Shot in the Dark

“Smile!” Mindy grinned across the table, holding my phone up in front of her. My hair fell in my face after she took the picture and she handed the phone back to me. Nate pulled my hand down to see it and we both laughed a little.

The only hunk in town, was the caption and I posted it, locking my phone and pushing it under my leg in the chair I was sat in.

We were all out for breakfast Thanksgiving Day and it was fairly warm so we sat outside in the sun. I was sat in between Brian and Nate while Gabby was on the other side of her son. Mindy, Jasper, Leah and Connor were across from us. We all got here around ten or so and this was probably the only time we could fit in. Some of us were going out to lunch with other friends or heading off to do something else for the day until dinner.

Brian sighed, setting his phone down and rubbing his face. “Has anyone talked to Craig lately?”

Everyone shook his or her heads except me. “I have.”

“Really? When?” He looked over at me.

I glanced at Leah to jog my memory. “I texted him the day before Leah and I came back, just asking how he was and stuff. He texted me Monday and said he was liking New York.”

“He’s not answering my calls,” he sighed again. I handed him my phone and engaged in the conversation that we started while he got up to talk to his brother.

Nate patted my leg, smiling up at me and making a silly face. I laughed and brushed his hair as he ate his food. He started asking me a bunch of questions and I smiled when he asked when he’d be coming over again and then he looked at me excitedly. “Can I sleepover, Aunty?”

I giggled and shrugged. “Why don’t you ask mommy first and we’ll make plans?”

His head jerked toward Gabby and he tugged on her shirt, calling her name in his cute innocent voice. I continued to eat what was on my plate in front of me and grinned when I heard Mindy talking about the onesie I got her from Disney. She loved it.

“Mommy said yes!” Nate threw up his arms enthusiastically and Gabby scolded him for waving the fork around. I laughed and we talked while he ate. She said he could spend the weekend at my house and that she’d call me later to talk more about it. I high-fived Nate and looked over at Brian when he sat back down and handed me my phone.

He was a little upset that Craig just answered for me, but Brian didn’t talk much about his phone call. He went back to eating and I frowned slightly at his mood. I get that he was upset because his brother wasn’t really talking to anyone except me, but we don’t know what he’s doing up in New York. He could be really busy– maybe he found someone and was spending a little alone time with them. If that was the case, then good and if it wasn’t, well then that sucks. Craig could’ve just wanted some space from his family. Maybe he just got tired of everything. I wanted him to be spending Thanksgiving here– with his family, but we don’t always get what we want.

Mindy hugged me around my waist, careful of her stomach, but it hadn’t gotten that much bigger. I kissed Jasper’s cheek before they walked off toward their car. I bent down and kissed Nate’s forehead, hugging Gabby and telling both of them that I’d see them tomorrow. Leah squeezed my waist before getting in the car with Connor and driving off.

I did a few errands for the day and bought some last minute things from the store, but it was just tissues and toilet paper. The car ride home was quiet and I walked inside, setting my bag down on the counter and putting the toilet paper under the sink in both bathrooms. My body fell on the couch with the latest book I was reading and that was Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola. It was pretty good so far for just being two chapters in. I started it last night.

Eventually I set it down on the table and pulled my phone out of the pocket of my cardigan and scrolled through it. Mindy posted a bunch of pictures from this morning, one of Jasper and her with a caption that expressed how thankful she was for her husband and how excited she was to welcome their baby boy into the world. She also posted a picture of us at the bar on my first week and her paragraph, along with Leah’s, made me cry. They just said how grateful they were for a great friend like me and said that they were happy to have me in their lives. It was a lot more heartfelt than that, but that was the main context of it.

I also posted one with everyone from this morning and wrote a smaller paragraph. I couldn’t really find the right words to explain how I felt, but I loved all of them.

Gabby called me around two and said she’d drop off Nate around noon or so tomorrow. I was excited to have him over and spend more time with the little cutie. While lying on the couch, I started thinking of what we could do for the weekend and how fun I could make it.

John had been texting me too lately, just letting me know when he’d pick me up to take me to his parents’. Apparently his whole family was going to be there and I was a little nervous for it all to go down. The only thing that was getting to me was if his parents would like me or not. If his mom was that excited to meet me, then she had to like me, right? I really hope that was the case and I wouldn’t be in a bad mood on my very first Thanksgiving. Having another anxiety attack was not on my list today– or any other day.

My feet padded down the hallway around four and I laid out my dinner outfit on my bed. The shower was on and I ran around my room before going in and washing myself. I put on my underwear first and was doing my makeup when the doorbell rang. What! I poked my head out my door, covering from my neck down with the wall. “Door’s open!” I called and waited for whoever it was to show me their face. “What are you doing here so early?” I asked, staring at John while my back cramped.

He laughed and stepped a little down the hall in his black shoes. He was wearing a freshly ironed dress shirt with gray slacks and his hair was untouched. “I got bored sitting at my parents’, so my mom told me to come here.”

I shooed him away and went back to putting on my makeup. Only mascara and eyeliner were on my face since I didn’t see the need for anything else. I blow-dried my hair and went into my room to pull on my polka-dot tights, blue skirt and black sweater. My ankle boots covered my feet and I slipped on my rings, pulling them onto my small fingers. I couldn’t decide if I wanted a necklace or not, but I put it around my neck anyways.

John sat in the armchair, one ankle on his leg while rubbing his stubble coming in on his chin. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a glass, filling it with tap water while leaning my back against the counter and watching whatever he put on the TV.

“How was breakfast?” John asked curiously when I sat down on the couch.

“Pretty good,” I shrugged, searching through my bag. We still had about thirty minutes before people would start heading over to his parents’. “How was yours?”

“Same as every year.” I glared at him, waiting until he looked over at me. “What?”

“Be grateful for what you have, jerk.”

He scoffed unknowingly. “I am grateful for what I have.” I looked back down in my bag with a smile and heard him laugh quietly.

We left a few minutes later and the butterflies erupted in my stomach when we arrived. His whole family was there; parents, brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. I greeted everyone when he introduced me and the only person that asked if I was his girlfriend was his grandmother. She was so sweet about it though that I only blushed a little. John piped up and stunned me with his response even if it was a whisper.

“I’m working on it, gran,” he said into her ear then kissed her cheek. She just giggled and smiled at me, squeezing my hand. I stared down at my boots with a giant grin on my face.

I asked his mom is she needed help in the kitchen, but once she said no thank you, I stayed away until I helped clean up. Dinner was delicious, probably the best damn turkey I had. Once everyone was finished eating and they sat back with bloating stomachs, John’s grandfather at the head of the large table started us off with his “I’m thankful for…” speech. It went around the table, everyone’s eyes pointed at the person speaking. I grew nervous as it continued and John took my hand under the table. He smiled over at me when I looked up at him from our clasped hands and then it was his turn after his youngest brother.

“I’m thankful for life and the people I have that make Arizona a home.” He glanced down the table at his parents and his mom grinned, taking his dad’s hand into hers.

Everyone’s eyes went on me and I swallowed hard. John squeezing my hand reassuringly made me feel better. He probably knew how nervous I was. “Um. I’m thankful to be alive mostly,” I laughed a little. “And to be surrounded by people that are genuine. I’m thankful for everyone at this table tonight as well,” I nodded with a proud smile, satisfied with my small speech. John squeezed my hand again and his mom suddenly got up and walked toward me with a sad smile. She had me stand up and she gave me a tight hug. John must’ve told her everything about me.

The speeches were now done and people were waiting on dessert. I helped carry in the leftovers on the table and John’s mom thanked me when I set the plates down on the counter beside the sink. She had me carry out the dessert to the table and I went back inside, asking her if she needed me to do anything else.

“That’s about it,” she smiled, wiping her hands on the dishtowel. I nodded and turned to go back outside, but she stopped me and walked over to take my hands. “Your words were kind tonight. Thank you.”

“Thank you, Mrs. O’Callaghan.”

“Oh, call me Jenny, Andrea. You’re welcome here anytime and I just wanted to thank you for all that you’ve done. John is very fond of you and you make him happy. Thank you.” She smiled at me and I returned it, hugging her loosely when she put her arms around me.

I went back out to the large table and sat beside John, smiling over at him when he put his arm over the back of my chair. “What’d she say to you,” he glanced over at his mom walking out and I smirked.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Andy,” he groaned, putting his arm around me and kissing my head quickly.

I laughed and we ate dessert quietly. He thought it’d be funny to pretend we were bad-mouthing his little brother and I smiled amusedly. John earned a punch to the arm and he flinched with a laugh.

We ate the rest of our dessert and soon enough, people were leaving. I hugged some of them as they went and John said he wanted to go to the offices where most of his friends would be, so I nodded in agreement. I thanked Jenny for having me and she reminded me that I was welcome any time– the same with his dad. He kissed my cheek before John and I walked down to his car. As he was driving, a moment from earlier sparked in my brain and I turned my body toward him with an interested smile.

“What?” He laughed when he glanced at me under the streetlights.

“What did you mean by ‘I’m working on it’,” I quoted him with my fingers in the air.

Apparently, he didn’t know what I was talking about. “When did I say that?”

“Oh, come on.” I swatted at his arm when he stopped at the red light. “You said that when your grandmother asked if I was your girlfriend.”

“You weren’t supposed to hear that,” he smiled.

“Tell me.”

“It’s exactly what it means,” he shrugged, smile still on his lips.

“You like me.” I sang happily while poking his arm.

“I just took you to meet my entire family, of course I do.”

I blushed, but played it off. “Aw, you admitted it.”

He nudged my shoulder, making me laugh and look straight ahead at the road. His hand swooped mine up again and it stayed like that until we got to the 8123 offices.

I was eager to see everyone and hear about his or her dinners and stuff, but when we got inside I wasn’t expecting what I saw– actually who I saw.

Eric stood there with a beer in his hand, under the words “Eighty One Twenty Three,” and he looked over when John and I came in. “Andrea!” He cheered, opening his arms wide and I couldn’t believe he was here. He literally left like yesterday.

He joked and said that he only came back to see me and not his family for Thanksgiving. Eric planned on staying for the weekend, having got here this morning to see his family with Alyssa. I hugged her when I found her in another room of the small building. She was just the same, blonde hair shorter than the last time I saw her. I could see Eric and John talking to each other a few feet away from us. Eric cheered and clapped hands with John then tapped their beers together.

My first Thanksgiving went pretty well. Hopefully next year will be just as great and I’ll get to spend it with the same people.