It
was a windy and rainy day in Hatfield, a little town in
Massachusetts. On Winter’s Lane lived the Hall
family. Jack was a typical seven year old with lots of
energy and a very vivid imagination. The town of
Hatfield was small and quiet and people there were
very friendly.
As
the day became more windy and pouring with rain, you
could hear it hit the rooftop.
Jack ran
into the house soaking wet.
In a loud
tone Mrs. Hall said, “Jack, what in the world are
you doing coming in here all wet and messing up the new
floors your dad just put in. And you are supposed to
wipe down in the mudroom.”
A few
seconds went by, then Jack replied, "Sorry,
Mom. I was hanging out with my friend Hank
Duncan and we got carried away. I didn’t want to
be late.”
Not that Hank Duncan
again. “I thought we were done with imaginary
friends,” said Mrs. Hall.
“But Mom, Hank Duncan is really real. I see and talk to him
every day at Winter’s Park.”
“Now
come on, Jack. You know that isn’t true.”
“Jack, how old is your friend Hank Duncan? And what do you two talk about? if I may ask," said Mrs. Hall.
“He
is seventy years old and he is really cool, Mom. He
wears a long black coat with shining buttons and a
gray hat.”
Mrs. Hall was shaking her head
in disbelief.
Jack went on “We talk about
all kinds of things. He tells me
stories about his time in the Korean War and how it
was when he was my age.”
“Ok” said Mrs. Hall with a sharp tone. “Enough
about this friend Hank Duncan. Go get off those
soaking wet clothes now so we can make our famous
pumpkin pie.”
Finally
Jack came downstairs all dry. “I am really sorry, Mom, about getting the new floors wet."
“It’s
ok, Jack, don’t let it happen again.”
They began to make that famous pumpkin pie, which was always a big Thanksgiving hit.
As Jack was mixing the filling, he turned and looked up at his mother with those big blue eyes and said “Can Hank Duncan come over for Thanksgiving dinner?”
Mrs. Hall shook her head still in disbelief and replied “We will see. Now keep mixing, the crust is almost ready for the filling.”
“Can
I pour the filling in the crust?”
asked
Jack.
“Of
course you can. Don’t you do that every year? It
has become a family tradition.”
“Yeah,
you're right, Mom, I wasn’t thinking. I have my
mind on my friend Hank Duncan. He lives all alone and
has no family. I am his only friend. Please,
please Mom, can Hank Duncan come for Thanksgiving
dinner? Once you and Dad meet him you will just
love him.”
In a strong tone Mrs. Hall replied, “I will have to talk this matter over with your father.”
She sighed then and continued. “Do you know how silly this all seems? We have never meet your friend Hank Duncan, we know nothing about him, only what you have told us. Now no more talk about this till your father gets home. Go wash your pie bowl, then get out of the kitchen. I have dinner to make plus all the trimmings for Thanksgiving.”
As
Jack was walking away he turned and said “Mom,
can I go to Winter’s Park for a while?”
“I
suppose, but be back before dinner.”
Jack ran to Winter’s Park which was only two blocks away. There He saw Hank Duncan with his long coat and gray hat sitting on the park bench. Jack came up to the bench and sat down next to Hank Duncan with his head held down. “What in the world is wrong with you, son?” asked Hank Duncan.”
“My mom and dad don’t think you’re real.”
“Well do you blame them? They have never met me.”
“Yeah, you're right” said Jack in a low tone. “Will you come to Thanksgiving dinner and tell all your cool war stories if they say yes?”
Hank Duncan looked at Jack with a big smile on his face. “Well, if it’s OK with your mom and dad I would love to join you and your family for Thanksgiving.”
Then Jack put his arms around Hank Duncan’s neck with his eyes lit up. “I will meet you here at two o’clock. And if I show up that means they said yes. This will be a Thanksgiving to remember.”
“Yes it certainly will be,” said Hank Duncan with a happy tone.
Jack
said bye to Hank Duncan and ran all the way home, but he
didn’t forget to stop in the mudroom to take his
muddy shoes off. Jack walked into the living room. “Hi Dad.”
Mr. Hall
replied with a stern tone,“What’s this
friend Hank Duncan your mother’s has been telling
me about?”
“Please
Dad,” said Jack, “you will love Hank
Duncan.”
“I
guess we have room for one more seat,” said Mr.
Hall as he winked at Mrs. Hall.
The biggest smile came upon Jack's face. He
kissed his dad and said “Thanks Dad, this will be
a Thanksgiving to remember. ”
After
dinner Jack said goodnight and went off to bed
Mr. Hall looked at Mrs. Hall. “What
are we going to do with that child?” Mrs.
Hall shook her head and they both laughed.
The next morning arrived. Sleepy-eyed
Jack pulled himself up from his bed and made it downstairs. He could smell the turkey cooking. He could
almost taste it in his mouth. “It smells really
good, Mom,” said Jack, still trying to wake up.
“Thanks,
Son.” Are you ready to help? We have a lot to
do and I
still have to finish cooking. I thought you could help
set the table.”
“Ok,”
said Jack, still wiping the sleep from his eyes.
In a soft tone Mrs. Hall said, “It
won’t be long till we meet your friend Hank
Duncan, meanwhile eat your breakfast so we can
get everything set up.”
As Jack was
washing his bowl he said, “Hey Mom, who else will be
coming to Thanksgiving dinner?”
Mrs.
Hall replied back, “Well it will just be us
three, and of course your friend Hank Duncan. Everyone
else had other plans this year.”
Jack finished setting the table. It looked beautiful. He always loved the way his mom could take food and make it look like it should be in a magazine. “Good job,” said Jack.
“Thanks Jack. Now go and get
dressed and don’t forget to wear a tie. By the
time you get ready it will be time for you to go get
your friend Hank Duncan.”
Jack ran
straight upstairs as if he were running with a football.
Mrs. Hall pulled out the turkey with
dressing. She took a sniff and thought to herself I
do such good work.
Jack
finally came downstairs. His eyes got big as he
saw all the beautiful settings and all the amazing
food. “I have to give it to
you, Mom, you really outdid yourself this year.”
“Well,
thank you, my sweet Jack,” said Mrs. Hall.”
“I
am going to go get Hank Duncan. When
will Dad be home?” said Jack.
“He
will be here by the time you and your friend Hank
Duncan get back here. So run along. You don’t
want to be late, do you?”
“No, see you in a little while.”
And
out the door Jack went.
Mrs.
Hall yelled “Don’t run, Jack! You’ll
mess your suit up.”
“Yes,
Mom,” I
hate this tie, said
Jack to himself.
Mr. Hall
walked in and said "Smells delicious. So it’s
only going to be us four this year."
Mrs. Hall just smiled, still in disbelief about Jack's friend.
Jack got halfway to the bench in Winter's Park when he saw Hank Duncan there wearing an orange scarf. Jack ran up to him said, “Nice scarf.”
"Thanks."
Jack
paused a minute before he spoke. “They said
yes.”
“I
see that,” said Hank Duncan.
Jack took hold of Hank Duncan’s hand and
off they went to Jack's house.
Jack
said, “Mom and Dad are going to be so surprised.”
“Why
is that?”
“Because
they don’t believe you are really real.”
They looked up at each other and
laughed.
“Well,
they certainly will be surprised,” said Hank
Duncan.
Jack and Hank
walked into the house. “Mom, Dad, we are here!
yelled Jack.
“We
are in the dining room,” said Mrs. Hall.
Jack and Hank Duncan walked into the dining
room. Mr. and Mrs. Hall's mouths dropped. There
was silence for a moment.
Then Mrs. Hall
said, “Nice to meet you Hank. Well, you are
real.”
“Yes
I am.” said Hank Duncan “It’s
nice to meet you both and thank you for having me over
for this special occasion.”
“Well,
any friend of Jack's is a friend of ours, so please take
your coat off and join us,” said
Mrs. Hall.
Mrs. Hall took
Hank's coat and hung it on the coat rack.
Jacks said, “You have a tie on too."
“Yes
I do. I have to clean up sometimes,”
replied
Hank Duncan.
They
all laughed then and began their meal.
“Everything
looks and smells so good,” said
Hank Duncan.
“Thank
you, Hank” said Mrs. Hall.
As they began to pass the food around Mr. Hall said,
“Jack tells me you were in the Korean War.”
“That's
right,” said Hank Duncan.
“Well,
my father served in the Korean War
as
well,” said Mr. Hall. “My mother and father passed away three years ago, three
months apart.”
“I
am sorry to here that,” said Hank Duncan.
Hank told his war stories. Then he said in an excited tone, “I had a best
friend in the Korean War. He was there for me through
the hard times. His name was Witt Hall.”
Mr. Hall said with a surprised look, “That
was my Dad’s name.” Hank then pulled out a
torn and worn-out picture from his wallet and said “He
was my very best friend and then we lost touch with one
another.”
“May
I see the picture?” asked Mr. Hall.
“You
certainly can,” said Hank Duncan.
Mr. Halls eyes lit up and he said,
“That’s my Dad,” and tears filled his
eyes.
Mr. Hall raised his glass and said, “Jack
was right. This is a Thanksgiving to
remember.”
They continued to talk
about the old days as they finished their Thanksgiving
to remember.
My
name is Sheila Bunting. I am forty seven years old I am
from Kentucky, but I live in Rockford, IL. I am going
to school full time. In my spare time I enjoy working
out, cooking, reading and volunteering when I can.
I view life this way--you get out of life what you put
into it and there isn't anything you can't do if you
put your mind to it and work hard.