The smell of roasted turkey and sweet potato casserole filled the air of the suburban American home, but the warmth of the holiday was completely missing from the room.
Outside, the autumn leaves blew across the lawn, while inside, the family gathered around the dining table for what was supposed to be a peaceful Thanksgiving dinner.
Clara: I told you we shouldn't have invited her to sit at the main table with us today.
Victoria: She insisted on coming, and now she's just sitting there staring at everyone like a ghost.
Clara: Well, she won't ruin my holiday dinner or make my guests feel uncomfortable for another minute.
Victoria crossed her arms, her face flushing with anger as she looked down the table toward the elderly matriarch.
Victoria: This is my house now, and she needs to learn her proper place in this family.
Clara: Go on then. Show her who's running things around here before the turkey gets cold.
Victoria's hands shook slightly as she pushed back her chair and stood up from the table with a sharp scrape.
The surrounding relatives lowered their forks, holding their breath as the tension reached a dangerous boiling point.
Inside a cozy American dining room decorated for Thanksgiving with a subtle American flag displayed, a fair-skinned American woman in a red dress angrily slaps an elderly American woman across the face[cite: 1].
SFX: Loud slap[cite: 1]
Victoria: That is for years of trying to control every single decision in my life!
Martha: I only wanted what was best for this family... nothing more.
Victoria: Your version of best is nothing more than a cage, and I'm finally breaking free of it!
Can Martha survive the bitter wrath of the woman she once welcomed into her home, or has her time as the head of the family come to a brutal end?