Maggie Price English 100 Assignment #1 Hiraeth Assignment The Final Day I can hear both of my parents yelling and I know something is wrong. “You did it again!” she says. Caroline and I are sitting in our room watching our favorite Sunday morning cartoons and playing our favorite board game Chutes and Ladders. “Mary, I’m sorry she meant nothing to me,” he says… Although I’m young I know something is wrong and I can feel somethings going to happen. We all hop in the car and head over to Nana and Pop pops house for Sunday dinner. We walk up to the small white porch with a brown whicker love seat sitting in between a beautiful garden of Nana’s favorite lilies and lilacs that Pop-Pop picked out for her. I open the tiny white door, I can hear the news playing on the tiny black square TV and pop-pop resting on this favorite brown leather chair. Nana has set out our favorite candy on the little glass table. Although mom and dad never liked us eating the candy before dinner I have a big sweet tooth and always manage to sneak a few. Nana is cooking in the kitchen making my favorite spaghetti and meatballs I can already imagine the meatballs melting in my mouth. Alex, Zack, Nick, GG, Pop-pop price, Aunt Stephanie, Uncle Michael and Aunt Adrienne all arrive and all fifteen of us try to pile on the small white couch until dinner is ready to eat. Pop-pop starts playing the piano and tries to get me to help him play he always says I have great long fingers I would be the perfect pianist. I’m too shy and my cheeks get as red as tomatoes when he says that so I say no. Instead we all just sit there and listen to him play. He plays music in the manner of a skilled and sensitive musician. The tune of his playing fills our faces with smiles as we listen to him play. I try to help Nana, GG and Mom in the kitchen. I love being in the kitchen with them I feel happy and warm when I am in there with them and I would try to sneak Nana’s recipe occasionally. I always wondered how she made her spaghetti, meatballs and sauce so perfect, it’s like it’s a top-secret recipe she won’t even show GG, her own daughter! I say, “Can I please help you three with any of the cooking?” Mom says, “Thank you sweetie but we got this under control. How about you go set up the dining room table with your sister and cousins.” I’m young and they don’t want me to ruin the meal. Hopefully one day they will let me help them cook the dinner. I yell into the living room for Caroline to help me set the table. “Boys knock it off!” Aunt Stephanie yells. Alex and Zack goof around, so I don’t even bother asking them to help. Caroline and I place the off-white table mats on the table first, the cloth napkins right next to them, and the bright white china plates right on top. Caroline and I place our plates right next to each other and Mom and Dad next to us. Pop-pop and Nana at the head of each table like always and everyone else on the other side. Dinner is almost ready but not quite yet so all us kids go play outside for a little bit. Birds are singing in the sky; the sun is beating down and can hear all the other kids screaming and playing outside. It’s a perfect spring night to play our favorite outside games. All the boys start playing with the soccer ball and Caroline joins in. She always likes playing sports and being a tomboy. Me not so much. I just sit and draw hearts with chalk and play hop scotch. Dad comes running out and says, “Kids come in and clean up, dinner is about ready.” I can’t wait. I am so hungry my stomach can’t stop growling. All fifteen of use pile into the dining room and sit down at the long brown rustic dining room table. The table is filled with so much food it looks like my Nana cooked for an entire army. We all make up plates and wait for everyone to be ready so we can say grace. "Bless us, O Lord, and these, thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen." And we all dig in. I stuff my face. The meatballs are so tender and soft they are like a cloud and just melt in my mouth, the spaghetti is so fresh and although were not allowed in the kitchen when Nana is making pasta I can still imagine her making it in the kitchen all day today. To top off the meal there is some freshly baked Italian bread that Pop-pop picked up in South Philadelphia that day. It still tastes so fresh as if it just came out of the oven. It’s so quiet in the room as we all eat. It’s like you can hear a pin drop. “Dinner is delicious” Pop-pop yells out. “You always know how to make my stomach jump with joy dear” Nana gives him a big smile and blows him a kiss across the table. Their love for each other is beautiful. I always hope one day I can find love like theirs. We all scarf down our plates and end up going for seconds. Dinner is done and it’s time to clean up. Mom volunteers Caroline and I to do the dishes and we argue over who’s going to do it. “I don’t want to do it mom!” Caroline says. “But that’s not fair I did It the last time!” I yell back. “We’ll make this fair this time” Dad says “Caroline, you wash, Maggie you dry” “I guess if we do it together we’ll get it done much faster”. I say to Caroline. “Agreed” she says. After were done cleaning up we relax in the living room. We’re all just sitting around laughing and enjoying each other’s company, and we’re finally ready for some desert. Nana and GG prepare the table again and bring out all the delicious cakes and pastries. A beautiful chocolate cake for the kids and coffee and pastries for the adults. We all indulge in some desert and coffee. After desert, I feel so full it feels like I can’t eat for four days. I fall on the white couch in the living room and digest all the food I just ate. Around eight o’clock, I begin to say my goodbyes to everyone. Nana and Pop Pop give me a kiss goodbye and say, “see you next Sunday” I give them a kiss back and scream “CAN’T WAIT!” Sunday dinners with the whole family at their house is my favorite day of the week, I look forward to it every week. Another long ride home I don’t look forward to all I can think about is lying in bed with my favorite stuffed animal peanut. I’ve had him since I was born. We finally get home and Caroline and I get ready for bed. We change into our pajamas, brush our teeth, and pile into bed. Mom and Dad come say goodnight and tuck us in. We say goodnight and I shut my eyes. “Get out!” my mom says “Mary please talk to me” my dad says Their screaming voices wake me from a deep sleep. I peak my head out the door as quiet as a mouse. Caroline is still sleeping I don’t want her to wake up. “There’s nothing to talk about. You already did the damage when you met her.” “It was nothing like that” “Please let me make it up to you” “we can work this out” “There’s nothing to work out anymore. I’ll have your stuff packed tomorrow. Go stay you’re your mother tonight.” “But what about the kids?” “I’ll figure it out. Were done.” I run back to bed, as dad walks down the hallway and walks out the door without turning back.
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