The Thanksgiving Decorum Committee (TDC) knocked on the Smiths’ door and waited two seconds before entering the household. It was chaos as everyone inside moved towards the table.
“The turkey doesn’t look half bad,” Selena said to her partner, Charles, as they waited for the Smith family to settle into the dining room. No one seemed to notice the two TDC agents in their brown suits until a woman lit up as she passed them.
“You made it!” the woman said. “I’m Martha, the one who called you. Follow me to the table.”
As Martha led Selena and Charles to the table, Martha pointed to the host, her sister Rachel. Rachael looked up in surprise.
“Martha, two new guests?” Rachel said. “We don’t have chairs.”
“This is the Thanksgiving Decorum Committee,” Martha said. “You know why they’re here.”
The table got very quiet.
Before anyone could say anything else, Charles turned to two teenagers. “Are you two a couple?”
“Yes,” said the boy. “We’ve been together for about six months.”
“You’re not in college, are you?” Charles asked.
“No, we’re high school seniors,” the girl said.
Charles let out a sigh of relief. “No need to worry this year. As you may know, the day after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday because so many high school sweethearts break up the day after Thanksgiving when they come home from college for the first time.”
“What’s many couples?” the boy asked.
“We’ve documented at least four cases,” Charles said. The couple looked uneasy.
Selena ended the exchange. “We’ve been told that there needs to be a ruling on a side dish.”
“Yes,” Martha said, to groans from some around the table. “My sister puts this out as the salad course every year.”
Martha pointed to a plate of lime Jello. Selena noted the pieces of fruit congealed in the gelatin. There was whipped cream on top.
“Our mother used to serve this when we grew up in Kentucky,” Rachel said. “It’s a nostalgic piece for the table.”
“But it’s not a vegetable. How can it be a salad side?”
Charles got closer to the Jello, looked at it for a moment, then motioned to Selena for the pair to leave. “The ruling is that Jello counts as a salad. Happy Thanksgiving!”