Page 83 of Fortunate Miracles
“Sunshine, come have a look. We’ve got some great sales,” Seb calls, waving me over.
I smile at E before joining him and Gabby. They’ve got lists all over the tabletop. Leaning over, I see pages for kids, family, Finn, and miscellaneous. “Why’s the miscellaneous list the longest?” I ask.
“That’s stuff at a great price, but not specifically assigned to anyone,” Seb informs me, adding another item to the bottom.
Chuckling at him, I say hi to Gabby. “Don’t worry, Summer, I’ve got my own lists with organization,” Gabby comments, waving a notebook in the air.
“Hey now, I’m organized too,” Seb complains, looking affronted.
“I’m sure you are, Hurry,” I smile. “I’ll leave you to it. Gonna help in the kitchen.”
E has almost the entire island full of ingredients. He’s currently peeling veggies, so I hop in to help. He has music playing in the background, and I can hear some cheers coming from the living room as the rest watch football. I’m feeling very thankful today. Although Jake isn’t here in the house, he’s closer and has a bright future ahead of him. The only person not enjoying the holiday with us is Nick. Not a day goes by that I don’t hear his growly voice in my mind, a constant reminder of what we’ve lost. I hope he’s doing okay. I worry about him constantly.
E has an elaborate menu on offer today, including mashed potatoes, roasted root veggies, mac and cheese, corn, coleslaw, salad, sweet potato casserole, and biscuits. Along with the two turkeys, stuffing, and gravy, we will feast. I’ve never seen Troy working in the kitchen before, but he soon joins us and looks right at home.
They put me in charge of the biscuits, salad, and coleslaw, so I get to work. I don’t talk much, but Troy and E chatter as they work, checking in on each other’s dishes and offering suggestions.
Troy pulls himself away from the kitchen to deep-fry the turkey about an hour before dinner, and Zander and Steven join him on the back patio. I sneak away to watch him lower the bird into the tall pot of oil before returning to the kitchen. “We are all set, Summer,” E says, “if you want to join Seb and Gabby.”
After checking with Troy, I thank him and sit at the table with a bottle of water.
Seb's still making notes, but Gabby seems to be done. “Do we have a plan for this evening?” I ask them.
“Still working, Sunshine,” Seb mumbles, not looking up from his notes.
“I’m all done, Summer. Come have a look. Do you know what you want to buy for gifts this year?”
Moving seats to sit beside Gabby, she shows me her lists of the best deals organized by store, with asterisks next to the things she wants to purchase. I review the sales and use a blue highlighter to mark things I’m interested in buying. There are a lot of great sales happening tonight. Having not prepared a gift list for myself yet, Gabby gives me a notebook, as I take some time to create my own version. There are so many people to buy for this year compared to last year. Honestly, this is the largest gift list I’ve ever had in my life. Another thing to be thankful for. “I don’t know who to include and who to skip,” I tell Gabby.
“That’s up to you, Summer,” she replies. “I buy for Seb, Nick, and Troy first, then get smaller items for my close friends, but nothing big. Who are you wondering about?”
“Steven, Troy, and Jake’s dad, Ray.”
“If it were me, I’d skip Steven and Troy. Neither will expect anything. Ray, I’m not sure. Maybe wait to see how Jake gets along?”
“Probably wise,” I smile. We spend the rest of the time before dinner going through her sales list, picking out items I want for people and deciding on gifts for donation.
Dinner is a lively affair, and the food is amazing. I’m pleasantly surprised by the deep-fried turkey; it’s delicious and not greasy at all. The guys rib each other about football, and we make plans for shopping tonight. Zander, Steven, and Alex offer to clean up while E makes leftover plates for us to bring home.
Everyone gathers in the living room once the kitchen is clean to let their food babies settle. After a few hours, Bay arrives, and we decide to play some touch football in the backyard. Zander and Troy chose the teams as captains. I end up with Seb and Alex on Zander’s team, while Troy, Gabby, E and Bay are on the other. Steven is going to referee and keep score from the sidelines.
It’s a cool day, but not cold out, and the sun is shining. Alex, ever-prepared, hands out blue strips of cloth for our team while Troy’s team gets red, and we use the trees as markers for eachgoal. Once we are ready, Steven flips a coin to determine who is on offense.
I line up against Gabby on defense, and we begin. The game is competitive right from the start. I can’t throw a football to save my life, so I try to block who I can and run the ball on offense.
After 20 minutes, Troy’s team is up by a field goal. We break for water before getting back into it. The game dissolves into a mess in the second half. We start tackling each other instead of grabbing the cloth, our laughter echoing around the yard. There are too many interceptions, and we lose track of the score. It’s a lot of fun though, and a great way to work off the turkey.
Everyone splits up after the game to go home. We'll meet back here around 11pm for shopping.
Zander and I follow Troy to the condo, putting our leftover plates in their fridge before relaxing on the couches. They have a tradition of renting new movies and watching them in the evening before they go shopping.
We all snuggle in and relax, eating a late dinner of leftovers. I end up falling asleep against Seb’s shoulder at some point.
Zander wakes me later. Sitting up, I see Seb and Gabby asleep on the couch beside me. “We have coffee, tea, and snacks, darling,” Zander says, before waking Seb and Gabby.
I go into Seb and Nick’s room to relieve myself and wash my face before joining Troy and Zander at the island. It looks like they have sandwiches, pie, fruit, and a veggie tray. “This looks great, thank you,” I smile before filling a plate.
Seb and Gabby soon join us to eat. “When do we leave?” Seb asks.
