By Dora Wang
Dedicated to my friend Gary Boone
Since the big debut of his book last year, 145 pages of no turkey recipes, Grover had become very popular. He had created a cookbook, solving the problem of Thanksgiving meals without using a turkey. Grover, a golden gobbler turkey himself, had gotten a lot of publicity afterwards. His fame increased as more and more pets heard of his book.
The Foodie Works magazine even featured him in an article. Now this year his town was hosting a bigger event: a Meet and Greet, as his newest book was released. He was invited as a special guest, since he was quite well known. And Grover had a lot to do in preparation.
“Yes, I do. I’ll do my best. Bye!” Click. Grover sighed as he set his phone down. Since the Mayor had invited him to the event, it seemed like he got busier and busier. Every few minutes his phone rang. He still had to write a speech for the Meet and Greet. And that was only part of his problem. Now that he had so much to do, Grover did not have time to spend with his family or friends. He had to turn down quality family time to work on preparations. But he had no room for complaining right now. Grover pushed his thoughts away and continued to write his speech.
Three days left. Grover was barely multi-tasking. He checked his to-do list. Most of his work was finished. Almost everything was done, except his speech. Grover was having a writer’s block. The topic was the meaning of Thanksgiving to him. First off, that was pretty clichéd. Second, he hardly had time to think what he was thankful for.
RINGGG! Grover frowned and picked up his phone.
“Hello?”
“Grover? I’ve been trying to reach you for days!” said a voice.
“Gary!? Oh my goodness, I’m sorry. I was working on so many things!”
“Wow, you must be very busy then. Everybody’s busy around the holidays anyway. I was wondering if you could come to Thanksgiving dinner at Gilda’s house?”
Grover felt his gut twist.
“Um, I’d love to. I probably will go, maybe.”
“Oh, okay! You know if you’re too busy, they’ll understand. Have a good day anyway!”
Grover felt terrible. How could he turn down another invitation? He had to find a way to fit both events in his schedule.
Two days left. Grover got up as his doorbell rang. He ran to open the door and gasped.
“Hi, Grover! I thought I’d stop by to help you. Since, you know, you’re so busy.”
“Gary! I’d love your help. Come inside!” Grover smiled.
He led Gary into his living room and brought out an assortment of papers. He told him of the different tasks he still had to complete. Gary began helping him complete the unfinished tasks. They worked while chatting together. Soon it was lunchtime.
“Here, I’ll go make us some lunch.” Grover got up and started for the kitchen. Just then, there was a knock on his door. He shuffled over. His uncle Billy was there, holding a dish of macaroni.
“Hi there, Grover. Thought you’d be too busy, so I brought you some lunch.”
“Uncle Billy! I haven’t seen you for a long time! Thank you so much. Come inside!”
“Ah, it’s nothing much. I’d love to stay for a while, but I’ve got a lot of shopping to do.”
“Well, don’t make me hold you down. Have a great day!” Grover said. Billy waved his wing and wobbled away.
Grover took the macaroni to the living room.
“Guess I don’t have to make us lunch. My uncle Billy just brought us some.”
All afternoon, they worked. During that time, another one of his friends came over to help. Billy came again to help cook dinner. Grover felt the happiest that day than he had the last few weeks. Finally after dinner, his friends and family began returning home. Gary was the last to leave.
“Bye, Gary! I can’t thank you enough. Have a great night!” Grover exclaimed.
“Hey, what are friends for? You have a good night yourself!” Gary wobbled to his car. Grover returned to his room. He looked at his only to-do left. He knew just what to do. He glanced at the clock. It was late, but he had to get it down. Grover smiled as he began to write.
The next day, he woke up late. He stayed up last night to finish his speech. Throughout the day, his friends came again to help him check if everything was done. They polished off his tasks and made his lunch. He had already completed his to-do list. He started to panic when he realized he still didn’t know how to attend both events. Grover admitted that he didn’t know if he could really go to Gilda’s for Thanksgiving. They put their heads together and thought of a plan. Grover would attend the Meet and Greet in the morning and give his speech. His friends and family would also attend. Afterwards, he would, well, meet and greet his fans, and later they would all go to Gilda’s house. Grover let out a sigh of relief. His last problem was solved.
Finally, it was the big day. Grover headed out early to town. Decorations were already set up. He looked at his speech again. He went through the schedule of the day in his head. He help set up a few last decorations. Pets started gathering around as the event began. Grover looked around nervously at the other authors. Different pets of all kinds were there. He even saw his favorite childhood author! After a few words of introduction, the Mayor announced his name. Grover stepped out as the crowd cheered. He smiled and walked up to the podium. He glanced at his paper and decided he only needed it as a reference. Grover smiled and began his speech. As he saw his family and friends in the crowd, he knew just what Thanksgiving meant to him.
“And even though I got caught up a little in my work, they helped me without asking for anything. But mostly, they helped me realize what I’m really thankful for. And I think you guys know it too. Lastly, I’d like to conclude with a quote from an anonymous pet. ‘Fame and fortune might make a living for your life, but it’s the family and friends that make the life worth living. And with that, I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving.”
The End.
Dora Wang, the daughter of Lihau Lhao and Chunzeng Wang, is a Presque Isle Middle School eighth-grader in the Gifted and Talented Program. She first introduced Grover in a 2011 editorial page story.
