Thankful Thomas's Arc

Chapter 20 of 20

The coffee pots steamed at the end of the long table now. Marge had set a boy to pour, and the last guests in line held warm cups while they waited. The pushing was gone. Every plate was full. Thomas looked down the pavilion table and saw it at last: everyone fed, everyone seated, no one left out. The feast had held. He climbed onto the bench. His knees cracked. Dorothy, his wife, steadied his arm so he wouldn't fall. Quincey, his granddaughter, set down her clipboard and watched him from the table's edge. The crowd quieted on their own this time. "Friends," Thomas said. His voice shook, then steadied. "I nearly didn't feed you tonight. The turkey froze. The crops near died in the frost. I ran out of food more times than I can count." A few guests laughed softly. "But you came. You brought your dishes. You stood in line and shared." He swept his hand across the table. The pavilion roof held the lantern light close and warm above them. "I'm thankful you came. I'm thankful you ate a hot meal at my table. And I'm thankful for my family." He looked at Dorothy. He looked at Quincey. "They worked beside me when I had nothing. They always do." Dorothy's eyes went wet behind her glasses. She squeezed his hand once, hard. Quincey wiped her face fast, pretending she hadn't. "Happy Thanksgiving," Thomas finished. "Every one of you." The guests rose. They clapped, then they cheered. Chairs scraped. People gathered their coats and their empty dishes. The feast was truly over now. It had worked. All of it had worked. Thomas climbed down. Dorothy kissed his cheek. "You did it, old man," she said. "We did it," he said. They helped the last guests find the path up the dark slope. Thomas, Dorothy, and Quincey walked with them partway, calling into the night. "Happy Thanksgiving! Safe home!" The guests called it back down the hill. Lanterns bobbed up the slope like slow fireflies. At the top, the three of them turned back toward the cottage. The cold bit through Thomas's coat. His legs ached. He felt lighter than he had in days. “HAPPY THANKSGIVING everyone!!!” waved Thomas as he entered his warm cottage and knew he could rest now.