Chapter 23

Two weeks before Thanksgiving, I arrived home to a telephone message from J.J. which included an invitation for Lizzie and me to join him and his family for the long holiday weekend. It wasn’t easy to tell my own mother that we wouldn’t be coming to her place after all, but she understood when I explained the situation. Her new husband’s family would be there, so she wouldn’t be alone. And we promised we’d come for leftovers the day after we returned.

Lizzie and I boarded a plane and flew to what turned out to be an intimate and emotional family gathering with Mrs. Reynolds, who had been staying with her son and Meg since the day after she left. There were tears and laughter, endless conversations about the past and future and, of course, delicious Thanksgiving fare.

Later in the day, while everyone was stretched out on the sofa digesting the meal, I smelled coffee brewing, so I went into the kitchen to find Mrs. Reynolds scrubbing a pot at the sink. She asked if I’d like a cup of coffee.