Secrets in the Kitchen

Abstract

It was noisy. Typical of my family on any holiday, but especially today seeing that it is Thanksgiving Day. I had been up at dawn helping my mother, aunts, and older cousins cook in the kitchen; a tradition I was finally able to take part in because I had just turned 14. My auntie had just asked me to tell my uncle to turn down the football game in the living room and, as I was walking back to the kitchen with a smile on my face, I heard it. Coming closer to the kitchen entrance I heard whispering and it was strange because the women in the Jones family were almost never quiet. My stride slowed down and I began to listen closely to the words that came out of my aunt’s mouth. "How are you doing?" She asked my mother. In a quiet and tired voice my mother answered, "Taking it day by day, but it isn’t getting any easier."