Preachers' Sons 2: The Nineties - 4. Thanksgiving

Joy reached to take J.J. but stopped looking at her hands, “I’ve flown over the continent and a large portion of the Pacific. I’m dirty. I should change and wash up first.”

Elias chuckled, “J.J. has flown across that same continent and ocean when he was hardly a week old.”

“I’ve gotten him vaccinated as much as we can for now,” I grinned. “Leia held him just as she got off the plane. He’s fine.”

Brandi held a pack of those sterilizing hand wipes for Joy, “I never leave home without these. “

Elias’ mother pulled a wipe and wiped both of her hands and up her sleeves. She handed the used wipe to Brandi, “Thank you.” She smiled that smile women do when dealing with a baby and took J.J. in her arms. “He is so beautiful!” She nearly crooned. She smiled, looking at me, “Your mother told me about your sister. I know. I’m sorry about that.”

“He is Eric’s and my son,” Elias stressed. “We are legally J.J.’s fathers.” He led his mother to the large wooden rocking chair. “Remember this?” He caused the rocker to move gently.

Joy looked at David, “I wondered why you wanted it. I thought it was for Chogan.”

“It was,” Leia assured her mother-in-law. “When J.J. arrived, they needed it more.”

“We had to literally beg you to send it to us for Chogan,” David laughed with just a little humor. “We knew you wouldn’t send it to Elias and Eric.”

I saw pain briefly on Joy’s face who nodded and sniffed lightly, “It's really an heirloom. Two generations of Jonas children were rocked in it. Now, the third.”

‘Where did you hear about J.J.?” Elias asked.

“Alexis Clark,” Joy answered and began rocking J.J. “She’s a member of the church. She is a ticket agent for Delta Airlines. She heard and saw you board the plane for Salt Lake. She heard you tell another agent you were taking your son home.” She gave a dismissive shrug, “It was gossip really, but she recognized you two and was talking to a friend at church. Your father overheard that.”

Elias nodded understanding, “Someone was bound to do it.”

“Your father asked Jonathan and David who wouldn’t tell us anything,” She nodded. “That was telling in of itself. If it wasn’t true, they would have simply said no.”

Joy looked down on J.J., “No, your father wouldn’t allow that.” She smiled saying hello to J.J. who wasn’t sure about her but smiled briefly. “Your father is so structured. Things must be just so. It always was.” She sighed, “This rocker was presented to Elias the first and your grandmother. It rocked your father and his sister Elenor.”

Elias looked at me, “She died in Peru at three, Dad was seven. He doesn’t talk about her much.”

“I know you boys think I won’t stand up to your father,” she shrugged. “I don’t about many things.” She laughed lightly, rocking still. “I am the peacemaker. I don’t a lot of times to keep the peace.” She hugged J.J. lightly. “I did with this. Leaving as we did so quickly, he didn’t have time to argue.” Her next laugh was a little evil, “He’ll have time to think about it this time.” She looked at Elias. “I can’t say I understand this love you two have, but it’s lasted over a decade. I can’t judge you.” She looked at J.J., “This child, whether it’s biologically my grandchild or just legally my grandchild...he is my grandchild.” She looked at me, “You love my son. I hope we can stay a week or so.”

I smiled, “Stay the rest of the year! I welcome you,” I waved at Elias. “I know he does.”

Joy chuckled, “Leaving his father for two weeks is enough. He’ll think the worst if I stay through Christmas.”

Elias leaned down to hug his mother and sniffed, “I think someone needs changing.” He took J.J. to do that. “It’s late where you came from, I’m sure you’re tired.”

“We have room for you,” I said, looking at my mother. “David and Leia have the room you were in last time.”

My mother waved that off, “I’ll be fine wherever.”

David frowned, “So Dad will be with who tomorrow?”

“Jonathan and Heather will come for a while,” Joy began. “Since her family is in Charleston, they will also be with her parents. She has two brothers, one older and married and one younger. Steve will be over. I don’t know about Alison.” She shrugged. “She’s Canadian and it’s not their Thanksgiving. Of course, if they come, they will stay separate. Your father will insist on that.” She smiled, “Your father would be welcomed at Heather’s family gathering but having to explain why he’s not with me...” she shook her head, “he won’t do that. He has the turkey and all the dishes. All he has to do is put them in the oven and cook them. I left instructions about temperatures and when. He will be fine.” She touched David’s face, “I’m sorry things were so difficult you had to hide who you chose.” She then touched Elias. “I said, I don’t understand your choice, but it’s your choice. I’m sorry we made it difficult. We are family. I want to be in your lives.”

Elias had a tear come which he didn’t stop, “We never excluded you. We were honest about it.”

“I know,” Joy smiled. She looked around at our home, “You have a beautiful home. I want to see it all. Where you work Elias.” She looked at me, “Where you work. Jonathan raved about your business. I want to see that as well. Try some of your Tea Sodas,” she waved toward the outdoors. “I want to see this island that is your home.”

“We’ll show you everything,” I promised. “You can meet our dear friends. Brandi, Sharon and Thao were in our wedding.” I looked at Mike, “Sorry, Mike, you were just dating Brandi, or you would have been in the wedding, too. You were there as Brandi’s date, but you were there!”

Mike grinned and waved that off. ‘I’m fine. I am J.J.’s uncle. That means a lot.”

Elias looked at his mother quickly, “Dad knows you’re coming here.”

Joy smiled, “The flight times and landings.” She confirmed.

“He will probably expect a call that you have arrived safely,” Elias held the phone up to his mother. “It’s five-fifteen here. It will be late. About...?” He thought, “Eleven-fifteen there.”

My mother shook her head, “We both called from the airport after we landed. We left messages on our answering machines.”

“We’ll call tomorrow,” Joy added.

It was a different feeling now here. My mother and Elias’ mother stayed up a few more hours, but it had been a long day of traveling for them. It was going to be a busy day the next day. Brandi and Sharon were coming early at about seven. The two turkeys were ready to go in and cook. They were good sized turkeys and would take about five hours to cook. The dressing and sweet potatoes...and don’t forget the ever-desired green bean casseroles. The pumpkin pies, chocolate pie and chocolate cake. The pecan pie. Rolls! That was for lunch! There were pastries and various items needed for breakfast. Coffees I had for sure and juices and milk. I thought I had a big kitchen now, but with me, Brandi, Leia, and the others “helping” it would be tight! My mother had probably done what Joy had done and made up the turkey and other things for our dads Thanksgiving meal. They could skip making this one. Still, it would be a congested chaos! J.J.’s meal would be as always and on his schedule.

That schedule began at six in the morning. J.J. let us know he needed changing and food. Now!

I often struggled with the idea of my being Elias’ wife. He assured me I wasn’t, but I was in a supportive role. It was my issue. The idea of Elias’ cooking was okay, but even I knew I could do it better. I changed J.J. and brought him in the kitchen slash dinette to get his formula which was ready and just needed heating. I wasn’t surprised to see Joy on the phone. It was about noon on the East Coast of the United States. I wasn’t eavesdropping but I heard.

“Just follow the instructions and you and Steve will have plenty,” Joy said calmly. I didn’t hear who said what. I did hear the angry voice saying more than just the conversation. She listened, but replied, “Because I’ve missed ten years of our son’s life. We have another grandchild...” there were more angry words, but Joy’s tone of calm replies ignored the rant. “It doesn’t matter who fathered him, Elias is one of the fathers and I will not miss anymore.” She sighed, “I’ll be back before Christmas. I’ll email you the flights and time I will land in Charleston. I will be visiting Elias, Eric and J.J.. David, Leia and Chogan, too.” She said goodbye and hung up. She looked at me. “I’ll pay for the long-distance call. I guess you heard that.”

The microwave beeped telling me the formula was ready. I got it out and tested it to be sure, “I only heard your part and don’t worry about the long-distance call. We’ll show you how to make the call using the internet later.” I brought J.J. over to her, “Would you care to do this? J.J. has his own schedule.”

Joy smiled taking him, “I’d love to.” Looking at me, “I’m so sorry we caused such a problem for you two.” She got up and went to the rocker and sat with J.J.

“We knew it would cause problems. Hopefully, you’ll see it as a good thing...or you will start to. Now, he will have to be woken up occasionally as the rocking and feeding with calm him back to sleep.”

Joy chuckled, “Just as Elias did. Like father, like son.” She looked at the bottle I gave her and shook her head. “Things have changed since I raised my four. The formula is in a plastic bag now?”

“It’s reusable,” I nodded. “It’s still a process. I can only imagine what it was like for you and my mother.” I entered the kitchen area again. “Can I interest you in some coffee? I’ll be making it all day.”

“Please,” Joy laughed lightly. “Jonathan raved about your business. He says you are raking it in. He says your Tea Sodas are very popular. We can’t get it back in Charleston?”

“We are working out how to do that,” I confessed. “I insist on freshness.” I began the coffee and looked at her, “What is it Dr. Jonas hopes to do cutting Eli off like he has?” I shrugged, “My Dad hopes by cutting me off will ruin me and I will come crawling back begging for forgiveness.”

Joy nodded with a sad smile, “So does Elias’s father. None of his boys will make it without his blessings. He just knew you’d fail.” She sighed again sadly. “My Elias is missing so much.” She chuckled lightly, “I was in my early twenties when he brought me to Peru. I was literally out of my comfort zone. Then I was pregnant and my place became the buffer between the world and my Elias. His father was thrilled when Eli said he was going to college on his own. Being so far from home when we started our family, I knew it was possible that one of my children would marry a native. I was surprised it wasn’t Eli. When David questioned his father about the people we were supposed to minister to...I knew he was going to do it. Our first grandchild is Nanti.” She hugged J.J. lightly. “We raise our children and teach them to get jobs and marry and they have the next generation. That’s what I wanted to do.”

“Eli did,” I shrugged. “Just not who you thought.” I smiled at her. “He’s a good man. We live a life based on morals we were taught.” I chuckled,
“Except that one thing.”

“Yes, you are,” Joy agreed. “You have surrounded yourselves with good people, too. Elias’ father was sure you were living a life of depraved sin, having all sorts of parties...he’s wrong.”

“I’m glad you see that,” I said. “I get the impression Eli’s father is as lost as my dad is without you to keep him straight.” I smiled, “I wasn’t making a pun.”

“I know.” Joy nodded with a light laugh, “He knew how to work using a wood-burning stove and oven...he even learned to use a gas range. Electric ovens and ranges confuse him. I’ll know when I get home. I just pray he doesn’t burn the house down.”

“You had a wood stove,” I marveled. “My grandparents had one. I know grandmother kept hers. She even had a modern made one in 1970.”

“Oh, yes,” Joy nodded. “It was a big black cast iron monstrosity from the nineteenth century I know weighed more than two tons. It worked whether we had power or not! It took me years to get comfortable using it. Mrs. Jonas, my Elias’s mother taught me to use it. The house was over a hundred years old when I got there. I could cook and even simmer. To bake a cake in the oven took practice. Prebaking was impossible. God forbid the fire ever went out because it took hours for the metal to heat up enough. I literally wept with joy when we got our gas-powered range. I could set the temperature! I was in heaven!”

“How old were you when you met your Elias?” I asked.

She got a somewhat dreamy look. “I was twenty.” She sighed at the memory. “He was so handsome. He was getting his master's degree and then he would get his Doctorate in Divinity.” She looked at me. “He wanted to get it all before he returned to Peru. That included me. He was twenty-five when we met.”

“Wow,” I said in all honesty, amazed. “You moved from...?”

“Joplin,” Joy answered. “The show me state. He was determined to go back, and my parents were so worried.” She chuckled. “They thought I was going to be in the jungle. I moved four thousand miles from home to this...” she thought, “well, it wasn’t jungle where we were. It had been a coffee and cocoa plantation. On the side of the mountain. It was not bad, but I didn’t expect the house! It was huge! Beautiful. I think Elenor was glad to have me there if to just help her clean it.” She smiled at another memory. “That was Elias’s mother’s name. It would be a few years before I could call her that.”

“How did the Baptist Association get this house?” I asked.

“They didn’t,” Joy stated. “Elias senior inherited it from the original owner. We still own it and the plantation. It will be inherited by all four of the boys. That now goes down to Chogan and J.J..”

“Whoa,” I balked hearing that. “Is it still a functioning plantation? Eli has a part of that?”

Joy nodded, “The world needs coffee and chocolate, so yes.” She grinned at me. “Your Elias didn’t understand that, because he was born in Peru, he has dual citizenship with Peru and the United States. The plantation is now run by a good man that runs the plantation while we are away. My Elias wasn’t that interested in the business part and never was. I’ve seen the will. It was left to Elias Jonas senior and his descendants. My Elias wasn’t even born yet. It was to go to him and his sister.”

“I understand she died in childhood,” I said.

“She would never admit it,” Joy began. “I believe Elenor blamed her husband for their daughter’s death. Western medicine might have saved her. Who knows?”

I understood that, but “You have a functioning coffee and cocoa plantation.”

“Not the biggest plantation but we are about thirty percent of the coffee cocoa export from Peru,” Joy chuckled. “I know Eli thinks we supported the house on our incomes as American Missionaries. We never made that much money from the Mission Board. The truth is the crop sold supported the payrolls of the plantation workers and improvements.” Her smile was even a bit smug when she said that. “The Theobroma Cocoa and Arabica coffee became prized products. Twenty years ago, Cenfrocafe became the sole distributor combining forty to fifty farms crops. Like I said our crops became thirty percent of that crop.”

My eyes widened listening to her, “You know this because you run it.”

“Someone has to,” Joy smiled. “We are the decision makers...along with the Montero family.” She smiled, “Ernesto has four children and three have invested their lives to our crops.”

This was becoming more complicated. “Neither my Eli nor David know this. Why are you telling me?” I asked.

She smiled patiently at me, “We came from outside the Jonas family. I went to college not to get a husband, but a degree. I have a degree in business. I used it. You took a simple cup of tea and turned it into a thriving business. You have business savvy. I will retire and want you to take over the plantation.”

“Tea, not coffee.” I objected.

“So?” Joy asked. “You sell coffee at your coffee shop. It’s the family business.”

It then hit me with what she said, “You see me as part of the family?”

“You are,” Joy stated holding a now sleeping J.J. “This child is listed as Elias the Third’s child. Joint custodies are being accepted now with men like you and Eli. Whether or not I understand it, you are also listed as J.J.’s parent. I accept it. That makes you family.” She looked at me and became puzzled. “I’ll help cook. Isn’t that what you were going to do?”

My thoughts were so preoccupied, I forgot for a moment what the day was. I quickly remembered and shook my head. “Brandi and Sharon are coming. I have much of what we’re eating done. It just needs to be cooked.” I looked at the ovens I had. I had two side by side. Plenty of room. I looked at Joy and realized she was so much more than I thought she was. She was the brains of the family. “I totally misjudged you. I owe you a big apology, Mrs. Jonas. I am very sorry.”

Joy smiled again, “Women raised in the fifties and sixties were to be subservient to their husbands. I was. My mother was.” She chuckled, “My Elias wasn’t concerned about...” she did onehanded finger quotes, “worldly matters. Not Elias senior or junior ever were. Those worldly matters made it possible for them to work. The plantation needed to be run or go to waste. I did it.” She stood and turned to me. “I have the quarterly reports to show you. You have the business sense to do it. If you agree, your name will be added.”

That’s when the door to Eli’s and my bedroom opened, and Eli came out dressed smiling at what he saw. He had his mother back. “Good morning.” He walked over next to her.

“Good morning, son.” Joy said, kissing his cheek.

“I am so glad you’re here!” Eli said happily then kissed J.J.

“You and David really need to talk to your mother,” I said. My thoughts about what she told me were going through my head. I had my Coffee Shoppe and the beginnings of my practice. She had done it for decades...the last decade thousands of miles away. Could I do it? Sure, but it would affect many others. Would they let me? Jonathan might be better. David was going back and perhaps he and Leia were better to run it. We needed to talk. I saw Eli’s eyebrow rise. I waved at his mother. “Talk to her.”

I got the turkeys in the ovens as Brandi and Sharon arrived with Aunt Tessa. The house was soon smelling sweet with a lot of pineapple and coconut smells with the roasting turkeys. I had many mouths to feed! I had two twenty-pound turkeys and they were roasting. My mother came out and soon Mike, Wayne, and Thao arrived, and things got very chaotic! Breanna, too!

Later Thao came to me, “What’s going on over there?” He waved at three figures in an intense conversation. Joy, Elias, and David were talking with their mother, and I knew what it was about.

I sighed and grinned with that concern. “Your job with the company is growing.” I saw Thao’s eyes grow larger.

“The smell is good,” Wayne said suddenly loud. “It doesn’t smell like at our house in New York.”

“Because this is Hawai’i.” Sharon stated simply.

It was true. The turkeys were prepared and golden brown when taken from the ovens. I lightly slapped Mike’s hand that came over to “take a bite” from the hot turkey.

“It has to rest!” I told Mike. “All the juices will ooze out and make the turkey dry for everyone else.” I covered both turkeys with a tented covering of aluiminin foil to keep the heat localized.

We had the green bean casserole; the sweet potatoes topped with the coconut flakes. We even had the cranberry sauce! The pineapple glaze and macadamia nut stuffing with the island additions in the turkeys changed the aroma. This was Hawai’i and the table reflected traditional dishes but influenced by the islands. Pies and cakes were brought out such as the chocolate pies and pecan pies, coconut pie and coconut cake...this was going to be a national holiday.

“The Pilgrams took a few more generations to get here,” Thao laughed getting one of the Hawai’ian Sweet Rolls and ate it. He pulled it apart and the steam rose, and he put butter on it and ate the rest.

“We are Americans,” Aunt Tessa stated. “I was born here before Hawai’i became a state, but I am an American.”

Elias nodded, “I was born in Peru, but I am an American. We are from Peru, Japan, or from the Mainland, we are all American and we all have reason to be thankful.”

He took the place at the head of the table. He got his beverage and held the glass up. It was my Hawai’ian Tea Soda and very appropriate. “I came here a decade ago with someone special. Together we’ve made some special friends we consider family. We are Ohana. A special word here in Hawai’i that means more than friendship or even blood ties. Thao was a friend while I got my bachelors' degree. We meet Brandi and Sharon without whom Eric, nor I would have survived without. We meet Thao’s Aunt Tessa who became our mother, nursing us through the good times and bad. Mike! After the horrible incident after Eric was assaulted, you’ve proven to be a great friend to us.”

“We have the next generation with us with Breanna, Chogan, and J.J.” I added. “The best is the return of Elias’ mother and my mother.”

“The future will be very good,” Thao said. “We can put the stocks out and investments will pour in.”

Elias nodded, “Adding the plantation, which I never knew was ours, the coffee and cocoa added to Eric’s Hawai’ian Coffee Shoppe will boom!”

“Which means,” I chuckled. “We need to add a new coffee and chocolate drink.”

“You sell Mocha Coffee now,” Thomas said.

“All I wanted was to make some money for groceries and rent!” I pointed out. “With Aun Tessa’s help, I did.”

“We can expand,” Thao insisted. “You did what you said, and the Islands have gone crazy! It’s a good thing!”

“Our point is,” Elias said, grinning. “We are thankful for all of you.” He held his glass up “Happy Thanksgiving!”

Everyone at the table raised their glasses and said, “Happy Thanksgiving!”