Amid the chaos, my cousin Jenny’s sharp eyes noticed something suspicious.
“Look at Bella,” she said, pointing to gravy streaks on Mark’s shirt and dribbles on the floor. “Care to explain?”
Caught red-handed, Mark confessed: While fetching his wallet, he caught Bella licking the turkey. Panicked, he rinsed it in the sink, only to have it fall apart.
His solution? Toss it and hope no one would notice.
For a moment, no one said a word.
Then, one by one, laughter erupted.
My uncle dubbed it “Bella’s Turkey Takeover,” and just like that, a new family legend was born.
Dinner carried on with a backup ham I’d prepared, and the evening was filled with storytelling and laughter. As we cleaned up, Mark approached me, looking sheepish. “I’m so sorry,” he said.
“Don’t be,” I replied, smiling.
“This might not have been the Thanksgiving I planned, but it’s one we’ll never forget.”
Bella, content and unapologetic, wagged her tail as if to say, You’re welcome.
Some memories, I realized, aren’t made in perfection—they’re born in the unexpected, messy, and downright hilarious moments that bring us together. Don’t you agree?
