Putting My Feet in the Dirt December Prompt#4 – Leftover Turkey Legs
Our family mapped out the Christmas Turkey days in advance of the actual roasting and carving.
By the time we got to the dinner table, we knew who wanted the white meat, who wanted their slices with a little crispy skin still attached and for some freaky reason there was always a fight over who got the wings.
” To bad, ” I said when I was about five years old and the turkey mapping sessions had just begun via the phone between my Dad and Grandma ” that turkeys don’t have four wings. You know what has four wings? Dragon flies. Maybe we should roast a bunch of them instead. But I’m pretty sure they don’t have boobs, and I know everyone likes turkey boobs- especially Grandpa and Auntie Sharon. ”
” You mean-” my Dad pulled the phone away from his ear looked down at me and my Mom lit a cigarette and muttered how nobody on her side of the family was as weird as me.
” Shut up Anita. ”
” SORRY. I mean breasts. Dragonflies don’t have breasts. Mermaids do. Maybe we- ”
“ANITA GO AWAY.” My dad hollered at me. ” I’m on THE PHONE!”
It was after the suggestion we roast dragon flies so that we could have plenty of wings to go around- and that roasting mermaids was an option too, that I was the one who got both turkey legs and a wad of dark meat ( which at the time my family considered to be cat and dog food ) dumped on my plate.
I looked down and remember trying to look grossed out and put upon.
I also remember trying not to smile because it was always fun to get exactly what you wanted for Christmas and you didn’t even have to promise Santa to be good to get it.