Chapter 7: Giving Thanks

Trisha and her boys had agreed to have Thanksgiving dinner with Mark and his family. They got to Mark's early so they could put the lasagna together and bake it. Mark was again impressed with how well the boys knew their way around a kitchen. And, he liked the way Trisha was instructing them, guiding them through the process while she kept her hands out of it. He even had to chuckle when she put him to work!

Soon enough, Mark's family arrived. His parents, Margie and Phil, came with his brother, Joe, Jessie, his wife, and their twin boys, Mike and Kyle. Greg and Peter seemed to go with the flow and easily struck up a friendship with Mike and Kyle. Trisha, on the other hand, was a bit apprehensive and stayed a little reserved. The dinner conversation went well and all seemed to have their "Thanksgiving fill" of the food offered.

"Are you okay?" Mark asked, as he walked up behind Trisha in the kitchen and wrapped his arms around her waist. Trisha had helped clear away the dinner dishes, but remained in the kitchen so Mark went to look for her.

"Yeah, just a little over-whelmed, I guess," Trisha replied, meekly. "I told you, I'm not very good at meeting parents."

"You're doing fine," Mark encouraged while lightly nibbling Trisha's neck. He barely got his words out when Joe entered the kitchen and pulled him away for a pool game with the younger boys. When Trisha re-entered the living room, Jessie and Margie were the only ones left.

Margie sat in her matriarchal position in a rocker by the fireplace. Jessie sat on the sofa nearby. Once Trisha sat down opposite the two women, the conversation flowed seamlessly. There were questions and comments about her boys, and all three added anecdotes about raising twins. There were questions about how Trisha and Mark met, and Margie and Jessie then added their stories of how they met their husbands. As the time and conversation flew by, Trisha became more at ease. She liked these two women and noted how much different it was between them and her former in-laws. She felt accepted and it didn't feel phony to her.

"You know what?" Jessie began, breaking Trisha out of her thoughts. "Margie and I usually have a girls' shopping day the Friday after Thanksgiving to do some Christmas shopping and leave the men at home to fend for themselves! What do you say, Trisha? Care to join us?"

"That sounds like fun," Trisha began. "But I have to work. If you waited for me to get off work, the stores would be so crowded you couldn't get anything done. Maybe next year, though."

"What about Saturday, then," Margie suggested. "It might not be as crowded and we could have a lovely day of it!"

"I don't know," Trisha stammered, "I'll have to see what's going on." The discussion continued in this vein, volleying between Margie and Jessie trying to convince Trisha to have a girls' day out and Trisha continuing to be non-committal. Abruptly, Trisha got up from her seat.

"Does anyone need anything to drink from the kitchen?" she asked as she headed in that direction. Once in the safety of the room, she allowed herself to lean against the kitchen counter and breathe deeply. She knew they meant well, and she appreciated it, but she wasn't sure she was entirely comfortable jumping in completely. After a few moments, Mark entered the kitchen. Without saying a word, he gently turned Trisha around and embraced her, holding her close to his body. She felt safe in his arms and quickly began to relax.

"Are you alright? Mom and Jessie are worried that they upset you somehow."

"Just over-whelmed again," Trisha offered. "They want me to go with them for a 'girls' day out' thing. I'm not sure I'm ready for all this." She let out another sigh as she melted into Mark's body.

"We're sorry if we over-stepped," came the voice of Mark's mother from behind them.

Mark looked over his shoulder toward the doorway and answered simply, "It'll be okay, Mom."

"Now, Mark," scolded his mother, immediately, "how many times have I talked to you about answering for other people? We know that Trisha has a voice, and, I'm sure, when she's ready, she will be able to answer for herself!"

With a chuckle, Trisha leaned around Mark and answered, "Thanks, Margie. I'm just a bit more over-whelmed than I thought I'd be. I wasn't as accepted by my former in-laws, so this is all new to me."

"Well, you listen," began Margie again, taking the situation in hand. "Jessie and I will be here Saturday morning dropping the boys off before we go shopping. If you want to come with us, that will be great; we'd enjoy spending more time with you, getting to know you better without all the testosterone hanging around. If, for whatever reason, you're not up to coming with us, that's fine, too. If you don't mind, I won't take offense to it; I'm just going to think that it was too short notice for you." With that said, Margie exited the kitchen to leave Mark and Trisha alone. However, from the doorway the two could hear Margie asking "Is it too early to put up mistletoe?"