A Forever Thing by Carolyn Brown

Author:Carolyn Brown [Brown, Carolyn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-10-11T07:34:00+00:00

The table was laden with whipped sweet potatoes, made from a can rather than fresh; chicken and dressing, made from boxed corn bread and onion powder, celery salt, and sage; giblet gravy from one tiny chicken liver and broth; green beans with a little bacon to season them, and canned cranberries. The yeast roll recipe substituting mayonnaise for eggs worked well. Fancy could barely detect the faint taste of mayonnaise in the hot rolls and couldn’t taste it at all in the pumpkin pie or the chocolate cake.

Theron gave thanks.

Since it was a holiday, Fancy put only what Tina wanted on her plate. When Fancy was growing up, her momma said that she didn’t even have to eat vegetables on holidays. Granny Hattie always said Gwen was doing the wrong thing, but Fancy had always been glad for the rule.

“In our family we all tell one thing we are thankful for at Thanksgiving dinner. Tina, what are you thankful for today?” Theron asked.

“I like mean beans today.” Tina jabbed her fork into three and popped them into her mouth.

“Is that all?” Theron asked.

Tina’s brow furrowed as she thought. “I like ice too”

Fancy pondered that. How could a three-year-old like ice? The frosty weather meant she was confined to a one-room cabin and two people she didn’t even know.

“Why do you like ice?” she asked Tina.

“It’s pretty, and you play with me. More mean beans, please?”

Fancy put another tablespoon of beans onto her plate. Amazing. A tyke who actually liked her vegetables!

Anything else you like today?” Theron asked.

“New Daddy and Fanny. I like them.” Tina went back to eating as if she’d just said that she liked her doll.

“We’ve made a lot of progress, haven’t we?” Theron looked at Fancy.

Fancy’s heart ached. It wasn’t fair that when the sun finally came out and melted the ice that Theron would take Tina home with him, and she would be out of the picture.

“So what are you thankful for?” Fancy asked Theron.

“I’m grateful for a daughter I didn’t know I had but who will be a big part of my life from now on. And I’m especially thankful for YOU.”

Fancy pushed a strand of hair back behind her ear. “Me?”

“You dropped everything when I called. You’ve made this … transition much easier for Tina and me, even though you would much rather be with your family today than stuck in a one-room cabin with us. So today that’s what I’m thankful for,” he said.

“You’re welcome,” she murmured, somewhat stunned at his graciousness.

“You?” Theron asked.

Fancy looked up, expecting to see a platter of whipped sweet potatoes coming toward her. Instead, Theron was looking at her with a question in his mossy green eyes.

“What?”

“Do you have anything you’re thankful for today?”

“A jar of unopened mayonnaise that wasn’t outdated,” she said, oddly uncomfortable with the question and needing to keep things light.

“Mustard. Not ‘naise. It’s yucky,” Tina said.

Fancy giggled. “Mayonnaise, because without it we wouldn’t have this meal. It was my egg substitute. And I’m thankful

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