A/N: Hello again, everyone! I still hope to have a little bit of my mojo back, but still, writer's block, laziness, semi-depression, and anxiety can totally suck; I think I picked up some weight as well—I've said this before, and I'm totally not afraid to repeat it. Plus, my life offscreen can be a lot. Again, I'm still taking one day at a time, hoping—and praying—for the better of things as time passes.
Hope everyone had a great Halloween!
The chapter starts off on Tuesday late afternoon, November 25.
It's that time of the year again before the start of the holiday season. Thanksgiving. The same goes for the December holidays; it was a time of drinking, eating, praying, and being grateful for what one has.
Exactly what Spencer and Élise were doing with Séraphine, Isaac, and Opal said for when they decided to go to New Jersey. Leaving D.C. at nine on the dot in the morning and within stops between thirty-to-an-hour stops in Baltimore, Aberdeen, Wilmington, and Philadelphia, they managed to the Garden State by the late afternoon.
Arriving at Élise's parents' house after entering the state in twenty minutes, Spencer steered the car into her parents' driveway.
"We're here," Élise announced quietly; the kids and Opal fell asleep right when the family arrived in New Brunswick. She and Spencer gently closed the doors of the Suburban. While Spencer got their luggage, while she had the children's small luggage bag, Élise walked up the stone path to her parents' single-level house. The weather was in the mid-high 40s, and the sunset was a wave of russet orange, violet, and dark pink. She knocked on the front door, and after about ten seconds, her father answered.
"Lissy!" He had an instant goofy smile on his face and gave her a hug. "How ya doin'?"
"We're good," she answered before she turned again to see Spencer carrying Séraphine and Isaac. "Those two fell asleep on the ride."
Once Spencer got to the porch, Mr. Micha held his hands out, wanting to hold one of his grandchildren. Spencer leaned closer to his father-in-law and coaxed Isaac to his maternal grandfather.
"Hey, little man…" Mr. Micha gave Isaac a cheek kiss.
Spencer handed Séraphine to Élise while she, her father, and their children stepped into the house and got everyone else's luggage from the car. The interior looked a bit different from the last time the Bastien-Reid family were in New Jersey. The walls had a fresh coat of paint, and the wooden floors were clean like her mother had cleaned and waxed them earlier today.
Opal wiped her paws on her carpeted rug, hopped on the couch, and curled into a little ball. A door distantly opened and closed. It was Ms. Geneva who gasped at the sight of seeing her daughter and grandchildren.
"Hey," her mother opened her arms, and Élise immediately hugged her after she gave Séraphine to her father. "How's everyone?"
"Oh, we're good," Élise collapsed her body lightly on the dark linen modular couch. "These two fell asleep on the way here when we got to New Brunswick."
"Are any of you hungry?" Ms. Geneva scratched the top of her braided hair. "I got some leftover dumplings."
Élise shrugged her shoulders. "Nah, no thanks, mom. We all had something to eat in between here from D.C."
"Hello, Ms. Genny…" Ms. Geneva stretched her back just as Spencer opened the front door with his and Élise's luggage and used his long leg to kick close the door. He placed the luggage beside the door and embraced his mother-in-law. "Thanks for allowing us to come here for Thanksgiving weekend."
Élise raised her hand up. "But sadly enough, Mother, we'll have to leave on Saturday since I have to be in Atlanta on Monday, and the same week, I have to be in Cleveland."
"Just as long as you're here for the holidays, that's all that matters…"
Spencer and Élise got settled in the spare guest bedroom. Again, freshly coated painted walls and clean carpeting, but there was still that same warm and comfortable vibe. It had two queen-sized beds: one for Spencer and Élise and the other for the kids (they were still asleep). The washed linens were comfortable, the pillows were supple, and the mattresses had a good foundation.
Élise toyed around on her tablet, looking up new recipe ideas for the Thanksgiving meal on Thursday. Spencer walked out of the bathroom, already in his sweats, and perched next to Élise on the bed.
"So, what do you wanna do tomorrow and for the time being?"
Élise turned off her tablet and sighed. "Unfortunately, according to the weather, tomorrow, it'll be raining and then light snow, along with some fog, so..."
"You can't let a little rain or snow get you down." Spencer lightly nudged his wife's shoulder.
Élise shrugged her shoulders and made an agreeing face. "Well, yeah…maybe we can show Fee and Ziggy where their Mama went to school before she went on to rule the world."
"Or at least the country as its current AG," Spencer remarked her cutely.
Élise rolled her head and flapped her hand jokingly. "Already…the world of US and federal law."
Spencer chuckled to himself.
As predicted, the rain happened early morning until it was around ten, and now it was light snow. But following a quote from British writer Vivian Greene Élise received from Inspiring Quotes, "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning how to dance in the rain," she and Spencer took the children to downtown New Brunswick on College Avenue.
"That's where Mommy got most of her studying done…" Élise pointed out the Rutgers Art Library, which was next to the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum. She held Isaac's hand as she and Spencer ushered the children into the red brick and concrete Rutgers Barnes and Noble bookstore.
Spencer removed Séraphine and Isaac's raincoat hoodies and reminded them to wipe their booted feet on the semi-wet black rectangular mat. From their left to the right, there was a small section for graduation; the middle was the Barnes and Nobles, followed by the small corner with the staircase and elevator—upstairs, the elevator led up to where all the other books and bathrooms, and downstairs were where the school course materials; Élise smiled distantly; and lastly the Spirit Shop, where the apparel was being sold.
"Ooh, check this out!" Élise pulled two relaxed hats that had Future R Scarlet Knight with an R symbol in black and white lettering and bannering. She tucked it on Isaac's head and laughed. "Don't you look so cute!"
Spencer couldn't help it—he got out his cell phone and took a photo. "Sure, you two don't wanna go to Caltech, like your old man?"
"Or maybe be future Rutgers alumni, like your Mama? And in your case, Fee, also be a Douglass woman, too?" Élise raised her hand when she took a pic.
Séraphine and Isaac looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders with open arms simultaneously.
"But you two are still young, so you have plenty of time to think about what you want to do in life," Spencer took off the hats, approached the counter, took out his wallet, and paid in cash for the caps. "But I wouldn't mind if you went to Caltech or even M.I.T., daddy's rival school."
Élise tapped his shoulder playfully.
"Hey, Ziggy," Mr. Micha—he was in the living room and had Isaac on his lap—held three of his fingers up.
Isaac spat out. "Three!"
Mr. Micha held his hand out, and Isaac high-fived him. "Good boy!"
Spencer and Séraphine were in the kitchen; the latter sat at the small table, learning and helping to peel potatoes for tomorrow's Thanksgiving meal.
"How am I doing, daddy?" Séraphine used a pink vegetable peeler to strip off the potato skin into the small plastic bag placed in front of her.
Spencer gave her a thumbs-up. "You're breezing through them." The peeler she was using had a stainless steel blade, and it came with a plastic safety cover, so Spencer didn't have to worry too much about Séraphine cutting herself, not that she was anyway.
As if it was on cue, Élise appeared on the archway. "Hey, you two." She especially took notice of Séraphine's process. "Oh, look at you, little girl."
Séraphine giggled and bit down the tip of her tongue. "This is fun!"
Élise put her legs together, squatted down, and picked up the dead skins that missed the giant plastic bag between Séraphine. "Next time, you know, when she's old enough, she'll be on MasterChef Junior and cooking with Gordon Ramsey."
She unlocked the refrigerator door and saw the fresh greens and Swiss chard needed to be braised for tomorrow. Élise also glanced at the other seasonal late November vegetables for the salad; some she also wanted to roast. Élise browsed the cupboards for the rest of the ingredients for this skillet dinner rolls with the garlic-herb butter she found the other night. Top Chef Thanksgiving episodes were always great sources of inspiration.
"You excited to see your Uncle Arthur and Aunt Bea?" Élise used the broom and dustpan that was by the black Glad trash can in the kitchen corner to sweep up the last of the rinds and dump them.
"Uh-huh!" Séraphine shook her head.
Élise brushed her hands after placing the broom and pan. "They'll be making the mac & cheese, sweet potato, and pumpkin pies."
"Yummy!"
The Bastien-Reid family enjoyed the night before Thanksgiving meal: fried—plain for Opal—brown rice with chicken and mixed vegetables, and homemade ice cream.
"Mmm…" Élise clapped a hand to her forehead in tiring exasperation. She couldn't help but wonder why she felt this back-and-forth tucking on the notch collar of the Ralph Lauren Polo bear sateen pajama top—it came in a set.
"Wake up-wake up-wake up…" came a tiny yet highish child voice.
Élise moved her body towards Spencer, with his stomach on the bed, and limped his body to his right. "Mmm…"
"It turkay day…!" Another childish rang in their ears. And those same voices leaped on the bed like baby froggies and trembled the bed, making a mini earthquake. "Up-up-up!"
Spencer shot up sluggishly, the same with Élise. "Okay-okay-okay. Mommy and Daddy are up. Go to Grandma and Grandpa; see if they're making breakfast."
"Turkay day! Turkay day!" Isaac did a little dance as he and Séraphine ran out of the guest bedroom as their parents set them on the floor. Soon, Spencer and Élise stretched their limbs and back.
"Another Thanksgiving Day." Élise massaged and rolled her neck.
"Thank you, Grandma!" Isaac and Séraphine expressed their gratitude for their maternal grandmother cooking their breakfast: pumpkin spice chocolate chip muffins with cheese frittata and apple cider.
Spencer and Élise passed the living room and stepped into the kitchen/breakfast nook; her latter's parents and their kids eating at the table. "Morning, everyone!"
"Morning, Lise." Ms. Geneva began cleaning the non-stick baking and cooking pans with Dawn Dishwashing Liquid. She gestured her head to the leftover muffins and frittata she had left on a white plate next to her on the counter. "Just made them fresh."
Isaac smacked and licked his lips. "It's good…"
Spencer helped himself to one and had a big bite. "Mmm…nice."
"It's not too sweet, is it?" Ms. Geneva dried off one of the pans.
Élise soon had one. "It's good…"
"Hey, what's that…?" Isaac aimed his tiny finger at the all-clad stainless steel roasting pan where the uncooked, thawing turkey sat.
"That, Ziggy, was the turkey we'll be eating in a few hours."
Isaac made a scowl. "Ew…"
"No-no, Zig-zag," Élise ate the rest of her muffin. "We have to cook it first before we eat it; same with the fixings like the gravy, stuffing, sides, dinner rolls, and desserts, so…"
"Oh…" Isaac got it now.
Séraphine hoisted her hand up. "May I please help?"
"Of course," Ms. Geneva made an approved face. "Remember when you used to help out, Lise?"
Élise cocked her head up. "Yeah, it was more like going back and forth with getting you and Dad the ingredients from the cooler and cabinets. Plus, I was too lazy-slash-didn't…want to." She scratched the back of her neck and, at the midpoint, whispered the last sentence before her voice perked up, and she turned her attention to Spencer. "What about you, Spen?"
"Mom and I never really celebrated Thanksgiving, especially since my father wasn't around as much, but as long as we had each other, we were okay…" Spencer minced his words since the kids were still young and didn't want them asking them questions about why their paternal grandfather left him and their paternal grandmother. "I like to think of every day as Thanksgiving."
"Ew…" Séraphine grimaced and made fake retching sounds when she reached for the small bag that had the innards that were in the defrosted turkey—it was also dried off with a paper towel. She threw it into the small glass bowl just as Élise used cooking scissors to cut off the excess fat. "Nasty…"
Élise shook her head. "Believe me, it is. And remember…"
"Wash your hands," Séraphine replied as she stepped off the kiddie ladder, strode to the kitchen sink, and washed her hands with Dawn. "Anytime you touch poultry, you have to wash your hands."
"Exactly." Élise got started on the compound butter; she merged it with herbs and spices, even poultry seasoning, and made sure it was mixed thoroughly. "Your hands dried?"
"Uh-huh!"
Élise pushed the bowl with the compound butter. "Here comes the fun part: you get to spread this evenly all over the turkey."
"Yay…" Séraphine dug her hands into the butter and began pasting it around the turkey. While she did that, Élise used the last third of the compound to add it under the skin. She used the back of the wooden spoon to push it in since she didn't want the skin to break. After that was done, she placed the unused butter, two lemon halves, and garlic cloves into the cavity and tied up the legs with kitchen twine.
"Gasha!" Ms. Geneva smirked, same with Mr. Micha when they saw how Élise prepped the turkey. "Look at that."
Séraphine got the oven door for her mother and closed it when Élise placed it in the oven, completed with a high-five between mother and daughter.
As the children had their afternoon naps, Spencer and Élise volunteered for an hour at a homeless shelter—Élise made a thousand-dollar donation.
While Ms. Geneva braised the greens and Élise did the skillet dinner rolls, Spencer began working on the salad with Isaac.
"There we go…" Spencer watched Isaac scrape the minced vegetables—beets, cauliflower, kale, lettuce, mushrooms, and turnips—from the maple wood cutting board and throw them into the salad mixer. "Attacha, boy!"
Isaac chuckled. Soon, everyone in the kitchen heard a series of clicking sounds; the lock pins moved over the key ridges, and the front door opened.
"Yello!" hollered a familiar voice echoing the small house from the foyer before popping into the kitchen.
"Uncle Arthur!" Isaac jumped up and down and sprinted to his maternal uncle's arms after he placed a deep dish pan on the countertop. Behind him was Brenda, carrying two sweet-smelling pies covered in Reynolds Aluminum Foil.
"How ya doin', little man?" Arthur patted his nephew's braided hair and soon took notice of them. "Cool braids."
"Do I hear my son and his girl?" Mr. Micha, with Séraphine beside him, walked coolly into the kitchen. Once he saw Arthur, Mr. Micha drew him and Brenda in for a hug. "How ya doin'?"
"We're good…" Brenda gently laid her hand on her husband's shoulder. "We're so excited to be here."
"Same…"
About half an hour later, all families gathered around the Thanksgiving dining room table.
"Hoo!" Mr. Micha had a silly smile on his face. "Look at this!"
The oak rectangular table was coated with a wrinkle-free tablecloth that had velvet fall leave cutwork design and was detailed with woven placemats, cotton napkins, white ceramic porcelain serve ware, the just-shined flatware, glassware, and plastic cups for the kids, and the modest sunflowers, roses, and peonies centerpiece.
The homey yet comforting smell coming from the spiced oak and cinnamon candles—it wasn't too overpowering for anyone—to the feast of food, including the beautiful and majestic turkey in the middle of the table, gleamed as if the angels sang in perfect harmony. Everyone was casually but still nicely dressed up and gathered at the table.
"This table looks so pretty!" Brenda praised; she sat beside her husband.
"Thank you, Martha Stewart." Élise—she sat with Spencer—gave her shoutouts to the Queen of All Things Home and Hospitality. She tapped Séraphine's shoulders and asked the same with Isaac. "You two ready to eat?"
Séraphine bobbed her head, same with Isaac. "Uh-huh!"
Opal barked twice and panted with her tongue out.
"Before we say the prayers, how about we say what we're thankful for?" Ms. Geneva held her hand up. "I'd like to say I'm thankful for every day to be alive; that I'm thankful to spend every moment I have in this world with the people I love and am thinking about, and I love you all…"
"We love you too, ma…"
Everyone pretty much agreed, even another bark from Opal. "I'm thankful for another year together and many more to come for…"
"And food…" Isaac's comment made everyone chuckle.
Soon, hands came together for the prayer. "Thank you, God, for allowing us to spend another Thanksgiving together. We can never thank you enough for allowing us to come together as a family. Keep on protecting us, Heavenly Father. Amen."
"Amen!"