[The Morenos] Thanksgiving With The Morenos Ch 1

            “I think you and Masaya should come back to New York for an old-fashioned family Thanksgiving dinner.”

            Janine Moreno stepped off the treadmill she was using and walked over to the weight bench where her fiancé sat. She listened to her mother ramble on and on about the upcoming holiday.  “Mom, me and Masa can’t just pack up and leave for a week.”

            “Sweetie, the both of you have some time off am I right?”

            “Yes, but Masa might not have some time off because of work, he has to be in the studio with the other Super Size Boys for their next album.”

            “Janine,” Linda said as she sighed. “You two haven’t been back home since memorial service.”

            Janine looked down at the floor at the mention of the memorial service and swallowed the lump forming in her throat. She fought back the tears while keeping her voice from shaking in hopes her mother didn’t notice. “Yeah, but we took a whole month off to mourn, that really upset our agents even if we released a tribute song online a few weeks later.”

            “It’s not right for you and Masa to spend all of your time going to and from work every single day.”

            “Mom. The whole reason Masa and I are so reclusive is that the tabloids would have a field day if we appeared in public with no news on our next albums or any news about our wedding.” 

            Linda groaned in annoyance at the idea of Janine caring about what tabloids thought and how she always seemed to use that excuse. “If you’re not going to come home then I guess the children will be disappointed.”

            “Darin and Arisu don’t care if me or Masa came home, they’re teenagers now so they’d rather be out with their friends than attending a family dinner.” Janine could hear her mother click her tongue in what she knew was her mother’s way of reprimanding her decision. “What?”

            “I didn’t mean Darin and Arisu, I meant Myra, Mia, and Mina. They haven’t met their future Uncle Masaya and they miss their Aunt Janine.”

            There it was, her mother using the three little girls against her. Janine felt her heart crack open and bleed at the thought of the three little girls being disappointed at not seeing their favorite aunt. It had been a long time and the only time that the three had seen Janine was during their family vacation back in June, that was the week that Masaya had gone on tour with his band. She knew her mother was right and it was going to be hard to explain to the three little girls why their aunt wasn’t always around.

            Of course, she’d been an idiot to allow her family to find out about her engagement during an interview on the Leon Hull late night talk show. It was when Masaya proposed to her after performing their duet. After that, they’d been planning their wedding in between working, and mourning. Both their families were furious at finding out when ten million viewers found out. That was a proverbial slap in the face to the whole Moreno and Namiki families.

            Janine snapped out of her thoughts when she could hear her mother trying to get her attention. She took in a deep breath and let it out deciding to humor her mother’s idea. Maybe in a few days, she’d forget all about it and then things would go back to normal.

            “Alright mom, me and Masa will come home to spend Thanksgiving with the family.” She held the phone a few inches away from her ear at the sound of her mother’s happy squeals. “But, Masa and I will need some time to prepare, we’re not going to just pack up the moment we get off the phone to rush there. We need a few days to prepare.”

            “Of course, of course, take your time sweetie,” Linda giggled. “I’ll be able to get your old bedroom prepared for you and Masaya.”

            “Mom, you do know me, and Masa are probably going to alternate between his parents’ home and yours, right?” Janine asked. “Masa and I are engaged, and we wouldn’t want to spend any time apart, we’ve already done that a million times when we had our tour schedules.”

            “Fine fine, anything you want dear.” Linda giggled again, “My baby’s coming home! Janine it’ll be so good to see you!”

            “I know mom.” Janine shook her head hiding her smile. “Anyway, I must go, I was in the middle of a workout.”

            “Alright, and tell Masaya I said hello.”

            “Sure thing.”

            Janine pressed the end call button on her phone before she sat it back inside the charging cradle on the treadmill. She glanced at Masaya a moment and held back a laugh at the way he was staring at her. “What?”

            “Love, you told your mother we’re coming back to New York for Thanksgiving?” Masaya sat the weight he’d been holding down on the floor.

            “Yeah, I did but only because if I said no then my mom would’ve gone on and on about us coming home and you know how this works, she would’ve called your mother to ask us to come back home.”

            “And I would’ve told okaa-san no.” Masaya shook his head at the thought of being back in New York, but he didn’t want to admit it, but he wanted to go back home for a while to see family, maybe even forget about the loss that affected them both. “But I think it’d be nice to see our families.”

            “Masa…”

            “Listen, love we need time to be with family, we’ve only seen them a few times when we went back to New York for the memorial service,” Masaya reached out and wrapped his arms around Janine’s waist pulling her close. “I really think we can spend a little time celebrating something happy for a change.”

            “What about the---.”

            “The tabloids won’t bother with us, we’re going back to New York and if you’re so worried about people trying to pry into our businesses how about we hold a press conference announcing that we’re taking a holiday sabbatical?”

            “Well...I guess.” Janine’s arms came up and draped on Masaya’s shoulders, she had a small smile playing on her lips and she leaned down resting her forehead on his. “Alright, we can do that.”

            “Great.”

    Masaya placed a hand on Janine’s chin as he brushed a gentle kiss on her lips. He could feel her relax in his arms and knew if anything that they needed this break so to get rid of stress and maybe their worries would melt away the moment they entered the familiar atmosphere of their childhood homes.

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            “You guys are going back to New York?” Irene adjusted the toddler on her hip as she sat down at the table in her kitchen. “Did Masaya actually agree to it?”

            “Masa entertained the idea,” Janine leaned against the table with her hands folded under her chin. “I know that it’s going to be a little tough on us because we haven’t been back since…well, you know.”

            “I know,” Irene shook her head. “You should go back home to see your families though, I know Steve and I used our cross-country family vacation in the Winnebago.”

            “Reney, I really envy you two sometimes,” Janine said and looked down in the cup of hot cocoa in front of her. “How did you get so lucky to have a complication free life?”

            “I chose to retire from the limelight to raise Milly,” Irene reminded Janine. “And I married Stevie…or rather we eloped and have been living rather calmly when he’s not on the road with the Super-Size Boys.”

            Janine laughed quietly. “That’s right I remember now.” She poked Irene in the cheek. “Hey, if anything you could come back to the limelight and we can restart the band again.”

            “Oh, please Janine, you know you’d have to get Mandy, Rae, and Laura on board again and I doubt those three would want to give up their simple lives to perform.” Irene then went silent. “Especially Rae…”

            Janine looked over at the picture on the wall in the living room of the girls when they were in high school. All of them had hopes for the future and while they made it, things began to unravel the second they signed their first record deals. Irene’s unexpected pregnancy, Laura’s descent into near bankruptcy, Rachel’s stint in rehab, the only person that hadn’t been affected too much was Mandy. She had chosen to focus on yoga. But what shook both bands to the core was the loss all of them suffered and felt every day. Especially since the member who’d been the most affected was Rachel. The loss had caused her to turn to the world of prescription addiction. That was then that all of them had realized that fame while was something they all strived for wasn’t something that was all glitz and glamour.

            “Hey Earth to J, are you in there?” Irene waved a hand in Janine’s face. “Hello, are you in there?”

            “Oh, what were you saying Reney?”

            “Uh, nevermind, are you ok? You really spaced out there for a minute.”

            “Yeah, I’m fine just thinking about something,” Janine picked up her teacup and drank the rest of her cocoa. “When I do go back home, I can do some shopping for Christmas.”

            “Christmas shopping?” Irene laughed. “Right, the annual Moreno Black Friday shopping trip.”

            “Yep, this year is probably going to be a little bit more about me and Masa spending our time putting things on our wedding registry rather than doing actual shopping.” Janine’s face held a light of bliss at the mention of the upcoming wedding. “I really hope things will finally come together.”

            “You’re his December bride and you two are going to live in a suburb where you can leave your door unlocked.” Irene giggled. “You two won’t need to worry too much about anything besides bad cookies made by your neighbors.”

            “Reney!”

            “I just worry that I won’t be a good wife to him,” Janine admitted. “Masa’s so wonderful to me…I worry that I am not giving him the same amount of love that he has for me.”

            “He’s crazy about you,” Irene laughed. “You’re his love, if you two ever divorced then the apocalypse wouldn’t be too far behind…better yet the moment you two divorce the four horsemen of the apocalypse would fly through the sky.”

            “Reney!”

            “What? You and Masaya are end game, always have and always will be.” Irene sat the squirming toddler in her arms on the floor and laughed. “You two will grow old and die together, and then spend eternity in a couple’s casket in a joint grave.”

            “Seriously Reney?” Janine laughed softly. “Well I hope that’s the same for you and Steve then, you two are perfect together.”

            “We are, aren’t we?” Irene giggled. “Stevie’s been talking about wanting us to have another baby, he says he’s tired of living in a house run by females.”

            “But Millie’s only what? Two?” Janine giggled. “A little fast for a second baby don’t you think? He knows that it’s not up to you to give him a son, right? He has to be the one to supply you with the chromosomes to have a son.”

            “He knows but he’s convinced if he uses some random positions he’s read about on the internet that we’ll have a son.” Irene blushed. “I do enjoy his persistence.”

            “I did not need to hear that,” Janine looked at her watch and stood up. “I should get home, it’s my turn to cook and I am planning to make Masa’s favorite meal tonight to thank him for earlier.”

            “What did he do, take out the trash?” Irene teased. “I kid! I kid! Go on and go, tell Masaya that he’ll need to wait a few hours for Steve to come into rehearsals tomorrow.”

            “Why?” Janine took note of the visible blush on Irene’s face and shook her head crossing her arms in front of her in an X. “Nevermind, I don’t want to know.”

            “Aww, innocent J and her virgin ears!” Irene teased. “Sooo cute!”

            “Shush your mouth.” Janine giggled as she let Irene lead her to the door. “By the way, I think that maybe we should go to the cemetery in New York if you and Steve do decide to do a quick swing by during the holidays.”

            “Of course, it’s always a stop, me and Steve like to pay our respects to the one we lost,” Irene said.

            “Bring your drum set too,” Janine said. “I have an idea on how we can honor our lost loved one.”

            “Alright, maybe we can get the band back together for it,” Irene said. “We haven’t been together again since the memorial service, so it makes sense that we play together at least once for them.”

            Janine nodded before heading out of the door and to her car. “I’ll call you after Masa and I finish our date night.”

            “That’s code for tomorrow morning.” Irene laughed loudly as she good-naturedly flipped Janine off.

    Janine returned the same gesture before getting into her car and starting it to drive home.

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            “I’m home now Masa!”

            Janine stopped at the entry hallway removing her shoes and putting them next to the shiny black loafers that belonged to Masaya. She saw he had the mail lain neatly on the table where they hung their keys. Picking up the mail she went through each envelope one by one while walking into the living room. She let out a loud yelp and before she knew it she was flat on her back, the envelopes in her hands flying in all different directions.

            “MASAYA NAMIKI!”

            In almost an instant Masaya was out of the kitchen and held back a laugh at the sight of Janine on the floor with her legs straight up in the air and the mail falling around her like snow. He walked over to her and crouched down in front of her.

            “You’re wearing the white panties with the picture of the cat on the back.” He noted pointing under her skirt.

            “Masaya!” Janine snapped sitting up and pulling her skirt down before glaring at him. “You waxed the floor?!”

            “Yeah, I had some time to kill while you were out with Irene,” Masaya said as he sat cross-legged on the floor. “You did leave our kitchen a mess from your carbo loading.”

            “Well, you still should’ve told me the floor was slippery.” Janine pouted. “And I think I heard my tights rip.”

            “Let me see,” Masaya gently lifted her leg and inspected the white tights closely, he ran his fingers on the runs forming. “Yep, they’re running away from you.”

            “Masaya!” Janine hit him in the chest and turned away from him. “Smartass.”

            “I’m sorry.” Masaya wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her into his chest, he placed a kiss on top of her head. “Hey, don’t be mad, I’ll tell you the next time that I wax the floor ok?”

            “Masa...I slipped, and it was my fault ok, I’ll be fine once I get up and go to the kitchen to cook dinner.” Janine leaned against his chest with a small smile.

            “I was thinking we’d go out for dinner tonight,” Masaya kissed her forehead gently. “That way we won’t make a mess of the kitchen and we can enjoy someone else cooking for us for a change.”

            “Masaaaaaa, I wanted to make your favorite dish tonight!” Janine said. “You know chicken yakitori with Beef with Ginger and soy.”

            “I rather take my beautiful mermaid princess out for dinner, I was thinking at the Disney Soda Fountain.” Masaya smiled kissing her forehead. “It’d be a fun night and then when we come home we can watch movies or take a bath together.”

            “Well…ok but I’m buying this time,” Janine said simply. “And no, you’re not allowed to object, I’m going to buy you dinner and then tomorrow I’ll make dinner us.”

            “Deal, can you stand up?” Masaya asked.

            “Yes, I can stand, why?”

            “I need to wax the place where you fell again.”

            “Masaya Namiki!”