Ian

by Denise Irwin

  Next was Amanda and Stefan and when Vinny handed them a card, Amanda got down on the floor and hugged the dog. “Thank you so much.” Every part of the dog’s body wiggled.

  Everyone handed Leona what they brought. Amanda helped with putting the beverages away while Brian helped with the snacks. Brian said, “That was an unbelievable greeting.”

  “Please tell Molly and Jack because it was their gig.”

  “The house decorations look great.”

  “Brian, you saw them last year.”

  “I know, but I wanted to say again that they look great.”

  She chuckled. Sam came through the back door after walking the dog to tell everyone in the kitchen, “It’s starting to snow.”

  Not believing him everyone when to the front porch and sure enough it was snowing. Everyone watched as the flakes drifted to the ground. Nancy softly said, “The first snow of the year is always a joy as you watch the flakes fall from the sky. That’s because it’s cold out here.”

  The houseline rang. It was Shelly, “We’re on our way. It’ll be slow because of the snow, but we’ll be there soon.”

  Jack was in the living room watching the snow. “Jack, Aunt Shelly just called, they’re on the way.”

  “Cool. Molly and I will be ready.”

  Molly, Jack and Vinny never left their post until the Jordan family arrived. Vinny handed a card to each member of the family. They were just amazed.

  Elaine asked, “What’s his name?”

  “Vinny.”

  “Did you train him to do that?”

  “Yes, Molly and I did.”

  Molly said, “Jack and I are going to agility competitions with him.”

  All three Jordan girls were amazed.

  Bonny said, “We came with Mom to watch you. You were really good, but I didn’t realize that you can compete in that.”

  Elaine added to the conversation, “We’ll ask Mom if we can get a dog and train it.”

  Molly changed the subject, “Is it snowing hard?”

  Bonnie said, “Dad had trouble getting up the driveway. The car swerved back and forth all the way up. We were all scared, including our mother.”

  Jack said, “I’m sure it was. Let me take you coats and put them in dad’s office and then we’ll go into the kitchen. I think that mom made some hot chocolate.”

  Leona took Bonnie’s hand and said, “You’re hands are freezing. I made hot chocolate, so let me get three cups.”

  Sam turned the television on and set it to dance music and turned the volume up to the highest level. In no time at all everyone was dancing in their house. They took breaks for food and beverages, but the music never stopped, everyone danced even as they ate. There were a few who needed to sit for a while, but their toes still tapped the floor in sync with the music. Sam left the music on when he took the dog out. The snow had to be at least a foot deep and deeper where it was drifting.

  He decided that keeping quiet about wasn’t a bad option. Everyone was drinking and the cops would be looking for drunken drivers on New Year’s Eve and they had enough room for everyone to stay for the night. He grabbed a towel in the mud room and dried Vinny’s fur.

  When he opened the door to the kitchen, his wife was standing in front of him. “Is it still snowing?”

  “Yes.”

  She didn’t ask anything more and he was happy about that. “Lee, come dance with me.”

  It was a slow number, so he held her in tight, “Lee, just smile as I say this. There’s at least a foot on the ground and more where it’s drifting. We are not going to let our guests drive home tonight.”

  She smiled at her husband and then she whispered in his ear, “I heard that.”

  <>

  During dinner in the dining hall, he and the other inmate got into an argument about where Thompson could sit. That led to a fight. Thompson poured hot coffee onto the other inmate’s head. Through his screams of agony, he told Thompson that he was a walking dead man.

  A guard came over and asked, “Luke, what the hell is going on?”

  “Nothing. This asshole just spilled coffee on me.”

  The guard knew that that the inmate was lying, so he walked away.

  <>

  The Marksman house was alive with music and everyone danced, ate and drank. Nancy found her daughter in the kitchen pouring a glass of wine. “Ma, do you want another glass?”

  “No, Bill and I will need to leave just after midnight.”

  “Ma, come with me.” She took her mother’s hand and led her to the mud room. She closed the door and then opened the back door. “Ma, you and Bill aren’t going anywhere.”

  “Do you have room for everyone?”

  “Yes we do. It’ll be like an adult sleep over. Ma, the truth of it is that Sam and I don’t want anyone driving tonight. Everyone’s been drinking and the driving conditions aren’t great, so we’ll have everyone stay here.”

  “Daughter that makes good sense, so let’s get in and I’ll have another glass of wine.”

  At ten minutes to midnight, Sam turned the music off and asked everyone to fill their glasses for the toast at midnight. Everyone raised their glasses as Sam said, “Another great year has passed, but as we move into the New Year, we’ll have challenges to overcome and we’ll do just that. Leona and I are surrounded by great friends and family who we appreciate and love. This toast is to you who have supported us every step on our journey.”

  <>

  During the bombardment of fireworks in the Inner Harbor, no one heard Luke pick his cell lock as well as Thompson’s. He used a piece of hanger wire that he found in the laundry room to strangle Thompson to death. He didn’t care if they pinned it on him, because he was already serving life without benefit of parole.

  <>

  After the toast, Sam put the music back on, but he could see that his guests were starting to slow down. He went out the front door to see that another foot of snow had fallen. He hadn’t realized that Gregory was standing next to him. “Sam, nobody’s going anywhere tonight.”

  “You and I know that, but there’s gonna be someone who’s gonna challenge that thought.”

  “Your right, so let’s go round everyone up to come out onto the porch so that they can see for themselves.”

  Sam turned the music off. “I need everyone to join me on the front porch.”

  Gregory went to the rear of the partiers and herded them to the front porch where Sam waited. Everyone was confused and chattered away until they stepped out on the porch. You could have heard a pin drop if it weren’t for the wind and the snow.

  Sam had everyone’s attention, so he announced, “No one is leaving this house tonight. We’ve all been drinking, so even if you managed to get down the driveway, there’s not going to be any place to go. I love you too much to let you go out in that storm, so let’s go back inside. For those who are ready to sleep, Leona has blowup mattresses, the kids will sleep on the floor. Last, we’re also open to continuing the party. I believe my wife is in the kitchen taking orders.”

  Nancy was in the kitchen with her daughter, “Leona, what can I do.”

  “Neither of us have anything to do until we know what someone wants.”

  Their guests started to slowly migrate to the kitchen. Amanda asked, “Can Stefan and I sleep on the family room floor?”

  “Of course you can.”

  Nancy said, “I’ll go up and bring down two sleeping mattresses.”

  Bill said, “Nancy, I’ll do that and you grab some sheets.”

  Leona and Sam found places for their guests to sleep. I was nearly 4:00 am on New Year’s Day when Sam took the dog out for the last walk. When he and the dog returned to the kitchen, Leona asked, “What’s it like out there?”

  “Do you really want to know?”

  “Is it that bad?”

  “It’s hard to tell if it’s still snowing or just the wind blowing it around.”

  “While you were out, I looked for a place for us to slee
p.”

  “Did you find something?”

  “No I didn’t. There’s not one square inch of space left in this house.”

  “Did you check my office?”

  “No I didn’t, so let’s go check it now.”

  Sam quietly opened the door in case someone was sleeping in his office. He backed out of the office and closed the door. He looked at his wife in the dark and said, “Somebody’s snoring in there.”

  Leona ran to the half-bath where she could howl with laughter. She went back into the kitchen where her husband was sitting at the table. “Lee, there has to be a place in this house for us to sleep.”

  “Let me see what I know. My parents are sleeping Molly’s bedroom. All of the children are in our bedroom. Phil and Brian are in Jack’s bed room. Stefan and Amanda are in the family room on the floor, and Bob and Ellie are on the sofa. I think that leaves us with Shelly and Randy, who must’ve been snoring in your office. ”

  Sam chuckled, “Which one was the snorer?”

  “Well, maybe they were both snoring.”

  He chuckled, “Is there anyone sleeping in the dining room?”

  “No and I have a stack of clean blankets and sheets in the laundry room.”

  When she returned to the dining room with her bed gear, she saw that Sam had pulled the chairs away from the table. He looked at her face and then said, “We’re not getting stepped on in the morning.”

  They cuddled together under the table listening to the wind blow outside. It blew so hard it rattled the windows. “Sam, where’s the dog?”

  “He’s lying next to me.”

  “I think that he just might be confused.”

  “Maybe, but he did really well today.”

  They woke to the aroma of coffee in the air. Leona nudged her husband, “Sam, go see who’s up and making coffee.”

  He banged his head on the underside of the table when he tried to stand and let out an “Ouch.”

  He stumbled into the kitchen where he found Nancy making coffee. “Sam, I didn’t mean to wake you, but when everyone gets up they’ll all want coffee. Where did you sleep?”

  “Leona and I slept under the dining room table with the dog, who probably wants to eat. I’ll put some clothes on and then feed and walk him.”

  He and the dog went out the back door and stepped into what appeared to be two feet of snow. He watched as Vinny tunneled through the snow and was amazed when he flattened out a space to do his business. He figured that the dog had experience with snow.

  Nancy handed him a towel, when he came into the back door. “Thanks.”

  “Is it still snowing?”

  “It’s hard to tell because the wind is blowing so hard. The snow that the dog and I walked in was about two feet deep.”

  He heard Gregory say, “Holy shit, that’s deep.”

  Other guests wandered into the kitchen and Bill suggested that they turn the news on to see if they needed to stay put for the day. They grabbed hot cups of coffee and went into the family room to watch the news broadcasters say “Driving is treacherous, so please stay off the roads and let the snow plows clear the roads.”

  <>

  Prison guards found Thompson dead in his cell. The weather was not gonna permit any one to drive him to the morgue today, and that left them in a dilemma as to what to do with him. One of the guards suggested wrapping his body up and put it in the cold storage room and that’s exactly what they did. The guard in charge placed a call to the warden, to let him know what they did. The warden told him that it was the right thing to do.

  <>

  Leona said, “Well it looks like no one is going anywhere today, I’ll start making breakfast.”

  Nancy, Amanda and Ellie followed her to the kitchen where they all helped. Nancy put orange juice into a pitcher, Amanda toasted the bread, and Ellie put plates and utensils on the table.

  Leona handed the cooked food to her mother who put it onto a platter in the middle of the table. Ellie called for everyone to come in for breakfast. Leona was happy to hear the laughter in her house because it made her heart smile.

  After breakfast, the women cleaned up the dishes while the men went into the family room to watch the college rose bowl game.

  Ellie asked, “Leona do you have any books to read?”

  “Yes ma’am I sure do follow me into the family room. All of the books are on the bookshelves.”

  Amanda and Ellie picked out books, while Shellie and Nancy decided to take a nap. Leona said, “The kids are in the dining room playing board games and the men are watching football, so you have beds available to sleep in.”

  Everyone scattered, so Leona poured herself a fresh cup of coffee and sat in the kitchen. Sam came in to pour a fresh cup of coffee. He looked around and then asked, “Where is everyone?”

  She updated him with what she knew. “Lee, you need to get some sleep, so go find a bed and take a nap.”

  “Only if you promise to wake me to prepare dinner.”

  He chuckled, “And please tell me what you were planning to prepare for dinner? The fridge is full of food, so if anyone goes hungry, it’s his fault. Go get some sleep.”

  She trudged up the stairs to look for a place to take a nap. She went into her bedroom and the bed was empty. She climbed in and went to sleep. Her bed felt good and she snuggled down in the blankets. She was so tired that she didn’t even dream.

  When she finally woke, she saw that it was dark outside. She went down the stairs to the kitchen were her guests were putting together the left overs. Her mother handed her a glass of wine as she said, “Take this and I’ll fix a plate of food for you.”

  “Thanks Ma. Where is everyone?”

  “In the dining room playing board games with the kids.”

  When it was time, her guests gravitated back to where they’d slept the night before. Leona joined her husband and dog under the dining room table. She wondered if after sleeping most of the day, she would be able to sleep; however when Sam nudged her as he said, “Lee, our guests are up. I’ll put the coffee on and walk the dog.”

  Sam entered the kitchen where his mother-in-law handed him a cup of coffee. “Bill fed and walked the dog and everyone else is putting some breakfast together.”

  “Did you say Bill walked Vinny?”

  “Yes and he laughed about the way that the dog made little tunnels where he did his business.”

  Sam chuckled, “It’s pretty amusing. Where is everyone?”

  “In the family room watching the news to see if it’s safe to drive.”

  Brian wandered into the kitchen, “Sam, the broadcasters are saying that the Maryland Transit Authority has given the go ahead for driving. We’re all gonna help shovel out your drive way and then we’re on our way.”

  “I have a plow for my tractor, but I’m sure there’s a mountain of snow at the foot of the driveway.”

  “Got it. We’ll have Stefan, Bob and me shovel out the bottom of the driveway while Phil cleans off the cars.”

  Amanda said, “Brian, we women aren’t so fragile that we can’t clean off the cars.”

  Leona said, “My mother and I will make breakfast.”

  Nancy went out the front door to call them in for breakfast. When the men came into the house, Sam said, “Perfect timing. The driveway is clear and the cars are cleaned off.”

  Everyone grabbed a plate and filled it with food. The men gave the women the chairs to sit in while they stood.

  Gregory had just put his plate into the dishwasher when his phone rang. When he answered it, he heard Aaden Kavanagh tell him, “Brian, the Baltimore City Jail Warden called me this morning to say that Mark Thompson was murdered in his cell New Year’s Eve. I called Becca this morning.”

  “Your Honor did the Warden tell you how it happened?”

  “No and I didn’t ask. It’s the Warden’s problem, not ours.”

  “Thank you for the call.”

  When they disconnected the call, Gregory heard the silence in the
kitchen waiting for him to say something. “That was Judge Kavanagh on the phone, Mark Thompson was murdered in his cell on New Year’s Eve.”

  Bob put his arms around Ellie and told her, “It’s over.”

  She was crying when she said, “I’m just so happy that I won’t every have to see him again.

  The silence in the kitchen grew heavy until Leona said, “Well I for one do not plan to mourn his death.”

  No one disagreed with her, so Sam and Leona walked everyone to their cars and told them to drive safely. They walked back into the house where Leona said, “I know it’s completely inappropriate, but I’m gonna have a glass of wine to celebrate that justice was done.”

  I was born and raised in Baltimore County, Maryland. My family sailed every summer in and out of the rivers on the Chesapeake Bay.

  Fells Point, Maryland was a port for schooners that brought fresh vegetables from the eastern shore to the western shore. The fastest schooner received the highest price for its cargo.

  That tradition is still alive through schooner participants in The Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race

  Other Books by Denise Irwin

  Johnny

  The Pick Chestnut

  Alison

  Bartholomew

  Cassandra

  The Cherry Blossoms

  Donna

  Elijah

  Frieda

  Gabin

  Haley