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DEKE

As soon as I entered my mom’s house and walked around the corner, I spotted my sisters, Jack, and Elias in the living room. My sisters were sitting on one of the sofas with glasses of wine in hand, Jack had a beer, and Eli was on the floor doing a puzzle.

It was tradition not to have the TV on the day of Thanksgiving. My mom insisted that for one day of the year, we all focus on each other and not lose ourselves in the screens. Talking on the phone was limited too.

There was a time when she used to take our phones and store them in a basket, up until she realized we actually needed our phones for our jobs. Camille had missed a call from a client, and it’d cost her a massive delay. A hearing had to be rescheduled and everything. Since then, Mama gave a little leeway.

“Deke!” Whitney squealed as she hopped off the couch. She hugged me tight, and I hugged her back, laughing.

“What’s good, sis?” I asked, but she completely ignored me to hug Davina twice as hard.

“Davina, as pretty as ever.” Whitney grinned.

“I could say the same about you!” Davina returned. “I love your dress.”

Whitney did a little curtsy. “Why, thank you.”

Camille approached me as they chatted, wrapping one arm around me while her other hand kept the wineglass steady. “Hey, little brother,” she sighed over my shoulder.

“Hey, Mill.”

“Bringing girlfriends to Thanksgiving? That’s new.” She sipped her wine and looked from me to Davina, who was snickering at something Whitney was saying.

“Yeah,” I said, smiling. “Guess so.”

“How does it feel?” she asked.

“Good as hell.”

She shot me a wink.

“Hey, D, this is my sister, Camille. Camille, this is Davina.”

“Davina, hi! It’s so nice to meet the woman my brother never shuts up about,” Camille said, taking her hand.

“Come on, Mill! Don’t be like that!”

Davina wore a bashful smile. “Well, that’s good to know. It’s really nice to meet you, too, Camille. Deke talks about you all the time.”

My sister was instantly flattered, and that was all it took for Davina to reel her in. While they got acquainted, I greeted Jack (who gave me a hug that was too tight and too long), and Eli ran my way, hugging me around the waist.

“Uncle Deke, we shootin’ some hoops today?”

“I don’t know, nephew. After last night’s game, I’m kinda tired. You might get all the points today.”

Eli donned a proud grin. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s better if you chill today. Don’t wanna whip you too bad.”

I chuckled, watching him walk to the kitchen to find his grandma, but as I looked that way, I noticed someone standing near the dining area. My hand curled into a fist as I stared at him.

He looked different from the last time I’d seen him—then again, nineteen years did that to a person. He was pudgier, with a bit of a gut beneath his plaid button-down shirt. His hair was peppered with gray, and wrinkles were around his eyes and on his forehead, like he’d frowned so much they became permanent. His hands were buried in the front pockets of his jeans, but he took one out to wave at me.

It was Joshua Bishop. My father.

I swallowed, ignoring his wave and facing my sisters again.

“Behave, Deke,” Camille said, tapping my fist.

“Trying,” I muttered, loosening my hand.

I looked at Davina as she studied my dad briefly before fixing her eyes on mine. You okay? she mouthed.

I’m good.

“Let’s eat!” my mom shouted, placing the turkey on the center of the table.

I helped Davina settle in and took the seat beside her. My mom sat at the head of the table in the chair next to mine, Camille across from me and Eli between her and Jack. Whitney took the seat next to Davina, and at the other end of the table was my dad.

“How about a prayer?” Mama said, extending both her arms. I placed my hand in hers and started to reach for Davina’s until she pressed a hand to the top of my thigh to stop it from bouncing. Our eyes connected, and she gave me a warm smile before weaving her fingers through mine. Mama led us in prayer, and afterward we all dug in.

“All of this looks really good, Liv,” a deep voice said from the end of the table. I cut my eyes to my dad’s, and he was smiling proudly at my mom as he placed a few cuts of turkey on his plate.

“Thank you, Josh.”

I clenched my jaw, dumping a spoonful of macaroni and cheese onto my plate.

“How about we go around the table and share a reason why we’re thankful this year. Yeah?” Mama insisted, looking at everyone.

I shook my head as Whitney groaned and Eli said “Yay!”

“I’ll go first.” Mama took a sip of sweet tea, then rubbed her lips together. “I’m thankful that I have my children here with me and my sweet little Eli,” she cooed, pointing her fork at him. “I’m also thankful for this food that took me all morning to finish up, so y’all better eat up and make sure you take some home with you.”

Everyone laughed as she gestured to Camille.

“I’m thankful for wine,” Camille said, raising her glass, and Mama swatted at her. I smiled as Camille grinned. “Okay, okay. I’m thankful for being alive today and being surrounded by family.”

“I’m thankful for my family and the sweet potato pie we get to eat after this!” Eli shouted, making us all chuckle.

“I’m thankful for football,” Jack said with sorrow. He was upset that he was missing some of the NFL game due to Mama’s limited-screen-time rule.

“Aw, Jack. It’ll be okay. You can watch it when you get back home,” Mama said. She pointed her gaze to her former husband. “And you, Josh?”

He sat up taller in his chair and cleared his throat as he glanced at all the food on the table. He then shifted his gaze to each of us. It didn’t surprise me that he couldn’t look into our eyes for long.

“I’m thankful to be here, to see my kids again, and for your delicious cooking, Liv. I, uh ... I know you all probably wish I wasn’t here, but I appreciate you for embracing me and letting me share a meal with you. I’ve, uh ... well, I know I’ve missed out on so many years, and I’m sorry for that. But I’ve missed you all, and I hope to rebuild a relationship with you, if you let me.”

The table fell silent, minus the scraping and clinking of silverware. I couldn’t stand it.

“Are you not going to mention Damon?” I asked, looking from my plate to him.

His eyes rounded, then he blinked rapidly, turning his attention to my mother, who said my name in a calm warning. “You know Damon is with us in spirit,” Mama said.

“He could be here right now in the physical sense if it weren’t for him . I really don’t understand why he’s here.”

“Declan,” Mama hissed at me.

“Deke, come on,” Camille chided.

Davina’s hand was on my lap, rubbing, and I swear that was the only thing calming me down. “You’re right. You’re right.” I raised both my hands in a guiltless resolve. “Let’s get back to this good food.”

A stretch of awkward silence filled the room, then Mama cleared her throat and said, “Whitney? Anything you’re thankful for?”

“Yeah, Mama. I’m just thankful to be here ... and for wine, like Camille said.”

That got them to laugh and to erase the awkward spell.

“Davina, how about you, love?” Mama asked, popping a piece of moist turkey into her mouth.

“Oh. Um ... well, I’m thankful to be with you all this year. I’m glad I met Deke and that he felt comfortable enough to introduce me to all of you. It’s so nice to be surrounded by the people he loves, and I see why he can never stop talking about any of you.” Davina gave my arm a squeeze, and I leaned over, kissing her cheek.

“Well, we are so happy to have you, Davina, and we hope to have many more holidays with you. Trust me, I never thought I’d see the day this boy brought a girl home.” Mama tapped my nose, and I fought a smile. “What are you thankful for, son?”

I lowered my fork and took a look at everyone around the table. Then I said, “Survival. I’m thankful we all survived and came out on the other side.”

I glanced at my dad, and he stared right back at me with glossy eyes. He lowered his head to focus on his food, and I wasn’t sure what it was about the way he did it, but for the first time since I was a teenager, I actually felt sorry for him.