Writing Resources from Fifteen Minutes of Fiction

Meeting Frida (part 4)

Part 4:
“Hi Jason…” I said hesitantly.
“TEAGAN!” He got up off the couch and gave me a warm hug.
“This is my girlfriend Frida.” Hey motioned for Frida to come over.
“Hey! Nice to meet ya.” I said a bit awkwardly and we just stood there for a minute. “So, umm where is everybody?” I asked. Usually when family or guests came everybody was rushing around cleaning and preparing food to the moment our guests arrived. Then everyone crowds around and talks ‘til the guest rushes off to their room.

“We got here earlier than expected. No one was home so we just came in.” he gave me a rueful grin.
“Yeah….So why is nobody here to great us?” Frida said, and not in a jokey way.
“I really don’t know. I’ll call Dad.” I took my phone out of my pocket and dialed.

“Yo!” Dad answered (and not in a fake ghetto way, just in a Dad-ish way.) I explained that Frida and Jason were here. “Ah man! I wonder why they didn’t call! I wanted us all to be home cleaning before they arrived.” He said and I gave the phone to Jason.
Frida snatched it instead and started talking to my Dad.
“So, how was the trip?” I asked Jason, after rolling my eyes at Frida.
“Well, we took the red eye, so tiring... Hey T? Who else is coming for Thanksgiving? Just asking ‘cause Frida likes to know these things ahead of time.”

I looked at Frida. She was still talking to Dad. “No, we just got here a day early. Is that a problem?” She was asking, a bit menacingly.

I turned back to Jason. “Okay, Nicky’s coming. He comes every year. Dad said that he came to his childhood house for Thanksgiving when dad was a kid.”

“Of course I know Nicky!!! He and Grandma Huny were best friends since middle school. I hear those two were quite a pair back in the day. Huny loves telling stories about him and her, when she comes to visit.” Sometimes it was hard to believe Jason was my cousin. He seemed more like a cool young uncle sometimes. It was weird hearing him talk about Huny the same way I would.

Huny was my other Grandma. She was my Dad’s mom and usually came to our house for Thanksgiving. This year she’d gone out to visit Aunt Mary (Jason’s mom) and the rest of the California relatives. It also would have been tough to have Huny and Gr. Bet preparing food, as well as living, in the same household.
“So, anyone else?” Jason asked.
“Yeah! Polly my dad’s old boss is coming.” I leaned in and whispered “She got fired and he took her place.”
“Ahhhh…” he nodded knowingly, then glanced down at my shirt. “T, your shirt is all sticky.” Jason wrinkled nose.

“Oh that. My friend Hallie and I had a cake fight.” I heard a car pull up in the driveway. It was mom and Daniel. “I’ll be back, gotta change.” I said as I left the room. “Great to meet you Frida.”

I examined my self in the bathroom mirror. It was worse than I thought. I couldn’t believe Jason or Frida, hadn’t said something earlier. My hairs was sticky, my shirt was sticky even my face was a bit sticky. Hallie and I had washed ourselves of with wash clothes, but i guess they hadn’t done the job.

I heard commotion and exclaiming from down stairs. To tell the truth I really didn’t want to be down their right now. Our dog, Stewey, walked into the bathroom as I turned on the shower. I jumped in and started eating a bar of soap. He could use a washing too, he practically had a cloud of dirt floating around him.

I came downstairs with Stewey about thirty minutes later. I was mad and he was sad, the usual turnout of me trying to give him a bath. My mom, brother, Dad, Grandma, cousin and his girlfriend were all gathered in the family room talking. “Wow! Yale!” my dad was saying to Frida. “That’s right,” Jason said pulling her into a snuggle.

She looked slightly annoyed. “I’m going to be some type of surgeon.” she said “I just loved being an intern as an undergrad. We’d go into a room to a surgery come out and it’d be done. I just love being able to do things like that for people.” My mom and dad exchanged awed looks.

“I’d totally freak out if I was performing a surgery,” I said from the door way. Stewey padded into the room and sat down on Frida’s feet. He’s not a small dog. “Good to know!” she said in a rude way. I looked at the rest of the family. They apparently hadn’t noticed her snide tone. Jason definitely hadn’t. He was gazing at her proudly. He obviously adored her.

Go with the flow. I told myself.

It was about seven o’clock now. “Maybe we should start making some stuff for tomorrow.” I suggested “I could make the Cornbread Dressing. We should probably make the pies too. Mom, you could make you cranberry, apple, sweet potato dish...” Mom smiled and looked ready to get up.

“Or your cousin could catch up with his family a bit more.” You-know-Who said in that same snide voice. Mom settled back into the couch.
“Alright then.” I replied curtly and spun off into the kitchen. My dad followed.

“Teagan! These are our guests! No need to be so rude!” so maybe I was a tad rude but what was with that Frida girl. It’d preffered Jason’s other girlfriends; like Ashley, Rachel, Beth, Cammy and Michelle. “I’ll start on the cornbread.” I told my dad.

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