Traditions

The familiar smell of baking turkey and stuffing filled the house, causing mouths to water and bellies to rumble. Jack looked to his bedroom door as he heard the crashing and clanging of pots and pans as his mother and new step-father got dinner ready. Soon a whole new family would fill up this new house, in this new state. He hated the thought of it. This would be the first time in 14 years that he wouldn’t see his dad’s family. 

He threw his socks at the wall and they fell into the hamper. “I can’t believe she is doing this to me.” Jack collapsed on the bed, arms crossed, and sighed. He looked out the window at the falling snow and thought of his old home in Arizona. Uncle Tim was probably playing some football with the cousins today, and he would miss out on that fact. His Thanksgiving tradition. The day he felt closest to his dad was now going to be filled with a bunch of strangers.

He got up and opened his closet, pulling out the box that was there. He started digging through old photos, the tears streaming down his face. Here was the photo of when his dad took him to the Rockies and they spent the week hiking. Here was them on the beach, swimming in the Gulf. His fingers brushed against his dad's ring. The etching on it was still barely visible, ‘Till death do us part’. The tears came down heavier now, splashing against the photos like tiny raindrops. He heard the stairs squeak and with a sniff stuffed the box back into the closet, ring still clutched in hand.

Randy peeked around the corner of the bedroom door, gently knocking. “You ok in here? I thought I heard somethi…” He stopped when he saw the young man, back against his closet door. The tracks the tears made standing out against the puffy red skin. “Hey Jack, sorry about that. Your mom just wanted me to tell you to come to get a snack since it’s going to be a while before dinner is ready. You OK?”

“Yea, I’m fine.”

“Ok, I know this is hard for you, but I really appreciate you sticking it out. For what it’s worth.”

“Yea, it’s fine. Tell mom I’ll be right down. I just, uh, need to use the bathroom quick.” Jack wiped his eyes and climbed to his feet.

“Of course.” Randy said, “Take your time. Like I said, we have a while.” The meager smile played at the corners of his mouth as he looked at his new step-son. “Let me know if you need to talk or anything.”

“Yea, for sure.” Jack put the ring in his pocket. Randy catching sight of that just turned and walked downstairs.

The water splashed against the sink walls, filling the kitchen with yet another sound. The clank of pans and the subtle tok tok tok of the knife hitting the cutting board filled Randy’s ears as he washed his hands.

“Jack was looking at his photos again. I’m worried this is harder for him than we might have thought,” Randy interjected into the controlled chaos of the holiday cooking.

“I thought that might have been the case,” Jocelyn replied, “Maybe when your brother gets here you guys can try to find something to do with him? I think it would help him adjust to not being with his other uncles during the holidays.”

“We can try that.” Randy turned off the sink and dried his hands. “We were never really into sports though, maybe we can find a game or something he might like to join us with.”

“It would be a good change for him I think,” she replied, “I don’t want him to give up sports completely, but I think a new variety of activities will be good to get him into this new life.”

Jack entered the kitchen, “Mom, Randy said you had some snacks for me?”

“Yes dear,” Jocelyn replied walking to the counter. “I made some turkey sandwiches for you to test the bird.”

Jacks smiled, his mother's turkey was the best bird he ever had. “Thanks, mom!”

“Anytime love.” She smiled at him and turned back to the stove. “Now, go shower and get ready for company, we are gonna have people start showing up any second.”

Jack left the kitchen and changed into his Thanksgiving clothes in his room. When he went back downstairs the new family was there, getting settled in. Randy’s brother Tim had set some books down on the table, along with something that looked like a large roll of paper. These quickly got cleared away as the flatware came out for dinner, and they slipped from Jack’s mind fairly quick.

The dinner was amazing, his mom had really outdone herself this year. The stuffing was extra fluffy, the turkey was moist, and the potatoes were whipped. Jack had a good time listening to Randy and his family joke around and even found himself smiling along with the jokes.

The day passed on and they watched the football game, Randy and Tim cheering for opposite teams. Jack started to feel included when Tim started asking about his favorite sports, and Jack launched into his knowledge of soccer. The conversation was light and it made the box in the closet slip from Jack’s mind, even for just a little bit. Jack saw the urn on the mantle, Randy had insisted it sit there in a place of honor, and for the first time, it didn’t make him tear up.

“Hey Jack,” Randy said, coming around the corner, “Want to join us for some Dungeons and Dragons? I know it’s not the same as football like you are used to every year, but it’s a lot of fun!”

Jack eyed the books Randy had plopped on the table. The smile coming from Randy felt genuine and he could tell he really was trying to help.

“Yea, let's give it a shot.”