A Walsh Thanksgiving
November 23, 1978, Thursday, New Paltz, NY
Conor thought a lot about what Kai told him about her family life. It was hard for him to imagine. He marveled at how well-grounded Kai was after growing up in that kind of household. The nasty divorce only seemed to be the icing on the cake.
He remembered Kai mentioning how envious she was of his Walsh family upbringing. It got him thinking about how he could show her what they were like, without her running for the hills when she discovered how wacky they were. Not wanting to wish them on anybody, he asked her if she and her sister would like to spend Thanksgiving with his family.
“Kai, you’ve tasted my mom’s cooking, so you know you won’t be coming for the food. Still, with all my brothers and sister and their significant others, it’s usually not boring,” Conor said.
“You had me at Thanksgiving,” Kai said. “It’ll just be me though, as my sis is going to one of her friend’s house. Let me know what I can bring. I can make a mean chocolate cake.”
∞
For late November, it was a warm fifty-five degrees outside. The Walsh house was quite a bit warmer inside as several people crammed into the kitchen making final preparations for the feast. Out in the living room, the TV was tuned to the annual Detroit versus Dallas Thanksgiving football game, and no one was paying much attention to it.
Conor’s oldest brother had brought a case of wine and was pouring glasses for those who wanted it; everyone did. A loud grinding noise was heard coming out of the kitchen as Conor’s dad started up his new-fangled Proctor Silex electric carving knife.
They could hear the commotion from the kitchen out in the living room.
“Do you think it’s coming off in slices or is he only making sawdust?” Conor asked his brother closest in age with a slight snicker.
“It’s hard to tell, still you know Mom. Hopefully, he can get some slices out of it,” his brother replied.
Kai, listening to them with a confused look on her face, not sure what they were talking about.
“Don’t be alarmed,” Conor’s brother said to her. “There’s always gravy to wash it down, and I recommend keeping your wine glass full. It can make all the difference if it gets stuck in your throat.”
Conor couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Right then his oldest brother came out of the kitchen holding a bottle of wine and a few glasses. He approached Kai and Conor.
“Kai, It’s a bit scary in there. I think you’ll need this,” his brother handed her a wine glass and while pouring said, “I heard you’ve been to France. I’m betting wine is something you’re familiar with.”
She smiled, accepted a glass, and looked to Conor for a Walsh translation.
“Sometimes, my mom goes a bit too far to make sure the turkey is fully cooked,” Conor said.
“Yeah, last year it was so dry even the gravy couldn’t save it,” a third brother chimed in.
“Remember when dad cut into it, a loud whoosh came out and it all collapsed on itself?” the oldest said while laughing at the memory and pouring wine into Conor’s glass.
The oldest brother’s wife, hearing the discussion, nudged herself between Conor and Kai, and put her arms around their shoulders.
“If all else fails, you can’t go wrong with stuffing and the green bean casserole. Conor’s sister brought the casserole, and I made the stuffing,” she said.
Everyone had heard how wonderful Kai was from their parents and made her feel like she was part of the family. Kai glanced over at Conor with twinkling eyes and a smile, which said thank you for bringing me.
Conor’s mom redeemed herself from the previous year and the turkey was more than tolerable. Twelve people crammed around the table, said grace and each shared what they were most thankful for in the past year.
One of Conor’s brothers said he was thankful that Irish Nationalists hadn’t given up the fight for an Ireland free of British rule. Conor leaned over to Kai and whispered for her to be ready for some fireworks. It didn’t take long.
Once the various dishes were passed around and everyone had filled their wine glasses a few times, a discussion about Ireland began. It was genial at first with all recognizing that the IRA’s recent bombing campaign was wrong. It got heated as the pros and cons of religious sectarianism were thrown into the mix. The Walsh family were catholic, and few agreed on how to end the violence.
As more wine was consumed, the discussion got more heated. Kai merely listened, fascinated that a discussion like this would dominate Thanksgiving. She’d never experienced anything like it. She was thrown a loop when out of nowhere, Conor’s father slammed his hand on the table. All the combatants stopped talking and stared down at their plates.
At the other end of the table, Conor’s mom winked at her husband and turned to Kai.
“Kai, now that you’re back in America, what do you miss most about your summer in Paris?”
Everyone was surprised by this change of direction, and they all leaned in to hear Kai’s answer.
“Uh, um, well my mom of course, and there are many things, I love it there,” Kai replied.
“She’s already planning to go back next summer,” Conor interjected to deflect all the eyes on her.
Kai took a second to think of a better way to answer her question. Channeling Conor, she thought about an experience instead of a specific thing.
“It’s near impossible, yet if I were to pick only one,” Kai continued, “It would be sitting at an outside table of a bistro along the Boulevard Saint Germain. Ordering a croissant, a café, and watching Paris walk by as the people at the tables nearby strike up a chat about equal rights, or the latest cheese available at the nearby fromagerie,” she said with a smile.
They all stared at Kai in wonder and finally, Conor’s sister who had been to Paris broke the silence.
“Beautiful Kai, just beautiful. Would you be drinking red or white wine with that cheese?” Conor’s sister asked.
“Oooo, booo, stop her, shush!” was shouted all at once as napkins were tossed at Conor’s sister’s absurdity.
Kai laughed and didn’t have to answer as the discussion moved on to great past vacations. She squeezed Conor’s hand under the table and beamed at everyone.