Chapter 8

"Is that all the potatoes?" Minnie asked, dropping the last one into the water that was to become mashed potatoes.

"Oop, 'scuse me," Mickey offered, pushing Minnie closer to the stove and Oswald closer to the cans of green beans he was opening on the counter behind her.

"Why didn't we do this at my place?" Oswald asked before going back to knocking green beans into the casserole dish he had.

"It was my turn to hold it," Mickey said as he found a place in front of the microwave to start working on the sweat potatoes he had in the pot in hand.

A timer started ringing out, getting Ortensia to call out, "Whose alarm is this?"

"Mine!" Amelia realized, sitting down the knife in hand as she turned around to face the oven. Grabbing the gloves that had been shoved into the handle she quickly put them on and opened the oven to fill the warm kitchen with heat and the smell of rolls. "Can you turn that off? These are done," she asked, lifting the hot sheet up to carefully take them out of the kitchen.

Ortensia ended the displeasing ringing before going back to string the pot of noodles she had on her side of the stove. She looked over at the pot behind Minnie's soon to be mashed potatoes and asked, "Min, can your stir the stew?"

Minnie grabbed the spoon set aside for that pot and stirred, making sure nothing was sticking to the bottom.

"Has anyone seen the marshmallows?" Mickey asked, looking around the kitchen as best as he could.

"Here," Andrew called out, the bag being tossed over the group into Mickey's quick hand.

"Thanks."

"How's the turkey looking?" Minnie asked, sitting down the spoon before looking at a small mouse hiding between herself and Ortensia.

"The little thing still hasn't popped up," Ferdie admitted, keeping his eyes on the bird in the bottom half of the oven.

"Can someone get the top oven down to 350?" Oswald asked as sounds of empty cans fell into the sink.

"Got it," Ortensia said, reaching over to adjust the top of the double stove.

"I've gotta get myself one of these," Minnie admitted, loud enough only Ortensia could hear.

The cat reached for a pan out of the drawer beside her and sat it on the last free burner as she said, "Having more than one stove is helpful."

Minnie let out a laugh. "Says the girl who's got four stoves as it is."

"I'm just saying," Ortensia smiled back at her friend. She looked back at her work as she measured out butter to melt in the pan she had before her. "Nothing ever needs to be cooked at the same temperature."

"True," Minnie added.

"Mickey, where do you want me to put the cooking sheets for now?" Amelia asked, coming back from depositing the rolls into their baskets already on the table.

"Um," Mickey started, unsure. "Sink's probably best."

Amelia carefully weaved her way through the bodies at work, leaning over beside Ortensia to shove the gloves back into the stove's handle.

Another alarm ran out, coming from a digital timer sat on top of the fridge. Andrew, the closest to the device, called out, "Who's this time?"

"Your's!" Amelia called out, looking towards the mouse and fridge. "It's that thing in the fridge, it should be done now."

"Oh perfect!" Andrew said, quickly reaching up to stop the alarm.

"Thing?" Minnie asked over her shoulder at the mouse at the sink behind her.

"You remember those jello salads?" Amelia asked, turning around so she faced Minnie's back as the younger mouse checked her potatoes.

"He made one of those?" Minnie asked, surprised.

"You've lost me," Ortensia admitted.

"Right, they started becoming a thing in the 50s and became weird in the 80s," Minnie said, realizing her friend wasn't around for those times. "Think jello but savory instead of sweet."

Ortensia pulled a face as she looked at Minnie before turning to look at Amelia. "I'm…" she paused a moment before finding the word she wanted, "interested?"

"He only made one," Amelia said as the stove made a double beep. "I wouldn't let him make more than that."

"Excuse me," Oswald called out as he turned around with a large casserole in hand. "Mick, that one needs to be ready too."

"Just putting on the last of the toppings," Mickey called out.

Amelia quickly stepped back as Ortensia and Minnie were forced to split to let the brothers get to the top stove.

"Andrew, can you get me the shredded cheese out of the fridge," Ortensia called out to the tall mouse in the farthest reses of the kitchen. She watched him open the door and look in before adding, "It's two big bags, by the milk."

"Found them!" Andrew called out.

"How long is yours for?" Oswald asked, making sure the two large casseroles could fit together.

"Twenty-five minutes," Mickey said, sidestepping closer to Minnie as Oswald stepped closer to his wife.

"Perfect," Oswald said, watching Mickey cram the pan in the space left. He reached around Ortensia to start the alarm that had already been used as Mickey closed the door.

"Unca Mickey, I need more forks!" Morty called out as he stuck his head into the kitchen.

"Coming," Mickey replied. He wiped his hands on a towel shoved into a drawer by the door before following the young mouse towards the dining room. "Did you use all the ones in the bottom drawer?" he asked, making sure.

"Both that and the drawer in the kitchen," Morty said with a nod.

"I should have one more bag of them," Mickey started, trying to remember where the old set had been stored. He stepped over to the china cabinet, careful of the chairs squashed into the room, and opened a door at the bottom. Pulling out a few old boxes, their labels faded and mostly unreadable, he found the bag he was looking for. "Here you go. Do you think this will be enough to finish?"

Morty took the bag in both hands and said, "Man, these are heavy!"

"They're the old set," Mickey admitted as he put the boxes back. "If that's not enough than we'll have to ask Ortensia to borrow some of hers."

"This should be enough," Morty said, taking the bag towards the end of the table line that was no longer in the room.

Mickey closed the door and rose back to his feet, taking in the mishmash of tables lined up with the proper dining room table at the head. For the most part every seat, be it chair, ball, stool, or books with a cushion, now had a plate, napkin, cup, and silverware. Salt and pepper shakers of every kind stood at their post every few chairs, traded out with a basket of rolls that all were covered with a fabric napkin to keep warm until dinner. Remembering he needed to pull out the butter soon, Mickey started on his way back to the kitchen as the doorbell rang. "I've got it!" Mickey called out towards the kitchen as he changed his path to the front door. "I thought I told Mr. Whiskers he could just walk in," Mickey mumbled to himself as he grabbed hold of the door handle. Pulling the door open, Mickey found himself lost for words at the two mice that stood on his doorstep.

A tall man with a graying beard and mustache stood next to a blonde girl of about Mickey's age. "Well, I'll be, Cousin Mickey!" the older mouse called out with a grin visible through his facial hair.

"Cousin Moocher! Cousin Madeline!" Mickey said, his eyes wide.

"We came for Thanksgiving Dinner," Moocher announced.

"Tell me right now if we're imposing," Madeline said quickly, holding out her hands. She threw a thumb at Moocher and added, "I didn't want to come uninvited, but somebody has to stand up and control him."

"No!" Mickey let out a laugh as he stepped back to stand out of the doorway as he motioned them in. "No, come on in."

"Smells delicious," Moocher said, removing his worn out straw hat as he stepped past the threshold.

"How… why?" Mickey started, trying to figure out what to ask first.

"Well, you see," Moocher started as he took a seat on the sofa. "Last month I started calling around to ask people who I could join in on their thanksgiving dinner. Everyone's families are so big now, no one's got time for ol' Cousin Moocher anymore it seems. But when I got to your sister, she said you were holding a big family one this year."

"That's when Amelia called me up," Madeline interjected as she stayed on her feet beside Mickey at the door. "She was worried he'd be too much for you and asked if I could chaperon."

"No, this is great," Mickey said with a smile. He quickly gave the girl a hug before releasing her and adding, "I've been wanting to get everyone back together again, it's been so long."

"Did you ever think of just a family reunion?" Madeline asked as she took a seat on the recliner.

"Well first I'd need to find everyone again," Mickey pointed out. He heard a snore from Moocher only to glance over and see the man already asleep with his hat over his stomach. He sat on the edge of the sofa closest to Madeline and asked, "I mean, last I knew you were dating some New Yorker."

"Married, actually," Madeline admitted with a smile as she held up her left hand to show a ring.

"Congrats," Mickey said, a large smile pulling at his face.

She gave him a smile before dropping it to her lap as she added, "I would normally be with his family right now but I have work tomorrow morning and don't want to deal with a red-eye flight back."

"So you're living over here right now?" Mickey asked.

"Yes, and still in those circles you never found conferrable," Madeline said as she laughed. Her smile fell as she added, "Maybe that's why you never came."

"To what?" Mickey asked, confused about the change of mood.

"For years I've gotten my boss to send you an invitation to the Jade Ball," Madeline admitted. "It's the most sought after affair Miss Jade throws, but you never showed up."

"I didn't know you were with that," Mickey admitted. "Minnie almost got us to go one year but something had come up."

"Maybe this next year," Madeline said with a smile.

"Well, now that I know you're behind it," Mickey said, returning the smile.

"Who was it?" Minnie's voice called out before the mouse walked out of the kitchen. She froze at the sight of the two, her hands tangled in her apron as she was trying to wipe them clean. A smile slowly pulled at her face as she said, "Madeline, it's so good to see you again."

"And you Minnie," Madeline offered as she stood up. The two hugged for a moment before breaking apart.

Minnie turned to look at the sleeping mouse and asked, "And is this Moocher?"

"Right, I don't think you've ever met him," Mickey realized. The man let out a snore, getting a laugh out of Mickey. "You're seeing him at his best."

"At least he took his hat off," Minnie retorted.

"Minnie! Your potatoes are ready!" Oswald called out before he appeared out of the kitchen. He stopped just out of the door, uncertain who the two mice were.

"Oh, thank you!" Minnie turned on her heal before hurrying back into the kitchen.

"Do you want my help?" Madeline offered to her retreating form.

Minnie's voice came from the kitchen, the words intelligible.

Oswald shoved his hand in his pocket as he threw his other thumb over his shoulder and said, "She says she's got it. There's too many people in there as it is."

"You must be Oswald," Madeline offered as she walked over to the rabbit. She held out her hand for a shake as she said, "I'm Mickey's cousin, er well, I guess your cousin too, Madeline."

Oswald took the business-like handshake as he gave her a smile. "Nice to meet you."

Mickey got to his feet and walked over to the two. Looking at Madeline he said, "You know, you could've just called and asked if you two could join our thanksgiving."

"You know how hard it is to get your phone number," Madeline said with a laugh. "I can't just ask little Mildred the operator to connect us anymore. You never gave out your number after that."

Oswald let out a laugh, taking his hand out of his pocket to lay on Mickey's shoulder. "Well that explains a lot!" Oswald said, looking at his brother's dumb found expression.