A Thanksgiving Special
Chapter 24: A Thanksgiving Special
Cindy Moon was excited to spend her first Thanksgiving with her family after many years of isolation. Not only that, but her fiancé and his aunt would be there as well. Right now, Cindy was at Aunt May’s house setting up the dining room table with Aunt May while Peter was out picking up Cindy’ family.
“Cindy dear, can you help me move the turkey to the dining room table?”
“Sure thing May!” Cindy then grabbed the turkey from the counter and placed it on the table. “Any else?”
“Nope, that’s just it sweetie!” May yelled as she was getting the pumpkin pie from the oven. As May got the pie from the oven, she then placed it on the table, completing the whole dinner set. Cindy and May looked at the sight in front of them, and it was marvelous. On the dining room table was a delicious dinner-roasted turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, a pot of rice, buttered corn, salad, dinner rolls, and a pumpkin pie. It was a sight to behold, and anyone would drool over the food displayed.
And that was only part of the whole thanksgiving dinner between the Parkers and the Moons. Cindy’s family was also bringing some of their food over as well, and Aunt May was excited to try some of their cooking.
Right now, Cindy grabbed her smartphone from her pocket and decided to give Peter a call.
“Hey Peter?”
“What is it Cindy?”
“You okay over there?”
“Yeah. We’re stuck in traffic now, so we may be a little late.”
“I see. Well me and Aunt May are done with the preparations on our end. So, all we need to do is to wait for you to arrive with my family.”
“Got it. I’ll be there in a moment. Love you.”
“Love you,” Cindy said with a smile. She then ended the call.
“Who was that?” May asked.
“Peter. Apparently, he’s stuck in traffic, so he’ll be running late.”
“I see. Guess we’ll have to wait then.”
“Yeah,” Cindy said as she plopped onto the couch. May decided to do the same as well and sat next to Cindy. “Excited?” Cindy asked.
“Yes dear. I’ve wanted to try some of your family’s cooking,” May said with a smile.
“No kidding. It’s been a long time since I had my parents’ cooking.”
“Really? What’s your favorite?”
“Galbijjim.”
“What’s that?”
“Braised short ribs.”
“Sounds delicious. Can’t wait to try some of that.”
“I know right?”
Cindy and May then started talking about the other foods Cindy and her family would eat on their thanksgiving. May was fascinated about her family’s dishes and was now even more excited to try some of them. Eventually, May wanted to learn about Cindy’s culture as well too, and she was fascinated by it as well.
“You want to know something Cindy?” May asked as she changed the topic.
“What May?”
“I’ve always thought that Peter would never be able to settle down with someone.”
“What do you mean by that?” Cindy asked.
“Well...Peter has quite a long history even before you two met. He went through a lot of ups and downs his entire life. You ever heard of Gwen Stacy?”
“Yeah. She was Peter’s first love.”
“Yes. When she died on that day, Peter was broken physically and mentally. After that, he was going through a deep depression, and it broke my heart to see that. Over time, he was able to get better, although the pain still lingers in his heart. I was worried that he wasn’t able to find someone and settle down from the chaos in his life, even now.”
“May...”
“You know...I was a little bit skeptical when I first met you. I was worried if you were a gold digger who wanted Peter just for his money. However, I was wrong. You truly do care about him. You helped him deal with his struggles and trauma and made him truly smile again. Heck, from what I heard from Anna, you also helped him develop Parker Industries into what it is now.
Cindy felt like she was going to cry after hearing what May just said. “Thank you May.”
May smiled. “No problem. And you can call me Aunt May if you want.”
Cindy blushed at the thought of calling her that. “B-But Peter and I are not married yet,” Cindy stammered.
“I know,” May said. “It’s just to prepare you for the future.”
At that moment, Cindy and May heard a knock on the door, signaling Peter’s arrival along with Cindy’s family. Cindy then opened the door, revealing Cindy’s family along with Peter. Each member was carrying an item of food inside a class container. May then came to the front door, greeting the family.
“Mr. and Ms. Moon! How nice to meet you two!” May exclaimed.
“It’s nice to meet you too Ms. Parker,” Nari greeted.
“Yeah. We always wanted to see the person who raised our daughter’s fiancé,” Albert said as he, his wife, and his son walked into the house along with Peter. Cindy came up to Peter to give him a giant hug.
“Hey Peter. Glad you can make it,” Cindy said with a smile.
“Yeah. Miss me?”
“Definitely.” Cindy then gave Peter a kiss on the lips, which Peter returned gladly. For a brief moment, they were in their own little world, nothing distracting the two in their kiss. Little did they know that they were being watched.
“You know, dinner can’t start without you two,” May teased.
“Will you two stop sucking face? You’re making me feel sick here,” Albert Jr. said as he along with May was watching the whole spectacle with a face of disgust while closing his eyes to block the image he just saw.
“S-Sorry,” Peter and Cindy said in union as they let go of each other.
Albert Jr. let out a sigh. “Honestly sis, even if you’re Peter’s fiancé, please keep the kissing away from my face. It’s making me feel awkward about walking in on you two.”
“Got it.”
“Good. Now you two come over here. Dinner’s ready,” May said.
Peter and Cindy then headed towards the dining room, where they were greeted with a gorgeous display of food on the table. On the table was a mix of American and Korean foods and deserts followed by the plates, glasses, and utensils being sorted in an orderly fashion. The Korean foods that were on the table were galbijjim (braised short ribs), japchae (stir fried starch noodles with beef and vegetables), gogi wanjajeon (pan fried meatballs in egg batter), kkaennip jeon (stuffed perilla jeon), and songpyeon (half-moon shaped rice cake). It was a spectacle to look and feast upon, especially for Cindy since most of these dishes are her favorites. Peter and Cindy then sat on the chairs in the room along with May and Cindy’s family.
“Now then,” May said. “Shall we say grace before we eat?”
As everyone in the room said their graces, they then started to feast on the food in front of them.
“So, Cindy, have you decided on the wedding date yet?” Albert asked.
“Oh. Me and Peter decided to have it in the summer. Around...I’d say June 23,” Cindy replied as she took a short rib and ate it quickly.
“That sounds perfect for a wedding,” Nari said.
“Yeah,” Peter said as he took a rib and bit into it. “This is good.”
Nari smiled. “I’m glad that you like it.”
The dinner itself was quite eventful as everyone was having a piece of both American and Korean Thanksgiving food. During all of this, May, Nari, and Albert were having a conversation about each other along with Peter and Cindy and their wedding while Albert Jr. was asking Peter a lot of questions about his life. Cindy was looking at everyone with a smile on her face as everyone was getting along with each other. Eventually, the main dishes were finished, and they were on the desert.
“You know, I never thought rice would be made as a desert!” May said as she ate a rice cake. “You got to give me the recipe to this.”
Nari smiled. “Maybe next time when we do this.”
“Deal.”
As everyone was eating the deserts, Peter and Cindy left the table early to have some “alone time” with each other on the couch. As they were cuddling, they were looking at the night sky as they didn’t say a single word in that moment. Then Cindy suddenly decides to say something.
“You know, after all this time, I never get to properly thank you,” she said.
“What do you mean by that?” Peter asked.
“All those times before we even started dating, and even after we got engaged, that you dealt with my problems and issues with adjusting with the present. When you took the time to help me find my parents while teaching me the many new advancements in technology. You’ve done so much for me, and when May said grace before we ate, I realized...I’ve taken you for granted, and never thanked you for all you did for me. So, thank you Peter. Thank you for everything.”
Cindy’s eyes started to glisten with tears, and Peter couldn’t help but smile in adoration of her fiancé who seemed to think she didn’t deserve him when in reality, it was the opposite.
“Cindy...I guess I never get to properly thank you as well. Throughout my life, it tends to screw me over in many ways. When I first met you, you taught me that there’s more to life than just sadness and broke through my depression and gave me happiness. You also supported me too when Parker Industries was still a growing company. Not only that, but you helped me break out of my walls of insecurity while respecting my privacy at the same time. So, thank you Cindy for everything you’ve done for me.”
Cindy smiled. “I love you Peter,” she whispered as she gently pushed him onto the couch in a lying position and placed her lips on his.
“I love you too Cindy,” he replied between the kiss.
As Peter and Cindy were having their make out session on the couch, May and Cindy’s family were watching the whole spectacle.
“They seem nice together, don’t they?” May asked.
“Yes,” Albert and Nari said.
“Great. Now I can’t get rid of the image of my sister and her fiancé kissing out of my head again,” Albert Jr. moaned.