"Alright everyone, the food is ready," Ruben announced as he pulled the turkey out of the oven.
As Lexy got up to serve herself a plate, she felt a brief sensation of lightheadedness, as if the world around her had shaken. Lexy started at the mashed potatoes and worked her way around the table. As she made it to the end of the table she turned around, almost bumping into her mother.
"oh be careful sweetheart, you could've dropped your plate," Tommy said.
"Sorry Mom, I didn't see you there" Lexy replied but when she looked up to smile at her mom, Kristella's head had been replaced by Tommy's. Lexy then looked at everyone in line to get food, and surely enough on Tommy's body, Kristella's head had replaced his.
"Lexy, are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost," Tommy's voice echoed with a hint of worry.
"I... um, I think I just need a moment," Lexy managed to say, her voice barely above a whisper. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the surreal sight. The room felt as if it had tilted on its axis, a vertigo induced by the sheer absurdity of the situation.
Tommy seemed concerned by her reaction but shrugged it off. "Okay, just don't take too long. We're about to say grace."
Lexy nodded, her mind racing. She needed to understand what was happening without causing a scene. As she found her way to her seat, her eyes scanned the room, landing on her mother's body. Sure enough, where she expected to see her mother's familiar face, she found Tommy's, looking back at her with the same confusion she felt.
This had to be some kind of joke, Lexy thought. But the seriousness on everyone's faces, the normalcy with which they carried themselves, suggested otherwise. Nobody else seemed to notice anything amiss. It was as if Lexy was the only one who could see the swap.
Sitting down, Lexy tried to focus on her plate, but her appetite had vanished. Her mind was a whirlwind of questions. How had this happened? Was it permanent? And why could only she see the change?
As the family began to say grace, Lexy glanced again at Kristella and Tommy, trying to catch any sign that they were aware of the swap. But there was none. They held hands, heads bowed, as if everything was perfectly normal.
After the prayer, Lexy decided she needed to talk to Tommy—no, her mother. But how could she even begin to address this? "Mom?" she whispered, aiming her question at Tommy's head on her mother's body.
"Yes, dear?"Tommy asked.
Lexy took a deep breath. "Can we talk? In private?"
Tommy nodded, and Lexy stood up, her heart pounding. As they excused themselves from the table.
As Lexy led Tommy, who had her mother's body under his head, away from the bustling Thanksgiving table to a quieter corner of the living room, her mind was a chaotic whirlwind of confusion and disbelief. She had hoped the short walk would give her time to gather her thoughts and devise a way to address the surreal situation, but standing there, facing what should have been her mother's familiar face—now replaced with Tommy's—made her question her own sanity. The absurdity of the situation was overwhelming, yet there was an urgent need for clarity and understanding.
"Tommy, this isn't a joke," Lexy began, her voice tinged with desperation. "Look at yourself... I mean, you're not you. You're my boyfriend, but you're on my mom's body."
Tommy, looking perplexed with Kristella's concerned expression on his face, laughed softly, as if trying to ease the tension. "Lexy, I think the Thanksgiving stress is getting to you. I'm right here, Tommy, your mom. Kristella's over there," he gestured vaguely with a hand, seemingly oblivious to the bizarre truth of their situation.
Lexy felt a surge of frustration. How could he not see what was so glaringly obvious to her? "No, listen to me," she insisted, her voice rising slightly in her urgency. "Something strange has happened. Your head is on mom's body, and nobody else seems to notice anything is wrong."
Tommy paused, a flicker of confusion crossing his face before being replaced by a reassuring smile. "Sweetheart, I think maybe you just need to relax a little. It's a big day, and you've been working so hard. Why don't we go back, and you can take a deep breath and enjoy the dinner?"
Lexy realized then that arguing further would be futile. If Tommy truly believed he was Lexy's mom, and if he couldn't see the swap himself, then convincing him—or anyone else in her family—of the reality she saw would be impossible. She needed another approach, perhaps finding a way to prove the swap had occurred or understanding why she was the only one who could perceive it.
"Okay, Mom," Lexy finally conceded, the word feeling odd as she addressed Tommy. "Let's go back to the table."
As they returned, Lexy's mind raced with questions and fears about the permanence of the swap, the reasons behind it, and most importantly, how to reverse it. She glanced around at her family, who continued to chat and laugh as if nothing were amiss, further isolating her in her awareness of the swap. This realization settled heavily on her shoulders, a burden she knew she had to bear—at least for now—alone.
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