Bargain Turkey Slices With Potato Flakes and Gravy (DRAFT)

When I was young, living with my family at my grandma's house, I learned to enjoy bargain food. Knock-off Chef Boyardee and cereal were generally the best we got. Occasionally, if Grandma wanted to spend a little bit more money, she would buy these packs of turkey pieces mixed with gravy and mix it with mashed potatoes.It was the greatest food in our world. If grandma was making the turkey pieces and mashed potatoes, you knew something good happened.

That all changed when Grandpa was put into a nursing home. Grandpa wasn't a very loud man, but for some reason the house got quieter. Everyone seemed noticeably more somber. I guess it probably had something to do with dealing with the fact that Grandma and Grandpa weren't going to live forever. After Grandpa was away from the home, my oldest aunt took care of everything for Grandma. She went shopping for Grandma, she paid the bills for Grandma, and she cooked for Grandma, among other things. She made the turkey, gravy, and potatoes combo much more often than Grandma ever did. We quickly realized that the only reason we liked it was because Grandma made it. Everything tasted like it was going to be preserved for a 4 year trip. Even the potatoes were filled with salt. When my aunt took over, everything seemed to lose its magic. Playing basketball in the driveway wasn't as fun anymore. The swingset we used to love was just unappealing. It was really quite strange.

One night, after my aunt had made turkey slices with mashed potatoes and gravy, my mom came home, and she seemed pretty angry. I didn't know what was going on, but she just kept staring at my aunt. Confused, I asked, "Mom, what's wrong?" "Nothing, but I just found out why your aunt is helping Grandma." My aunt looked furious. She then threw down Grandma' checkbook. It was filled with pages and pages of balance sheets, showing payments of $2,000 a month, to my aunt. She didn't want to help Grandma, she wanted money.

Now, every time I eat turkey slices with potatoes and gravy, I'm reminded of the exact moment our familial bond shredded. I'm reminded of my aunt, shipping Grandpa off to a nursing home, 300 miles away. I'm reminded of the 3 hour long shouting match between my mom, my aunt, and Grandma that I was physically in the middle of. I'm reminded of the hatred that had tinged the conversations between all my aunts for 8 years. I'm reminded of when, before Grandma and Grandpa died, Grandma putting my aunt on all of her bank accounts. I'm reminded of, after my Grandma died, my aunt selling the paid-off house for $140,000 and giving her three sisters $10,000 of that. I'm reminded of my aunt putting $30,000 into her house though renovations. I'm reminded of my aunt, pawning off my grandpa's WWII uniform for $40.

Most of all, I'm reminded that it's really not all that great.