Fiction

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After Charles had completely finished crying, he said, "Thank you, everyone, for listening to me. I'm sorry I broke down like this on Thanksgiving Day."

"Don't worry about it, son. Keisha, LaToya, and I feel the same way every Thanksgiving," Tyrone said, patting his shoulder.

"I just wish LaToya wasn't still so angry," Angie sighed. "I mean, I really want to be her friend, but she hates me. It's clear that I know you know I'm not responsible for what happened to Ty, but she hasn't realized that yet." She paused as a lump came to her throat. "Now I'm going to start crying," she said as tears came to her eyes.

LaToya, who had overheard her, slowly came to the top of the stairs and stood still. She was beginning to regret her harsh words toward Angie and not joining her parents when they greeted her, Charles, and Jeremiah.

Charles gently touched his wife's arm. "Baby, she doesn't hate you. She's just upset." He held her close again. "Ty was LaToya's big brother. He was her hero. She could always count on him to stand up for her and to take care of her while her parents worked. She looked up to him in so many ways. She wanted to do everything he and his friends did and be an athlete and a straight-A student like her brother. She strived so much to be like him."

"I remember that, too," Keisha added. "I don't think anyone looked up to their big brother quite the way she did. I remember the way he was always there to comfort her whenever she cried when she got in trouble. He'd actually get mad at us for grounding her when she did something wrong."

"She sure had her brother's heart wrapped around her little finger," Tyrone said. "She used to sit on his shoulders at ball games whenever he and the guys cheered after winning a game."

"I remember that, too," Charles said. "She was his good-luck charm."

"I didn't meet him till we were adults," Angie told them, "but he was one of the nicest people I ever met. He was very friendly and kind and a devoted friend. I am so glad to be here and hear all of these wonderful things about him."

LaToya came down the stairs, and everyone turned when they heard her footsteps. Tears welled in her eyes. "I'm so sorry," she said as the tears splashed onto her cheeks. She went to Angie and hugged her tightly. "I let anger and bitterness take over me, and I hurt my family and almost missed an opportunity to make friends with a truly wonderful person because I judged her because of her dad and I was so angry about what her dad's friend did to my brother. If I had gotten to know you before, I would have known sooner that you weren't like that, and I wouldn't have been so angry at you. Please forgive me, Angie. All of you, please forgive me."

"I forgive you, LaToya," Angie said, "and it's not too late to be my friend. The invitation for friendship was always open."

LaToya wiped her eyes. "Thank you," she said. She then went and embraced her parents, sobbing. "I'm so sorry, Mom and Dad," she said.

Tyrone and Keisha forgave her as well. "You're our baby girl," they told her. "We love you."

After many more hugs and tears, Keisha invited them to come up to the room she shared with Tyrone to see the patchwork quilt that Tyrone's mother, Ty's grandmother, had made. She had sewn pieces of old clothing that belonged to her, Tyrone, Ty, LaToya, and several other members of their family. Charles and Angie sat down on the bed, and Jeremiah sat on Angie's lap. LaToya sat beside Angie, and they all listened as Tyrone and Keisha told them about how the pieces of the quilt came from such instances as Keisha's maternity clothes, Tyrone's old high school clothes, patches of Ty's old baseball uniform, and LaToya's old ballet outfit. They talked for a long time, and before long dinner was ready. They all had a delicious turkey and ham dinner.

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