No amount of hairspray would keep the curls around Olive's face tamed as she wished. Instead they stuck up in awkward directions which made it look like she had not brushed her hair at all that day. She had spent an hour trying to work on her hair to make it as straight as possible since that was how her boyfriend Vince liked it best. It would usually not be a problem but he had made a little comment about her looks before they headed to Thanksgiving with his family for the first time.
She was sure it wasn't meant to be rude and that there was a chance that it was taken the wrong way. Olive had been told a few times that she is over dramatic by her family before so when Vince echoed that, she just took it as fact. Which is why she quickly rubbed away her lipstick and went for a natural look instead. She didn't want to do anything that could embarrass him. Olive was always a dirty tee shirt and jeans kind of girl so when someone who dressed as cool as Vince matched with her on a dating app, it was a huge shock to her.
Vince always had the cleanest sneakers and would actually get upset if he creased them or scuffed them while they were out together. Although, it was usually her fault that it happened but she was getting better at staying out of his way so it wouldn't happen. Not only was one pair of sneakers more expensive than most of her closet, he also had real gold necklaces and fancy streetwear clothes that Olive could never quite get into no matter how much she wanted to. Nothing she tried on felt like herself when they went shopping together. She would take a step out of the dressing room and she could tell by a single glance that he hated it.
At the back of her closet was a simple black dress that they both agreed was acceptable to wear to his family event but clearly the makeup and hair wasn't going to cut it. In the kitchen she could hear some fumbling and muttering which started to worry her because they were already running late. Vince was such a good guy that he offered to make the turkey and gravy for the dinner. Now, Olive was no chef, but as she looked down at the gravy sitting on the ground by her feet, it just didn't look right. It was thin and had a layer of oil sitting on the top with chunks of turkey floating around at the bottom.
"Are you done yet?" Vince called from the kitchen, already sounding annoyed at how long Olive takes to get ready. With a final inspection in the mirror, she quickly picked up the gravy and headed to the front door to slip her shoes on.
"Ready!" She called back but there was no response so she stood at the door waiting for some type of movement. Bursting out of the kitchen like a cannonball was Vince with a roasting pan with a turkey messily covered with tin foil.
"Why aren't you in the car?" He hissed as he tried to put his shoes on with no hands since he refused to put the turkey down long enough to help himself. Olive was not going to argue back and made her way out the front door. Figuring he was right behind her she left the door open enough that he could nudge it open with his foot so he didn't have to use his hands. She made it about halfway down the driveway when she heard a loud crash come from inside the house. She called out his name to make sure he was alright but when no answer came Olive made her way back to the front door and cracked it open a bit more.
Vince was muttering curse words under his breath as it seemed he tripped over his own shoes that cluttered the front door. The turkey seemed to be okay but he was rubbing his knees which must have hit hard against the tile floor.
"Are you okay?" She gently called out and his eyes travelled up and landed on her face. His ears turned bright red and furrowed his eyebrows in anger.
"What are you doing? I said get in the fucking car!" Vince screamed while getting to his feet. Never has anyone talked to her that way. Not even her two brothers that liked to tease her and treated her more like a third brother than a sister a foot shorter than them. A deep sinking pit opened in her chest as she somehow felt responsible for his anger. Olive turned and made her way to the car and stood at the passenger side door waiting for him. She watched as he struggled to close and lock the door while still refusing to put the damned turkey down.
He didn't even look at her as he made his way to the back of the car and got the turkey in the backseat of his car. Olive was wondering how she got blamed for his falling. Perhaps he was just embarrassed but was that still enough of a reason to raise his voice at her like that?
The car ride was tense as they drove over to his cousin's house. Olive had met a few of them and they were very nice people. It was fun seeing how all of the family interacted with each other since her own family wasn't very close to each other. It was nice imagining a home filled with laughter instead of one filled with silence and unspoken truths that hung in the corners of the room, waiting to be spoken into existence. For the ten minute car ride there Olive did her best to fight back the tears burning at the corner of her eyes and to work down the ball of guilt sitting in her throat.
When they finally parked outside of the house Olive took one last look at herself in the mirror to make sure none of her mascara was running or smudged. Vince stepped out of the car and was fiddling with the turkey in the backseat while Olive stood beside the car with the warm gravy slightly burning her hands. Before taking the bird out of the car Vince walked over to Olive and cupped her face in her hands. Feeling his touch against her skin brought the tears back to the surface. She cared so much for him and seeing how gentle he was being with her showed that he cared for her back.
"I'm sorry for yelling at you back at the house." Vince saw that she was going to cry again and looked away. He let go over her and grabbed the roasting pan. Olive did her best to fight back the tears but she was on the edge of exploding. He sighed as he looked at her staring into the sky to try and stop the tears from running down her face and ruining her makeup. All she wanted was to make him happy. "But next time I do something, just be quiet and do it. Try not to be annoying inside."
The words came out so casually that Olive felt like she had been punched in the gut. Vince didn't even seem to notice that the words held any weight to them as he strolled up to his cousin's house. It was her fault. She made him mad. She obviously deserved to be yelled at, otherwise why would he do it? He loved her. Olive repeated that fact over and over again as the tears disappeared and she made her way up to the house. But if he loved her, why would he do this?