I Wish I Had Been There

Originally Written Between 2013-2015

 

I played a little bit with this topic – and re-named it “I Wish They Were Here” in honor of my family members who are no longer with me.  Our dining room table was a little smaller than usual this year.  My Aunt Bev and Uncle Tom who are in their 90’s are housebound and cannot maneuver the steps in our house any more.  And, complicated work hours for my nephew made it impossible to bring my brother, Steve, who is in an assisted-living facility in Wisconsin, to our home this year. 

 

And, for some strange reason -- while preparing the house and food for this Thanksgiving, memories of past holidays kept coming to me.  I wished that my grandma and grandpa Lehecka, my grandpa’s sister (Aunt Mary Weiner) and her daughter (Cousin Bertha), and my own mom and dad could have joined us this year – like all those many years ago.

 

Thanksgiving and Christmas Day were holidays always spent at my grandma and grandpa’s house – just three blocks away from my own home in Forest Lake.  Now – I have to tell you.  My grandma was the BEST – and I mean THE BEST cook in the whole wide world.  My mom was good, too.  But, no where near the expert as her own mother.  And then we had Bertha – my grandparent’s niece – who was almost as good a cook as my grandma.  Bertha’s mom (who we called Deta Mary) spoke only Bohemian and didn’t really help out much.  She would sit in a chair and smile at us.

 

Many days were spent making special breads, dumplings, too many pies and cakes, and besides a turkey, we also had ham – among all the other fantastic side dishes.  The table was beautifully set with grandma’s finest china and glassware.  Even though I was a child and then a teenager, I do remember all the adults having more than their share of beer, wine, martinis, and Manhattans.  So – a fun time for all.  My Aunt Bev and Uncle Tom would join us and the table was full! 

 

We’d have our main meal around Noon.  I remember my grandma always commenting that she didn’t think the gravy was thick enough or that the turkey was too tough or the vegies could have been hotter.  We had to assure her that the meal was always perfect – which it really was.  And then, the men would retire to the living room while the women (including my sister, Joanne, and I) would clear the table, put all the food away, and wash and dry the dishes.  

 

Now, one has to remember that no one had a dishwasher in those days.  My grandma’s kitchen was a galley kitchen – and very small – a one-woman kitchen at the most.  So, to fit grandma, mom, Bertha, Aunt Bev, Joanne and me in that kitchen was a major feat.  Joanne and I were first only allowed to dry the silverware.  But as teenagers, we were graduated to drying all the dishes.  Bertha and Aunt Bev took turns washing the dishes and mom and grandma were in charge of putting the food away.  Deta Mary continued to sit in her chair and smile.   At times, there would be a "disagreement" between Bertha and Aunt Bev.  If Bev was in charge of washing the dishes, she would keep the water running the whole time and Bertha couldn't stand the waste.  She would wait until Bev moved away and then take over the sink and the washing duties!

 

You are probably asking now – what were the men doing?  Well, I’m sure you can understand that after an hour of eating, the men were probably pretty tired – especially after eating all that turkey.  So, grandpa would go to his bed, Uncle Tom would go to the guest bedroom and my dad and brother would just go back to our house and take a nap.

 

I don’t really remember being able to take a break.  After clearing off the table and doing the dishes, we “women” would then re-set the table with the china and glassware, and around 5:00, the men would wake up and join us at the table.  You see, the evening meal was named the “leftover” meal.  Turkey and ham sandwiches were piled high on a big platter and passed around. I’m not sure if the gravy, dressing, dumplings and side dishes were brought out – but I do remember a lettuce salad, a fruit salad, homemade pickles and potato chips were on the dinner menu.  Of course, more pies, cakes and ice cream for dessert.

 

Oh, how I wish they all could be with me now so I could celebrate the holidays with them in my own home.  To this day, I still make grandma’s Bohemian dumplings and Aunt Bev’s pistachio pudding.  I place the turkey on a huge and colorful platter that my mom made me in one of her ceramics classes.  I think the men would still get out of doing the dishes – but, instead of taking a nap, they’d all go down to the rec room and watch football.  Every one would “bring something to share” so I wouldn’t be doing all the cooking.  My china would be washed in the dishwasher and instead of hosting two meals, we would eat one meal at 4:00pm and I’d send them all home with leftover turkey and pie.

 

Oh, how I wish they were here.