Turkey Troubles

This wasn’t the first codependent relationship Tom had been in. He seemed to attract women that needed more than he was able to provide. But Cynthia had a great smile, kept his feed trough full, and genuinely laughed at his dumb jokes. He’d been self-conscious about his waddle for a while, but she didn’t seem to mind, and although he knew their love wouldn’t last, it was working out okay. He explained he’d need to “lay low” towards the end of November, so she pushed the trip to Bermuda she was planning to the beginning of December.

Changing reservations and work schedules was a hassle, so he appreciated her willingness to accommodate his turkey lifestyle, but still… she was overzealous. Almost smothering at times. And he had to spread his wings once and while.

After their first trip to meet her parents, he knew it was probably never going to work out. Her mom was alright, but they went to lunch and things got awkward. Her dad ordered a sandwich, and even though he ordered a BLT on rye, Tom could tell he had pondered the option of getting the turkey on wheat. He had been there before. Cynthia’s father was just being polite.

They both knew their love wouldn’t last. He over heard her talking to a friend and expressed that “everything was gravy.” And sure, things were going well, but it was comments like that, while unintentional, still cut deep in the community he squawked with. He knew he’s foul things up eventually. She cried when he broke it off prematurely, but it was for the best. He couldn’t fly, but he knew when to walk away.