“Matt’s "the one. I knew it immediately,” Mallory smiled at her stepmother Ellen as they waited for the last of the Christmas pies to finish baking. Apples and cinammon scented the air.
“Oh, Mal,” Ellen hugged the girl she had raised since the age of two. “We’re all so happy! He just seems perfect!”
The two women were sitting in the kitchen, the largest room in the old farmhouse. Mal looked fondly at the person she called Mother. She was still wearing her faded apron after preparing the enormous breakfast of eggs, pancakes, hash browns – the works! Ellen rarely ventured far from where food was stored, prepared, cooked, served, and cleaned up, so the apron of the day tended to stay on unless she were going out.
“I was afraid you wouldn’t approve, “ Mallory ventured.
“Because he’s black, right?” Ellen always came to the point.
“ Look, I know you and Dad were hippies way back when, and I know you had black friends in the city. Still, I admit to worrying what you would think when I brought home an African American guy. “
“Well, I hope you realize it makes absolutely no difference to us. We could see right away, just as you did, that he’s the one. Even little Petey said it.”
They sat in companionable silence for awhile, ‘til Ellen shooed Mallory out of the kitchen.
“Go on, rescue him from everyone in this crazy family. You should be with him now. There’s not much time left before I need to start getting serious about dinner."
Mallory was glad she had made the trek across country to spend Christmas with her family. She loved their special traditions, and it just wouldn’t have been the same with Matt’s family. Besides, this was her first Christmas as a full-fledged adult, age 21. Their most important tradition was actually her responsibility this year. She had been a bit nervous but later, lingering at the dinner table while munching the last of Matt’s thigh from the bone , she basked in her family’s praise.
“You did a fine job selecting Christmas dinner, daughter,” her father said, making it official.
“I love the dark meat, “ Petey piped up.
They all had a good laugh at that.
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