Grace switched off the engine and surveyed the scene in front of her. Joe stood beside Amanda’s car helping Granny get out. At first there was no sight of Amanda, then Grace saw her little sister dart out from behind Joe’s car and take her place behind Joe and next to Granny. Stepping out of the car, Grace thought,That’s just like Amanda to try and hide behind her big brother. Well, Joe’s not gonna save her this time.

“Amanda!” She bellowed, “We need to talk. RIGHT NOW!”

“Grace, I think you need to take a step back and look at the big picture,” pleaded Amanda.

“Big picture, my ass. You slept with my boyfriend.”

“In all fairness,” Amanda whined, “he was my husband before he was your boyfriend.”

Joe, who’d been sheltering his younger sister, looked in Amanda’s direction.

“You slept with Charlie?”

“I didn’t mean to. It just happened.”

“But on Thanksgiving? What were you thinking?” Then turning to Grace said, “Can’t you two sort this out another time? I mean it’s Thanksgiving. You don’t want to spoil Thanksgiving do you?”

Grace rolled up her sleeves and gave Joe the look that basically told him to get out of the way.

“Ever since we were kids,” she said. “Amanda has taken my things without asking. In elementary school, if she couldn’t find her pencil case, she’d take mine. In high school, if she wanted a new outfit for a last minute date, she’d raid my closet. But this time, she’s gone too far. I’m gonna rip this earring’s match out of her scrawny ear and stick it—"

Joe, however, had just as much at stake as his sisters.

“Cheryl’s worked hard to make this the best Thanksgiving ever and I’m not about to let you two mess it up.”

Grace paused, her eyes narrowing.

“Do I need to remind you that if it wasn’t for me, Cheryl wouldn’t be hosting Thanksgiving. Not this year. Not ever.”

“Don’t fall for that Joe,” pleaded Amanda. “She only sided with you to spite me.”

Grace made a grab for Amanda but Joe again blocked her so she tried another approach.

“It’s always about you, isn’t it Amanda? Can’t stand not being the center of attention. That’s why you didn’t want Cheryl to host Thanksgiving. You thought she’d show you up. And you couldn’t handle that, could you?”

“Is that, right, Amanda?” asked Joe, turning slightly but holding out his hand to keep Grace at bay.

Amanda pointed at Grace.

“You didn’t want her to host it either. You told me as much.”

“Are you really going to go there?”

Joe turned back towards Grace as she replied.

“You called me, all upset, saying Cheryl was bullying Joe into letting her do Thanksgiving.”

“Bullying. Is that what you two thought,” said Joe, now standing toe to toe with Grace. “You think Cheryl bullies me?”

Grace, however, wasn’t interested in Joe’s relationship with his wife. She wanted him to step aside and let her deal with Amanda. Standing on her tiptoes to see over Joe’s shoulder, she said to Amanda, “Joe’s always protected you and the one time he asked for your support, what did you do?” Her hand shot past Joe as she pointed at her younger sister. “You started your own personal campaign to exclude his wife.”

Joe grabbed her by the shoulders and put his face in front of hers. “I asked if you thought Cheryl bullied me.”

They were the same height and closer in age to each other than they were to Amanda and Andy. In fact, for five years it had only been the two of them; Joe the sensitive one and Grace the bold one. The last thing Grace wanted today, was to get into an argument with Joe. Her squabble was with Amanda, so she ignored his question and instead said, “Joe, you and I have always been a team. Right?”

“And you’ve always been my protector,” countered Amanda. “Ever since I was little—”

“She’s used you Joe, like she uses everyone.”

Grace could see that Joe was wavering. One more little push and he’d step aside so she could get at Amanda but then she heard her niece’s voice.

“Josh, leave the candy alone and come watch the fight.”

The sight of her niece, standing in the doorway, holding onto her cat, reminded Grace that, as Godmother, she was meant to set an example. Feeling foolish and juvenile she took a step back as Joe too turned his attention to his daughter.

“Get back inside,” he said.

She almost agreed with Joe, to set her differences with Amanda aside for the sake of Thanksgiving, when Amanda decidrd to make a face; the one she used when she’d convinced their parents that it was Grace who was in the wrong. In a split second Grace forgot all about acting like an adult. Juvenile or not, she was going to teach Amanda a lesson. Skirting around the temporarily distracted Joe, she reached out for Amanda. Her sister, smaller and nimbler, dodged Grace’s hand and grabbing Granny by the shoulders, positioned the old lady between them. With every move Grace made to bypass the little woman, Amanda, defensively manoeuvered Granny in front where the old lady, swinging her purse like a swashbuckling buccaneer, created the perfect human shield. Meanwhile, Joe, caught up once more in his sister’s feud, moved from one sister to the other trying to seperate them but Grace was determined. She feinting first one way, then lunging in the opposite direction, caught the sleeve of Amanda’s coat but as she prepared to move in for the kill, Chrissy screamed.

“Mom! Dad! It’s Josh.”

Grace stopped in mid grasp. Joe, his arm outstretched to separate the two squabbling sisters, turned reflexively, causing his hand to knock Granny backwards into Amanda’s arms.

Joe rushed towards the house with Grace right behind him. Always the better sports person, Grace, with a quick elbow to Joe’s side, gained the advantage and dived through the front door in time to see Chrissy standing over Josh and screaming that he was choking. She took one look at the boy clutching his throat and without missing a beat grabbed Josh, flipped him around and gave him a few good whacks on the back. A small red ball hit the floor, bounced a couple of times and landed in front of Joe, who now bent forward, hands on his knees, gasped for breath. Relief flooded his face but then Cheryl came running in with a hot pad in one hand and a turkey baster in the other. Seeing Josh still slumped over Grace’s arms, she simultaneously screamed and squeezed. Turkey juice shot through the air and hit Grace in the face.

In the silence that followed, Grace took in Cheryl’s look of horror, hand raised to her lips, Joe’s look of consternation as he focused first on Josh who’d run to Cheryl and then Chrissy, who’d avoided the onslaught of adults by retreating to the stairs. Slowly, Grace raised her hand and everyone gasped but all Grace did was wipe the grease off her face. It puddled on the floor at her feet and Cheryl, back in Betty Crocker mode, asked Joe to get a rag and cleanup the grease before it ruined the polished floor boards. At this point, Chrissy’s cat hissed and Grace looked in that direction just in time to see Amanda appear with Granny in tow. Amanda’s look of concern, changed to amusement as she stared at Grace. Their eyes locked. Then Amanda started to laugh. That laugh, a red cape flapping in front of a bull, reignited Grace’s ire. She raised her fist.

“Why you little—“, she shrieked as Amanda shoved Granny in Joe’s direction and dashed for the door, stepping on the tail of the cat that had struggled out of Chrissy’s arms. The cat yowled and dashed for safety.

It ran past Granny who swipped at it with her handbag and headed into the livingroom where it squeezed between Grace’s legs throwing her off balance. Joe grabbed Granjy and steadied her as Grace, having regained her own balance, leaned forward to pursue her sister. She put her foot down but, instead of gaining traction, it slipped on the turkey grease. She fell forwards but putting out her hands, caught herself from falling face forward. Around her, there was a collective sigh of relief, while Grace, smiling with renewed confidence, stepped back to steady herself. Only this time she felt something, hard and round under the ball of her foot. As her foot connected with the hard candy recently extracted from Josh’s throat, Grace once again felt herself off-balance. She flailed wildly with her arms but it was no use. Both feet had flown out from under her and as she felt herself falling backwards, arms outstretched in search of something to grab onto, the little red ball flew in a graceful arc away from her. Everything moved in slow motion, every detail became distinct as if frozen in a photograph. Cheryl clutching Josh. Joe reaching out to her with one hand while trying to catch the red projectile with the other. Seeing it fly through his fingers. Hearing it hit Granny’s eye with a thunk. Then the thud of her own body hitting the hard wood floor. A tremor running up her spine as first her backside landed and then her head, like the little ball of sugar, moving in its own trajectory continued backwards until with a bang, the world went dark.

To be continued....