Thursday Night Spaghetti
What is a memory from my childhood? I can tell you one…
Thursday nights were always one of the best. My neighbor was a good friend of my mom’s and every week we’d get an invite to come over for spaghetti. It was, without a doubt, the best spaghetti I had ever had (that still rings true to this day). No matter how many times my mom tried to copy the recipe (although it was just spaghetti) it never tasted as good. Warm buttery noodles and golden baked biscuits, the highlight of my childhood, but my favorite part about dinner was the “pre dinner prayer”. It wasn’t much of a prayer, rather, a melodic chant. “Thank you lord for giving us food!” Then we’d all slam our hands onto the table, enough to make the silverware rattle in fear of our fists, “Thank you lord for giving us friends!” Again we’d slam our fists down, “Thank you lord,” *slam slam* “Thank you lord,” *slam slam* “Amen!” *clap*
I loved it. I didn’t even understand the basic concept of religion, that wasn’t it; I loved the unity. Everyone was together as one as we chanted over our stupid bowls of spaghetti like wild animals, throwing our fists around. It was joy. It was pure human connection.
So, what exactly is my point in all of this?
Cherish each moment of your life. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wished for nights like that again. If I knew back then how much I’d miss those weekly gatherings, I probably would’ve let every second sink in, absorbing every moment. Things have changed so much in 10 years, not quite in the way I hoped.
I could take two things away from my story, really. Remember how fast life can change, in the ways you’d least expect. The people that we think would never betray us, never do us wrong, the people we are closest to, sometimes become our worst enemies.
Little did I know, our spaghetti host would destroy every drawing I ever drew, every story I ever wrote. He would tear apart the couches, throw chairs into walls like darts, tear doors down, kick over mountains. He would yell like an army general and cry like a baby, drinking away the pain until his liver became a sea of poison.
My life was never the same after that point, and I’m still recovering. Life’s crazy and unpredictable, but it all comes back to two points:
Live everyday like it’s your last, life changes fast.
and
Always be aware, don’t trust in a heartbeat; you never know when you’ll meet a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
