Chapter IV: Mom

Everyone waited for mom to explain.  Despite being in the room and hearing the conversation leading up to my question she still seemed surprised. Like a student hearing the words pop quiz, she responded with “Hmmm?”

“The Elegant Elephant?” I asked matching the look on her face at having to explain.

She sighed and picked up the speed of her stirring.  “Well, there was the time that Curtis broke it. We didn’t even attempt that good of job fixing it by then.”

            I looked at Curtis.

            “Mom!” he said.  “I think we could have gone a bit longer without that coming up.”

            “I just thought we were clearing the air, here,” mom said defensively and sat down on the chair.

            “It’s not a confessional,” Curtis said.  “We could have left that part out.  It is not pertinent to this story.”

            “No,” Sam said smiling, “do tell.  All these years it was always, ‘Sam broke the elephant.  Don’t tell, don’t tell.’  Nice to see I have company.”

            “Sorry to disappoint you,” Curtis said leaning back on the couch.  “All I did was nick the corner.”

            “I still don’t understand how that even happened,” mom said.

            “I was sick and stayed home from school that day,” Curtis said rubbing his chin.

            “That I remember,” mom said.  “But how did you break the elephant across the room when you were supposed to be on the couch resting?”

            He shrugged his shoulders.  “I was watching Star Wars.”

            I nodded my head because his explanation made sense.

            Sam shrugged her shoulders.  “So?”

            “One does not simply watch the light saber scenes.  One must enact the light saber scenes.” He affected a horrible accent and touched his index fingers to his thumbs.

            “Obi Wan?” I asked.

            “Darth Vader,” he responded.

            “Why would you be Vader and not Kenobi?” I asked getting distracted from the purpose of the story.

            He shrugged.  “Just how I roll.”

            “We glued the corner back in,” mom continued her narrative.  “But it wasn’t the best job.  That’s why we turned it slightly so that it was angled.  That corner was kept in the back.”

            “Oh,” Sam said.  “I remember when it moved to that position.  I just thought it was to keep anyone from staring at it directly so that the demon inside it wouldn’t take anyone’s soul.  At least, that’s what I told my friends.”

            I looked at her.  Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to do one of those online DNA tests because I’m pretty sure I am adopted.

            “Don’t be ridiculous,” Curtis said.  “The demon inside that thing wouldn’t be deterred by angles.”

            Sam nodded her head in agreement.

            “Okay,” I said remembering the point of the story.  “I guess it would be easier to see how many people in this room have not broken my elephant at some point.  If you have not broken the Elegant Elephant ever in your life, please raise your hand now.”

            My hand was the only hand in the air.  “Huh,” I said.  “I thought there would be more hands in the air.”  I looked at Sam.  I now knew her story.  I looked at Curtis.  Just heard his story.  That leaves…

            “Mom?” I asked.

            “Oh, well,” she sounded delighted to have her turn now that she knew she had a safe space to share.  “I actually was the first one to break it.  Your dad had brought me to Lucille’s house for the first time to meet her.  I was nervous even though I was still on the fence about your dad.  I just wasn’t sure he was my type.”

            We all looked at dad unsure how he would react.  He smiled.  Okay, he must know this version of the story but I swear this was the first I was hearing it.

            “Anyway,” mom continued looking at the wall so that she wouldn’t get distracted from the details.  “Meeting a fella’s mom is still a big deal.  And what if I broke up with him a week later?  She’d be able to put a face to the name that broke her son’s heart.”

            I wasn’t exactly following her dilemma but I could tell it was valid to her.  So, I just nodded like I understood.

            “We were in the living room talking with Lucille and I was bombing big time.  She asked me where I lived and I told her the street.  My family lived on the North side and here we were, chatting in a South side house.  Strike one.  She then said she had some cookies baking for us and asked if I liked to bake.  I told her I didn’t even know how to boil an egg.  That seemed to worry her and she asked what I did to eat.  I told her that since I worked all day, I would usually grab some take-out on the way home.  Which led us down the path to my job.  I told her I loved to work and planned on working after I married.  Strike two.”

            Mom was serious about her recollection but the woman she described didn’t sound like our grandma.  Grandma was very non-judgmental and loved unconditionally.

            Mom continued, “Luckily, the buzzer went off and she went into the kitchen to get the cookies.  While she was in there, I stood up and walked to the shelf.  That was the first time I saw the Elegant Elephant.”

            “What did you do?” Sam asked.

            “Did you take out your frustration on the elephant?” Curtis asked.  “You do a little, smash therapy?”

            “No!” mom said.  “I knew I was messing up big time and even though I wasn’t sure where your dad and I were going, I still wanted to make a good impression.  So, when she came back in the room, I asked her about the elephant.  I thought it was an odd piece since the elephant was using its foot to hold the teacup…”

            “Thank you!” I said feeling validated.  “It should use its…”

            Everyone in the room said in unison, “trunk.”

            “Obviously,” I muttered.

            “I pointed that out to Lucille and she didn’t know what I was talking about.  I picked it up, just to show her, and…”  mom’s eyes went downward.  “I dropped it.”

            “Why is this the first time we are hearing all these stories?” Sam asked.  “All these years, it’s been ‘Sam broke the elephant.’  Well, Sam is not the only one to break the elephant.”

            “If it makes you feel any better, I didn’t know anyone broke the elephant before today,” I said.

            She shrugged her shoulders. “It just would have been nice to know these stories sooner,” she said.  “Continue.”

            “Lucille wasn’t exactly as warm and helpful to me as she was with you all.  She was visibly upset and said something about how she was glad Gil wasn’t serious about me.  She muttered something about us breaking up within a week. Then she excused herself and went to bed.”

            We sat there.  This person mom was talking about didn’t sound like grandma.

            “She could say hurtful things at times,” dad said softly and we all looked at him.

            I told myself to keep quiet but I had a pressing thought.  “You mean, like telling you if you had kids, you would have fought harder to save your marriage?” Might as well bring that up tonight, too.  Since, as mom herself put it, ‘we are clearing the air.’

            Curtis and Sam looked at me and then at mom and then back at me.

            “I just thought that maybe you gave up a little too quickly,” mom said and continued stirring.  “Mac is a good person.  You are a good person.  You belong together.”

            “I agree,” I said running my hand through my hair.  “But Mac isn’t in love with me anymore.  She’s in love with Miles.”

            “I got a wedding announcement,” Sam said weakly.  “They are getting married.”

            Of course, I had heard about the engagement but that didn’t mean it still didn’t hurt to hear about it.  Or that she had invited my sister of all people.

            I sighed.  “Good for her,” I muttered.  “And as far as us not having any children to ‘save our marriage’,” the words came out bitter.  “We tried.  We tried but turns out, having children is not something in my future.”

            “What?” mom asked.

            “He doesn’t have strong swimmers,” Curtis summed up.

            I nodded.  That was as good as any explanation especially at the moment.

            There was another long pause.  I know my mom and I know once she finished processing all this new information, she would attempt to make it up to me. Not that I would hold my breath for an actual apology, that just isn’t her style. But she would try the best she could to prove she loves me. It will probably be awkward, but I know deep down she means well, and I will keep reminding myself of that fact during whatever was about to come my way.  For now though, I just wanted this long dinner that hasn’t even started to be over.

            Sam broke the silence.  “How did you and dad end up together then?”

            Mom welcomed the change of topic and cleared her throat.  “Funny enough, we owe it all to the Elegant Elephant.”

            We looked at her.

            “I’m serious.  When I dropped it, I broke the trunk off.  I felt horrible about it but your dad was so sweet and kind.  He reassured me it was actually okay and if it couldn’t be salvaged it wouldn’t be the worst thing.  I stayed and helped him glue it back together.  By the time I left his mom’s house that night, I knew he was the one.”

            Sam slapped her hand down on the cushion.  “This is turning out to be a good Thanksgiving,” she said.  Then looked at Curtis.  “I mean, except for Carlie breaking up with you.” She looked at dad.  “And your mom not being here.”  And then at me.  “And just you.” She waved her hand in front of me.

            I smirked at her.  “Funny.”  But I was the only one who had raised my hand earlier which means I was the only one that has not broken the elephant.  We still had one more story to go.

            “Dad?” I asked.  “When did you break the elephant?”

Chapter V: Dad

Chapter III: Sam