Snacks for All

With everything cleaned up and the boys saving their neighbors Cassandra knew it was time to begin the preparations for the snack trays. She picked up the chair from the sink and placed it in front of the island counter then went to collect the cutting board from behind the toaster. As she carried it over to the counter she asked her daughter to help gather the things they needed from the refrigerator. Her job would be to grab what she called out and hand it to her to be rinsed off then carry the clean food over to the cutting board. With her instructions understood and her daughter standing with the refrigerator door opened she called out the first vegetable.

Peering downward Elicia tried to remember where her mother had looked the night before for the carrot she gave her for her snowman’s nose. She knew it had been somewhere towards the bottom, but they were not on the bottom shelf. Wanting to prove she was capable to do her new assigned task she thought really hard to remember. Concentrating on the bottom of the refrigerator she remembered there was a drawer. She glided her hand under the last shelf where she felt the handle then pulled it towards her. There they sat on top of everything else still inside the plastic bag from the store. Happy she had figured it out on her own she grabbed the bag and handed them to her mother.

Looking inside the bag Cassandra wanted to find three of the longest and straightest carrots out of the bunch. She pulled them part way out of the bag one by one until she found three good ones. With the three she wanted set aside she twisted the bag shut and handed the remaining carrots back to her daughter to put away. She then turned on the faucet and one by one she scrubbed the carrots clean using her bare hands. Next she placed the carrots in a paper towel to be dried off and handed them to her daughter. From there the two of them went over to the cutting board and she helped her daughter up onto her chair. She took the paper towel from her daughter’s hands and laid the carrots out onto the cutting board. After grabbing hold of one of the carrots she reached for the knife and cut it in half.

"Aren’t you going to peel them first?" asked Elicia for she hoped her mother would peel the outer layer so she could eat them.

"No, the peeling is where most of the vitamins are. If I were to take that away our guest would not get the full benefits from them," Cassandra explained.

A little disappointed Elicia propped up her elbow onto the counter and rested her head in her hand. "You’re always thinking of others aren’t you mom?"

Cassandra had cut the carrot into eight pieces already and was about to cut each of those pieces in half lengthwise when she noticed her daughter's frown. She then took one of the pieces she had just cut and handed it to her daughter, "Yes. And that also includes you guys."

Elicia’s long face turned upwards as her small fingers reached out and accepted the offering, "Thank you."

With her daughter now happy Cassandra was able to continue slicing up the carrots into sticks. When it was completed she slid the sticks over towards her daughter who in turn picked them up and stuffed them into a large plastic baggy for later. As her daughter carried the bag of carrots back to the refrigerator she picked up the cutting board and moved it over to the sink to be washed. When it was cleaned and ready for the next vegetable she called out, "Broccoli."

"Got it," Elicia answered after opening up the bottom vegetable drawer. She then handed the bag up to her mother to be washed.

Cassandra placed the broccoli on the counter so she could finish drying off the cutting board. When it was dry she sat the towel down on the counter next to her then placed the cutting board back onto the island counter. She turned back towards the sink and grabbed the broccoli out of the bag. After rinsing it off she shook the broccoli in order to get as much water off as she could. She then placed a paper towel around the stalk to absorb whatever water was left behind before transporting it across the floor to the cutting board. By now her daughter had managed to climb upon the chair herself and was awaiting her next instructions. As she began chopping off the bushy tops she felt her daughter had become bored, so she suggested for her to go out into the living room and watch some Christmas specials while she finished up the veggie tray.

Her daughter declined the offer and once again she wore that glowing smile that always melted her heart. When she thought about it it was almost like looking into a mirror of her self when she was that age. If only she was young again. Maybe she would be just as excited about new things like her daughter. Then all of a sudden she realized that even though this was all a routine to her, if she were to look at it through her daughter’s eyes she could see and feel the fun and excitement. With that thought in mind she decided to make her daughter a bigger part of the preparations. After she chopped off parts of the broccoli she scooped them up in her hands and passed them over to her daughter to place in a baggy. As she gathered the stems and sat them back onto the paper towel to be thrown away later she said, "Elicia I had a thought. Let me run it by you and see what you think."

"Sure." Elicia answered as she bagged the next handful of broccoli tops.

"I was thinking that we could switch rolls this next time around. You can tell me what vegetable you want me to get and I will hand it to you to wash." Cassandra was in the process of wiping the left over pieces onto the paper towel with her hand. As she continued to clean off the cutting board she waited for her daughter's answer.

Elicia stood up on the chair holding onto the full bag of broccoli. She wasn't sure if that was all she wanted to do, so she asked, "Does that also mean I get to cut them up?"

As Cassandra carried the unusable parts to the trash she realized she had not made herself clear about the trade. She took a few seconds to think about her daughter's request while she opened the trash can with her foot and dumped the load in her hands into it. As she stared down into the trash can a flash of reality crossed her mind. She could vividly see her daughter taking a hold of the knife and as she cut into the vegetable she sliced into one of her fingers. The thought of red spurting out from the wound helped with her decision. "I’m sorry not this time around. Ask me next year."

"It’s ok mom. I’m sure you have plenty of other things planned for me today." Elicia handed the bag of broccoli to her mother when she walked up. She then wanted to get ready for her new job and started to climb down from the chair.

"Hang on sweetie, don’t get down. I’ll just scoot you over to the sink." Cassandra handed the bag back to her daughter and grabbed a hold of the back of the chair. She spun it around to face the opposite direction and pushed it across the linoleum floor towards the sink. When the chair was in place she took the bag of broccoli from her daughter and opened the refrigerator placing the bag next to the carrots. Now all she had to do was wait for her daughter to call out what she thought should be next.

"Mushrooms."

Of course, she should have known it would be mushrooms for it was one of her daughter’s favorite veggies to dip. As she opened the vegetable drawer she spotted the package of pre-sliced mushrooms. Maybe it was a good thing that she had become lazy over the years with picking out her mushrooms. At least all her daughter had to do was wash them and they were done. Happy about how things worked out she handed the package up to her daughter and closed the drawer along with the refrigerator. She stood beside her daughter watching as her little fingers tried to peel back the plastic wrap that sealed the contents inside.

As her daughter struggled with the wrap Cassandra became nervous and it took all she had to keep from grabbing the package away from her and opening it herself. When the urge became too much to bare she decided to walk away for a moments to collect the colander from the pantry.

By the time she had returned her daughter had given up on un-wrapping the package from the bottom and was ready to poke her finger into the top. When her daughter's finger went through the plastic she quickly placed the colander into the sink. She was just in time for the package to fell into it. Wanting to let her daughter figure this out on her own she placed her hands behind her back and waited for her to finish what she had started.

Not detoured, Elicia picked the package back up and finished tearing open the plastic. When it was finally opened she turned her head and mouthed ‘Thank you’ as she dumped the mushrooms into the colander.

Knowing very well what she meant Cassandra smile then lightly whispered back, "You’re welcome."

Elicia handed her mother the empty carton then turned on the water. She swirled the colander under the faucet for about fifteen seconds. She then stopped and placed it into the sink to brake a part some of them. When they were separated she picked the colander back up and swirled it around some more. After turning off the water she shook the colander until she felt the mushrooms were dry enough to pour out. "What do I do next?"

Cassandra was way ahead of her daughter and had pulled off two paper towels from the roll on the other side of her. She already had them lying one on top of the other on the counter. "Pour them on here."

Elicia did as her mother said and at the same time tried not to clump them all in one spot. She then used her fingers to scrape the rest of the mushroom off the sides of the colander before placing it into the sink. Her mother then handed her two more sheets to place on top of the mushrooms and told her to pat them lightly to help them dry. When they were done she carefully peel off the top sheets and watched as her mother packed them into a plastic bag for later. "This is fun mom. What else do we have left?"

"Well let’s see. We have carrots, broccoli and now mushrooms. I guess all we have left to do is the cauliflower and cucumbers," answered Cassandra as she placed the mushrooms next to the others pre-sliced vegetables. She then pulled out the vegetable drawer once more and when she looked down she remembered something else. "Oh and celery, but I think we are going to put cheese spread on those and put them on a different tray."

"That sounds yummy." Elicia rubbed her stomach and licked her lips at the thought of it. When her mother held up the last two vegetables she focused back toward the current decision. "How about I wash the cucumber and you do the cauliflower."

"I think that’s a fine idea," Cassandra stated as she leaned into the refrigerator and put back the cauliflower. She handed the cucumber to her daughter and waited while she washed it. Being the simplest thing to wash it didn't take long and before she knew it she was handing her daughter a paper towel. Afterwards she had her daughter hold onto the chair as she pushed it back over to the other counter where she took the cucumber and began to slice it into thin pieces. Then with the knife she scooted the finished product towards her daughter who could not resist snagging one for herself. She heard her daughter giggle and looked over to find her stuffing the piece into her mouth.

This was definitely turning out to be a fun morning for the two of them. Yet, curious about how the boys were doing on their adventure she quickly finished with the cucumber and left her daughter to bag them as she went over to the window to see if she could see them. She glanced out the window towards the street and even though she could not see their figures she knew it was them. The snow hurled into the air only to land over the curb making a huge pile upon the sidewalk. Content knowing her husband’s upgrades on his machine seemed to be working she turned back in time to switch with her daughter and prepare the cauliflower.

Time was moving right along as they wrapped up preparing all the different foods for the different snack trays minus a few. Nonetheless, she managed to find time to baste the turkey and check its temperature. It was now one thirty and time for her to take the lid off the roasting pan and lower the temperature of the oven. As she attended to the turkey she sent her daughter into the dining room with a sponge and a clean towel to make sure the table was clean.

When she had completed the changes to the turkey she made her way over to the china cabinet in the dining room. She opened the top drawer that held the table cloths and pulled out the red one. Wanting to add more color to the table she also grabbed the green runner to go down the center. After setting the runner on one of the chairs she asked her daughter to come and help her with the table cloth.

The two of them unfolded the table cloth until it covered every inch of the dining table leaving enough room to hang slightly over the edge. Now it was time for the runner. Since her daughter could not reach the middle she had to do this one on her own. She took the runner from the chair and after unfolding it she rolled it up. Now came the tricky part. She leaned over until her eyes were at the same level as the table. When she had herself centered she placed the rolled up runner unto the table. As she held on tight to one end she nudged the other and watched it unroll straight down the center. When it stopped she took a step away from the table to make sure the runner was indeed in the right spot. She was pleased how well it turned out but then realized there was still one more thing missing from the table.

Allowing her daughter to follow closely behind her, she made her way to the hall closet. There she knew she would find the center piece her mother had given her when she had moved away from home. After opening the door she pulled out the big box that once held, and would again, the Christmas tree decorations. As her daughter stood beside her she opened the box. Inside amongst the empty boxes of lights and bulbs sat a small box unopened just waiting to be pulled out from its lonely darken home. Carefully she reached in and gently picked up the box. As she pulled out the box she looked over at her daughter who now stood with her hands out. Before placing the box into her hands she said, "This is a family heirloom, so you will need to hold onto it with both hands."

Elicia understood and nodded her head. She did not want to ruin her chances of helping her mother. So instead of heading back into the dining room she decided to wait. As she waited she could not help but stare at the box she held in her hands. Maybe some day her mother would hand it down to her. She didn't ponder on the thought for long for she was satisfied with being given the honor to carry this prized procession to its temporary home. When her mother tapped her on the shoulder she gripped tighter to the box and slowly began to walk.

As her daughter led them towards the dining room Cassandra couldn't help but cross her fingers and hold her breath. She knew her daughter was being careful but for some reason she couldn't help how she felt. By the time they reached the table her nerves were on edge, so she motioned for her daughter to pass the box up to her for safe keeping. She waited as her daughter grabbed one side of the chair and slid it slightly away from the table. Then after she climbed onto it she sat the box down onto the table and moved the chair back in place. When she was positioned right she picked the box back up then placed it in front of her daughter. She then stepped back behind her and grabbed onto the back of the chair. Her daughter soon turned her head and gave her a questioning look. As she looked back at her she stated, “I’m going to let you open the box this year.”

"Really," Elicia was so excited that after her mother confirmed her answer she took in a deep breath then turned back around. After letting out her breath she looked down. Not wanting to damage the box or the contents inside she shook her arms to relax. When she felt more at ease she took in one more breath and slowly let it out. With her hands now steady she placed one on each side then with her thumbs she tucked them under the seam. Slowly she raised her thumbs until the lid lifted up. When it popped open she cried out, "I did it. I opened the box without ripping it."

"That indeed you did. Now I will help you take the piece out." Cassandra released the grip she had on the chair and reached around both the chair and her daughter to grab hold of the box. "I’ll hold down the box while you lift the center piece out."

As soon as her mother had a hold of the box Elicia slid her hands out from underneath. Unsure of what would happen she pulled her hands close to her body and asked, "What if I drop it? Are you going to get mad?"

"I know you can do this. Just take one hand and scoop it under…yes like that. Now do the same with the other on this side. Perfect…ok, now clamp your thumbs over the top for a better hold…and lift." Cassandra closed her eyes as her daughter pulled the delicate piece out from the box. When she reopened them her daughter had already gently placed the tissue wrapped center piece on the table in front of her. She then moved the box to the side and re-gripped the back of the chair. This time she squeezed so tight that her knuckles turned white. She watched with anticipation as her daughter rolled the tissue off, all the while praying her daughter would not break the precious heirloom. When it came out in one piece she sighed with relief. Now relaxed she came around to the side of the chair and smiled at her daughter. "Good job."

"Can I please get down now?"

Cassandra was taken back by her daughter’s request. She thought for sure she would want to be able to pick the place in where to put it. Yet, here she was asking to leave, though politely. Not understanding the change in her mood she took her hands and scooped up her daughter from under her arms then raised her up into the air. "Yes you may. But can I ask you why?"

"Well, I know I can’t reach that far across the table. So instead of being in your way I thought I would move."

Content with the answer Cassandra lowered her closer to her face. She then gave her a noozle before lowering her to the floor. With her daughter behind her she picked up the center piece and held it up to admire.

The white snow covered country house made out of porcelain had been painstakingly hand painted. Each window shutter had fine details right down to the wood grain in each piece of wood to make it look real. Then there was the string of lights along the roof that hung in blue, red, yellow and green with just a touch of frost to make them twinkle. Even the snow covered yard had its tall pine trees along with a pile of firewood stacked next to the house. But the art work she like the most was the front living room window with the curtains drawn back to allow the viewer to see the family inside toasting the holiday. As she stared into the painted scene her mind drifted and soon she found herself in complete darkness.