I never cared much about Thanksgiving and why would I? The picturesque scene of a big family around a big bird and big dishes of other vittles was something I never knew. My family was broken and we never tried to hide it. A lot of times during my childhood it was just mother and me and mother would try sometimes to cook a turkey dinner but it always ended up being a dried-up breast sandwich. Nobody ever said my mother was a good cook.

Though on this particular Thanksgiving, I owe a lot to her. If it wasn't for her multiple unstable relationships and crappy cooking skills, I would sulk at the fact that on this day I was alone at a Chinese restaurant for dinner. I'm not complaining about the food (my Cantonese Lobster is delicious) but I sure do miss Scout and I wish she was here. I thought about her all day and dinner time was no exception. I hoped she was having a nice day with Atticus and Jem and her aunt and uncle. If I know her she will call me tonight and tell me about it. Usually I take a long coffee break after dinner and chain smoke some cigarettes because there was no hurry for me to go anywhere but I felt it important to go home early tonight. I don't want to miss Scout's call.

"Dill?"

Sure enough the phone rang as soon as I walked into the apartment. I got schoolboy happy and practically galloped to answer the call.

"Hi, sweetheart. Did you have a good day?"

"Dill, this is going to be a long story and I hope you are ready for it."

"Oh, Jesus."

"You see," she said as she drew a nervous breath. "This isn't easy for me to say but I had a feeling I was pregnant."

"Pregnant?" I was flabbergasted already. "By me?"

"Don't be mad at me."

"Sweetheart, I'm not mad. When did you start thinking this?"

"I was due the first of this month and I never got it. I'm not usually late, Dill."

"It's the twenty-fifth," I breathed, heavily. God, I wasn't ready for this but I'm trying to keep my cool cause I am sure neither is she.

"So, we're right in the middle of dessert and I felt a rush in between my legs..."

"Oh, honey, you bled!"

"I was wearing a white dress, Dill. I got up to get another piece of pumpkin pie and Jem, who was sitting next to me, noticed it first and tried to hide it but it was all over my butt, Dill. I turned around and everyone looked at me like the sight of my blood made their brains melt."

"Sweetheart, I feel awful. Did anyone know?"

"How could they not realize that, Dill?"

"I don't mean your bleeding, I mean you thinking you were pregnant."

"No, thank God. I was going to ask Uncle Jack for a consult tomorrow morning but I never got a chance."

"At least you had a doctor in the house."

"What good was he? He was so drunk he sat back and laughed and told me he was going to start calling me "Red" from now on."

I may be going to hell but that was funny. I started howling with laughter and if I know Scout, I hope God gets me before she does.

"Shut up," she hissed into the phone. "It's not funny."

"You're right, honey. I'm sorry."

"I guess I shouldn't have told you."

"Sweetheart, it's okay. I just feel bad because I assumed you were on the pill while we were having sex."

"Well, I'm not."

"Holy shit, Scout."

"God, Aunty would have a fit if she found out I was on that."

"She would have a fit knowing you got pregnant out of wedlock, too. Then again, you were always the problem child..."

"Dill!"

I gasped at what I just said. My spirits sunk to an all time low when I heard her begin to cry over the phone. God, the last thing she needed was my dumb ass making her feel worse.

"Sweetheart, I'm so sorry. I know what happened to you was disheartening and embarrassing. Listen, when the time is right we can try again if you want to. We're still young and we still got plenty of time."

"I don't know."

"Listen, you're okay, sweetheart. I'm okay, you're okay, everything's okay. We just have to get through these next couple of days and then you can come back to New York. Everything really will be okay then."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"You know, I'm not a praying woman but it is Thanksgiving after all and I said a silent prayer and thanked God for sending you back to me."

"You melt my heart. That is the nicest thing anyone has ever said and/or done for me."

"I love you. Thank you for everything."

"I love you, too. Thank you for everything."