by Gina Henning
“Oh thanks, Mom, I can’t wait to open this at home.” I give her a hug.
My mom laughs. “Don’t be silly, Lauren, it’s for you to open now.”
“Ah, are you sure? Here in the airport it doesn’t seem like…” I glance around. “The right setting.” I raise an eyebrow. This was probably the weakest excuse I could have offered.
“Go ahead and open it, Lauren, we don’t have all night.” Megan pokes me in the side.
I take in a deep breath and open the bag. Inside, as I expected, is a matching elf costume. “Oh, Mom, thanks, I was worried about not being a part of the group.” I give her a kiss and walk off to the restroom. There is no point in putting up any more of a fight about this, the battle is over. My mom has finally found a way to get me to put on one of her wacky outfits, and this one really does take the cake. It’s not simply a blinking sweater with tinsel or something of this nature. No, it’s a full-on elf costume. I roll my lips together and push one of the stalls open so I can elf myself.
My purse begins vibrating. I’m half in the elf suit and half out. I grab my phone, it’s Jack. Shiat. This is definitely not a good time to talk. But I do want to talk to him. I slide the green rectangle over.
“Hey, how are you?” I slip one of the sleeves on.
“Good, how are - are you in the bathroom?”
I laugh. “Yes, sorry about that. I’m at the airport.”
“Which one?”
“Austin. Hey, I really want to talk to you, can I give you a call a little later tonight?”
“Sure, talk to you then.”
The dial tone goes off in my ear. My stomach clenches and it’s not from the elf costume. My mom must assume I am a larger person, this elf costume is hanging off of me. I roll my eyes. I wish I could take the time to talk to Jack right now, but I know if I don’t hurry I’ll have my entire family in here trying to help me. I’ve got on a red top with bells, green tights and mismatching red and green elf shoes on. I attach the green elf hat on my head and tap on the silver jingle bell. There, an angel just received its wings. I cock my head to the right and stare in the mirror. It’s show time.
I wander out of the ladies room and my family, amongst a group of passengers, turn and all eyes are on me. “There’s Aunt Lauren!” Winter shouts above the crowd. They all parade towards me. My eyes hurt from straining so hard. I get why my family is making their way towards me, but I have no idea why anyone else would be, especially not a crowd this large.
My mom splits the group and emerges linked arms with a guy. A guy I don’t know but is holding a microphone. I cut my eyes to the left and right and that’s when I see the camera crew. You’ve got to me kidding me. I drop my jaw to the floor. My chest is constricting like a rattler has wrapped its body around me several times and is about to go in for the bite.
“Honey, honey, look it’s Mario Trujillo from Channel Two news!” My mom’s face is glowing and it’s not from the added temperature of the elf hat, though she is also wearing the large felt ears and the top of her hat is flashing a green and red neon glowing ball.
I’m speechless. I put on the outfit, thinking the quicker I oblige, the quicker we could get out of the public eye. Now we are broadcasting across the local television news report.
“Hi Lauren, I’m Mario Trujillo from Channel Two News, how are you feeling right now?” He sticks the microphone in front of my mouth.
“Hi…” I scan the crowd for Megan or even Winter, surely they would prefer being on the news over me.
“Great, so what was it like to see your entire family dressed up as elves to greet you?” Mario waves the microphone in front of my face.
“Nnnnice,” Falls from my mouth.
“I bet it did, and look at you.” He cocks his head to the camera guy to get a close-up of me. “How great was it for your mom to bring you an outfit as well?” The microphone almost touches my lips.
I cast my attention to my mom. Her chest is raised high and her chin is lifted. If I weren’t standing here in an elf costume, I would think she had won the lotto. I can’t ruin this moment for her with my insecurities and disinterest in holiday attire. “It was really wonderful, my mom is always going out of her way to come up with interesting gifts and well…this year she really outdid herself.” I force the sides of mouth into a flashy grin.
“I couldn’t have said it better myself. Back to you, Jane.” Mario brushes my arm. “Great job, Lauren, you’re a natural.” He grabs the camera guy and struts off.
“Aunt Lauren, you’re going to be on the news!” Winter tugs on my elf shirt. My chest tightens.
“Yes, how exciting.” What I really mean by exciting is how truly frightening, I hope no one I know is a Friday night news watcher. Surely it’s the D-list news, no other reason would make sense. My dad has my suitcase in his hands. “Ready?” he asks me. My mom is chatting with the crowd. I eye Megan as she grabs my mom and we make our way towards the exit, jingling the entire way through the airport.
Chapter Eight
“Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. Oh! What fun it is to ride and sing a sleighing song tonight!” My family is singing our fifth Christmas song in a row. My dad is driving, with my mom as the co-pilot/orchestra conductor. Aurora, Luke, Winter, and River are squeezed together in the middle row and I’m in the back row with Megan and Brian.
“Thanks for helping me out back there.” I shove Megan’s arm.
Megan laughs. “I’m sorry, but there is no way I can be seen on the news in an elf costume by my staff. They would play that reel for days. No way, I can just see the memes now.” Megan shakes her head.
“What about my staff?” I slouch my shoulders.
“I thought you hadn’t picked anyone yet?”
“I haven’t, but I will have a staff and I wouldn’t want them to see me in an elf costume. Especially not stammering like an idiot.” I shudder.
“Oh, you weren’t that bad…you just seemed kind of shell-shocked.” Megan rubs my arm.
I throw up my hands. “You think? I’ve avoided the themed outfits for years, and then I end up in a full-on elf costume on TV no less?” I shake my head as if I could shake off the memory or even the event of it happening.
“Who wants Santa cookies as we drive through his workshop?” My mom calls from the front.
Winter and River scream a high-pitched “Me!”
My mom passes a box of cookies back to the second row, and after Luke and the kids have had their share they pass over the remaining two cookies.
“Go ahead.” I hand the box to Megan and Brian.
We drive under the multiple lines of red, green, blue, orange, yellow, and white lights as the Santa’s Village sign blinks to the right. It’s an orange flashing arrow that moves up and down. We enter Santa’s village and it’s such an amazing luminous sight. Santa is glowing in his moveable sleigh and the reindeers actually appear to be flying in the sky. We pass through the workshop and elves pop up all over the trail with toys and tools.
“Look, Grandma, there’s another one.” Winter taps on her window at an elf playing with some drums.
“How many elves have you counted so far, Winter?” My mom turns around in her seat to look into Winter’s eyes.
“Twenty billion?” Winter says.
We all laugh. “I think you might be right, Winter.” Brian says. I bet he is eyeing the mechanics of this impressive display and tinkering with the idea of making something in my parents’ yard. I close my eyes at the thought. As if I could shut out Brian’s DIY ideas so easily.
“So, did you figure out a gift for Jack?” Megan knocks my knee with her own.
“I did! I got him a cake stand with a glass dome thing.” My cheeks warm. I’m so excited about my gift.
“A cake stand?” Megan squints her eyes at me. “What kind of gift is that?” She jerks her head back.
“A nice one.” I cock my head to the right and narrow my eyes at her.
“Brian, would you want a cake sta
nd as a gift?” Megan turns towards Brian.
Brian pretends to run a zipper along his mouth and shakes his head. “I’m not getting involved in a sister quarrel again. Noooo, thank you.” He moves his head from left to right. “River, did you see the bulldozer?” Brian points out the window for River to see the construction site lit up by yellow and orange lights.
“Seriously, Lauren, why would you get him a cake stand? Why not a sweater or something?” Megan twists her lips to the side.
“Because I plan on making a Red Velvet Cake to go in the cake stand. His mom used to make one for his family every Christmas Eve and he hasn’t had one since she died.”
“Oh.” Megan rubs my arm. “Wow, that’s really sweet, Lauren.”
My chest rises. Having Megan’s approval is a special thing.
“But, you know you’re not really a baker...” Megan touches my knee. “And Red Velvet Cake, that’s not like making brownies from a box.” She laughs. “Precision is key, let alone the cream cheese frosting. I don’t think this is a good idea.”
I roll my eyes. “Gee, thanks for the vote of support. I made the pecan pie, didn’t I?” I cock my head to the right.
“Right, but pecan pie…and Red Velvet Cake, they are sooo different.” She shakes her head and tosses her blond locks over her shoulder.
“The last scene, you guys, watch closely and count each of the twelve days. Here we go…On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me…” My mom leads us in the carol about the twelve days of Christmas and true love. Am I getting caught up in a song or am I really receiving gifts from my true love?
“Twelve drummers drumming, eleven pipers piping, ten lords-a-leaping, nine ladies dancing, eight maids-a-milking, seven swans-a-swimming, six geese-a-laying.” I gulp. A lifetime of pleasure…I exhale and we exit the trail of lights. The night sky is dark, but my heart is a blaze.
Luke and Brian manage to get Winter and River out of the car without waking them. Megan and I gently nudge Aurora awake, though I wasn’t sure she was going to be able to hear us through her loud snoring.
She jumps. “Oh, wow, we’re home.” Her eyes dart around the car. She rolls her neck from side to side and raises her eyebrows, no doubt she is trying to pry her eyes open. She looks completely exhausted. I still haven’t heard that she’s spilled the beans about her pregnancy. Over Thanksgiving, we had all witnessed movement from her ever growing large stomach, but she nor Luke have mentioned anything yet about a pregnancy. Megan and I help her out of the car and she waddles into the house.
“Night, Lauren…Hey, listen, if you want, I’ll go shopping with you tomorrow and we can come up with a better gift.”
I narrow my eyes and cross my arms. “I’m exhausted, we’ll chat about it later.”
“I’m sleepy too.” Meg leans in for a hug. I pat her back and march up the stairs to my room. One thing about this elf outfit, it’s much easier to climb my parents’ steep staircase in the elf shoes than my three-inch pumps.
I open my door. My dad already delivered my suitcase and book bag to my room. This makes me happy. I love having all of my things with me. It would be a real drag to traipse up and down the stairs in search of items. My parents’ staircase is narrow enough, trying to haul a suitcase makes for an arduous task. The Clueless poster on my wall is staring at me. “As If”, exactly Cher. I nod. I plop down on my Frosty comforter. My mom always switches out our comforters with the holiday. I reach for my purse on my nightstand and rummage through it to find my phone.
I hit the home button, enter in my code and hit Jack’s number. It rings three times. Oh no, I don’t want to leave a message. A fourth ring.
“Hello?”
“Oh, hey, you weren’t already asleep, were you?” I move my phone away from my face and glance at the time, it’s ten after ten.
“No, I’m wide awake.” Jack laughs.
I squint my eyes. “Why is that?”
“Oh nothing. How are things going?”
“Good, we just finished the Trail of Lights in Austin.”
“Oh, I bet that was fun, did Winter and River stay awake for all of it?”
“Yes, but not the ride home.”
“So did you do any singing while checking out the lights?”
“We always do.” I laugh.
“The best way to spread Christmas Cheer, is singing loud for all to hear.”
“What?” I crinkle my eyebrows and stand up.
Jack laughs. “I just think it’s great to sing.”
“Really, why do I have the feeling that is not what you are trying to get at?”
Jack laughs again. “I don’t know what you mean…I just…it’s just nice to meet another human that shares my affinity for elf culture.” Jack guffaws.
I drop my phone on my bed. My cheeks are blazing. I cannot believe this. I rub my lips together and pick my phone back up.
“Jack, tell me right now what is so funny.” I stand up and pace, waiting for his answer. I’m expecting only one but the slight chance, the slight possibility that I’m wrong, oh man, it would be wonderful if I was wrong.
“Okay…okay…I’m sorry.”
“Sorry about what?”
“I saw you on the news in your elf costume.” Jack lets out another laugh.
I want to press end. But I don’t. No, I can handle this. I press my lips into a thin line and take a deep breath. I exhale.
“Okay, great, so you saw the news thing, cool. So anyways, I meant to tell you thank-you for the ornaments.”
Silence.
“Yes, my boss had both of them and I didn’t get them until right before I had to leave for the airport.”
“Did you open them?”
“No, I haven’t had a chance to yet.” I roll my lips.
“Liar.”
“Hey, that’s not very nice.” I shake my head.
“Neither is lying to me.” Jack tsks.
“Well, you have no way of proving it either way.” I raise an eyebrow.
“I don’t need physical proof, Lauren…I can tell by your voice that you opened them. It’s okay if they made you take a step out of your comfort zone. Just remember that tonight before you sleep. That I made you feel something from an object.”
I’m speechless. My cheeks need a fire extinguisher.
“Lauren, sweet dreams. I’ll call you tomorrow. Good night.”
The dial tone goes off in my ear. I crash into my bed.
Chapter Nine
I pull up in front of Vintage Estates. My grandmother has asked for me to come for a visit alone. This is a little unusual, but everything these days with her is unusual, to say the least. Besides, coming alone means I can see Jack either before, after or both. I turn the key to the left and climb out of my mother’s sedan. I was told her stereo had been fixed, but there is no way I’m ever going near that thing again. No way.
Vintage Estates is a four-story building that looks like a cross between an apartment complex and a commercial office space. Out front are rows of poinsettia plants. I shake at the sight. They are the only thing I am allergic to.
The front desk is empty. I head for the elevator and my finger is about to make touchdown with the up arrow when it’s grabbed and my entire body falls into Jack’s. Sandalwood, mint, and apples fill my nose and send shivers along my arms. Jack kisses me on my lips.
He encloses me in his arms and inhales as his nose nuzzles in my hair. I stare up at him, has it only been five days? Seems more like a year. He must be thinking the same thing as he pulls my chin up to him and kisses me softly. His lips are like a sunny welcome on my mouth. He caresses my arms and unhinges our locked lips.
“My wild hare has returned.” Jack runs his fingers through my hair.
I stick my tongue out at him. Of course, when we first met, I was having the worst hair day of my life, but surely today he can see a vast improvement, my locks are flowing down my back. I made sure of this before I left my parents’ home.
“Consequences
, Lauren,” Jack whispers into my ear and pinches my waist.
“Maybe I like consequences.” I say to him and tug on his belt. Over Thanksgiving, I had playfully drawn on his face with flour and the consequence for this had been that he had pretended to have been knocked unconscious when I shoved him on the floor. He was, of course, joking, but to say I felt foolish would be an understatement. I don’t care, I can handle another one of his acting scenes. Or any hairnets he insists I wear. I can take on Jack. I’m confident in this. Especially given that, when I’m with him, I have an overwhelming sense of courage to do things I wouldn’t do otherwise, which is rather nice.
“All you have to do is say the word, Lauren, and I will unleash lots of consequences on you,” Jack whispers into my ear. My face is burning and my chest feels constricted. And the rest of my body is tingling like I’ve been stung by jellyfish or some of the stuff they use in the lip-plumping gloss. The stuff which contains ingredients which make your lips bigger, but stings a bit. Worse than eating fresh jalapeños, but not enough to make you cry. Just the right amount of pain.
“I see you’re at a loss for words,” Jack says and I nod.
“Is your grandmother expecting you?” Jack asks with his eyebrows raised and sly grin across his face.
“Yes, she is. She asked me to come alone, in fact.” I study his reaction.
Jack nods. “Come find me when you are done chatting, or I can find you.” The elevator opens and Jack releases me into it with one final kiss before the doors shut.
I let out a deep breath and press the number two enclosed by a circle. The elevator doors open and I step out and then tap on my grandmother’s door.
“Merry Christmas, darling!” My grandmother opens her arms for an embrace and kisses me on the cheek. I’m sure my cheek is sporting a bright-rose-colored lip mark now. She leads me into her place and shuts the door.
My grandmother’s apartment is small. Its 400 square feet. It encompasses a tiny living room-kitchen combo, and even smaller bedroom with bathroom. I don’t think my grandmother is concerned about the size of her place. The walls are painted beige with fleur-de-lis print along them. Gold curtains hang from the large windows, creating a dramatic flair. The sofa is a light-blue chenille parlor room style with French claw cherry wood feet. There is a small Christmas tree in the back corner decorated with unique ornaments she’s collected over the years. A sprinkle of tinsel covers each branch and at the top is a brown-haired angel with shiny gold wings.