The Brown Paper Bag

(A Thanksgiving Story)

It was the Friday before Thanksgiving and Rachel Starsky was relaxing, going through her mail. Her phone rang, breaking the quietness of the house. Looking at her watch, a worried look creased her brow. If this was David then something was wrong; it was too early in the day for his weekly call.

"Ma!" David said breathlessly, not even giving Rachel a chance to say hello. "I'm in trouble, I don't know what to do! I need your help and I need it fast, Ma!"

"What's wrong, David!" Rachel asked, her own voice growing panicky. "Are you hurt? Is Kenneth hurt?

"What? No, Ma; we're fine. For once, nobody's hurt," he said with a chuckle. "But, I do have a problem and Ma, you're the only one that can help me." The seriousness in David's voice all too noticeable.

"David, what is going on? What kind of help do you need?" Her fear giving way to curiosity.

"Ma…I gotta cook a turkey...next week…for Thanksgiving…for Hutch, Huggy, Dobey, Edith, and the kids…and I have no idea what I'm doin'! I really need your help Ma!" he said, the panic returning just a bit.

Rachel was speechless for just a second and then she laughed, just a little. "And, just how did you end up having to cook a turkey for Thanksgiving!"

"Well, ya see, me'n Hutch was talkin' at the station. Hutch was tellin' me about this special way he cooks his turkey for Thanksgiving, the way he bastes it and seasons it and stuffs it and all that. Well, I kinna got irritated with the way he was talkin' and kinna told him I had a secret way to cook a turkey and that was better than his. Next thing I knew, I was agreeing to cook a turkey for Thanksgiving! And then, Dobey came out, so Hutch told him about my turkey secret and the next thing I knew, he had invited the whole Dobey family over! And then Huggy and Diane and Minnie… Ma, I have to cook a turkey for a bunch of people…help!" The panic was rising in his voice.

It took all of Rachel's will power not to bust out laughing over the phone. Only her David, who could take down the worst that Bay City had to offer, was having a major meltdown over cooking a turkey.

"David, first calm down. It's a turkey, not one of those bad guys you and Ken go chasing after around Bay City. It's not that hard, I promise," she said, trying to calm her nervous son.

"First order of business is to get a turkey. So, today or tomorrow at the latest, go to the market and purchase a fifteen pound frozen turkey. Along with the other food you'll have that day, that should be enough for everyone."

Suddenly, Rachel had a thought that could complicate the whole day. "David, who's cooking the rest of the meal? The gravy, dressing, vegetables?" Rachel knew that David could handle the turkey, it was all the other food that could cause the downfall of Chef Starsky.

"Oh, Hutch and the rest have all that covered, it's just me and the turkey," he said with the same relief that Rachel felt.

"Good," Rachel replied. "That will make this much easier."

"Hey Ma, gotta go. Hutch is downstairs. I'm gonna go by the market when I get off work tonight. If I have any questions, I'll call ya," he said hurriedly.

"Oh wait, David!" Rachel called

She could hear the phone going back to David's ear, "What, Ma?"

"When you get the turkey, look for the ones that have the pop up timer. It will say so on the packaging, that's important so you'll know the bird is done."

"Okay, got it Ma…later"

"Oh, one more thing!" she called out.

"What Ma, I gotta go! Hutch is waiting for me already!" David said impatiently.

"I know, but this is important, almost as important as the turkey. Make sure you get a brown paper bag, one that hasn't been used. You must have the paper bag, David, don't forget that."

"A paper bag?" she could hear David stop for a second, trying to figure out what she meant.

Confusion in his voice, David just said, "Okay, Ma, you're the cook. Gotta go, love ya, talk with ya later."

"Love you too, Son; be careful," she said as the line went dead.

"Oy," Rachel thought, "it's going to be an interesting week."

It was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and Rachel was on the phone with David…again. They had talked a lot over the past week, making sure everything was ready for the big day. Rachel was enjoying every moment of each conversation.

"David, time to get the turkey out of the fridge and get him ready to cook," she instructed.

"Okay Ma, sounds good," David said nestling the phone between his ear and neck. "Tell me what to do, I'm ready."

"First, take the turkey out of the bag and put in the sink. There will be a metal ring around the legs; it's okay to keep them there. You need to wash the turkey really good, don't forget the front and back cavity.

"Okay, be right back," and she heard the clunk of the phone as it was laid on the counter.

Suddenly, she heard a loud thump and clatter, and a few choice words coming from her son.

"David!" she called, "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"S'okay Ma; it's all okay," he said breathlessly. "I, um, just dropped the turkey on the floor, it's a slippery bugger."

Rachel laughed out loud, she just couldn't help herself. "Oh, you did remember to take the neck bone and other parts to Edith for the gravy, right?"

"Yeah, once I figured out what all that stuff was. Yuck…!"

Minutes later, the slippery run away turkey had been washed and ready for the next step. "Okay Ma, what's next?"

"Get the butter out, along with some salt and pepper."

After a moment of plundering, David picked the phone back up and said, "Okay, I got the butter, salt, and pepper…now what?"

"Wash your hands really good. With a spoon, get two or three scoops of butter and put them on top of the turkey. Then spread the butter all over the bird with your hands. Be sure to get inside and out. Once you are done with that, add the salt and pepper," she said.

"Spread with my hands! Ma, that's gooey and gross!" he yelled.

"David, you deal with gooey and gross in your job all the time, and this bothers you?" she asked with wonder.

"Well, this is different," he said with a pout.

"No, it isn't," Rachel shot back. "Just pretend it's the mud you and Nick used to play in in the back yard, only this is yellow and not dark."

"Oh, yeah, but…that was gooey, gross and fun," he said laughing.

"David..." she warned.

"Okay, okay… geez! Hang on. I'm buttering," and the phone clunked on the counter top again.

"…and salt and pepper," she reminded the reluctant chef.

A few minutes later, the turkey had been seasoned. Rachel could hear David washing the "gooey, gross" buttery mess off his hand. Picking up the phone, he asked about the next step.

"Place some tin foil over the bird and put him back in the refrigerator. Now, in the morning, all you need to do is put the turkey in the paper bag, then in the oven. You need to get up early, he needs to be cooking by seven am."

"Seven am?" David said surprised. "It's Thanksgiving, supposed to sleep late!"

"Not when you are the turkey cooker! I never had a chance to sleep late. You have to make sure the oven is hot and ready by seven at the latest," she said with a laughter in her voice.

"Ma, remind me to keep my mouth shut at Thanksgiving next year...okay?" he said tiredly. "Good night Ma, this turkey cooker is pooped."

"Night, Son. I'll talk with you tomorrow."

Thanksgiving morning found Rachel on the phone, trying to get in touch with her sleeping son. Finally, on the sixth ring, a sleepy groggy voice answered, "H'lo."

"David, wake up! Time to get the turkey in the oven," she said.

"Oh, okay Ma, I'm getting up." Rachel could hear him turning over in his bed.

"David Michael Starsky, get out of bed right now!" she said in a tone that David knew meant business.

"All right, all right! I'm going!" he said. Rachel could hear him getting out of bed and walking to the kitchen, yawning all the way.

"Okay, Ma, I'm here. What do I do?" he asked, the sleepy still in his voice.

"Wash up first, David." Sighing, she wondered if the both of them would make it through this day. "Once you have finished that, put the oven on to 325 and get the turkey out of the refrigerator."

A few minutes later, David was back on the phone, washed, oven on and the bird out of the fridge.

"Put the turkey in the brown paper bag and place in the roaster pan. Close the ends of the bag and put it in the oven. In about three hours, open the bag carefully. If the timer has popped up, it's done. If not, put him back in for a bit longer. Once done, put on the turkey top of the stove for a little while, it needs time to set and cool off."

"Um, Ma…a paper bag in the oven! Won't it catch fire?" he asked hesitantly.

"David, I have been cooking turkeys just like this for years and haven't had the first fire. Just make sure the bag doesn't touch the burners and you'll be okay," she assured her wary son.

"Well…okay, you're the cook, Ma, so into the oven he goes!"

A few hours later, Rachel called David. Both to check on the turkey and to make sure he had not gone back to sleep. Amazingly, David answered the phone wide awake! Rachel laughed at the excitement in her his voice! The turkey was done, sliced and ready for the guests. And without burning the house down!

"See son, I knew you could do this. It's not that hard. Next year, you can come home and cook the turkey here."

"It's a date Ma, you got it. Okay, gotta go. I hear Hutch, Huggy, and the Dobey gang coming up the steps. Time to feed'em all the best turkey in the world, except for yours of course."

"Have a good time son, tell everyone hello and Happy Thanksgiving for me," she said.

"Will do Ma, love you!" and the line went dead, but not before Rachel heard everyone coming into the apartment and then, Hutch yelling, "I forgot the rolls!"

The Next Day

Rachel sat in her chair, reading a book, enjoying the peace and quiet. After getting David settled with his Thanksgiving meal yesterday, she and Nick had spent the rest of the day with the Reagan clan. They had become Rachel's second family since the death of her husband. But, in her heart she still missed not spending Thanksgiving with her Davela.

Her phone rang and, she knew it was David...the one she gave thanks for daily.

"Hello son, did everything turn out okay yesterday?"

"Hey Ma, this is Dav..wait…how did you know it was me?" he asked in amazement.

"It's Friday, David. You always call on Friday. Besides, I just knew."

David didn't question that; moms did always know, didn't they?

"Yesterday, oh yeah, it was great, Ma! I'm now the new official Thanksgiving turkey cooker! Everyone loved it, couldn't get over how moist and tender it was. And, they couldn't believe I cooked the bird in a brown paper bag, till I showed'em. Hutch and Edith brought the rest of the food, which was also delicious. 'Cept, Hutch forgot the rolls! How can you forget rolls on Thanksgiving, I asked him. He just stood there like a dummy! Then, Edith suggested toast from loaf bread and the problem was solved! You moms are the best, ya can fix everything! And, the best thing is…we'll be eating leftovers for a week."

Stopping to take a breath, Starsky asked, "So, how was your Thanksgiving Ma? Did you spend it with Uncle Henry and the rest of the gang?"

"Yes, it was lovely. We had a good time and there was lots of food, too," she said, trying to hide the little bit of sadness in her voice.

"Ma," David asked quietly, "when Dad was around, remember how at Thanksgiving, we used to go around the table and share something we were thankful for?"

"Oh yes son, I do remember." Rachel said wistfully, wishing she could capture those days again.

"We did that yesterday…know what I gave thanks for Ma?"

"What son?" She asked quietly.

"Brown Paper Bags…" David said even quieter.

"What? David, I don't understand. You have wonderful friends in Bay City, Hutch is your best friend, you're are alive, you're healthy. With all this, why are you thankful for a paper bag?"

"Because, I thought of all the Thanksgiving turkeys you cooked with a brown paper bag. And, it dawned on me you weren't just cookin' a meal Ma, you were cookin' a bag full of love for us all. And yesterday, with all of us sittin' around the table, laughin' and havin' a good time, I realized that's what Thanksgiving is all about. Family, friends, laughin' and lovin'– all wrapped up in a brown paper bag."

Rachel smiled as David continued to tell her about yesterday's festivities – her heart full of love and thanks.

Story Note: The description of Starsky cooking the turkey in a brown paper bag is true. My mom cooked all her turkeys like this and I have been doing the same for over thirty years now. The bird really does cook moist and delicious! Happy Thanksgiving!