Page 56 of Talk to Me

Bringing a friend home for Thanksgiving. Cool?

Theo sat on the edge of the bed like a spring ready to pop as he watched my phone. I knew my mom well enough to know that I wouldn’t have to wait long for a response. A text from one of her kids was like a postcard from a beloved friend vacationing in Hawaii. She lived for that shit. I watched as three little dots showed up in the chat box and wiggled around for what seemed like forever.

Dad got three twenty-five-pound turkeys this year and three hams! All for free because of that work he did for Mr. Kellison! Could you believe? Him and Buster are going to smoke two and fry the other. Buster says they’re also going to roast a whole pig this year. If I see him eyeing Berta, I’ll knock his teeth down his throat. Lord help me. We’ve got at least ten pies coming this year thanks to your grandmother and aunties. I’m up to my elbows in bread cubes and cranberries! You’ll be on potato peeling duty this year and I don’t want to hear sass about it.

I smiled down at my phone.

“She said it’s fine,” I said.

“Let me see,” Theo said, suspicious.

Holding my phone out to him, I watched as Theo’s eyes scanned the screen.

“She didn’t say ‘yes’,” he said.

“Yes, she did,” I said, turning my phone to frown down at it. “Did you not see all the food she’s talking about?”

“No, she didn’t.”

“Talking about having too much food is her way of saying we have plenty and it’s okay.”

“Oh. Uh, also, who’s Berta?”

“One of my mom’s favorite pigs,” I explained. “We’ve had her for twelve years. She must think my uncle Buster is thinking Berta has seen better days.”

Theo chuckled nervously.

I shrugged. “Farm life.”

My phone buzzed again and I looked down at the second message from my mom.

Is this that boy from the internet? Evie asked. She says he’s a cutie! Are you boys dating? She sends her love. She got ringworm from out playing with the chickens again. It was all up and down her legs and one on her arm. We’ve treated it and it’s mostly gone, but don’t let her climb all over you too much while you’re here unless she’s got on long britches and sleeves. I’ll just get more anti-fungal cream to send back to school with you in case.

I did not show Theo that message.

“She says my sister saw you on ‘the internet’ and can’t wait to meet you,” I said.

There was really no point in trying to explain my mother to Theo. He’d meet her and figure it all out for himself. Theo smiled and his cheeks looked warm.

“So, go get your things together. We leave in twelve hours!”

Theo started to slide off the bed and then hopped up confidently, his mind made up.

“Okay!”

Holly Jolly Christmas by Burl Ives was playing on the radio and I was singing along cheerfully as I puttered through the holiday traffic on the highway. Theo stared at me blankly from the passenger seat of my car as I belted out the song. Badly. The more I sang, the funnier his expression was to me, so the harder I sang along to the holiday tune. Though I hadn’t explained my tradition of listening to Christmas songs on the way home at Thanksgiving and Christmas, I’d assumed it would not be a surprise for Theo. I’d been wrong.

“Wait until you get my rendition of Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree!” I crowed during a break in the singing. “You’re really going to realize the treat you’ve walked into!”

Theo laughed, but seemed to push himself closer to his door, as though my antics were a clear indication that I was mentally unstable. During our entire friendship over the last two months, he simply hadn’t seen the signs that I was a person he should avoid. Now, having accepted my Thanksgiving invitation, and being trapped in a car with me, I’d finally chosen to drop all pretentions of being a stable human being. The thought made me sing louder.

For all his fear, Theo pulled out his phone and pointed it at me. I didn’t have to ask to know that he was making a video of my poor performance. After a second, reality sunk in and I slapped my phone to pause the music. Theo continued to hold his phone up as I glanced over at him.

“You’re not live on Peepers or something are you?” I asked nervously.

“God no!” Theo laughed and lowered his phone. “That was for my own future enjoyment.”

“Oh.”