CHAPTER 7:
Meanwhile at Aubrey and Chad's house, they just finished carving the turkey.
"You sure we have enough turkey for everyone?" Chad asked.
"Need I remind you how much leftovers we have every year." Aubrey reminded him.
"Okay, fair point. I was just saying that when Stacie called and asked to join us for dinner, it was after we bought our turkey." Chad said.
"Either way, she's one of us. So she's always welcome in our home." Aubrey said.
"Same goes for the rest of the Bellas and their families." Chad added.
"Exactly!" Aubrey said as she and Chad grabbed the two turkey platters and brought them out to the dining room table.
"Alright, everyone. The turkey is carved and served. Dig in!" Chad said as he and Aubrey placed the platters on the table.
"This year, I'd like to propose a toast to our first Thanksgiving since Chad's father retired from the Air Force." Aubrey said.
"Welcome home, Dad." Chad said as everyone toasted.
"And I personally want to thank Aubrey and Chad for hosting dinner for us while my leg is still healing." Stacie said.
"How's the recovery coming along?" Aubrey asked.
"The doctor said I still have three weeks to go before I'm fully recovered. I just hope I don't fall flat on my face during the ceremony on Saturday." Stacie explained.
"I'm still sorry, Mommy." Bella said.
"It's okay, honey. I know you didn't do it on purpose." Stacie said.
"And think of it this way, Bella, you've done really well helping me out with the chores around the house." Kyle added.
"We're both very proud of you, sweetie." Stacie said, prompting a smile from Bella.
"Yeah, you're becoming a big girl." Kim added.
"So, Mark, what made you decide to retire?" Mike asked.
"Well, as much as I enjoyed serving in the Air Force for the last eight years, I missed my family." Mark explained.
"That sort of sums up my reason for why I retired from the Army." Mike said.
"Not only that, but the reason Chad's mother and I moved to Jersey City after my retirement was so she and I could see you guys more often." Mark added.
"Well, we're all grateful to have you both home. Especially Finn." Aubrey said.
"It'll be good to have you both close by. And I'm sure Finn would love having a grandparent close to home." Chad added.
Later that evening, back at Beca, Chloe, and Amy's apartment, Chloe called Emily.
"Hey, Chloe." Emily said, answering.
"Hey, Emily. I need a favor from you." Chloe said.
"Sure, what's up?" Emily asked.
"It turns out that Beca's friend Sarah has a son with autism." Chloe said.
"Really?" Emily asked.
"Yeah. His name is Calvin. According to what Sarah said, her son is six years old and he's nonverbal. Anyway, I was wondering if you could talk to Garrett about possibly being a role model for Calvin." Chloe recapped.
"Sure. I'll talk to him about it tomorrow. Right now, Benji and I are about to go to bed. We've got plans for some early morning Black Friday shopping tomorrow." Emily said.
"Great. Just let me know what he says either way." Chloe said.
"Will do. Later." Emily said, hanging up before going to bed.