Leftovers

In today's story, Leftovers, a post-Thanksgiving breakfast includes pumpkin pie and  questions.

Today's prompt was suggested by my friend Wendy McMullan in honor of the Thanksgiving holiday. What are your favorite Thanksgiving leftovers? How do you like to celebrate this and other winter holidays?

As always, this story was written from the prompt, with no planning and very little editing. If you enjoy today's story, please share it with your friends and leave a review for Freely Written. Thank you!


More about Susan Quilty

Susan Quilty mainly writes novels, including two standalone novels and her current YA series: The Psychic Traveler Society.  Susan's short stories for Freely Written are created during quick writing breaks and shared as a way to practice her narration skills before she dives into recording audio versions of her novels.

Website:  SusanQuilty.com
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Transcript

Below is the transcript for Season 1, Episode 103 of Freely Written, a podcast by author Susan Quilty:

Welcome to Freely Written where a simple prompt leads to a little unplanned fiction. 

[Light piano music]

Hi, friends! I’m Susan Quilty and today’s prompt is Leftovers.

Today’s prompt was suggested by my friend Wendy McMullan during a chat about Thanksgiving, which, of course, included a discussion of food. In the US, Thanksgiving is a celebration of gratitude that has become largely focused on gathering with family and friends for a big, festive dinner. 

Everyone has their own favorite Thanksgiving foods. Turkey is the traditional centerpiece, though my casual poll has shown that a lot of people I know don’t actually like turkey. We grill bone-in chicken breasts instead, for those who eat meat, and offer plenty of veggie-based side dishes, including favorite dishes brought by some of our guests. 

In both the lead-up to Thanksgiving and in the days after, talk of the holiday often includes comparing menus and sharing favorite recipes. Beyond food, post-holiday talk also typically revolves around who was at the meal, what news there is to share, and any family drama that may have made an appearance. 

Luckily, my holiday was largely drama-free. Though it did leave me with some delicious leftovers to enjoy throughout the weekend. 

As always, I wrote today’s story using my typical Freely Written process. I sat down with the prompt to write whatever might come to mind, with no planning and very little editing. Then, I recorded the story to share it with you. 

And here’s how that turned out:

Leftovers

Minnie climbed onto a kitchen chair and pushed a lock of curls away from her face before asking, “Can I have pumpkin pie for breakfast?" 

Her parents answered simultaneously. An emphatic no from her mom and a cheerful yes from her dad. Her mom raised an eyebrow. Her dad replied, “What? It’s what I’m having for breakfast.”

Minnie’s mom relented, since they had so many leftover pies, and her dad pulled out three sets of plates and forks. 

It was the day after Thanksgiving, and they were all a little tired from hosting the entire extended family. It had been a long day of cooking and serving various snacks, leading up to the full holiday dinner. Each guest had contributed their favorite dishes, resulting in an overfull table and an overstuffed family. 

The main meal was followed by indoor and outdoor games for those who wanted to play them and naps for those who needed a rest. 

Finally, the table was cleared of all dinner dishes and reset with a dessert smorgasbord. There were homemade cookies and candies, as well as a plethora of pies. The spread boasted multiple versions of pumpkin, apple, and pecan pies, along with one chocolate pie that was a special favorite among most of the kids. 

Minnie had like the chocolate pie, but not as much as she had liked the apple and pumpkin varieties. 

Taking a bite of her breakfast pie, Minnie listened to her parents trade stories about moments they had each missed during the family gathering. 

“Your cousin Mary finally lost her job,” Minnie’s mom shared, in a voice that didn’t sound sad. 

“Long time coming,” her dad said with a nod. He shrugged and cut his fork into his pie, making sure to include a good bit of whipped cream. 

Minnie asked why Mary had lost her job, and her parents exchanged a long look before saying that it wasn’t important. They then quickly switched to talking about the food. 

“We gave so much away, and the fridge is still packed!” Minnie’s mom noted. “I guess we’re having leftovers for dinner tonight—and not just pie!”

Minnie and her dad giggled.

“Fine by me,” her dad said happily as he scraped the last bit of pie from his plate. “I love leftovers!”

“Why are they called leftovers?” Minnie asked. She had finished her pie and still felt hungry. 

“Because it’s the food that is left after dinner is over,” her dad answered wisely before breaking a banana off the bunch in the center of the table. He passed the banana to Minnie and took another for himself.

Minnie thought about that while she peeled her banana. 

“Is leftovers only about food?”

“Yes,” her mom said while loading their dishes into the dishwasher. The dishwasher had been running a lot as they tried to catch up from the holiday. 

“Why?” Minnie’s dad asked. “What other leftovers do you have in mind?”

Minnie was quiet while she tried to find the right words. 

“People,” she said at last, then quickly crinkled her nose and shook her head. “No, not people. But the stories about people.”

“The stories?” Her parents didn’t understand, but they were interested. 

“Yeah. Like Mary losing her job,” Minnie explained. “You always tell stories after people come to dinner. Like who said something mean or nice. Or what people were wearing. Or at Easter, when Aunt Sophie said she was having another baby, and you were surprised because she’s so old. Can I have some peanut butter for my banana?”

When Minnie looked up from fussing with her banana peel, her mom was staring with a strange look on her face. Her dad’s lips were pressed together, and it looked like he might laugh or say a bad word. 

“Mom?”

“Yeah, sure,” Minnie’s mom answered quickly, as if she’d just woken up. She took the peanut butter jar from the cabinet and spooned a dollop onto a small plate. 

“It’s an interesting idea,” her dad said slowly. “Leftover stories after a party. You’re a clever kid.”

Minnie smiled proudly. 

“Though sometimes it’s not very nice to talk about people after they’ve gone home,” her mom added uneasily. She had taken a seat next to Minnie so she could cut her banana into slices and top each slice with peanut butter. 

“Why not?”

Her parents exchanged another look. Her mom’s seemed to ask a question and her dad lightly shrugged. 

“A lot of times it is okay,” her dad said. “You can’t hear everything at a big party, so it’s good to share the news that someone else might have missed.”

“Like Aunt Sophie having a baby,” Minnie said. She ate a slice of banana, chewing slowly as she studied her parents’ strained expressions. 

“Well, yes,” her dad agreed carefully.

“As long as the news wasn’t a secret,” her mom added, though she seemed to want to say more and wasn’t sure how. Minnie knew how that felt, but it always felt weird when her parents had trouble finding their words. 

“You always say secrets aren’t good, but surprises are okay,” Minnie reminded.

“Um, yes,” her mom agreed. “No adult should ask you to keep a secret from us, unless it’s a surprise that you will tell us soon.”

“Like when we make holiday gifts in art class,” Minnie offered, and her parents agreed with her example. She then scrunched her forehead and asked, “Was it a secret or a surprise when Aunt Sophie was having a baby?”

“Oh, a surprise, I guess,” her mom answered. 

“Definitely a surprise,” her dad agreed.

“Because Aunt Sophie is so old?” Minnie asked, sensing that her parents would squirm when she asked and laughing when they did. 

“No!” her mom corrected quickly, though her dad only shrugged. “It was a surprise because we didn’t know that she was planning to have another baby. And it was a good surprise!”

“Hmm…” Minnie thought that over. She knew her mom was telling the truth but could also see that her parents were holding something back. They both had that look that said they were close to saying, “You’ll understand when you’re older.”

Weighing her options, Minnie decided to drop the subject and ask a different question.

“If I finish all of my peanut butter and banana, can I have a small piece of apple pie?”

Her dad laughed and her mom rolled her eyes to the ceiling. 

“Just a small one,” her dad agreed. “And one for me, too. How about you, hun?”

Minnie’s mom sighed and took the pie from the fridge, saying, “I guess apple is a fruit.”

“I love leftovers,” Minnie said happily.

Her parents shook their heads and laughed, relaxing into the holiday weekend.  

The End

Thanks for listening. For those who celebrate, I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are looking forward to a happy holiday season. What traditions do you have for Thanksgiving and other winter holidays? You can let me know by connecting with me on social media or through my website: SusanQuilty.com. Links are in the show notes.

As always, if you have a suggestion for a writing prompt, please let me know! If I use it for a future story, I will credit you in the episode. If you are enjoying Freely Written, please tell your friends and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. 

You can also visit my website to learn more about my novels, which make great gifts for yourself or a friend!

Until next time, try a little free writing of your own. Let go of any planning and see where your imagination takes you. 

[Light piano music]