Thanksgiving Ficlet: Obey All Warning Signs

Title: Obey All Warning Signs
Characters:  Neanderthal and Wench
Series/Challenge:  Obey Warning Signs or Thanksgiving

They say hindsight is 20/20.  I don't know who they are, yet they are right.  I should have paid attention to the warning signs that were there.  Instead, I just blew right through them.  But the holidays were rapidly approaching and there was so much that needed to be done. There was no time to worry about warning signs coming from a Neanderthal.

A menu needed to be planned. Two kinds of stuffing had to be made: one with oysters and one without.  Warning sign: The curve of his lips straightened; the small smile that usually graced his lips had disappeared.  I didn't obey the sign.

The last can of chicken broth had been used the week before, so shopping had to get done. Shopping in a crowded store with a million other people trying to get ready for the holidays was pure hell; demons pushing carts everywhere.  I struggled to get through the aisles in a hurry. Warning sign: The sparkle in his eyes turned to ice.  I didn't obey it.

A seating chart needed to be completed.  Reworked again and again. Good Lord, Uncle Rupert and cousin Stacy could NOT sit near each other!  They are on opposite sides of the political spectrum.  Everyone would end up with indigestion. Warning sign: His jaw tightened and flexed.  I didn't obey the sign.

The house was a mess!  Auntie Diane would make snide comments all day long.  I needed to scrub the floor on my hands and knees to get to all the corners.  Warning sign: His hand rubbed up and down on his jeans, as if his palm was itchy. I didn't obey the sign.

Decorations!  Good grief!  The decoration were still in the storage unit.  Tried to dash out the door but his hand stopped me.  One hand held tight to my arm as the other hand hardily slapped my butt.

The warning signs I had blown right through had now become a course of action.  Many sharp swats later and sent to sit still for a time, and all the signs I'd not seen tumbled into my mind.  Oh yes, they were right; hindsight is 20/20.  And as I sat with a warm bottom, I wondered when my foresight would be as great as my hindsight.

The End