Odalisque
Twenty-eight
THE FIRST TOPIC OF DISCUSSION over Christmas Eve dinner was which church would have the best Christmas service on Sunday morning. We finally all agreed that the Lutheran church on the edge of town, would be our choice. They had an eleven o’clock service and no one wanted to get dressed before then.
Beth’s parents, Dot and David, joined us. David borrowed a banquet table and folding chairs from the Kiwanis Club so we’d have room for everyone, including Beth’s sister, Brenda. Brenda is four years older than we are and lives in Iowa. Her boyfriend, Scott, was supposed to drive in from St. Louis Sunday afternoon. That put seventeen at our table for Christmas Eve dinner.
The big meal for us is on Christmas Eve. We don’t have a special ‘Christmas Dinner.’ Mom figured out a long time ago that she didn’t want to cook and clean on Christmas. So, Christmas meals are pretty simple and depend on the leftovers from Christmas Eve. While Bree and I were in Omaha, Mom and Dot organized everyone into teams with some cooking at Beth’s house and some at ours. Dad and Jack had charge of the boys, who had built seven snowmen in the back yard, all about two feet high since that was all the snow we had. But the boys were so proud. They’d named each snowperson after someone in their family. Drew, Damon, Daddy, Mommy, Tony, Meddy, Kate.
“Tony, can you get more snow?” Damon asked me. “We didn’t make Grandpa Saul or Grandma Deb or Gramma Lexi.”
I said maybe Santa would bring some when he came tonight.
When we all finished the ham, turkey, pot roast, macaroni and cheese, salads, vegetables, potatoes, and six pies, we cleaned up the dining room and kitchen. With all of us helping, we had more trouble keeping out of each other’s way than cleaning up. We retired to the living room and it seemed like the packages under the tree had multiplied. They took up half the living room. I asked Dad if I could borrow his recliner. I had two books and settled the boys on my lap. Wendy—wearing a little knit cap—crawled into her place behind Drew and hugged me as I began reading The Berenstain Bears Save Christmas. When that was done, I pulled out a tattered copy of The Night Before Christmas. It was Mom’s book and was old the first time she read it to me.
“Now,” I said, “you all know the presents under the Christmas tree are gifts we give each other, right?” Drew and Damon gave a nod. Melody handed me my laptop open to the screen that I’d kept active. “Well, Santa comes on Christmas Eve, like the story said. According to NORAD, he’s currently in Greenland and headed our way. That means we’d better get to bed so we’re sound asleep when he gets here.”
“But Tony,” Damon asked, “where will Santa put presents?”
“He should go to someone else’s house,” Drew said.
“Drew, that’s a wonderful idea,” I said. “But even though he goes to all the houses he can, he still has something left for you. And in our house in Nebraska, Santa leaves his gifts in our stockings.”
“In our socks?” Drew asked.
“Sort of. I think Grandma Deb has something for you.”
Mom had been scrambling. As the guest list changed, she kept disappearing into her sewing room with Lexi. Allison was the last surprise guest and Mom left cleaning the kitchen to us as she ran there once more. Now she brought out a laundry basket filled with Christmas stockings. Each one had a person’s name embroidered on it and Mom handed them out to each of our guests. Dad knew, of course, so he’d strung a clothesline across the room in front of the fireplace. When you first looked at it, you could mistake it for just another garland since it had been decorated as much as everything else in the house.
I took the boys with me and held Damon while Jack held Drew as they hung their stockings from the clothes line right in the middle. All the other positions were haphazard. When we were done, there were stockings hung all the way across the room.
“Now, you’ve got to sleep fast so it will be morning,” I said. “Get your teeth brushed and let’s get you to bed.” The boys scrambled.
I turned around and my family—my chosen family—were gathered around me to give me a kiss. Kate just lightly brushed my lips with hers and whispered, “Merry Christmas, lover.” Lissa kissed me deeply and brushed her cheek against mine. “My boys are so lucky to have two wonderful dads,” she said. Melody almost crushed my lips beneath hers. She didn’t say anything, but clung to me, holding me tightly. I knew she must be feeling the loss of her father especially hard.
What surprised me though was that Wendy was across the room cuddled with my mom and dad on the sofa. Mom was holding her and rocking her back and forth. I was so glad we brought Wendy with us.
The filling of Christmas stockings is mystic. I’ve never figured out how it works, even after I started putting things in my parents’ stockings. We never seem to run into each other. Yet, during the night, the stockings get fuller and fuller. There are always the normal things—an orange, nuts, a chocolate bar, and pack of gum. Then there are the comic gifts like an egg of Silly Putty or an interlinking puzzle made out of two bent nails. Then there are sometimes precious items. The year after Grandpa Ames died, I got a tiny framed picture in my stocking. It was of Grandpa holding me as a baby in front of the old Oliver tractor. It had been on his nightstand as long as I could remember and now it was on my dresser.
I slipped out of bed about three in the morning. It wasn’t an easy task. There were seven girls in my bed and two of them were lying pretty much on top of me. One of those girls got up with me.
“You do the ones for the old folks and the boys,” Bree whispered. “I’ll get this room taken care of.”
I nodded and we started laying out all the robes and scarves in the hallway. I’d printed nametags before we went to bed. I took Jack’s and the boys’ robes into their room first and couldn’t help but stand and stare at the sleeping kids for a minute. I had kids and it was our first Christmas together. I almost lost it.
I quickly backed out of the room and grabbed Mom and Dad’s robe and Mom’s scarf and headed for their room. I left them at the foot of their bed and backed out. Lexi was on the far end of the hall in what was now Mom’s sewing room. I just opened the door slightly and slipped the scarf and robe inside her door.
There was noise coming from the den. I thought I heard voices. I couldn’t quite make it out. I debated for a minute about what to do and decided I had to find out if he was up and talking to someone or what. I looked in and saw the TV was on playing It’s a Wonderful Life. Sam was stretched out on the sofa, snoring a little. I went in and laid his robe on the arm of the sofa. When I heard Zuzu say “an angel got his wings,” I clicked the remote and turned the TV off. I made one last stop in the living room and left gifts in the boys’ stockings and in my girlfriends’. I noticed that all the stockings looked pretty full.
When I got back to our room, Bree had just finished laying out all the robes at the foot of the two mattresses.
“What about Allison?” I asked, suddenly realizing that there was one more girl than I planned for.
“I slipped an extra robe into your pile before the clerk rang them up,” Bree giggled. I bent down and kissed her.
As was typical, everyone had rolled to the inside when Bree and I had slipped out.
“Opposite ends, I think,” I whispered. She nodded and kissed me softly one more time.
“G’night,” she whispered. I went right and she went left. I was pleased to find I was slipping in behind Beth.
I’m not even sure if I’d really slept yet when my phone vibrated against my butt where I’d stashed it. It was six in the morning. My morning wood was poking Beth in the butt through my sweats. I nearly panicked as I extricated myself. Beth rolled with me as I got out of bed and pulled me back toward her.
“I didn’t mind,” she whispered. “Are you making scones?”
“Yes. It’ll be about an hour,” I said.
“If anybody wakes up, I’ll keep them occupied,” she said. Then she kissed me. “Merry Christmas, Pogo” she whispered. She rolled back toward Allison and put her arm over our sleeping friend.
I grabbed my robe and took it with me to the kitchen, but didn’t bother putting it on. I was going to be cooking and my sweatpants and T-shirt would be enough. I got out the packages of State Fair Scone mix that I’d brought with me from Seattle and a mixing bowl. A dozen scones in a batch. I decided to go ahead and make all four packages. People would be eating these all day long. I was kneading the dough when I felt a hand on my shoulder.
“Need any help?” Mom asked. I turned to look at her and she had her new robe on and the scarf tied around her head. I hugged her.
“This was a great idea, Tony. You are such a thoughtful son.”
“That part was Bree’s idea, Mom. She thought Wendy would be more comfortable.”
“Well, I can tell you this right now,” Mom said. “Every woman in church is going to be envious of this clan’s headdress.”
“You’ll wear it to church?”
“Absolutely.”
“I never tell you how much I love you Mom,” I said.
“Yes, you do. I love you too, Tony. How about if I get coffee started. I assume there are tea drinkers, too. Hot chocolate for the boys?”
“Maybe for others, too. I know Beth doesn’t drink coffee and I’m not sure about Bree now. Kate likes a latte, but I think she’d prefer tea.”
We chatted quietly as we got our breakfast preparations underway. Mom got the butter out of the fridge so it would soften—something I’d forgotten. We never have real butter at home in Seattle.
“What’s this, Mom?” I asked, holding up a quart jar of what looked like white pudding.
“I stopped by Cavanaugh’s yesterday and got a quart of heavy cream,” Mom said.
“Espresso con panna,” I said.
“What?”
“Well, we don’t have an espresso machine, but I know you put twice as much coffee in the basket of that pot as the manufacturer suggests. Con panna means ‘with cream’ and is a very chichi drink in Seattle. I bet if we float a tablespoon of that heavy cream on top of a cup of coffee, even those of us who like it black will drink it. Melody will think she died and went to heaven.”
“I wouldn’t say that to her if I were you,” Mom said. “She’s strong, but she’s still dealing with her father not being here for Christmas. I wish we’d known last spring,” she sighed.
“I know. Mom, thank you for being so understanding. And thank you for understanding Wendy, too. I know my lifestyle must seem bizarre, but every single girl upstairs is someone very special to me.”
“Tony, I resolved a long time ago that I wasn’t going to be judgmental about your relationships. Every one of those girls is beautiful. Not just physically, but she’s a beautiful person inside and out. I can tell that there are different kinds of relationships and that there is something special between you and Lissa, Melody, and Kate. But I know you care deeply for every young woman up there and I do too.”
“Can I help with coffee?” Wendy asked from behind me. I turned to see her in the doorway. I didn’t know how much she’d heard, but there was nothing that we’d said that was a secret. She was wearing her new robe and had the silk scarf tied around her head. Bree had chosen so well. The tiger print silk hugged Wendy’s head.
“Good morning, Tiger,” I said. She rushed to me and hugged me.
“Grrr rawr rawr.” Then she turned to hug Mom.
“Look,” I said. “We’ve got the makings for coffee con panna. Shall we deliver drinks to the bedroom?”
“Look! Santa came!” Drew screamed from the living room. “He brought snow!” I looked at the clock. It was just after seven.
“Tony, this was such a good idea,” Melody whispered to me as we sat around the living room watching the boys and everyone else open presents. The boys, of course, had the rest of us at about three to one in the present category, but we were all just having fun. “The scarves are perfect. Wendy seems so happy!”
“The scarves were Bree’s idea,” I said, reaching across Melody to give a little tug at Bree’s sleeve.
“You are so going to get lucky tonight,” Melody said as she pressed her lips against Bree. The color in Bree’s face went scarlet. She didn’t even look at me. She crushed Melody to her.
We made it to church. I’m a CEO as far as church is concerned—Christmas Easter Only. But it was fun to sing the carols and watch the kids recite lines from the Christmas story. The preacher was a little stuffy, but it was nice to see Rev. Larkin sitting just a row away from us. He looked at all the headscarves and at the row I took up just with my women. He smiled and shook his head a little.
Beth and Allison went home with Dot and David after church for Christmas dinner with Beth’s sister and her boyfriend. Allison was definitely into the role of girlfriend.
“Tony,” Beth whispered to me as we left church. “Tomorrow at two we meet in the old place. We need to talk.” The old place was the hayloft above the horse barn where Brenda always kept horses. From what I understood, since Brenda had taken a job as a veterinary assistant in Des Moines, they were only keeping her favorite mare now. Poor horse must be lonely.
Christmas afternoon, we all relaxed and enjoyed our presents, our friends, and the food that just kept being dragged out of the refrigerator. It was the best holiday I could remember ever having.
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