AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I think all kids should be all cute and chubby when they’re kids. It just makes them a hell lot cuter,” Matt said. Jessica wandered over to the bed, which held the bedsheet she had loved growing up. It was blue with silver stars. She run her hands over it and felt nostalgia hit her.
“Do you need a moment?” Matt asked, coming over to her and caressing her head.
“Yeah, I think that would be nice,” said Jessica smiling up at him.
“I’ll use the restroom,” said Matt and left her to her thoughts.
Jessica took in every inch of her room. It was almost as if she was back to those times when this room had been the center of her world. She had always been kind of a lonely kid. Reading by herself in her room had always been a kind of a comfortable thing to do for her rather than being in a socially uncomfortable situation. She also loved painting every once in a while, even if she wasn’t the best at it. She did it to calm her nerves. Her dad had always encouraged her to do anything that allowed a creative output of energy. She thought of those times and smiled. One of the walls held a bunch of her paintings she did as a kid. Her mom had always been adamant about keeping them, even though Jessica had argued several times to throw them out. Now, she was glad she hadn’t.
Having freshened up, they went back downstairs to find the table already set up. Margaret was putting the last few pieces of cutlery beside the dishes.
“Let me help,” offered Jessica.
“Sure, honey. Can you pass me the tissue paper from over the oven?” Margaret said and Jessica complied.
Matt went to the living room, where David was setting up a karaoke machine.
“Karaoke?” he asked.
“Yeah. It’s a little tradition of ours. We take this machine out every Thanksgiving,” David said.
Matt was amused. For him, the idea of karaoke had been limited to Japanese restaurants and in a private room with his college friends, a few drinks, and calamari fries. He never would have imagined it to fit in family dinner at Thanksgiving. It was so different and so refreshing than what he was used to.
“Dinner’s ready!” came Margaret’s voice from the dining room.
“After you,” David said. Matt obliged.
The dining room smelled heavenly, and Jessica couldn’t wait to dig in. Her family was never one to sit around the table and offer prayers before a meal, but today, she felt like she should turn in a prayer of gratitude. She sat next to Matt, across from her mom. David sat on the other side at the head of the table.
“Margaret, you really went to all of this trouble and prepared so many things all on your own,” Matt said.
“It’s nothing for me. I love cooking. Please, start! The turkey is best when it’s fresh out of the oven!” she said, and they all started eating.
Jessica had helped her mom set up the plates, where there was a generous serving of mashed potatoes, sauteed vegetables, and a huge piece of roasted turkey. They ate in silence for several minutes because all of them were so hungry and the food tasted divine.
Matt was having a great time, Jessica noticed.
“Dear God, Margaret, this is the best roasted turkey I have ever had in my whole life.” Matt said in between mouthfuls. Margaret beamed under the praise, whereas she had been treating Matt as the rich businessman he was last time they visited, but tonight, she was treating him like a son-in-law. Jessica was glad for the change.
Dinner went by pleasantly. For the most part, David was silent, but this time he wasn’t spearing Matt with disapproving glances. In fact, he was listening to what Matt had to say intently, and even putting in a few words of his own from time to time. Jessica knew her father, so she understood that he needed at least a few meetings with someone to open up. Matt mostly talked about their travels together, growing up with his family, and a little bit about his business, which Jessica noticed he didn’t dwell into too much. David seemed to really like that Matt was a family man. He had always been one to believe that a man’s first and foremost priority should be his family, so this particular thing about Matt seemed to impress him.
It was after dinner when David really showed a bit of his true self. Jessica’s father loved karaoke with the family, and tonight was no different. He brought out some old-school songs, which Jessica had loved singing on that machine growing up. Margaret and David went into full duet mood, and Jessica couldn’t help but laugh at the top of her lungs, even Matt was having a really good time. He was paired up with Jessica in the next round to sing a song from the 90s that Jessica had mastered in her teen years. She easily sang it, but Matt made a fool out of himself. Everybody laughed at his silly mistakes, including him. He didn’t seem to mind it at all. In fact, to Jessica, it seemed like she had never seen him laugh so heartily and in such an unrestrained way. He always maintained this mature and in-control persona—always the calm and collected businessman, a leader, and a boss—but to be able see such a natural side of him singing at the top his lungs, not caring that he has no idea what the lyrics are, and confidently making mistakes made Jessica’s heart warm. After what seemed like hours, they all were too tired to play any more songs. Jessica suggested that they turn in for the night.
Up in her room, Jessica took a warm bath with Matt. There was nothing sexual in the way he gently washed her back and let her wash him. They were comfortable with each other enough to have a non-sexual bath together, Jessica realized, and because they were so tired that night, they cuddled under Jessica’s favorite comforter and slept in each other’s arms.
* * *
Jessica felta cool finger poke her nose. She opened her eyes against the sunlight pouring in through the window. The blinds had been opened, and it was a bright day outside, though the winter chill was setting in. Jessica yawned and squinted at Matt, who was already up and about.
“Wake up, sleepy head.”
“What time is it?”
“8 am.”
“What?” Jessica said, alert. She usually woke up at 6 every morning.
“It’s not even that late, Jessica. It’s cold, and you are back to your childhood home. You deserve to sleep in late.”
