“Bless this bounty we are about to receive,” Aaron intoned. I knew he was making up the blessing as he went and I hoped he wouldn’t get too nervous and prattle on. He had wanted to say grace at Thanksgiving, but he was nervous around my father. My father was a large, hulking and silent man.
Aaron was worried he would be interrupted by my father who would then embarrass him in front of the dinner party. By the time Aaron was done with the blessing, I had forgotten he was actually still talking. All my attention was out the window and to the front lawn where a stranger was standing, staring at us. He had a familiar look about him, but I couldn’t place where I knew him from.
No one else seemed to notice the man staring at us from the lawn. I tried to blink and shake my head to clear my mind, but when I looked back at the lawn, the man had moved a few feet closer. I knew the food was starting to pile up next to me, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the man outside. It seemed like every time I blinked, he was closer. Soon everyone was staring. It was like time stopped. Nobody spoke. Nobody moved. I don’t know how long we were frozen in time.
Standing Room Only 