Chapter 57: Long Thanksgiving IV
Jake decided to be the next one to say what he was thankful for.
He pulled out a piece of paper from under the table, making me almost facepalm, and started to read:
"I'm thankful for my mom and dad, my cousin, and my Uncle Charlie, who has shown in the few short months that I've been here that he is capable of..."
He paused and looked to his mom for help.
"Significant," Judith murmured, a bit embarrassed.
Jake finished, "...significant change and growth."
"Too obvious?" Charlie muttered deadpan to Lisa.
"Little bit," she replied.
I stood up to grab a piece of turkey. "Dad, you paid him twenty bucks; you couldn't expect much more."
He glared at me then changed to a surprised look. "What are you doing, Francis?"
"Getting a piece of turkey," I said, then whispered just loud enough for him, Lisa, Summer, and Marissa to hear, "So far, it's only been the nutty chick and the kiddo. There's still a whole line of clowns to go - I'd bet good money it'll only get worse."
"He gets meaner when he is drunk," Marissa mentioned
Alan spoke next. "Well, I'm thankful that I can spend the holiday with all the people I love, and all the people who love me," he paused for a moment, "and Judith."
I sat back down. Summer and I were visibly holding back laughter.
Marissa leaned toward us. "You two are terrible."
"What?" I exclaimed. "That was a good one - give my uncle some credit."
Judith's mom went next. "And I'm thankful that our daughter gave us at least one grandchild before she..." she began to cry.
"I'm thankful I finally found a therapist who has no compunctions about prescribing powerful sedatives!" Judith shouted right after.
"Ohh, that is a good one," this time it was Rose who agreed with Judith.
And Berta continued in her usual dry tone, "I'm thankful I can sit here and listen to you rich people whine while my family's scrabbling for a corn dog at the Pomona Fairgrounds."
As much as I wanted to keep watching this freak show, I got up to use the bathroom.
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When I came back, Dad was proposing to Lisa, "Lisa, marry me!"
That basically sobered me up.
She widened her eyes, "Marry you? You want me to marry you?"
"Yes," Charlie confirmed, paused, and added, "you know, eventually."
I cringed. What the hell just happened?
I went to sit beside Summer. "I go to the bathroom and come back to find my dad proposing marriage and then screwing it up right after?"
"That was... pretty much it," Summer said thoughtfully, seeming to try to find a better explanation.
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Charlie was saying goodbye to Lisa after all the awkward moments of the night.
As soon as he closed the door, I offered him a glass of whiskey and gestured for us to go to the deck.
We stayed silent for a moment. I poured myself a bit of whiskey too.
I finally started the conversation. "You know, Dad, if you go all in - without that 'eventually' - I think you can still get her."
He didn't reply at first, just kept staring at the dark ocean. "I don't think I want to get married right now… if ever…" he spoke, turning to me.
I just nodded.
"Aren't you going to tell me it's time to settle down?" he added.
"If you want to, yes. If you don't, no," I answered simply. "I don't see any reason for you to do what society expects of you if it doesn't make your life happier."
I went on, "Uncle Alan and Judith got married and now they're getting divorced. They're both miserable right now, and I doubt they were much better during the marriage."
"Marissa's parents are going through a rough time, and Summer's mom just ran away without saying the reason." I concluded, "if you're not fully committed, it's better to stay as you are."
Charlie took a generous sip of his drink. "Sometimes I wonder who is the father in this relationship," he joked.
I drank too. "You're clearly the older one, but I'm by far the more mature."
Dad nudged me. "Your friend was right - you get meaner when you're drunk."
"I prefer to think I just get more honest," I shifted the subject. "And I like how I can let loose here. Basically, drink and have 'fun' without anyone giving me judgmental looks," I paused for a moment. "Well, except Uncle Alan."
"At least I can still be the cool dad," Charlie remarked, and we clinked our glasses.
"Yeah," I smiled. "Besides, I can put all the blame on you for my flaws and mistakes," I smirked.
"Hey, that's not how you talk to your dad. I swear I'm gonna ground you," he mocked.
I shouted back, "Are you sure? My girlfriend's still here - grounding me will only make you more envious!"
He attacked me playfully, giving me a few headlocks.
Then, "I'm going to rest; I'll leave you in better company," Charlie nodded to Summer and Marissa and went to his room.
"The conversation got even weirder after that," Summer said as she poured a bit of whiskey into her and Marissa's Coke.
I frowned. "How so? How could it possibly get any weirder? Enlighten me."
"I don't even know how it came up, but your grandmother suddenly blurted out, 'At least my future great-grandchildren will be beautiful and smart,'" Summer explained.
"Good Lord, Grandma was inspired tonight," I muttered.
Marissa started laughing.
"What are you laughing at, Coop?" Summer caught the mood too.
"Maybe with all these loonys, Marissa's realizing she's kinda normal," I uttered.
"Heyy!" She threw her arms open.
We kept chatting, forgetting the rest of the guests.
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