Happy turkey day friends!
The next morning, I wake up to the sound of my alarm, which causes Linka to groan.
"Why did you set the alarm?" She complains. "We are on vacation. No alarms and no waking up early on vacation!"
"Get dressed!" I say as I throw the covers off us. "We're gonna miss the parade!"
She turns her back to me and pulls the covers back over top of herself.
"I have seen it before…you make us watch it every year. Come back to bed and keep me warm!"
"Put some clothes on and you'll get warm!" I say as I pull the covers back once again and throw one of my hoodies at her. "You're gonna need this."
"Will you stop it!" she barks as she pulls the covers back up over her shoulders.
Once I finish getting dressed, I sneak up behind her, begin placing kisses behind her ear, and down her neck as I slowly pull the sheet down off her shoulders and continue trailing kisses between her shoulder blades and across her ribs. I put my hand on her hip and pull at her to roll her over onto her back so I can carry on with my kissing journey, brushing my lips over her stomach. She laces her fingers through my hair and gently tugs until I look up at her.
"That tickles and scratches…you need to shave!" she says.
I lay my cheek on her stomach and rubbed my stubbly cheek against it, causing her to giggle.
"STOP IT!" she squeals as holds my head in her hands to keep it from moving against her.
"I. Will. Shave. While. You. Get. Dressed," I say as I nip at her skin and follow a path from her stomach, up her torso, and to her lips.
"Get dressed? How about you get UN-dressed…?" she says as she runs her hands under my hoodie and begins pulling it up.
I can't believe I'm about to do this…
"Seriously Linka…we gotta go."
"Go where? Are we leaving for your Aunt and Uncle's place already?"
"Noooooooo, the parade."
"FINE!" she sighs as she puts her hands on my chest and shoves me away so she can stand up. "Go shave, I will get dressed and I will meet you on the couch so we can watch Bart Simpson, Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and Wonder Dog balloons and hope that a strong gust of wind comes and knocks them into a lamp post or traffic signal so they pop! Just like you do every year!" She is rummaging through her bag and pulls out a clean set of undergarments and jeans and begins dressing.
"Uhh, it's Under Dog, not Wonder Dog, actually…"
"WHATEVER!" she angrily huffs as she pulls the hoodie I tossed to her earlier over her head.
"And we're not watching it on TV, we are GOING to the parade. We talked about this last night, remember?" I remind her.
"No we did not."
"Yeah, we did. Right after dinner."
"Oh."
"Oh…what?"
"Oh that explains why I have no idea what you are talking about, that's what! I was with your mother talking and…never mind."
"No, no 'never mind'…talking and WHAT?!" Now I'm nervous. It's never good when the mother and the girlfriend go off and have a chat!
"She was showing me pictures."
"Pictures?" Oh crap.
"Of you when you were younger!"
"Aww man!"
"What's wrong? You were adorable! But thank goodness you got braces when you were 12!" She erupts into laughter as she ruffles my hair.
"Yeah, yeah…so now you know the truth…I wasn't always this handsome!"
"Well thank goodness for orthodontics…Bugs."
"Bugs?"
"As in Bugs Bunny!" she says as she sticks her teeth out over her bottom lip.
"Oh, very funny! Real nice Linka…makin' fun of kids with slight overbites." I kiss her to make her stop making that stupid face at me. But she pulls away to continue insulting me.
"Slight overbite?! HA!"
"Shut up and finish getting ready!" I say as I playfully smack her backside.
"HEY!" she shrieks as she hits me back. "Where are you going?"
"To shave and then have a little talk with my mother!"
"Good idea…ask her if she has those copies I wanted of the pictures we discussed," she teases…at least, I hope she's only joking.
When I walk out into the living room after shaving, everyone is there waiting.
"Well, look who it is… 'Mr. We Have To Be Out Of Here By 7:00 If We Want A Good Spot.'" Gi says sarcastically.
"Don't blame me! I had the alarm set and was up and ready to go, but LINKA wouldn't get out of bed," I defend myself.
"So you ended up not having to resort to cuddling with a stuffed animal after all?" My dad jokes as he comes out of the kitchen with a cup of coffee.
He's the last person in the world who should be teasing me about needing a stuffed animal for security…he was the reason I never felt safe. But I let it slide.
"No, I guess she couldn't keep away from me."
"But it is not like Linka to be late…" Ma-Ti says.
"Unless she was up late…for some reason," Kwame jokes.
"Noooooo, well…yeah…I mean no…Umm…Never mind. The reason she wasn't ready to wake up so early was because she didn't know we were planning on going to the parade because she was with you, Ma!"
"Oh yes, I was just showing her some old family photos."
"Why would you do that Ma!? It's embarrassing!"
"Oh sweetie, it's what mother's do. We like to show off our babies. And she thought you were adorable," she says.
"But I'm not a baby! Showing my girlfriend pictures of me as a baby...and a dorky kid…Geez, were their naked baby pictures?"
"What's wrong boy? It's nothing she hasn't seen right?" My dad says as everyone laughs. "Hopefully it's a little bigger now!" And now everyone is roaring with laughter.
The laugher dies down as everyone's gazes are focused behind me.
"What is going on out here?" Linka asks.
"Oh, just my dad being a wise guy at my expense."
"Aww, sorry that I missed it!" she says.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Grab a bagel for the road and let's go! We're late!" I say as I grab her hand and pull her towards the door and hold it open for everyone as they file out.
"Wheeler! Stop being rude! I did not even get to say good morning to your parents!"
"Well, there they are…make it quick!" I say.
"Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler, how are you?"
"Good dear, and yourself?" my mom says.
"I am fine…a little tired from getting up earlier than I expected," she says as she glares at me.
"Did you sleep ok?" my dad asks her, but winks at the other Planeteers as they snicker.
"Da, I slept fine."
"Are you looking forward to dinner?"
"Da! I know that the Thanksgivings that we had for Wheeler on Hope Island are nothing compared to what a real Thanksgiving dinner must be like. And I am excited to meet more of your family and to see little Joey again!"
"Oh yes, that's right. You all have met Joey before. But he's not so little anymore! I swear, he's grown a foot since the last time I saw him!" Ma says.
"Can we GO NOW?!" I implore.
We are too late. There is no room to stand, people are jammed down the allies.
"Great. We shoulda just stayed home and watched it on TV," I say.
"Da, no kidding. Then we could have stayed in bed!"
"Geez Linka! You're always the first one up and out of bed," I argue. "Now the ONE DAY I was up and ready to be somewhere on time, you gimme hell for it!"
"WE ARE ON VACATION! I like to stay in bed longer when I know I am free to relax!"
"Yeah well, if we'd have stayed in bed all day, I'm pretty sure my dad would have came in with a freakin' video camera!"
Everyone except Linka laughs.
"What?"
"Forget it. We might as well go back home…we're not gonna see jack from here," I say.
"Hey, that is Dan's hotel across the street, is it not?" Linka asks.
"Yeah. Why? You wanna go say hi?"
"Da…and maybe we can go to the roof…"
"Ooooooh! Yeah! Good thinkin' Babe-ushka! You're a genius!"
Sure enough, Dan was working the front desk.
"Happy Thanksgiving ya big turkey!" I say.
Dan looks up from the computer and is shocked to see us.
"Well, if it ain't Joe and Marilyn! Sorry, but your room is currently occupied!"
"Actually, we were hopin' for a view of the parade from the roof. I wanted to get here early and get a street side view, but Linka here just wanted to stay in bed and cuddle all day."
"WHEELER, SHUT UP!!!"
"Sounds like she's got a different version of that story! But you guys can go ahead up. Trish and Val are up there with a few others already. My shift ends in an hour so I'll be up then."
"Oh man, where are my manners! Dan, this is Kwame, Gi, and Ma-Ti, the other Planeteers."
"Yeah, I figured as much. Nice to meet you guys."
"You too," the others say as they all take turns shaking his hand.
"Make yourselves at home up there. Wheeler and Linka know their way around! They can give you the tour!" Dan says.
When we get to the roof, I look for Trish and Val. Linka spots them first.
"Oh my God! What are you guys doing here?!" Trish exclaims.
"I brought everyone home for a traditional Wheeler family Thanksgiving dinner. Then I thought it'd be cool if we watched the parade in person. We sure are getting alot of use out of this roof aren't we?" I ask.
"Yeah, seriously. I'm glad my best friend is dating the hotel manager! There's alot of perks that go along with it!" Trish says.
"He's a manager now?!" I ask.
"Yeah, he just found out a few weeks ago they were promoting him!" Valerie says.
"That is great news. Good for him," Linka adds.
"Can I interest you guys in a Thanksgiving beverage? A little Wild Turkey?" Trish says as she holds up the bottle of Bourbon.
"Jesus Trish! It's 8 in the morning!" I yell.
"It's a holiday!"
After I introduce Trish and Val to the other Planeteers, we chat and make small talk while we wait for Dan to get there and for the parade to start. They have a TV set up so we can see what is going on at the sections of the parade that are taking place elsewhere. It's gonna be a while before things make their way to Times Square.
Three hours later, the parade is over and there were no major incidents with the balloons…which is good I guess, as funny as it is when a balloon runs into a lamp post, it can be dangerous for spectators.
"Well, I guess we should get going. We gotta go back to my parents' place and pick them up. Then take them for their first ride in the Geo Cruiser up to White Plains."
"Ah, dinner at Uncle Donnie and Aunt Julie's! So much fun. You guys will love it there. Everyone is so friendly and will make you feel right at home," Trish recalls.
Great. I could have done without the reminder that she and I used to be together…for Linka's sake. I'm sure she was nervous enough as it is, but now she knows that the whole family loved Trish, not just my cousins. No pressure.
"Hey, tell Kate and Kristen I said hi, will ya?" Trish asks.
"Yeah sure. You should give 'em a call sometime. I'm sure they'd love to hear from you."
"You're ok with that?"
"Hell yeah. Why wouldn't I be? You guys were friends."
"Yeah, but after we broke up, I figured you wouldn't want me hanging around with your family. And I didn't think they'd chose me over you," Trish says.
"It's not about choosing sides."
"Ok. Well if it's cool with you, maybe I will give 'em a call. See if they wanna come down and go clubbin' sometime."
"I'm sure they'd like that. Dan, Val, nice seeing you. You all have a nice Thanksgiving…and don't eat anything that I wouldn't!" I say.
We pick up my parents and are on our way to White Plains. I notice that Linka has been quiet for a while.
"Something wrong Babe?"
"Nyet."
"Are you tired? You can nap."
"I am not tired."
"Something's bothering you though," I persist.
"I guess I am a little nervous."
"You've already survived the hard part…my parents. Plus, Joey already loves you. He's already told everyone how great you are and how he always knew we'd end up together, and how I'd be an idiot if I didn't do everything possible to go out with you…I think I may have to keep an eye on Joey incase he tries to steal my girl!"
"But if they all liked Trish…what if they expect me to be like her? And I am nothing like her!"
"That's a good thing Babe! Trust me! They liked her, but they always thought she was a little too wild," I say.
"I am not as talkative or outgoing as her…"
"They will love you because I love you," I say as I put my arm around her and place a kiss on her temple. "You don't need to be like Trish. Just be yourself. They'll accept you. They just want me to be happy and you make me happier than anyone else ever has."
"Thank you Yankee."
"No, thank you for making me happy."
"Nyet, thank you for making me feel more comfortable."
"You're welcome…Uhh, there is something I should warn you about though…"
"Please do not tell me your family hates Russians!" she whines.
"No, of course not…I don't think so anyways…but it's about my cousins, Joey's sister Kate, and my other cousin Kristen…The three of us were always close growing up. They were like my little sisters. I'm a year older than Kristen and Kate is a few months younger than her."
"That must have been nice for you to have them, since you had no siblings."
"Yeah, it was nice when Joey came along so I had another boy, but he's alot younger than the rest of us, but it was still nice to have a 'little brother' to teach sports to and be a buddy to. As the oldest, I was always protective of all of them, scaring their boyfriends and letting them know that they better treat my cousins with respect…and I guess the girls felt the need to always look out for me…which is why they've always given my girlfriends a hard time."
I give it some time to sink in and let her process what that could mean for her.
"But they were friends with Trish?" she asks.
"Yeah. Which kinda gives me hope for you…I'm hoping they grew out of that 'over protective' phase."
"Do you still hate their boyfriends?"
"Yeah."
"Then there is no hope for me!"
"Yeah, but guys are pigs. That's why I'll always hate their boyfriends," I explain.
"Well, I am going to let you in on a little secret. Girls are…for lack of a better term…bitches. We do not like or trust other girls until we get to know them…you know why? Because just like you know how boys are, we know how girls are. We are mean, we are moody, we are two faced, and we hurt people's feelings on purpose just to make ourselves feel better about our own insecurities…"
"Yeah, but not all girls are like that…"
"Yes we are," she says.
"You're not."
"I am not? Really? Lucky for me how quickly you forget. All those years I was mean to you and said horrible things to push you away…I am lucky you did not give up."
"Oh. Well that doesn't count. I mean, I never considered you to be a 'bitch.'"
"Why not? I did!"
"I don't know…guess I was just blinded by love," I croon.
"Oh, is that so?"
"Absolutely!" I say as I lean in for a kiss. Then I get the feeling we're being watched. Sure enough, when I look up, my mom is looking at us and smiling from ear to ear.
"So what should I do? Avoid your cousins or try to win them over?" Linka asks.
"I don't know…I'll let you know when we get there…I'll kinda feel them out and get a sense of what sort of mood they are in."
"Ok, now I am definitely nervous all over again!"
"Sorry," I say as I pull her closer against my side. "Don't worry. I'll never leave your side until you're ready to ditch me and go look at all the baby pictures my Gram has of me!"
"Oooh, NOW I'm excited!"
To Be Continued...I'm gonna go eat now! More later on tonight once my family leaves...hopefully. It's a small crowd this year.