As per tradition each person took a turn to give thanks for that which they were most thankful for. While both Liam and Jesse gave thanks for their good grades all the adults seemed to rehearse the same mantra one by one, family and health. However, when it came to Hannah she remained silent.
Given all the things life had thrown her way since the start of the new year it was kind of difficult to find something to voice appreciation or something that had not already been said. “I’m just glad all of you made it here today,” she sincerely added after a pregnant pause.
When it seemed everyone had finally finished eating, Hannah pushed her chair backwards and stood up. Gathering her dishes she set her salad bowl on top of the plate then put her silverware in the cup before skirting around the dining room table to take her place setting into the kitchen to rinse off and put into the dishwasher. Everyone had their part to play when it came to the Thanksgiving meal; hers just happened to be clean up while her father finished carving the turkey.
“Hey dad?” Hannah paused what she was doing to look over her shoulder when it became apparent that he didn’t hear her. “Dad?” She repeated, this time a little louder.
“Hmm?” He responded. Though he did not stop what he was doing, James did inclining his head in her direction to let her know he was listening.
“Could you put a few pieces of turkey in a bowl for me please?” Two more plates were loaded into the bottom rack. Aside from there being room for one more cup on the top rack, there really asn’t much else she could do till the dishwasher ran its full cycle. Yes, cleaning the dishes by hand was still an option but not really something the young women really felt like doing at this point in time.
“Going to take some upstairs to your cat?” He wondered out loud though he already knew the answer; Hannah was a bit of a bleeding heart at times and didn’t like others to feel left out whether they walked on two legs or four paws. It was a quirk of hers, and not one he sought to discourage.
“She’s been a part of our family how many months now? Three… Four maybe?” After putting one of the cleaning packets into the dishwasher detergent cup Hannah turned the knob to the correct setting and was rewarded to the sound of the machine roaring to life.
“True,” James interjected while nodding his head in agreement. It had taken some convincing but ultimately he was glad for their tiny addition. “Here you go sweetie.” He passed her a small child sized salad bowl with four to five bits of white meat and a few shreds of dark.
“Thank you!” Hannah replied with a sincere smile. After giving her father a peck on the cheek she opened the fridge and produced one of the banana pudding cups.
James quirked an eyebrow in his daughter's direction. “Not going to have any pie?”
“I will later, just not in the mood for a slice right now.” With a bit of a wink, Hannah turned on her heel then headed upstairs towards her bedroom where the little guardian cat lay in wait.
“Sheena.” She cooed softly, setting the bowl beside her before peeling back the pudding lid and setting that down as well. Reaching over Hannah re adjusted the plaid bow so the little decorative piece didn’t fall into the food she had brought up. “Thank you,” the young woman fell silent for a minute or so as she stroked the Guardian Cat’s long soft fur coat.
“Thank you for staying with me, for helping me grow stronger in ways I didn’t know were possible. But most importantly, thank you for looking out for me and being such a good friend.” A small smile lifted the corners of her lips before she place a kiss upon the star mark on Sheena’s forehead.
Kaori_Luv
for heavy mention
