Paul Bass Photo
Candy Cruz and fiance Jose Pagan with new temporary neighbor.
Candy Cruz readied one turkey for the oven and placed a taller plastic one on her lawn to prepare for a particularly thankful Thanksgiving.
For the first time in three years, since the pandemic hit, her brother and his kids (who “lost their grandpa last year to Covid”) will join her family and her fiancé’s family for a festive holiday meal Thursday at her Garden Street home.
So to add to the joyful vibe, Cruz ordered the inflatable turkey from Amazon. She added a post with signs reading, “Plant Smiles,” “Grow Giggles,” “Harvest Love,” and “Happy Fall.”
“Family matters. After all this Covid stuff, I get to see them after three years,” Cruz, a mom of six who’s 38, said during a conversation Tuesday on the “Word on the Street” segment of WNHH FM’s “LoveBabz LoveTalk.”
“I always do the festive cooking. It’s the first time doing the inflatable turkey.”
Cruz and fiancé Jose Pagan were returning from a last-minute trip to the Kimberly Avenue C‑Town. She’d forgotten earlier to purchase the pork shoulder for pernil, one of the Puerto Rican dishes she’s cooking up to complement the edible turkey. She’s also whipping up Spanish rice and a batch of coquito to feed 15 expected diners.
Thanksgiving has always had a special place in Cruz’s heart. Two years ago on the holiday, when Pagan drove food to his father’s house, she lined up her children in age order to greet him upon his return. They held signs reading, “Will” “You” “Marry” “Me.” Pagan returned home, saw the signs and started crying.
And he said yes.
Cruz said she is thankful this year for having extended family back in the house for the turkey dinner.
“Happy Thanksgiving,” she said. “Be thankful for family and friends.”
Click on the video to watch the full conversation with Candy Cruz on the “Word on the Street” segment of WNHH FM’s “LoveBabz LoveTalk” program. Click here to subscribe to WNHH FM’s “LoveBabz LoveTalk” and here to subscribe to other WNHH programs.
