Thanksgiving Day started late for Robert Fuller as he simply lay in his king size bed in his customary position on the right side from the time his alarm sounded at 6:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. After he had reached out and clicked off the alarm, he rolled over and stared at the ceiling and daydreamed of the last, happy, Thanksgiving Day he remembered with Anne and the girls, Samantha, and Renee. A single tear started at the corner of his left eye and slowly made a trail that dripped into his ear. He smiled at what he was remembering.
“Wake up Daddy!” two giggly voices shrilled as they pounced on him. He grunted with the surprise attack and feigned a grumble of pain.
“Oh, Daddy, did we hurt you?” the older, ten-year-old Samantha asked.
“Yeah, Daddy, did we?” the concerned voice of younger daughter, Renee added.
And he pounced, tackling, and tickling his daughters unmercifully as they giggled and squirmed trying to break free of his attack.
“All right, all right everybody, break it up,” Anne said as she entered the room and smiled at the carnage on the bed. “We have lots to do today. We have to go to the Factory and set up the main hall for the Feast of the Main Hall. Father Dooley has everything arranged for the volunteers; we just have to make sure everything else is ready. Girls, go get dressed and, you, Mr. Fuller, get moving.”
The girls ran out of the room chattering leaving Mom and Dad alone. Robert looked at his wife and looked at the back of her as she looked into the mirror on top of the dresser they share. She was a tall woman, already dressed in a plaid skirt, light green blouse, and black flats on her feet. Sensible shoes, she would tell him if he asked. She was brushing her jet-black hair that just touched her shoulders. She placed the brush down and was pushing barrettes into her hair to hold her hair back just behind her ears when she noticed him looking at her in the reflection in the mirror.
“What?” she asked him as she placed her hands on her hips and looked back at him over her shoulder.
“Nothing,” he explained as he scooted his legs over the front of the mattress and sat up to face her. “It is just that you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”
“Oh, stop,” she turned to face him. “You are making me blush.”
“Am I?” he said as he reached out and pulled her closer to him. He pulled her into him with his head resting on her legs and her hands began to go through his hair until she finally patted his head and said, “Come on, we got to move.”
He looked up at her and smiled. Anne returned the smile and then said aloud, “Girls, I am coming to check on you now.”
When they arrived at the Factory, the staff had already set up the Main Hall with tables and chairs for the Thanksgiving Dinner for those who needed a good meal. His father had started this tradition with the priest of the Sacred Heart many years ago and he was honored to continue doing so. Anne was in her element directing the caterers as they arrived from Columbia and the local volunteers finishing setting the tables with plasticware of forks and knives for the guests. The volunteer ushers, including his daughters, were giving instructions on how to greet and seat people when they came. He himself was part of the team who cleared tables after the guests had eaten making the table ready for a dessert of pumpkin or apple pie.
As the time zeroed in to open the doors of the Factory Main Hall, the family, volunteers, and Father Dooley gathered just inside. Outside a line was forming of people, some were didn’t have much, others were families of the town, and all of them were there to share a meal together. As host of the event, Robert raised a hand, and everyone quieted. Father Dooley opened the doors and remained as a sentry.
“Well,” Robert began to address everyone. “Another Thanksgiving has arrived, and we gather together to celebrate. I am so happy that you have volunteered to help us feed all of you who have come to enjoy this Thanksgiving meal. I thank this town of Candlelight for all that has done for each other this past year. Our future looks bright and may you have a great next year, too. Father Dooley, will you kindly bless this meal with a prayer.”
It was less than two months later when their happy home was changed forever. His beautiful, loving, caring, best friend, partner, mother of his sweet girls was diagnosed with lupus. What is lupus? A horrible, annoying disease. Some people are affected with minor symptoms, others are not. Anne was complaining of joint stiffness in the morning and after trying topical lotions and creams, she finally saw her doctor who was located in Columbia. She was prescribed some medications which helped for a while. She lost weight, unintentionally, and then unexplained weight gain. She became tired all the time. Her doctor had some blood tests performed and it was diagnosed that she had lupus. Together, they began to look into just what lupus is and found that it is a result of an overactive immune system and the body is basically attacking itself. It is a unique disease because it expresses itself in people in different ways. It attacked his sweet Anne completely and a mere two years later, she was gone. At that moment, he changed as he became a single parent, he became strict and overbearing. This behavior spread slowly, like an ember of coal first glowing in the fire pit and began to ignite and spread fire of silent anger on his family, his friends and his business. The girls grew into young women that eventually moved away, not to some place, but away from him. Robert had become that grumpy old, man that all the children of Candlelight talked about and adults avoided.
Robert rolled over on his side to face the empty space where Anne once slept beside him. He reached out and patted the pillow where she had, at one time, rested her head. He rolled all the way over and sat up, pulling his legs around and over the edge of the bed. He finally stood and walked around the bottom of the bed, trudging to the bathroom. He first took care of his morning business then reached through the shower curtain and pulled the faucet on and water shot out of the shower head hanging from above. He returned to the sink and stared at himself in the mirror. The dark eyes, gray, thinning hair looking back at him, looked sad. He opened the cabinet, swinging the mirror past his face and reached in, grabbed the shaving cream aerosol can and razor from within, and closed it. He habitually shaved the overnight stubble of hair growth from his face and stepped into the shower.
Afterward, he slowly dressed in blue jeans and a sweatshirt. He was haphazardly brushing his hair when the doorbell rang. As he descended the stairs to the main floor, he wondered who it might be. Maybe the girls had decided to surprise him on Thanksgiving Day. He certainly would be thankful for that. Hoping that to be the case, he hastened his pace and went down the remaining steps two at a time. Through the tinted window within the fancy wood door, he saw a shadow that he thought looked like his youngest daughter, Renee. His heart fluttered in excitement as he reached for the doorknob, paused as he gripped it, took a deep breath and opened the door.
On the other side of the fancy storm door, a young woman stood looking at him, and his heart stopped. It wasn’t Renee or Sam but a stranger. She appeared to be about the same age as Renee. Her bright green eyes continued to look at him as he continued to observe her. She was wearing a bright yellow jacket and the hood covered her head filled with blond curly hair. She was smiling at him, inviting him to smile back but he refused. The storm door remained closed. She seemed to stand taller to face him, squaring her small frame to face him directly and her smile never wavered. In fact, it seemed to become more intense, more…friendly.
“Hi, Robert,” a pleasant voice greeted him. “Aren’t you going to let me in for a visit?”
He opened the storm door just enough to place his head and shoulder through it.
“How do you know my name?” he asked.
“Oh,” she bent toward him and smiled again. “I know a lot more about you. You need to invite me in. I am here to help you.”
He looked at her again, appraising her, his curiosity raised and finally pushed the door wider and stepped aside.
“Come on in,” he said, and Kristy stepped inside the house.
To be continued…
My First Stories 