Part Two
A Taste of Punjab (a fictional Indian restaurant) at a shopping center just a mile from Jade's House*
*Jade meets a dirty blonde haired/gray eyed 40-year-old woman who invited her to this Indian restaurant*
Waitress: *to Jade and Leanne Summers* Glad to open up for Thanksgiving for ones who couldn't see their own families, care for something to drink before you two order?
Jade: Iced Tea, unsweetened, please.
Leanne: I'll have the same, ma'am.
Waitress: Excellent choice, girls, I'll be back with your drinks. *As the waitress leaves*
Leanne: *quietly* Thanks for calling me, Miss Jade, I'm glad you don't have any plans for Thanksgiving.
Jade: *quietly* Not everyone wants to celebrate Thanksgiving for a lot of reasons.
Leanne: *quietly* Now, what shall we talk about?
Jade: *quietly* Eugene, Oregon, Thanksgiving Day 1995. *Leanne gasped* Does that sound familiar to you?
Leanne: *quietly* How can I not forget it was a long time ago. *As the waitress came back with two unsweetened iced tea*
Waitress: I hope you girls don't discuss about double dates, are you?
Jade: Not exactly, ma'am.
Leanne: It's something else.
Waitress: Between you two.
Jade: Yes, ma'am.
Waitress: *holding an ordering pad* And are you two ready to order?
Jade: Yes, I'll have the special, ma'am.
Waitress: *after writing it down* Oh yes, the Thanksgiving special.
Leanne: What is it.
Waitress: It's turkey Tandoori with Basmati rice, fresh spinach salad, roasted sweet potatoes and butternut squash dhal and cranberry chutney.
Leanne: Oh, that sounds delicious, I'll have the same as well.
Waitress: Brilliant, I have the two Thanksgiving specials in for you. *As the waitress leaves*
Jade: *quietly* Tell me about what happened on that day.
Leanne: *quietly* It was a disaster for me; I was staying with the Wells.
Jade: *quietly* You know the Wells?
Leanne: *quietly* Yes, I'm their niece.
Jade: *quietly* And Max Wells is your cousin.
Leanne: *quietly* Yes and I'll tell what happened...while my father is away on military duties.
*Leanne's Flashback to Thanksgiving Day 1995*
The Wells House, Eugene, OR, USA
Leanne: *voice only* I was ten years old...and I finished a Thanksgiving centerpiece based on the first Thanksgiving in America.
Norma: *voice only* Max, I need your help.
Leanne: *as Max who was fifteen years old came* Coming, Aunt Norma!
Max: Hey, freak, what is that?
Leanne: A centerpiece.
Max: A centerpiece more like a piece of junk to me.
Leanne: It's for Thanksgiving.
Max: I don't want that junk on the dinner table.
Norma: *voice only* Max, downstairs now!
Max: C'mon, freak, let's go! *As he and Leanne go downstairs to Norma who was in her thirties fixing up in the kitchen* What's cooking, Mom.
Norma: I'm getting ready for Thanksgiving while your father is picking up your grandfather from the nursing home and grandaunt Mildred from the bus station, so help me with drying the dishes and be careful. *The telephone rings*
Max: Sorry, I've going with the guys playing basketball.
Norma: No, you will not, Max, help me.
Leanne: I'll help you, Aunt Norma.
Norma: *scowled at Leanne* Like I careless...Max!
Max: *on the phone* What's up?
Norma: *voice only* Max!
Max: *on the phone* Look, I wish I could play with you guys, but mom wants me to help her.
Norma: *voice only* Max!
Max: Well...I just don't know if I have...
Norma: *as she came to Max* Get off the phone now *as she hangs up the phone* This is supposed to be a family get-together.
Max: Not with the freak [Leanne] she isn't.
Norma: Don't care, Max, she's your cousin.
Max: She's stupid.
Norma: Don't blame me, blame your aunt Lori marrying a soldier of fortune
Leanne: *voice only* He is not; he's a Marine.
Norma: *as she enters the kitchen when Norma was about to start drying the dishes* Don't you touch those with your filthy hands.
Leanne: My hands are clean!
Norma: Leanne, did I call you to help me?
Leanne: I want to help you, Aunt Norma, because Max is so busy for himself.
Norma: Don't care, Leanne, you're ten years old and you drop things on the floor, and I don't want you to be Miss Meance.
Leanne: Aunt Norma, give me a chance. *The doorbell rings*
Norma: Max, see who at the door and tell them to leave. *To Leanne* And don't you touch anything from here. *As she leaves to the dining room, Max answers the door*
Max: Hey, 'Trice' (an Asian American guy), 'Marsh' (an African American guy), what's up, 'Cesca' (an Italian American girl)
'Cesca': *as Norma came* Ciao, Max!
Norma: Max, a word.
Max: *to his friends* Excuse me, everyone! *And came to his mother*
Norma: *quietly* What are you doing bringing your friends here.
Max: *quietly* I was trying to tell Cesca that if there's enough here for a Thanksgiving dinner.
Norma: *quietly* I bet she invited herself along with those two boys.
Max: *quietly* I try to explain it to her, but she's insisted coming over anyway.
Norma: *quietly* Without her family finding out?
Max: *quietly* Her family is in New Jersey; she has no privileges to going for a family reunion after her grades were terrible, beside I help her study and... *Until something breaks in the kitchen, Norma went back to the kitchen and gasped*
Norma: Oh no, my gravy boat.
'Marsh': *points the finger at Leanne* She did it!
'Trice': She was drying the dishes.
Norma: *to Leanne* Stupid girl, I told you not to touch anything here.
Leanne: I'm sorry, Aunt Norma, I was trying to dry the gravy boat, and this big girl [Cesca] knock me down and the gravy boat broke on purpose. *Norma is frustrated*
Norma: *yelled to Max's friends* GET OUT OF MY HOUSE NOW!!! AND DON'T YOU THREE COME BACK! *And they did...to Max* Max, wait until I tell your father for what you did. *To Leanne* And as for you go back to your room, I'll call you down for dinner and you'd better apologize to your uncle because that is your grandma's gravy boat as a wedding present to me and your uncle*
Leanne: *voice only* That's not all it happened once my uncle Howard bring in my grandfather and my grand aunt Mildred [both on her mother's side], I was called down for a Thanksgiving dinner.
Leanne: *brings in the Thanksgiving centerpiece to Howard, male in his 40s* Uncle Howard, I'm sorry for breaking the gravy boat I wanted to help Aunt Norma, so I made something for Thanksgiving. *Howard sighed and simply annoyed her apology*
Grandfather: Howard, Leanne apology to you of what happened today.
Howard: *to Leanne* Apology not accepted, your father will have to pay for the damage you did.
Leanne: It's not my fault, Uncle Howard.
Howard: I know, Max should have known better not to bring his friends on the holidays, but still, you didn't listen to your aunt.
Leanne: I wanted to help her.
Howard: *points his finger at the centerpiece* What's that?
Leanne: A centerpiece for Thanksgiving.
Howard: *sighed* Young lady, that centerpiece doesn't make any sense at all.
Max: *as he brings in the turkey* Here comes the turkey...*to Leanne* you freak, I told you not to bring that junk to the dinner table.
Grand Aunt Mildred: Junk, I think it's lovely.
Grandfather: It's sure is.
Max: *after place the turkey on the dinner table* It's ugly and I say it goes. *As he grabs the centerpiece out of Leanne's hands and throws it in the fireplace and Leanne screamed so loud, Norma came with the basket of rolls*
Norma: What's going...what happened?
Howard: Leanne screamed at all of us.
Norma: For what?
Grand Aunt Mildred: Leanne just make a beautiful centerpiece.
Grandfather: But Max just throws it in the fireplace claiming it's junk.
Max: Well, it is, Grandpa.
Grandfather: Why is that?
Max: *points his fingers at Leanne* She broke Grandma's gravy boat.
Leanne: *yelled in frustration * IT WAS YOUR GIRLFRIEND, YOU JERK!!! *And she pushes Max unto Norma who was bring out a basket of rolls causing the rolls to fall unto the fireplace and Norma fells unto the table causing her to grab the tablecloth and all the food is spilled not only unto her but Howard as well*
Howard: *as he stood from the chair and in rage and staring at Leanne* That does it, young lady, now you're gone too far. *As he grabs her while she screams and went white*
*Leanne's Flashback fades*
Leanne: *quietly* After my uncle dragged me to my room, he whipped me with his belt so bad for ruining Thanksgiving.
Jade: *quietly* For what? Breaking a family heirloom or cleaning out the table early.
Leanne: *quietly* Everything, what's even worse is that when my father came back, they told him what happened, I wanted to tell him the truth, but he turns his back on me and leaves without saying goodbye.
Jade: *quietly* What happened after that?
Leanne: *quietly* Uncle Howard and Aunt Norma sent me to a reform school in Phoenix, Arizona telling me they'll be off without me causing chaos. *As she starts to cry while Jade comfort and stop the digest recorder in her purse*
Waitress: *as she brings in the two specials* Oh, what's the matter with her.
Jade: She's just felt like a villainess to her own family after what happened thirty years ago.
Waitress: I hope it's not here.
Jade: No, ma'am, it's somewhere else.
Waitress: *to Leanne* Don't feel bad I hope you can make reconcile with your family.
Leanne: I try that, the only one in my family who never regrets anything or reconcile with me is my cousin.
Waitress: Oh no! When was that?
Leanne: I was eighteen years old when I've found out that my grandfather and my grandaunt Mildred passed away after what happened, no one came to see me at all, I realize my family not only regret themselves for what happened, but they never reconcile with me because I'm a disaster of the family while Max is a brilliant one in the family.
Jade: That's not fair, Leanne, they should treat children equally not playing favorites.
Leanne: I know, Miss Jade, listen let's eat our Thanksgiving dinner before it gets cold.
Jade: Okay, we'll discuss the rest later.
Waitress: That's a relief! *As she leaves*
[End of Part Two]
