The imperfection we called our love | ✔

*Thirty-Five*

With everything else falling apart, it was almost convenient for thanksgiving to arrive

Thanksgiving had always been pleasant, filled with happy memories, Grandma and Pop coming down to spend time with us until Christmas, mom preparing the most crazy feast, going to all the shops and buying a ridiculous amount of Christmas decorations, dad going tree hunting, and Matthew and I helping out.

Because mom and dad fought frequently, it wasn't the first time that we'd be having thanksgiving at an awkward time.

Usually how we got through it, was that mom and dad would put on their happy faces, and we'd pretend we were the ideal family

Usually I didn't mind this, because although it was all pretend, I had some of the best times of my life

I was a bit sceptical about this year, as mom and dad had crossed many lines in the few previous months, lines I thought that had caused enough damage to cripple our regular festive season traditions

Despite all that, this year I didn't want to pretend that everything was going great

But like it happened every year, where Thanksgiving seemed to arrive sooner than later, this year Thanksgiving arrived like an unannounced visitor, who we all weren't ready for

I admit the most chaotic were the weeks leading up to this auspicious event

It started when Grandma called around, asking how we were, and what she should make for thanksgiving dinner, you know the regular type of thing,

Dad had been at home for some reason, when mom picked up the phone.

Dad froze when he heard mom address Grandma

Dad knew it was his mother, because she was the only grandparent that called around.

The reason why moms parents didn't phone around, because mom had told them not to

I remember we used to go every Saturday for lunch at moms parents' house, dad never came along

He was always busy

Until I heard mom and dad yelling at each other after we got back from lunch one day, and mom crying in the basement for three days.

I had asked mom why we never went anymore, she never told me, but I suspected it was dads fault; he never liked mom's parents.

So when Grandma called, dad lunged for the phone, yanking it out of mom's hand, and greeting his mother in the sweetest tone I've ever heard him use

Mom pretended to be busy, but I could tell by the way she was staring at certain things for too long, that she was listening in on dad and Grandmas conversation.

Admittedly so was I

After the call was over, he hung the phone back on its hook, and then dad glanced from mom to me

It took me a second to realise that dad wanted me to get out of the kitchen so he could have some privacy with mom

I got up slowly, so slowly, I didn't really want to leave mom alone with him, as I still replayed the moment he had hit mom in my head far too many times to be healthy

I looked at mom before stepping out, but she looked away as if she was afraid to look at me

This time I left them alone and I didn't bother to eavesdrop.

I wish I had though

Because after that it was like mom and dad had been in some type of silent agreement for Thanksgiving, where they were almost normal with each other around company, but the second whoever it was out of the room, they were back to being their normal morbid selves.