The Walter house was bustling with activity early in the morning. The cousins' mom, Katherine, was cooking the turkey in the kitchen, and the table was already set for the family in the living room. It was Thanksgiving, and everyone was feeling the special atmosphere.

Lee was pacing the room excitedly. He had been saying for days that he would finally be able to talk to his parents today. He put on a nice shirt, carefully adjusted his collar, and checked his watch over and over again. Isaac, on the other hand, was wearing a black T-shirt, as if he didn't care. But you knew that deep down he was also concerned. He was just hiding behind his usual, indifferent mask, as he always did.

You were sitting there with them. Isaac had been your boyfriend for almost four months, and you secretly really wanted him to finally introduce you to his parents. Maybe this day would be the opportunity. When eleven o'clock came, you all watched intently. Lee held the phone with a trembling hand, Isaac sat back and waited, seemingly indifferent.

But the call didn’t come. And it didn’t come again. They tried to call in vain, but the line remained silent.

Lee’s eyes filled with tears and he hurried away so no one would see his disappointment. Isaac didn’t move. His face remained expressionless, but you could see his hand clenching into a fist under the table. You knew he felt the same way his twin did—only he never let it, never showed it. Their mother left them and they hadn’t spoken to them in nearly 10 years, and their father was a soldier. They could speak to their father a little and hoped that maybe today he would succeed.