Wednesday, November 27th, 2019, Brunch

The six kids walked into the family room and said hello to everyone, and the adults started a question and answer session with the teens. Baxter saw Grant look down and roll his eyes, then noticed that he’d been caught. They looked at each other and grinned.

Rob made an announcement. “It’s time for brunch. It’s simple, pastries and orange juice, milk for the teens, and coffee for the others — including any teens who want it with parental approval where required. We’ll sit in the dining room.

“The teens will have a meeting to talk about things they can do on Friday and Saturday. That will start at about ten o’clock. They were going to use the dining room, but Vincent and I suggest that since it’s warm outside, they might like sitting on the patio instead.”

He turned and looked at the six teens sitting together at the end of one of the tables. “Is that okay with you guys?”

Baxter looked at Elizabeth. He shrugged his shoulders, and she did the same. He looked at the other four teens. “What do you think?”

“We like it,” Jason said for the twins.

“I assume refreshments will be served. Right?” Grant asked.

“Yup,” Baxter responded.

Chuck nodded his approval.

Elizabeth looked at Rob and told him, “Our response is unanimous. Yes.”

“What about Mike and his cousins?” Vincent asked.

“We said that we’d be meeting here this morning,” Baxter said. “We never said exactly where we would be sitting. I think Mike and his cousins will like meeting outside. The weather is nice, so no worries.”

“Yeah, this way, we can show Mike and his cousins our backyard — including the pool and tennis court and so on,” Elizabeth suggested.

“Why don’t we look around at what’s here in the backyard and how we can fit it into one day?” Chuck asked.

“Good idea,” Jordan said. “Why don’t we do it now, before Mike gets here?”

“Is that okay with all of you?” Baxter asked.

“Yup, that way we’ll know what you’re talking about when they get here,” Grant said.

He looked at his watch. “It’s nine-fifteen, so we’ve got a lot of time to scope things out.” Elizabeth got up and led them to the pool to start their tour. They spent a half-hour looking at the pool, the pool house and changing rooms, and the collection of pool toys; the tennis court; and, finally, the trampoline.

“What’s the weather supposed to be on Friday and Saturday?” Jordan asked.

Baxter and Chuck both pulled out their phones and checked the forecasts.

They showed each other the results.

“What do you think?” Baxter asked.

Chuck shook his head. “I don’t know. Seems suspicious, doesn’t it?”

“Absolutely,” Baxter replied.

“Alright, you dweebs!” Grant stood up and pulled his phone out of his pocket.

“Okay, okay,” Baxter said, and he grinned. “The forecast is precisely the same on both phones.”

“Huh! It’s the same because it’s the same app,” Grant said after looking at Chuck and Baxter’s phones.

“The high is going to be seventy-four on both days,” Chuck announced.

“So,” Elizabeth said, “Baxter and I will turn on the pool heater when we get up Friday and Saturday mornings. I’ll go in and get approval.” She left and went inside.

“Did everyone bring a swimsuit?” Baxter asked.

“Chuck and I brought ours. We thought we might use the pool at the hotel.”

“Jordan and I brought ours in case it was warm enough to swim here,” Jason said.

“How about Mike and his cousins?” Grant asked.

“Mike’s got his Speedo at his house. He might have an extra swimsuit that will fit Luke. Luke and Laura are twins, but Mike’s extra swimsuits won’t help her.”

Elizabeth returned with good news. She’d talked to both Rob and Vincent, and they’d agreed that turning on the pool heater early Friday and Saturday mornings would be okay. But only if the kids would use the pool.

“We were wondering if Mike’s cousin Laura brought her swimsuit. Luke’s probably okay even if he didn’t bring his. Mike and I have extras,” Baxter said.

“I have a couple extra swimsuits,” she said. “How old is she?”

“Thirteen,” Baxter replied.

“I might have an extra that should fit her. She can try it out when she gets here.”

Grant was giggling. “You could probably find something in the extras that Baxter and Mike have. That would hide her from the waist down.”

“And how about the waist up?” Elizabeth snarled. “And don’t you dare say what I think you’re thinking!”

Now Grant was laughing out loud. He cupped his hand between his mouth and Baxter’s right ear, then whispered what he had been thinking. “At thirteen, she probably doesn’t need to wear anything from the waist up!”

“That’s terrible, Grant!” Baxter retorted. But in a few seconds, he was laughing, too.

Elizabeth walked over and popped Baxter and then Grant on their right biceps.

“OW!” Baxter and Grant both yelled.

“Why’d you do that?” Grant asked.

“Because of what you said,” she replied.

“You don’t know what I said.”

“I read your lips.”

“Prove it!”

She cupped her hand against Grant’s right ear and whispered what he’d said to Baxter.

“Damn, you’re really good at lip reading!” Grant mumbled, still rubbing his biceps.

Baxter apologized. “Sorry, Elizabeth. I know you popped me because I laughed at what Grant said.”

“And don’t say it or think it again, either of you. It’s demeaning and sexist. And I haven’t heard an apology from you, Grant Young!”

“You’re right, Elizabeth. I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful and respectful when I say things and how I say them in the future.”

They heard the doorbell. Rob was inside and closer to the front door, so he brought Mike and his cousins outside to the patio where the others were sitting.

Mike and Baxter did the introductions.

Jason and Jordan were interested in what was the same and what was different between the Forester twins.

Luke and Laura looked like they were brother and sister. Their hair and eyes were the same color, their skin tone was the same. Luke was a couple inches taller than Laura, and their facial features weren’t the same. Luke had higher cheekbones, and his lips weren’t puffy like Laura’s.

“Luke was born 11 minutes later than I was,” Laura said, “but I never kid him that I’m the older twin.”

Luke and Laura were interested that the Lee twins were identical, and if there were any differences. Baxter knew there were since he could tell them apart, but he kept that a secret that only he and the twins knew.

The Forester twins wanted to know if Jason and Jordan ever switched classes. “No. We’re the same in all of our subjects, so there wouldn’t be any benefit. Can you imagine having to listen to a World History and Geography lecture twice, or even worse, take an exam in that class twice?” They could, and all four were both laughing and shivering because it was such a horrible and frightening idea.

This ‘twins discussion’ continued, and because they were having such a good time, the other cousins moved to some other chairs and talked about the get-together.

Baxter handed them copies of the list.

“Since every cousin is going to be here on Friday and Saturday, we came up with enough activities so we can fill two days of doing whatever. So, what’s everyone interested in, getting together Friday only, Saturday only, or both days?” Mike asked.

“Both days!” was the answer from everyone, including the two sets of twins who’d joined the others. “We overheard what you talking about, and decided that we should be here to help decide what to do and when to do it,” Luke said. So they reviewed and discussed what was on the list for Luke and Laura’s benefit.

“Let’s start by deciding on what we don’t want to do,” Mike said.

Shopping got two negative votes, so Baxter marked it with two red minus signs. The reasons were the same: they lived where there were lots of malls and other shopping areas, so they could do that at home.

‘Real hiking’ got six negative votes. All the negative votes were because they didn’t bring hiking shoes with them, and because hiking on dirt trails meant getting dusty and dirty.

Swimming got one negative vote. Laura didn’t bring a swimsuit. Elizabeth asked Laura to stand up next to her. “We’re not that different in size. I could loan you one of mine. If it’s too small, I could call Maria and ask her if you could try on one of hers; she’s like one size bigger than me. Maybe she could come over and go swimming with us. If that’s okay.”

Who’s Maria?” Laura asked.

“She’s my girlfriend. We’re both in the eighth grade at WCI. She lives a couple blocks from us.”

“What’s WCI?”

“Walnut Creek Intermediate. It has the same grades as a middle school.”

If Laura could find a swimsuit, there would be no negative votes for swimming. Elizabeth suggested that they go to her bedroom to try on a couple of her swimsuits. She closed the door. “This means ‘Do not disturb’ because we wouldn’t want one of the boys to walk in on us.”

“Oh, my god, absolutely no to that happening!” Laura said, placing her hands over her eyes.

Alone in her room, they giggled, then Elizabeth opened one of the drawers in her closet. “Here, try this one. It’s two-piece, and has an x-back top and a board short bottom. Is that okay?”

“Sure.”

Laura stripped, removing everything, which surprised Elizabeth. She couldn’t stop staring as Laura put on the swimsuit.

“Oooh — this is nice!” She turned around to give Elizabeth a good look. Elizabeth saw that Laura did look good, very good, in the swimsuit.

Laura sat on the bed and crossed her legs. “These fit perfectly. Can I borrow them to go swimming Friday and Saturday?”

“Of course.”

“Are you going to invite Maria to come over?”

“If that’s okay with you,” Elizabeth said.

“Yeah, that’s okay. It means there’ll be four girls instead of three. If we go into Walnut Creek, it’ll be more fun when four of us are looking in some of the shops.”

“I agree.”

“Is Maria your friend or your girlfriend?”

“Girlfriend. Do you have a girlfriend, Laura?”

“Yes. Do your fathers know about you and Maria?”

“No. It’s private.”

“I won’t tell anyone.”

“Thanks. Do your folks know about you and your girlfriend?”

“No. It’s private, too.”

Elizabeth laughed. “I won’t tell anyone,” she said.

“Well, I’ll take this off. Where should I leave it until Friday?”

“Here, let me show you a drawer you can use.”

When they returned, Elizabeth told Baxter, “The negative for swimming can be erased. I have a swimsuit that’s perfect for Laura.”

Going to a movie got nine negative votes. The reason: it was something they could do at home. Instead of wasting so much time sitting in a theater, they could do more interesting things during the cousin’s get-together time.

Shooting baskets or playing horse got three negative votes, from both girls and Luke. His reason? “I hate just standing there shooting baskets while we’re here. I can do that at home.”

Tennis, surprisingly, got four negative votes. One reason: only two could play at one time. Another reason, the visiting cousins didn’t have their tennis racquets.

“But if we played doubles, four of us could play at one time,” Baxter said. “Or, we could walk to Las Lomas High and play on the courts there. I have the key to unlock the gate. My PE teacher is the tennis coach, and he wants me to join the tennis team. That’s why he gave me a key.

“Besides, Mike and I each have an extra racquet.”

“I have an extra racquet, too,” Elizabeth said.

That changed the negatives from four to two.

“I don’t play tennis at all,” Laura said.

“I’m not very good at tennis, so I wouldn’t enjoy it,” Luke added.

“The ones who don’t want to play tennis can swim or play on the trampoline,” Elizabeth suggested.

There were seven negatives for the trampoline. The reason was unanimous: all of those who voted against the trampoline were because they’d never been on a trampoline.

“I can teach you. It’s easy and fun, even when you don’t know what you’re doing,” Elizabeth said, “and it’s good exercise.”

“How many can be on the trampoline at the same time?” Luke asked.

“Up to four. That’s four if you know what you’re doing, but for beginners, it’s best to have one or two at a time. Also, the total weight of the jumpers shouldn’t exceed 400 pounds. The limit is also based on the diameter, and ours is fifteen feet which is the usual maximum for a home backyard trampoline.”

“Okay, this all sounds fine. When should we decide what to do?” Mike asked.

“These are the things that didn’t get any negative votes: One, going to the Lindsay Wildlife Experience; two, walking on the Iron Horse Trail from here to downtown Walnut Creek and back, including visiting the library and wandering around the stores downtown, with time to stop and eat something.” Baxter thought that was funny because ‘wandering around the stores’ included shopping which had two negative votes. He continued, “Swimming. I’m going to include tennis. Luke and Laura can do something else like bouncing on the trampoline.”

Elizabeth turned and looked at them. “I’m sure you’ll love it once you try it.”

“There are some of these choices that means we’ll have to talk someone into driving us there and back, like going to the Lindsay wildlife museum and Old Borges Ranch,” Baxter said. “That shouldn’t be a big deal.”

Baxter continued to read the list. “I think that’s everything,” he said. “I’ll update it and make copies for each of us. It’ll take me about ten minutes, so I’ll go do it now.” He went to his bedroom, updated and then printed copies of the list, including copies for their parents. Then he returned to the patio and distributed them.

“Where are you guys going to dinner?” Mike asked.

“I don’t know. I’ll ask my dad,” Baxter said. The twins followed him, and he found Rob in the family room. “Dad, what are we doing for dinner tonight?”

“We all decided that we’d be on our own. I found a list of restaurants in Walnut Creek, so I printed it and gave everyone a copy. They can use it to select the restaurant where they’ll go to dinner tonight.”

“Do you know where my folks said they’re going?” Jordan asked.

“Yes, Pacific Catch. It’s a seafood restaurant.”

“Where are you going, Uncle Rob?”

“Pizza Antica. They have great thin-crust pizzas.”

“Could we go with you? We don’t like fish.”

“Really?” Baxter asked. “Why not?”

“Because it smells and tastes fishy.”

Baxter laughed at Jordan’s answer.

“Should I assume that both of you dislike fish?” Rob asked.

“Yes.”

“Do you like pizza?” Baxter asked.

“Yes,” Jason and Jordan replied enthusiastically.

“Then you two are invited to join us at Pizza Antica for dinner tonight,” Rob told them.

They both hugged Rob. “Thank you!”

“They also have amazing strawberry shortcake,” Baxter said.

“If strawberries are out of season or they can’t get good ones, they won’t have any strawberry shortcake, Baxter.”

“That’d be too bad, dad. But we really go there for the pizza.”

“I’ll text my dad and tell him we’re going to dinner with you,” Jason said.

“We already told him and your mom that we’ll take you two to dinner since you’re staying with us.”

By then, most everyone had left for their hotels. Mike and his aunt and uncle and cousins had left for the Stewart’s house.

“What time are we leaving?” Baxter asked.

“It’s ten minutes after five. Let’s leave in twenty minutes. Okay, Baxter?”

“Okay.” He went back to the patio and told Elizabeth the time, that the twins would have dinner with them at Pizza Antica, and why.

“They don’t like fish?” She was incredulous. “I love fish.”

“I do, too. They think it’s fishy.”

“Weird,” she responded, “really, fish is so good!”

“I don’t think Pizza Antica has any fish pizzas,” Rob said.

For some reason, Elizabeth thought that was very funny. Baxter just rolled his eyes.

Thursday, November 28th, 2019, Thanksgiving Day

Baxter was awake and showered and in the kitchen looking at the menu for Thanksgiving dinner. Rob and Vincent were both there, too. Elizabeth and the twins hadn’t arrived yet.

“What are you going to have for breakfast?” Rob asked Baxter.

“The other half of the bagel that I ate for breakfast yesterday. This time I’ll put butter on it instead of peanut butter. And I’ll have a glass of milk.”

“Is that going to be enough?” Vincent asked.

“Yes. Thinking about all the pizza I had for dinner last night and the strawberry shortcake, and how much we’re going to be eating today, half a bagel is probably too much.”

After finishing his breakfast, Baxter picked up their Thanksgiving menu. “So, Rob, what should I do first?”

“The turkeys. First, we’ll preheat the ovens. We’ll use both of the double ovens for the turkeys. The dressing will go in the oven in the stove, but first, that’s where Vincent’s pies will be baked.”

“Two pumpkin pies?”

“Yes. In addition, Trishia is bringing a pecan pie that she baked yesterday; we’ll put it in the refrigerator. She and my cousin Lyle will be here in about an hour.

“So, let’s get the turkeys prepped and into the ovens. I put two roasting pans on the counter in the laundry room. They each have a rack to hold the birds. The temperature on the ovens is set, and now what we have to do it let you and Elizabeth get to work prepping both turkeys.”

“Let me at ‘em,” Baxter said.

Rob could see that Baxter knew what he was doing. It took about forty minutes to do the advanced preparation of each turkey and to rub butter, salt, pepper, and herbs on the exterior of the first turkey, with Elizabeth observing. Then she prepped the second turkey with Baxter observing. Rob gave them tips that made it easier than Baxter had remembered from when he lived with his mom.

Another half-hour and each turkey was on its rack in its roasting pan and both were in the oven and the timer was set. Baxter was pleased that he was able to lift each roasting pan with its turkey without having to ask Rob for assistance.

There wasn’t much to do now except wait. Baxter’s responsibility was basting the turkeys periodically and, with Elizabeth’s assistance, make the cornbread stuffing and the gravy.

He kept looking through the windows in the oven doors and checking the browning of the breasts.

There were a lot of other things going on in the kitchen. Vincent was making and baking two pumpkin pies. Rob was washing and cutting the vegetables and returning them to the refrigerator so they would be ready to cook at the appointed time. Vincent’s parents had brought prepared hors d’oeuvres, ready to put out for the families to have something to munch on while they waited for the turkeys and vegetables. There was champagne and wine for the adults, and for the kids there was sparkling cranberry juice or whatever soft drink they preferred.

Rob’s cousin Lyle and his girlfriend Trishia arrived and were introduced. She put her pecan pie in the refrigerator. Vincent’s pumpkin pies finished baking, and each was put on a wire rack on the counter in the laundry room to cool until they were ready to be put in the refrigerator.

Baxter’s primary duty at this point was to baste the turkeys every fifteen minutes, and to help Elizabeth complete the cornbread stuffing, putting it in two buttered casserole dishes, storing them in the refrigerator, and having them ready to put in the oven at the scheduled time.

Rob had Baxter watch a video on YouTube showing how to carve a turkey. Between checking the turkeys and making sure everything else was ready, Baxter probably viewed the carving video about five times.

Eventually, and on schedule, everything came together as planned. Rob started to carve one turkey while Baxter watched then took over to finish the carving. He felt confident that he could tackle the other turkey by himself when it was needed.

With Vincent’s directions, the twins set the table. That took a while, considering that there were twenty-one relatives and that number of place settings that had to be set with everything in its correct position, including the special setting for Timmy and his booster seat.

Baxter and Elizabeth had one final task: making the gravy. She realized this was the most complex part of the meal for which she shared responsibility.

Working in one of the roasting pans, after the turkey had been removed to be carved, the job of making the gravy was more complicated than Baxter remembered. The final taste to make sure the seasoning was correct made the brother and sister smile. It was delicious. The gravy from the second turkey was made using the same steps and took less time.

Finally, everyone was seated. The food was distributed to serving bowls and platters and passed from one person to the next.

Rob and Vincent insisted that Baxter sit at the head of the table closest to the kitchen, with Elizabeth at his right at the side of the table.

Grandpa Choi gave a short Thanksgiving speech thanking everyone for coming and thanking Baxter and Elizabeth and their helpers for the holiday meal.

Great-Grandpa Young gave a short prayer, and closed with, “Now it’s time to enjoy our feast!”

After all of that work, Baxter was complimented by everyone — people who were now his relatives — for the way it all turned out. He insisted that it was a joint effort, with Elizabeth, Rob, and Vincent having a significant part in getting it to the tables.

The plates, silverware, and glasses from the main course were put in the dishwasher, then replaced by dessert settings and, for the adults, coffee cups and saucers. Dessert was served, the pumpkin pies baked by Vincent and the pecan pie baked by Trishia, topped with whipped cream for those who wanted it. All of the teans and Timmy wanted it.

Coffee was provided for the adults — and for the teens who asked for it — and milk for the other teens and Timmy. Everyone announced they were very full and that the meal and the pies were all outstanding.

Baxter — and Elizabeth — received most of the accolades. He was embarrassed, but he saw that Elizabeth was smiling and basking in the compliments she received. So he did the same, and it felt good. He decided that being embarrassed by a compliment was something that he didn’t need to do any longer.

Baxter finally had a family. A large family, a cohesive family. Something he’d never had before. It didn’t just feel good, it felt wonderful. This was another day that he could add to his list of the happiest days of his life.