like Christmas. Thanks, Santa,
for the best gift ever.
DESPITE HER MOM STARING
I pull Nikki into my arms, kiss
her like we don’t have an audience.
Then I notice the bags her mom
holds. “Let me take those for you.”
I peek inside. Eggnog and brandy.
This could prove an interesting
afternoon. I lead the ladies into
the kitchen. “Look who’s here!”
It is a busy place. Mom slices
turkey. Leigh mashes potatoes.
Misty spoons cranberry sauce,
trying not to trip over Sasha,
who sits, tail wagging at
the prospect of some off
ered
tidbit. David obliges, slipping
her bits of roasted poultry skin.
Autumn and Summer have
tag-teamed the table setting.
Nikki and her mom see what
they can do to help. It might
be a scene right out of a Norman
Rockwell painting. Except,
of course, it isn’t. It can’t be.
Because this is our family.
Autumn
DINNER IS READY