Separate Tables

Thanksgiving Day Plans

 

The pilgrim outfit for "orphan lad" was delivered to Brenda within a few days, and the "excellent" seamstress, Lorraine Sweeney, found the display to be "unique." Brenda paid her 8 dollars for making the outfit, and finished covering mannequin "Waters" with a pair of knickers, white knee socks, black shoes with silver buckles, a black jacket with white cuffs and split front collar, and a black felt Pilgrim hat with a silver buckle. 

Robert held Waters on his Indian lap, and  Pilgrim Shirley was poised to serve the big meal to her loved ones. The "little family" was now on full display with just a couple of weeks to go until Thanksgiving.

Daniel said that he wanted to spend Thanksgiving overnight at his Uncle's and Aunt's place in Scaggsville near Laurel. Brenda would be attending a Vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner in Riverdale with the Taylor family, and their 19 children, some of whom were adopted. She could meet Daniel's family "some other time" around Christmas. 

He said that there would be people he hadn't seen in a long time, including his step cousin, Caitlin, who was 3 when her parents died in the same train wreck that claimed Daniel's mother Dorothy Alice, and father Henry Daniel Alexander. 

Caitlin was the step daughter of Henry's brother, Dean Alexander. Dean married a divorced woman named Becky Mackenzie who was Caitlin's mother. Both sets of parents died in the train wreck on their way to a revival meeting. Caitlin's maternal grandmother raised her, and they lived in Baltimore. Caitlin was currently 32.  

Brenda spent the next 2 weeks selling crepe paper Turkey decorations that she bought from the Woolworth store on U.S. 1 in Hyattsville. The trolley was her main source of transportation when Daniel was too busy to take her places. Many of her antiques were delivered by truck, and bought from locals on the spot when they pulled up to her shop. 

Life was good. She had a photograph of her Oglethorpe Street house enlarged, framed, and hung it on the wall behind her desk in the shop. THE Blundon home. The house filled with mystery, and excellent craftsmanship. It would always be a work in progress, because styles changed, and life had to go on, no matter what happened. 

When Brenda got home that evening, she set her father's Funeral Urn on the living room mantle at the far end near the back door. Her "otherworldly" connection to him was always of a practical nature. She felt that his spirit was looking around the living room with his hands clasped behind his back, and smiling at her. He had no need to say a word to his "Baby girl Brenda" when he got like that, telepathically, or otherwise.

C J Marks