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“You know, you don’t have to do all of this,” Mark told Elizabeth as he helped her peel and core apples for a homemade apple pie. “Thanksgiving is going to look really different this year since we both have to work and Rachel’s spending it with her mother. I was pretty excited to just get Chinese after work and crash in front of the TV.”
“What, didn’t you like my pilgrim hat last year?” Elizabeth teased him. “Thanksgiving has become one of my favorite American holidays; you don’t have to worry about anything but stuffing yourself and then relaxing after. Besides, how could we not celebrate it when it’ll be the first major holiday in our new house?”
“You’re right. I guess I wasn’t thinking about how much that would mean to you.”
“Don’t worry; I’m hardly upset. I love finding creative ways to celebrate holidays when I have to be at work on the actual day. It makes me believe I’m not missing out on anything at all. And I’m happy you’re participating in helping me prepare our early dinner.”
Elizabeth had described last year’s Thanksgiving as “interesting” and “chaotic” when she and Mark were reminiscing on it last week. It was literally a storm of once-in-a-lifetime happenings, as Mark had left her apartment in the middle of dinner to go be Carol’s Lamaze coach. Then, she had to figure out how to support and comfort Rachel during her first period. And to top it all off, David got hurt when he fell on his way back from the drugstore.
“It’s definitely going to be quieter without Dad,” Mark added, still trying to get used to life without David. “Anyone who didn’t know him would think he was just someone’s textbook annoying relative at the dinner table. Had an opinion on everyone and everything. But he really liked and appreciated you. And I think he would’ve liked the house.”
“Are you going to miss Rachel this year?”
“Of course, but we’ll see her at Christmas. Now, that’s one thing I’m excited about. Putting up our first tree in our first house. And decorating the outside. I might end up going a little overboard if you put me in charge.”
“I’m fine with that. I hope we get a lot of snow so we can have more snowball fights this winter. This time, we don’t have to worry about staying out of everyone’s path in the ambulance bay.”
Mark cut up one of the apples into slices and pushed them toward Elizabeth. “Not sure if you’re ready to start the filling yet,” he said.
She looked at the slices and smiled. “Not quite, but you did a very nice job. Who knew you were such a good baker? Had you also been working on your kitchen skills in your off hours when you weren’t house hunting to impress me?”
“I’ve tried reading some cookbooks and recipe magazines.”
“Have I ever told you why I love apples so much?” she asked him. “It’s the quintessential American fruit. Associated with apple pie on the 4th of July and Thanksgiving. They go well with peanut butter and cinnamon. Not to mention how apple picking in the fall is so romantic…you know, maybe we should do that next year. Oh, and what else is there? Something about how an apple a day keeps the doctor away?”
“About that last part, I don’t think many of our patients have gotten the memo.” Mark laughed.
“There’s just always something comforting about a good apple pie,” she continued. “Now, given that I bought pre-made crust, I can’t exactly say I’m as good of a baker as I am a surgeon. For me, it represents celebration and family, spending time together and enjoying everyone agreeing on something for a change. I feel like so many holidays end with families arguing or resenting each other, or people dread spending time with their relatives at all. I’m glad we don’t have to worry about feeling that way.”
“I am too. Not to mention, what makes apple pie even better is pairing it with vanilla ice cream. Or whipped cream. Or…both.”
“The combination of apple and cinnamon reminds me of that carnival on the pier we went to over the summer,” Elizabeth said. “So many sweets and fried foods, all these things that aren’t good for us, and we spent the whole day indulging. Before then, I couldn’t even tell you the last time I’d had a funnel cake and caramel apple for dinner, if that ever happened to begin with. Or a huge soft pretzel with cheese.”
“After all that, it was no wonder the only rides we wanted to go on were the merry-go-round or the Ferris wheel. But um, we do have ice cream and whipped cream, right?”
Elizabeth quickly looked back in the fridge and freezer. “Chocolate ice cream,” she replied with a frown. “This is almost ready to bake, though. You have time to make a quick run to the store and get it back here in time for dinner and dessert.”
“I’ll do that. Don’t start eating without me, OK?”
“There’s too much food for me to even consider that.”
“OK, we did that in reverse,” Mark declared once he put away the ice cream and whipped cream. “I think at Christmas, we need to remember to get all of our grocery shopping done before we start cooking.”
“We’ll make our list and check it twice.” Elizabeth agreed. “Want me to cut the turkey?”
“Oh, it’s only turkey breast. I should be fine to help us divide it up. Any other Thanksgiving foods you like the smell of, or are you anxious to skip straight to dessert?”
“Honestly, when I’m hungry, everything smells good. I’m excited for the stuffing too, though. And mashed potatoes with gravy. The ultimate holiday carbohydrates. But you didn’t tell me what you think smells good, though.”
“Fresh baked bread or rolls. With butter.”
“Hope you like store bought,” she said with a laugh. “But how about at Christmas we make banana bread or something?”
“Deal.”
Once the turkey was cut, they set it in the center of the table and then started to organize their side dishes. At first glance, it looked like a lot of food for two people, but Elizabeth’s reasoning was that it wasn't worth complaining about. They could take leftovers to work until Christmas, even though they’d get tired of turkey long before then.
“We did good,” Mark said. “Even though most of my contribution was a last-minute run to the grocery store and heating up vegetables in a pot.”
“No, you did a good job with the pie. And trust me, ice cream is an important part of every holiday meal. I feel like that’s what people come for…well, after the turkey anyway.
“You’re sure the house doesn’t feel too empty?” she asked. “Part of me wondered if it would feel like that. I’m glad we’re having dinner together now, but it almost feels odd to me.”
“We should enjoy it. Of course I miss Dad and it’s a bummer that our work schedules meant it wasn’t going to work out to have Rachel here. But at the same time, life goes on, and at least we’re off today and we’re not trying to hurry up and eat before it’s time for a shift. We’re not even on call, so we can really take our time knowing our pagers likely won’t go off.”
Elizabeth smiled. “If that’s the way you see it, I think I can get behind that. It’s never easy to have a real holiday when you’re a doctor, so let’s cherish it. It’ll be fun to tell everyone we already had our Thanksgiving dinner when they’re stressed about seeing their annoying relatives and scrambling to buy food at the last minute. Oh wait, we did do that.”
“Maybe after we’re done eating and finish cleaning up, we can call Carol and reminisce about the craziness of last year. I think she can laugh about it now, and we haven’t talked to her and Doug in a while. Besides, friendships are another important ingredient of holiday celebrations.”
“Sure, if the time difference allows, I don’t see why not.”
After Elizabeth took a bite of her dinner roll, she looked back up at Mark. “You know what else all this food makes me think about? Besides how hungry I am and why I like Thanksgiving, since all you have to do is cook a big meal and eat as much as you can before you want to fall asleep?”
“That I used too much water in the bowl before I threw the green beans in the microwave?”
“Not exactly,” she told him, barely able to contain her laughter. “This is our first holiday meal in our house, and as an engaged couple. And I mean the first major holiday. The candy we had for dessert the day after Halloween doesn’t count. So, it’s like the scent of a new memory is also in the air. Yes, I know that sounds corny, but I really enjoyed cooking together today. If we have to work on a holiday, why not make this a ritual? Then we never feel like we’re missing out. And it’s just us and we’re not fighting for our portion in the doctor’s lounge.”
“I guess I really have to keep working on my cooking. You’ve been very patient with that.”
“I always just assumed the kitchen was part of what drew you to the house. More room for you to practice.”
“OK, now you’re telling tales out of school. You know I wanted this so you wouldn’t leave me due to the deteriorating conditions of my old apartment.”
“You know, even if we were having Thanksgiving dinner there, I wouldn’t want to be with anyone but you. That’s what matters most, even though I’m relieved you upgraded. It just helps me form a better vision of the future.”
“And I want to be with you no matter how crazy our holidays get. Or how many of them we have to work. We’ll find a way, and in 10 years, we won’t remember how our shifts went or what decorations were hanging in the ER. It’s times like this we’ll look back on. I can’t wait for many more turkeys and desserts to come.”
Elizabeth knew Mark would never be the best cook and wouldn’t always write down things they needed on the grocery list. Of course, she wasn’t perfect either. Even before they were together, she recalled times she’d messed up on a recipe or came home from work too exhausted to cook so she heated up a can of soup or made herself a sandwich.
But Mark was right. Those things didn’t matter. It was about being surrounded by good food and spending time with the most important person in their lives: each other.
And not to mention, she was still excited for that apple pie and vanilla ice cream once the dinner had been cleared away and packed in leftover containers.