This Thanksgiving was a bit different, not only because my husband cooked the turkey for a change – which I obviously thought was a bad idea in the first place – but also because it left a bitter feeling that I still cannot get rid of even though a few days have passed.
It’s not that I am a magician in the kitchen, but the Thanksgiving turkey has always been my pride and joy. I even get compliments for the way I prepare it from my mother-in-law, Patricia, who can be quite judgmental at times.
This year, however, my husband insisted on taking care of the turkey, claiming he had a secret recipe we’ll all love.
I was doubtful, but knowing that he is the type of person who wants to show off, I decided to trust him.
When his mother he would be breaking the tradition of me cooking the turkey, Jake said he had everything under control and that we should trust him.
On Thanksgiving Eve, the entire family gathered at our place and we were all eager to try Jake’s turkey. When he took it out of the oven, it smells nicely and looked perfectly cooked – until it wasn’t.
The moment I tasted it, I yelled, “Jack, what’s this?” His mom, who was sitting next to me, had already spit hers in a napkin.
The taste was awful. It was as though someone had dipped the entire turkey in a melted chocolate.
Confused and embarrassed, Jake said, “But…but I though you’d like it. It’s unique, it’s different.”
When he explained that his secret recipe included brown sugar, maple syrup, and marshmallow fluff, I knew that my husband cooking the turkey was the worse idea ever.
He started apologizing, and although we were a bit mad, we eventually laughed about the entire experience.
After dinner was over, I took a piece of pumpkin pie with some whipped cream on, trying to cheer Jake up. He was still very disappointed over the fiasco with the turkey, and I didn’t want him to feel bad, especially because I knew how much it meant to him to prepare something nice for his family.
But everything changed when I noticed a crumbled piece of paper in the trash. I got curious and looked closer when I noticed a familiar name written on it. Sarah! It was Jake’s ex-wife.
My heart skipped a bit. Could he really think asking her for advice on how to cook a turkey was a good idea?
I got really mad and I confronted him right there and then. “Jake, was it Sarah, your ex, that you turned to for a recipe?”
He looked at me in confusion, aware he made a mistake. “Just so you know, she sabotaged you and made you a fool,” I said.
“Honey, I am so sorry, I just wanted everything to be perfect, and you know, Sarah used to work for a catering service, so I thought…”
I stopped him before he finished his sentence because I didn’t want to listen to his lame excuses.
The following morning, I spoke to Jake’s mom and told her everything. As she took a sip from her glass of wine, she said that her son could be foolish at times. She tried to convince me that Jake adored me and wanted to impress me with the turkey and that’s why he turned to the only other woman he knew well.
I knew Sarah cheated on him and broke his heart, so the thought of him asking her for advice was something I couldn’t get over.
Despite everything, I’m still with Jake, but I can’t shake the feeling that something shifted this Thanksgiving.
Who knew that when my husband cooked the turkey, my image of my ideal marriage would crumble?
