Tears trickled down my cheeks, and I was grateful we were sitting in the dark so Jesse wouldn’t notice.
Deep down,Mom died the way she wanted. She hated hospitals and clinics but had always enjoyed being snuggled into her true love’s arms.
I swiped my hand across my face.
“Lily stayed in the waiting room, fingers tapping a mile a minute on her precious phone, while Dad zoned out. It was days before he truly talked again.” I shook my head at the recall.
He was catatonic, unable to eat or drink much.
“The calendar had flippedinto a new date by time we got back to the beach house, but no one was in the mood to celebrate Christmas. Dad seemed incapable of making any decisions, so I was completely thrust into charge. We packed our things, and I drove through the night to get us back to our house.”
“You did all that?”
“I had too. We just left the house as it was. Decorations up, food in the fridge, you name it.”
“Wow. I’m so sorry.I really am. It all makes sense now.”
Tearscontinued down my cheeks. For years, I hadn’t told anyone the events of that night. Charlie knew of course, he was my husband, and I needed him to understand why I didn’t like Christmas, but other than that?
“Thank you.Thank you for being so kind, Jesse.”
The funny thing was the next morning when I woke on Christmas Day from a brief nap after mom’s passing, underneath the tiny tree in my bedroom was a little red box just for me, and to this day I've never opened it. The gift goes with me with each move, always unopened. I have no idea who bought it or who put it underneath the tree, and I never will because I refused to open it. For some reason, I even made sure it was packed in my suitcase for this trip.
Jesse continued to hold my hand, rubbing the top in a slow, lazy pass. “You know what I think you need?” He looked into my eyes with a deep and genuine concern. “I think you need a day of fun and relaxation, to just unwind and not dwell on the past. Something to help put a positive spin on the holiday.”
I shrugged, not knowing what I needed.
“Aside from breakfast with your sister tomorrow, do you have any plans?”
# # #
I arrivedat breakfast at Lily’s the next morning with fresh homemade pastries and cinnamon rolls and other delightful goodies acquired from the local bakery shop. With the box underneath my arm, I rapped my knuckles against Eric’s door.
“Oh, Mo, I'm so glad you made it.” On Lily's hip was her little boy, Henry. Even tucked into his mom, it was clear how much he’d grown since the last time I’d seen him.
“There he is, my handsome little nephew.” I passed the box of goodies over to Eric who stood behind Lily.
Foolishly, I’d hoped Henry would leap into my arms when I extended them, instead he tuckedinto his mom and hid his face.
“Well, I guess it has been a while.”
“Come on in, and you can meet the gang. Everyone's all here.”
Lily walked down thehall, and I followed closely behind. Christmas music played on the stereo and the decorations seemed to have multiplied since when, two days ago? It was crazy.
In the tiny kitchenstood the guests, some I recognized, and some were brand new.
“Hey, everyone, this is my sister, Mona.”
The guests quickly went around the room introducing themselves.
There was Beth, Lily's best friend from the city, the interior designer who helped renovate our beach home. She took Henry from Lily and snuggled into him, and an ache formed as I tried not to stare at the easy rapport between them. Guess Beth saw Lily more than I did, and I wasn’t sure why that surprised me so much. And hurt too.
There were Cedar and Mitch, each holding a baby. Their five-month-old twins were named Saffron and Ziggy, unique names until I took a good look at Ziggy – his bald little head with a tuft of hair was just like the cartoon character.
Also joining the group, wasa blast from the past – Landon Morris. Landon was Eric's big brother; someone I had frequently run into while out hunting for Lily back in the day. Like Eric, he’d undergone the ugly duckling transformation and was a nice-looking man.
He strode over and wrapped me in a hug as if we were old friends. “My goodness, it’s been a long time, hasn’t it?”