2 of 642 - The Worst Thanksgiving Dish You Ever Had (writing prompt)

Day 2 of going through writing prompts is like the second day of going to the gym in a row.  This is something I could easily do each day for the rest of my life.  Sketches of Spain playing in the background and me knowing that it is only a matter of time before Pizza Hut and Miller Lite will be partaken of as well.  I am all set for an afternoon of writing and research.  

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I remember the tablecloth; beige with delicate white embroidery that framed the center.  It was a special occasion whenever this came out:  Christmas, birthdays and Thanksgiving.  I remember the china and the green goblets that we filled with a mixture of cranberry juice and ginger ale, the rolls and the turkey that always came out a little dry.  I remember the last family Thanksgiving when I was 9 and after that my brother's moved away and my Mom stopped cooking.  

Since then I was on occasion invited over to friend's homes to have Thanksgiving with their families and while I was married we had meals catered.  Usually in these instances I would mainly feel like an intrusion and could tell that my hosts felt like they were doing their good deed for the day.  

All in all most of my Thanksgivings were spent alone and I grew to like it that way.  Whether it would be my opening a bottle or two of wine over a takeout Thanksgiving dinner from Marie Calendars or Boston Market or me going to the bar to watch football, it was my tradition.  There is a special comradery amoungst  those who have no where to go on the holidays and the best way to experience that is with a stranger over a turkey log and talking smack about the Cowboys.  

So I've never had a bad Thanksgiving dish because when I eat turkey log and gravy or my tongue salivates at the mild tang of canned cranberry sauce; I can still feel the soft beige tablecloth beneath my fingertips.  No matter how bad or off the Thanksgiving meal is from the ones of my childhood it can still transport me back to a time where things felt safe.