Have you ever felt like you're dying in an argument? I have. I’ve tried so hard to prove my point to my parents, or my friends, or my brother, and even in the past my teachers. I wish that I learned what my aunt taught me a few years sooner so I didn’t have to go through all that stress. This one talk that I had with my aunt changed my whole relationship with her and my parents, and also just about everyone I know. 

       Ding. Dong. The electric ring of the door bell chimes. My aunt Caroline welcomes us at the door. A comforting avalanche of warmth surrounds me as I walk in. I take off my coat and shoes and turn the corner to my Mimi. I give her a big hug, and her warm fuzzy sweater tickles my arms. I turn another corner to find my Aunt Shannon; she is always so sweet and kind. I give her a big hug. Last time I saw her she and I were very close in height, but now I’m noticeably taller than her. We all go into the kitchen and all greet each other, and the adults make some fancy cocktails as I snack on some food.

       Mimi, Shannon, and my brother, Liam, and I all go outside on the nice new patio, and Shannon gives us some gifts. Liam receives books, and I receive earrings, a chromebook stand, and pens. We talk for a little while. Then Caroline’s parents arrive, and then we go inside. As we walk inside the aroma of seafood and warm bread and butter exfoliates my nostrils. I go and say “hi” to Caroline’s parents; then I watch tv for a little while. I offer to help make the biscuits for dinner; the eggs, milk, and butter all coated the dry ingredients with a smooth, satisfying grace. Once that is done we all go to eat.

       I don’t talk much during dinner, but I do listen. I am in the middle of the table; I can listen to two conversations at once, so all the tea is being spilled. We sit outside for a little while after everyone is done. Then I help clean up from dinner. Uncle Mike asks if I want to help start a fire and make s'mores, so I do. I think this is one of the best s’mores I’ve ever made. The warm, gooey, fluffy marshmallow is glued to my lips, and it is scrumptious. When we finish our scrumptious s'mores we let the fire die down and go inside. 

       When I walk in I hear, “Haha, you lost! Haha,” as a game of James Bond finishes. My brother wins against Uncle Tom, Shannon’s husband. Tom is a nice, kind person and doesn’t care about losing, but he is so intense and excited to beat Liam in a rematch that he deals out the cards faster than a cheetah. After they finish their game I start my own. 

       “Hey, do you want to play Kings Corners?” I ask my Aunt Shannon and my dad.

“Remember when we used to play that game with Gram?” Dad says. 

“Yeah, what was the game where you had to get thirty-one?” Shannon requests.

“Isn’t that blitz?  Was that the game you taught me at camping?” I ask my dad.

        “Yeah, me and your aunt used to play for quarters,” Dad states as he deals out the cards.

       I pick up my cards. I don't have a lot of moves, so since Shannon is left of the dealer she goes first; now it’s my turn. I think about what to do, but a really, really, really big light bulb goes off in my head. Then I take my move.

       “You're a really good father, look at them, they're so smart and kind,” Shannon claims as I take my turn.

       “I wish they realized that,” Dad responds as I finish my turn.

       “You have a really good father; you know how me and your father didn’t have someone there to help us and love us,” Shannon asserts, so the game pauses for a moment.

       “Yeah, Dad’s told me this before,” I voice.

       “I’m glad that neither of us, or Mike or David, did anything stupid that would mess up our lives now. I think that if we did have a father our decision would have been better,” Shannon expresses.

       “I hope that right now in your life I’ve put you on the right path,” Dad delivers.

       “I know how hard your dad works to take care of your family, your Mimi couldn't always take care of us, there wasn’t alway food on the table for us,” Shannon mentions.

       “Mimi was at work a lot, so we had to cook for ourselves, and we were very independent children,” Dad replies. 

       “You are very lucky to have your dad; I know that you guys argue, but he is only doing the best for you, I wish I had your dad as a dad,” Shannon adds. 

       Shannon is tearing up, so her eyes are glistening like the sun, and so are mine.

       “I hope that you will realize what I’ve realized about your father; I want you to know how lucky you are to have him as your father,” Shannon tells as she starts to cry. 

       “I know that you work hard to take care of me and this family, and you are only trying to do the best for me,” I speak as a tear runs down my cheek.

       “That’s right, he is only doing the best for you and Liam,” Shannon reveles. She looks at dad with a kind and sincere smile.

       “I’m glad you realize that, and I want you to know how much I love you,” Dad claims, smiling at me and Shannon. “Love you too, Shannon.”

       “I love both of you so much, and you two are both so wonderful,” Shannon conveys as she gives me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. 

       Nobody talks for a bit. I sit there and look around, trying not to cry. 

       “Oh my, I didn’t realize that my cheeks are wet. I’m quite emotional aren't I?” Shannon breaks the silence.

       “Let’s finish the game,” I announce.

        We play the game, and in the end dad wins. Then I pick up the cards and watch tv for a little bit. As I’m watching tv I realize that everyone here is as happy as if you just found a hundred dollar bill. 

       Once everything is put away and calms down my mom takes out dessert. While I’m eating dessert and drinking fancy coffee drinks, I've never been a fan of coffee. This coffee tastes like you were drinking a whole Starbucks in one sip. Caroline and I talk about what books to read over the course of the school year. She has always loved books, and ever since she was a kid she’s been reading non-stop.

       Once everyone is done eating Mimi goes to bed, so we all wish her a good night. Liam has full control of the tv now. The channel is constantly changing, and the volume is way too loud; I think it is louder than a generator. Once he finally finds a channel he likes he keeps it on that for the rest of the night. Mike, Dad, and Shannon are all sitting at a table, talking about who knows what… At that moment everything is perfect, absolutely perfect. I swear to God that all of them sitting at the table all look so happy together.

       I wish that  right there in that moment I could freeze time. It was just so perfect. It was like one of the photos you see pre-printed in the frame, and I would be willing to pay millions just to see the photo.

       At the end of night Shannon told me something that I'll never forget: “Just remember what I said, he is only doing the best for you,” and that is what I’ll always remember from that night; that sentence rang in my head thousands of times that night.

       That night was so meaningful and so loving. I wish that I could have video taped that night, and especially what Shannon told me. Ever since then I’ve tried to not argue, but of course I still do. So I hope that from now on we all do better not to argue with the ones we love, yet even when we do they’ll always love us to the death. 

-Morgan R.