Chapter Text
It was the week of Thanksgiving and everyone was at their wits end. Schroeder was still stressing out about the show coming up, Linus was still learning to live without his blanket, and Peppermint Patty was still down in the dumps over the passing of Penelope Hawkins, a Sparkyville resident who was an actress on the show "Sandra on the Side". No one was feeling really thankful at that moment. On the flipside, Charlie Brown's life was going pretty smooth, for once. He and Frieda were stronger than ever, Sally was no longer bugging him to do her homework for her due to Linus's tutoring, and no one picked on him as much as they used to, outside of the occasional "blockhead" from Lucy.
But Charlie Brown was worried about his friends and how they were feeling. Schroeder was more or less okay; he just needed a break from the planning of the show and Thanksgiving would give him that break. Linus and Patty were a different story. While the most severe withdrawal symptoms were behind him, Linus was still feeling the loss of his blanket, but he was determined to try to live without it, even if it killed him, he would say. Charlie Brown figured Linus would be fine, as would Schroeder. But Peppermint Patty was a different story. According to Franco and Marcie, she hadn't completely come out of her funk. Her grades were starting to head back towards D-Minus territory again, and it was like she stopped caring after Penelope's death. And everyone was concerned about her well-being. Her father even considered getting her some counseling.
So the Monday before Thanksgiving, Charlie Brown was at home. Frieda was there with him. She could see that he had a lot on his mind.
"A penny for your thoughts, sweetie?" she said, a little concerned.
"Oh, I was thinking about our friends and their issues," said Charlie Brown. "I may not be able to fix their problems, but I want to do something, anything to at least get their minds off of them, at least for a moment."
"That's sweet of you, Charlie Brown," said Frieda. "But what would you do to make that happen?"
"Well I don't know if you remember that time Patty invited herself, Marcie, and Franklin over to my house for Thanksgiving," said Charlie Brown, remembering the fiasco that was. "Sally and I were supposed to go to our grandmother's house that day, but Patty without warning invited herself and her friends over here. So Linus, Snoopy, and I made our own 'dinner' with popcorn, pretzels, and toast, because, let's face it, I'm not that much of a cook."
"I actually remember Linus telling me about that day," Frieda recalled. "He said Patty made a fuss over the dinner, hurting your feelings in the process, until Marcie straightened her out."
"Yeah, I still hate thinking about that day, even though Patty did apologize to me later. Anyway, I talked to my parents and asked about inviting all of my friends over for Thanksgiving. You would be there, of course, as would Michael, Sally's boyfriend. But I thought about doing something nice for our friends and getting their minds off of their troubles, at least for that day. I just need to invite them all. And mom has the turkeys and side dishes ready to cook. We will need help with the preparations, though."
"Baby, you know I'm on board. You start calling everyone, and I'll make a list of those who can make it." And Charlie Brown and Frieda went to work immediately on the planning.
Charlie Brown first called the Van Pelt house, because they were the closest to the Browns. Lucy answered the phone. "Hello?"
"Hey Lucy, it's Charlie Brown."
"Oh, hey, Charlie Brown," Lucy greeted. "What's up?"
"How would you, Linus, and Rerun like to come over to our house for Thanksgiving dinner this Thursday?" asked Charlie Brown.
"Hi, Charlie Brown," greeted Linus. "What did you want to ask me?"
"I already asked it to Lucy, but I was wondering if you guys want to come over for Thanksgiving with my family. Maybe do something for you since you lost your blanket. I'm also inviting the rest of the gang, as well."
"You don't have to ask me twice, Charlie Brown. I'll be over Thursday!"
"Great! I'll see you tomorrow and go over the plans. I'm going to need all the help I can get."
"Okay, see you later, Charlie Brown." And Linus hung up the phone. Charlie Brown continued to call his friends. Frieda added the Van Pelts and anyone else who could make it. Even Peppermint Patty accepted her invite from Charlie Brown, but also with the condition that it would in fact be a regular Thanksgiving dinner and not like last time.
NEXT CHAPTER: ONE MORE TIME FROM THE TOP!