It’s now four o’clock sharp at David’s apartment. The doorbell rings and a freshly showered and shaved David, neatly clothed, walks confidently through a tidied living room, stopping to throw a looming white medical jacket from the floor to behind a couch.
Trey, Sylvia and Eddie enter, bearing little housewarming gifts and exchanging handshakes, with an added air-kiss from Sylvia to David. They exchange some warm ad-libs of friendship and hospitality. Everyone looks around the living room.
“Why, David,” says Sylvia, “this is lovely! I just know you’re going to enjoy yourself here.”
David is shyly proud.
“Thanks, Sylvia,” he says, then adds seriously, “Have you guys heard anything new?”
The other students look at each other with concern and shake their heads.
“We just figure we have to keep on keeping on for now,” expresses Eddie.
David relaxes.
“Well,” he beams, “let me give you guys a tour, a nice tour.”
They head for the kitchen and go in.
“Man, I just wish I could think of something,” David says aloud. “You know, I just keep getting a feeling like I’m forgetting something. Oh, well.”
The kitchen is spotless, with various foods and utensils at the ready. In the corner is a telephone answering machine, its red light blinking to indicate a new message. But no one notices.
David points with pride at his kitchen counter top, sparkling, with twelve dinner rolls glistening with butter, ready for the oven.
Sylvia speaks in a big sister-like voice.
“David,” she says, “I’m giving you an ‘A-plus’ so far. Is your oven hot for the rolls?”
“Yep,” replies David, “very hot. Just as soon as I take out the tur-”
He freezes on the spot and blanches.
“Yeah,” nods Trey, “the turkey out of the oven. We know.”
David doesn’t move.
“David!” says Sylvia. “What is it?!”
David slowly looks at her.
“I forgot to put the turkey in.”
The three students look at each other in disbelief. No one laughs. No one speaks. David begins to walk slowing toward the dining room and, entering, sits on a side chair, slowly shaking his head. The two young men follow and sit in nearby chairs.
Eddie speaks.
“Hey, you know, we all forget stuff. Why, I remember once... ” His voice trails off.
“Yeah, David,” agrees Trey, “I mean, you’re only human... What, uh, did you, uh, do with the, uh... ”
“Dishwasher,” says David.
Trey and Eddie look at each other with raised eyebrows. David begins to speak but intones his words more and more slowly.
“Mom said clean it good, you know... So I put the bird in the dishwasher... to do like she said and... ”
He sighs.
“... that’s the last I remember.”
Eddie gives a small whistle. There is a pause. The three drop their heads.
“You didn’t put... ” says Trey.
“No, no detergent,” says David in a weak voice.
From the kitchen there comes the voice of an upbeat Sylvia. The boys listen intently.
“David! – Trey! – Eddie! Come on in here and help me with the final touches.”
The young men look at each other, puzzled. They slowly rise and enter the kitchen.
Sylvia greets them with an upraised serving fork in her hand. She has an apron on and motions them forward.
“David,” she says with just the right amount of diplomatic admiration and awe, “I don’t know how you come up with your ideas, but the idea of cooking your Thanksgiving turkey in the dishwasher has made it... Well, see for yourselves, fellas!”
She points to the top of the stove. There sits a glimmering, fully-cooked turkey, a few slices already cut, resting in a baking tray.
“Now all it needs is browning, which I am starting to organize now,” she says. She then adds:
“You boys go on out and have a beer or whatever guys do while we Southern belles toil away in the kitchen. I’ll call you in about twenty minutes!”
Trey and Eddie look at Sylvia, who cocks her head and holds out an arm toward David.
“Gentlemen,” she says, “our chef has done us proud!”
David looks around at the others in wonder. Then he shrugs his shoulders.
“Hey,” he says, smiling broadly, “good ol’ Mom. Good ol’ Mom and her recipes. I told ya!”
Trey and Eddie give each other high-fives and Trey winks at Sylvia. He puts his arm around David as the three boys head for the living room.
“David,” he intones melodramatically, “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship!”