Turkey Day Wars
As the miles got shorter, my anticipation increased. I had never before been so excited to see the glow of the city. The lights of Las Vegas. Home was only a few moments away and all I could think about was the traditional Egbert Thanksgiving family competitions.
“Welcome home!” shouted my mom as I walked in. Her eyes sparkled and her kind, warm smile filled the kitchen. The familiar apple cinnamon candle captured my attention. It’s glow, burning from the back corner of the counter, filled my mind with so many memories. The seasonal decorations adorned the house. The oranges, the yellows, the reds. Handmade turkey drawings on the fridge prompted me to be thankful for what I had. On the dinning room table laid the cornucopia filled with plastic fruits and vegetables, which were surrounded by Indian corn. My mom’s concerned question, “How have you been?” finally brought me back to reality.
“Good. I am just glad to finally be home,” I replied. I was at home! Home sweet home.
One by one my dad and my siblings began to slowly show themselves. Dad, Lindsay, David, Kristen, Aaron, Joshua… “Joshua?” I thought. As my eyes traveled from one of my siblings to the next, they quickly fell on the youngest boy.
“Wow! Joshua!” I shouted. “How in the…When did this…What the…You are tall! Man! You must have shot up at least a foot!” Only the look of embarrassment was shown in his face.
“Well, now that you are home who’s ready to begin the competition?” my mom asked. That was when I knew the long awaited traditional Egbert Thanksgiving family competitions were about to commence. The most popular events included a pie making contest and, of course, turkey bowling. No, not a turkey bowl, but actually bowling with a turkey. Mom had previously assigned this year’s groups. Mom and Dad would be the judges; Lindsay and Aaron were a team; David and Kristen would be together; and of course the greatest group of all, Joshua and myself. This was our year. It was obvious that we would win the title of The Greatest Egbert’s. No one would, or even could, get in our way.
I swiftly grabbed Joshua’s arm and dragged him to the computer in the kitchen to search for the greatest pie recipe. The pie competition was the most thrilling of them all, and we were bound to win.
“So, what kind of pie should we make? Fruit? Chocolate?” I asked as I searched the web.
“Whatever will make us win. So, chocolate,” replied Joshua. “Obviously.”
As I scrolled down the page, both of our eyes landed on the future Egbert pie winner. The Chocolate Oreo Fudge Pie. Its chocolaty goodness was all we could think about. This was definitely the one. The winner.
The next day all the teams were in the kitchen making their pies and in the process turning home sweet home into a mad house.
“Aaron, mix this!” Lindsay shouted.
“Kristen, that’s too much!” David cautioned.
“I need more sugar, Joshua!” I yelled from across the room.
Teammates sprinting around and around made it crazier every instant. The apple cinnamon candle could no longer be smelt as other aromas took over. Scents of chocolate, banana cream, and pizza…pizza?
“Why in the world does it smell like pizza?” Lindsay asked amidst her mixing and whipping.
Mischievously, David and Kristen revealed their masterful pie creation. The scent of the pizza sauce filled the room while the sizzling pepperonis made my mouth water. A pizza pie! What a genius invention. “But, how could they?” I thought. “That’s not even a real pie! That’s cheating!”
My dad then interrupted my angry thoughts, “You guys ready for turkey bowling?”
“Yeah!” everyone shouted at once. Quickly, we all shoved our finished pies in the refrigerator to cool and ran out to the street to bowl. And there it was. The bowling ally was set up. The turkey was frozen and ready to be bowled. Down the street, I could see the water bottles neatly spaced out across the asphalt posing as bowling pins. You could almost cut the tension with a knife.
“Youngest to oldest,” my oldest sibling, Lindsay called. (I am pretty sure she always says that just so she can see her competition.)
“What!” Joshua complained. “It is always like that! How come…Oh come on! Fine.” With one disapproving glance from Mom, Joshua agreed.
As he lined up for the bowl, everyone moved in. Time slowed down. All eyes were on Joshua. His arm swung back, then forward, then back, then forward, then back…
“Just bowl the turkey!” someone impatiently said from behind me.
And so, Joshua let go. It began to roll, and then it began to wobble.“NO!” Joshua and I shouted together as a team. His bowl had veered off course only to produce a gutter turkey.
“Emily, it is all up to you,” Joshua reminded my already anxious self. I lined up, picked up the turkey, tested its weight, and finally let it go. It began to roll, and then it began to wobble.
“Oh!” my siblings yelled.
“You guys did not even get one pin!” David mocked.
The sadness began to build inside Joshua and I as we witnessed all of our other siblings slowly begin to knock the water bottle pins over. Lindsay and Aaron jumped and yelled with excitement as they knocked over pin after pin. Then, David and Kristen were up and ready to finish the game. Surprisingly, both teams’ skills were equally matched. Both of their points totaled 15 pins.
“Let’s have a bowl-off,” Dad suggested. “It is the only way to see who really won.”
Every single bowl made the inch-by-inch race almost unbearable.
Lindsay and Aaron bowled the frozen turkey and then David and Kristen bowled. In the end, the victors were Lindsay and Aaron. They strutted and gloated and celebrated. They had beaten everyone. They were the winners of the turkey bowl. Not me.
“Who’s ready for the pie tasting contest?” Dad shouted. Everyone forgot about their wins or loses and sprinted into the kitchen to taste the delicious variety of desserts. One by one, we all tried each other’s masterpieces. Chocolate Oreo fudge pie, banana cream brownie pie, and pizza pie. How was I supposed to choose? They were all so scrumptiously satisfying. Finally, after much deliberation, everyone’s ballots were cast. Anticipation grew as my dad calculated the total points for each pie.
“And the winner is…” Dad paused for dramatic effect, “Lindsay and Aaron’s banana cream brownie pie!”
Failure.
“Everyone is a winner!” exclaimed my mom. She would. Okay, I guess if you think about it she was right. “I think we all had fun and that’s all that matters.” That is what is so great about my family. Everyone just loves everyone no matter what.
When all of the fabulous traditional Egbert Thanksgiving family competitions came to a close at the end of break, I started feeling sad at the thoughts of leaving home. It was time to go back to the reality of school, homework, and stress.
* * *
As I looked out the window of the silver 2001 Hyundai Sonata, I saw my family waving good-bye on the sidewalk. How could I leave? With a full stomach from endless Turkey and a sore arm from baking and bowling, a smile crossed my lips as we pulled out of the driveway. With memories filled with happiness and relaxation, I finally pulled the car away from the curb. I watched as my parents and my siblings got smaller and smaller in the distance.
