Friendsgiving
It was all giggles and laughs for me and Kyra as we drove together to our friend Maya’s Friendsgiving dinner. All of us met through our job and had become fast friends. We were excited to eat her food because she would often bring us treats from her kitchen. We knew she could throw down.
“Tiff, what did you bring?” Kyra asked eyeing the two bags I pulled out the trunk when we arrived at Maya’s.
Digital drawing of friends at a Friendsgiving dinner.
“Maya asked me to brings some of those dinner rolls I brought to the potluck last week. So I grabbed those from the bakery. The other bag has a couple of bottles of wine one alcoholic and one non-alcoholic for me.”
“You just refuse to be a lush like the rest of us huh?” Kyra joked as we made it to Maya’s front door. Clay, Maya’s boyfriend, opened the door and let us in. “Finally, I was starting to think no one would show. Last year we had wall to wall people and this year you two were the only ones to RSVP.” Kyra and I exchanged looks, but said nothing as we followed him to the living room. We could see Maya busy in the kitchen.
“Hey my people,” Maya called to us while stirring a pot of greens. “I need about 20 minutes and then it will be time to eat. “
“Where should I put these?” I asked lifting the bags..
“Just sit them on the island here and then why don’t you two have a seat there to keep me company while I finish.”
As we took seats on the stools by the island Kyra asked, “So are we the only guests or are more coming?”
I cut my eyes over at her and she gave me the you, know you want to know too, look.
“Clay’s friend Ty and his girlfriend Aisha are on the way. We had way too many people last year so I decided to invite a small crew this year,” Maya said as she opened the oven and peeked in.
Kyra looked over at me and wiped her finger across her forehead as she mouthed “whew.” I choked down a chuckle and glanced back at Clay in the living room to make sure he hadn’t seen her. He was enthralled in a football game and hadn’t seen a thing.
Kyra was right about me wanting to know why no one from last year showed this year. When Clay told us that my stomach dropped just a bit. I’m real picky about whose food I eat and it took me a while to trust Maya enough to try her food. I was in my own thoughts when I felt the back of Kyra’s hand slap my arm twice.
I turned to look at her and she had the look of “ewww” on her face. I followed her eyes to Maya, but she was just standing there stirring the greens. Then things turned to slow motion as she lifted the spoon to her mouth, took a bite from the greens on it and placed the spoon back into the pot and continued to stir.
“Girl I put my foot in these greens if I do say so myself.” Maya laughed stirring her spit, I mean greens.
“You put something in it,” Kyra said under her breath so low I could barely hear it.
“Do you need any help?” I asked hoping I could get in there and head off anymore DNA swabbing.
“No, you can relax. I may need help later carrying everything to the table, but I’m good for now.” She responded as she reached into the refrigerator and pulled out what looked like dry potato salad.
A white cat jumped onto the island near me and startled me. It started a slow regal walk around the bags I’d brought. Poking its head in the bag with the dinner rolls and sniffing before walking towards Kyra.
“Uh Maya,” Kyra said to pull Maya’s attention to the wandering cat. Kyra was not a pet lover.
“Luxy, girl come here.” Maya said and picked up the cat. “You know you aren’t supposed to be on the counter while I’m cooking. She petted Luxy then held her in one arm while she stirred the pot of greens again. Once she was done stirring she went back to petting Luxy.
“You mind if I pour myself a drink?” Kyra said pulling the bottle of wine I’d brought as a hostess gift out of the bag.
“Go right ahead, pour me one too if you don’t mind. Babe, do you want some wine?” She called to Clay, she finally put her cat down before she pulled out wine glasses from a cabinet near her.
“Nah, but I’ll take a beer.” He called back not taking his eyes off the game.
“Got you,” she said sitting three wine glasses near Kyra, then grabbing a bottle of beer from the refrigerator. “I’ll be right back,” she told us as she left the kitchen and walked over to Clay to hand him his beer.
“I ain’t eating nothing,” Kyra said to me as she poured herself a tall glass of wine. She poured a second one and then held the bottle up. “Are you drinking some or are you sticking to the non-alcoholic wine?’’
I looked over at the counter where Maya had set the potato salad that Luxy was now sniffing, “I could use some alcohol.”
Maya reentered the kitchen and picked Luxy up and put her down on the floor. She opened a jar of mayonnaise and proceeded to scoop some into the potato salad until it looked nice and creamy. She took the spoon and swiped her index finger across it to remove the potato salad remnants then licked it. She then took the hand with the spit coated finger and began picking up sliced eggs that she had sitting on the counter and placed them on top of the potato salad.
“Normally, I don’t make potato salad for Friendsgiving but Clay requested it.” She wiped her hand on a dry dish towel before opening the refrigerator and setting the potato salad in.
“What’s on the menu?” I asked trying to plan a strategy.
“Clay is frying catfish and chicken. Babe you probably need to check the meat,” she reminded him before continuing down the menu. “I made cornbread dressing, baked macaroni, potato salad, and greens. I have a salad too, but it’s a bag one from the grocery store that I’m just going to dump into a bowl. Aisha is a vegan, so I had to have something for her even though she is bringing food from her family’s vegan restaurant to make sure she has a full plate.” Maya rolled her eyes, looking a bit insulted. “Oh we have the rolls you brought and for dessert I made the lemon cake you both love.”
Ten minutes later Clay came in from pulling the fish and chicken he fried on their balcony in an electric fryer. He fried fish and chicken in the same oil, fish first. “It looks good, Babe,” Maya hugged him as she admire the aluminum tin of fried meat. “Put that on the platter with the lid and we can move all the food to the table. Ty and Aisha should be here any minute.” As if on queue the doorbell rang.
Fifteen minutes later, after introductions were made the six of us sat around the beautifully set round dinner table. Kyra was clutching the wine bottle as if her life depended on it and I sat nervously hoping my strategy to get out with none of Maya food in my stomach would work.
“I have been looking forward to this food all day.” The blissfully ignorant Ty said as he started stacking Maya’s DNA infused food onto his plate.
“It does look delicious Maya, if I weren’t vegan I’d dig in for sure.” The lucky Aisha complimented Maya as she fixed her plate with a vegan lasagna she brought and the bag salad Maya had purchased on her behalf.
“That lasagna looks good Aisha, do you mind if I try a little?” I asked now in game on mode.
“Sure,” she said and handed me the dish.
“I’d like to try it too,” Kyra said eyeing me as I filled a quarter of my plate with the restaurant vegan lasagna. I handed her the dish and then grabbed the salad and filled another quarter of my plate. Next I grabbed a dinner roll, and a piece of catfish, because I wasn’t interested in catfish flavored chicken. When Maya handed me the greens, I passed them to Kyra. Explaining to Maya when she gave me a look, “I want to make sure I have room for the dressing and macaroni.” She proceeded to hand me first the dressing then the macaroni.
As I suspected the wine had an already outgoing Kyra in entertainer mode and while the rest of them laughed and shoveled food down their throats. I slipped food into the ziplock bag I had swiped from the kitchen and put under my napkin once I sat down. The trick would be slipping it in my purse that I’d sat near me right before dinner.
Every time someone turned their attention to me I took a bite of the roll or the interesting vegan lasagna. This was the longest dinner ever. Towards the end of the dinner when Kyra cracked a particularly funny joke I laughed with the group and leaned forward and slipped the full ziplock bag into my purse. Never had I been so glad to carry a large purse.
I wiped my mouth with the cloth napkin and placed it over my plate and said, “Maya you out did yourself.”
She grinned from ear to ear and said, “Why thank you girl. Feel free to take a plate home.” After the stress of dinner the evening turned fun as we played games and joked and laugh. Later, I found myself holding a to go plate that Maya had fixed for me. I was at the door waiting for Kyra who’d made a bathroom run before we left.
“Is anything up with Kyra? I noticed she didn’t eat much tonight. The food was good right?” Maya asked me as she waited to let us out.
“Girl, you know how she is once she starts drinking and gets into the zone. She’ll probably tear into her to go plate when she gets home.” I tried covering from Kyra.
Maya smiled, “You’re right.”
Kyra walked up to us and Maya handed her the to go plate. “Thank you both for coming, it was a good time,” Maya said as we made our exit.
“Thanks for having us,” I said. “See you at work on Monday.”
In the car Kyra and I looked at each other, but said nothing as I pulled off. Finally, Kyra asked, “How did you managed to eat that nasty food? I couldn’t do it. That plate won’t even make it into my place.”
“Grab my purse,” I pulled up and stopped at a stop light. When she handed me my purse I unzipped it and lifted out the bag of food. Kyra howled with laughter. “Thanks for keeping everyone entertained so I could pull this slight of hand off.” Kyra nearly choked on her laughter. I slipped the bag back into my purse and drove off when the light turned green.
“If she cooks like that with us watching. Imagine how she cooks when we aren’t around,” I said, thinking of all the food I’d eating of hers before Friendsgiving.
That thought stopped Kyra’s laughter in its tracks. “I think she has ruined my ability to eat someone’s cooking if I haven’t seen them cook. Seriously, I might have to learn how to cook. As I pulled up to Kyra’s place Maya called me.
“Hey Maya, I have you on the car audio so both Kyra and I can hear you.” I answered and looked over at Kyra.
“Ladies I’m so sorry I completely forgot to cut the lemon cake while you guys were here. No worries though I’ll bring you some to work on Monday and we can eat it on our break.”
“Okay, thanks,” I said as Kyra pretended to put her finger down her throat. I finished the call and hung up. Kyra grabbed her purse and grimaced as I made sure to hand her, her to go plate.
“Thanks for letting me ride with you. See you on Tuesday, because there is no way in hell I’m going to work on Monday.” She got out and closed the door.