A Thanksgiving to Remember

Fiction Fragment Friday

This weeks Fiction Fragment Friday is something brand new that I just wrote. It is something of a slice of life SciFi story set during Thanksgiving. This year has send traditions out the window so I wanted to write about someone struggling with an out of the ordinary Thanksgiving. I hope you all enjoy.

I never truly understood what dry turkey was until I bit into my dehydrated Thanksgiving Day meal.  It was nice to have something different for a change and I was grateful they thought to pack us something special for the holiday.  It really was a nice gesture, but all it really did was remind me that my family was back home sitting together at a dinner table worrying about whether I would make it back or not.  I did take a little comfort in knowing that without me there to cook it their turkey was probably pretty dry too.  Making the perfect Thanksgiving Day bird is more of an art than a science and in that one area I am an artist. 

“You know I was dreading this because thought it would taste kind of like a turkey jerky.”  I looked up to see my mission commander Genevieve Norton floating in the mess compartment with me.  “Now that I’ve tasted it, I wish it tasted like turkey jerky.”

I laughed.  “I guess it’s the thought that counts commander.  Are you missing a real dinner back home?”

“Yeah.  Normally we would be gathered around my brother’s table digging into the full spread and making plans for Christmas.  You?”

“My wife and I have hosted the last few years since the kids were born.  It’s a big meal with both my parent, both my brothers, and my sister.  Plus, all of their families of course.  I have to make two of the largest turkeys I can find every year and no matter how much mashed potatoes I make it never seems to be enough.”  I laughed a little remembering my nephew holding the empty wooden spoon to tell me we were out of ‘tatos’.  “We have a family rule of no Christmas talk until after the meal.  The meal is about sharing stories and catching up on the past year.”

“I’m not sure if that sounds really nice or just really crowded.”

I chuckled.  “A little bit of both actually.”  I sucked on my squeeze pouch of mashed potatoes and was grateful that they were not dehydrated too.  “You know when I signed up for this mission, I knew I would be missing some holidays, but I don’t think I realized just how hard it would be.”

“Yeah, there is a difference between logically knowing and actually experiencing.  You probably also never thought you would really be going since you were an alternate.  I couldn’t help but see how you looked after our morning report and figured you could probably use some company for dinner.  I’m not your family but I’m here and I’m told I’m a good listener.”

“That you are commander.  Don’t sell yourself short though.  We are on the first mission to Mars together.  According to my Bernice if you bring me back home safely that makes you family, and she expects to see you over for dinner on a regular basis.”

“Well then I best make sure we all get back because I have heard stories about your cooking.”

“Well commander after twenty-one months of food like this I think I could cook you a shoe and you would enjoy it.”

We both laughed and continued to share stories of our families back home.  The food was horrible, and it might not have been the most traditional Thanksgiving Day Meal, but it was still a Thanksgiving that I would never forget.