanksgiving much like Carol did. Christmas is even more fun and I think Carol and Company deserve some fluffy times too.