Joel obeyed his friend. “How do you know it’s them?”
“Who else but our wives would come here in the middle of the night. On the other hand, it might be the cops. Shut up and let’s see what’s going on here.”
“They’re going to see our car,” Joel hissed.
“No they aren’t. I can’t even see it from here. In case you haven’t noticed, the lot is pitch-black. Do you know why it’s pitch-black, Joel? It’s pitch-black because there are no lights, and the reason there are no lights is because normal, sane people don’t go to cemeteries in the middle of the night except on Halloween, and it isn’t Halloween. It’s them!”
Zack kept his eyes glued to the huge stone in front of him. He wondered who Dennis and Madeline Baker were. Joel poked him in the ribs, and hissed, “Listen.”
Both doctors hunched together. From time to time they wiped at the corners of their black-and-blue eyes, both feeling lower than a snake’s belly. When the anguished outpouring of sadness on the other side of the narrow row of stones stopped, Zack sucked in his breath and let loose with a litany of sorrow directed at Dennis and Madeline Baker. He confessed everything from the moment he and Joel looked at the catalog with the boat they eventually bought. He was breathless when he wound down, his fingers tracing the names of Dennis and Madeline, and apologizing to the unknown persons resting beneath the ground.
When he looked up, his wife was staring down at him, her expression unfathomable in the darkness. “You bought a ship!”
“Boat. It’s a boat, Hanny. The QE2 is a ship.”
“I get seasick,” Hanny said quietly.
“They…they have a patch for that. I have a whole box. So does Joel. A hundred to a box,” Zack said, desperation ringing in his voice. “It’s always been a dream of mine. The kind of dream that if you don’t snatch it when it appears, you never get another chance at. I snatched it, Hanny.”
Hannah dropped to her knees. “Why didn’t you trust me enough to tell me? All I ever wanted was what you wanted, for you to be happy. If you’re happy, I’m happy.”
“Probably for the same reason you didn’t trust me. How could you have been so quick to think I would have an affair?”
“I guess we’re both pretty stupid. It’s hard for me…to…trust other people. All our lives, Sam, Sara, and I only trusted each other. Sam…Sam figured it all out way ahead of us. You aren’t off the hook, though. This is going to take some getting used to. You’re asking me to give up my life for a whole year. That means I’ll have to leave Cisco in the lurch. Sara will, too. Those two women we saw with you at the restaurant are beautiful.”
“Yes, they are. That’s one of the reasons they’re so good at what they do. They sell boats, then they teach the classes. Both of them are happily married, Hanny, and both of them have two kids each. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder as you know. I wouldn’t trade you for a dozen boats and fifty women that look like Marylee and Corinne. I mean that, Hanny. Listen, you’re going to have to help me up. I’m so cold I can’t move.”
“Wuss,” Hanny said, holding out her hand. “I’m glad you came, Zack.”
“Yeah, me too. Can we go now?” Hannah started to walk away. Zack turned back to the gravestone where he’d been hiding. His hand reached out to touch the carved letters. His hand almost went to the name Dennis, but at the last second he moved his fingers closer to the name Madeline. He didn’t know how he knew, but he knew that Dennis was a tyrant and that Madeline was a sweet soul. His finger gently traced the long name. “Thanks for listening, Madeline. I’ll be back sometime, and we’ll talk again. I have a feeling you’re hearing me. I gotta go now, Madeline, my wife is waiting for me.”
Sara looked up at her tall husband and smiled. “Well, Captain Marvel, I think we both learned a lesson. I’m sorry I didn’t trust you, honey. It’s all part of being a set of triplets if you can understand that. All our lives we thought for one another. There were no outsiders in our lives to show us differently. The three of us have seen the error of our ways, and it will never happen again. It’s…it’s so hard to let go of something that’s worked for you all your life. Sam learned it first, Hanny second, and me last. I like it this way, I really do. Forgive me?”
“Oh, yeah,” Joel said, kissing her soundly. “Hmmm, you taste like strawberries.”
“Keep nibbling, honey, keep nibbling.” Sara laughed.
Chapter Twelve
HALF-AWAKE,HALF-ASLEEP, SARA STRETCHED OUT under the warm covers before she rolled over on her side to peer at the digital alarm clock with its red numerals. Seven o’clock. She heard the shower running and smiled. Usually she was the first one up to put the coffee on. She could smell it now. Leaning back into her warm nest beneath the covers, she continued to smile. This past month rivaled her honeymoon. After the debacle of the boat, both Joel and she had worked overtime to please one another. They’d made earth-shattering promises to each other that both intended to keep.
Now, here it was, Christmas Eve. Where did the month go?
She really should get up. There was so much to do. Joel would help her, though. His last day at the hospital had been four days ago. He was now a free agent, a free spirit, a nomad, and full of wanderlust, as he put it. Ten more days, and they would head south for Miami. She couldn’t wait, and yet she felt disloyal for her wild anticipation. A whole year to do absolutely nothing but spend time with her husband.
She had to admit that at first she had felt a reasonable amount of fear and trepidation, just as Hannah did. But, holding her marriage together was the most important thing in the world to her. If she had one wish this Christmas season, it would be that Cisco would be a little more enthusiastic and embrace the idea. Not so her father, who shouted his approval and bellowed at the top of his lungs that with no children in their lives they should all follow their dream.
Joel emerged from the bathroom, a large yellow towel wrapped around his middle. How good he looked. How delicious. She beckoned him with the crook of her finger.
“Oh, no. We have a ton of stuff to do today, Sara. Besides, I’m making breakfast since it’s my turn.” Joel threw open the drapes. Sara gasped as she hopped out of bed.
“How much is out there? It must have started to snow during the night, after we went to bed.”
“A couple of inches. If we hurry, we can do everything we have to do before the roads get bad. Move your tush, Sara.”
“ ‘Move your tush, Sara,’ is that what you said, honey?”
In the blink of an eye, Sara had the yellow towel in her hands as she twirled away, then jumped in the middle of the bed. “Ooohhh,” she gurgled. “Wanna try that WOW thing?” Joel groaned before he took a Tarzan leap, beating his chest at the same time.
“Oooh, oooh,” her husband said as he collapsed on top of her.
A long time later, they both stirred at the same time. “This is so wonderful, isn’t it, Joel?”
“Yes. The last six months were so grueling, I didn’t know which end was up. There are no words to tell you how glad I am that this whole sorry mess came to a head. I am so looking forward to this coming year. Ben promised to dress up for the kids just the way I did. He’s good with them, too. He’s also going to have all the help he needs with favors other doctors owe him and me. I know I’m leaving my practice in good hands, just the way Zack is leaving his practice to Jonesy. When we get back, I’m going to start interviewing for another associate, or at least a physician’s assistant. Working twenty-four/seven just doesn’t cut it when you’re married.
“Another thing, Sara, I don’t want you to feel you have to go to nursing school just so you can work with me. I made a promise to you that I would cut back my hours as much as I can.”
“Nope. I’m going back to school. I want to be part of your life. I think I’ll make a good nurse. My mom was a nurse, did you know that? She had to give up nursing when we came along, though.”
“We should get up,” Joel said.
“Yes, we should,” Sara s
aid.
Joel stared out the window. “Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow,” he murmured as he nuzzled his wife’s ear.
“None of that, Dr. Wineberg. We really have to get moving, and you’re cooking breakfast. I will make you an offer you can’t refuse, though. Let’s take a shower together. I’ll wash your back if you wash mine.”
“That’s the second best offer I’ve had today,” Joel said, streaking for the shower.
Two streets away, Hannah and Zack Kelly stood in their living room trying to decide which car to take to run their last-minute Christmas errands. Zack’s foot prodded one of the piles of gaily wrapped presents.
“Christmas is going to be different this year,” Hannah said, sadness ringing in her voice. “I know we’re all going to be together, but it’s going to be different. We won’t be making the taffy we make every year because the copper pot and the paddle blew away in the tornado. Cisco doesn’t have the heart for much of anything this season. She’s trying, but I can tell it’s an effort. And she’s getting married tomorrow. I think we’re all overwhelmed this year.”
Zack wrapped his arm around his wife’s shoulder. “Christmas will be whatever we all make it. It’s going to be a white one, that’s for sure. It’s amazing how it always snows in the valley for Christmas.”
“We’ve always had a white Christmas for as long as I can remember. I’m not sure if Cisco is really all right with the four of us heading south after New Year’s. She said she is, but I think she feels she has to say that. Dad is more than okay with it.”
“Stop worrying, Hanny. Everything is going to work out just fine. Be thankful all your family will be together. Hell, I don’t even know where my family is. They all go somewhere for the holidays. For some reason being home for the holidays was never important to them. It was to me, though. Unfortunately for me, no one cared enough to ask my opinion, so I had to fend for myself.”
“That’s never going to happen again. My family is your family. I think we should get started. Father Stanley gave me the Christmas list two weeks ago. Take a count, Zack. We have to make sure we get everything right. The families know we’re coming, so they’ll be ready for the food baskets. The toys, the bikes, and the scooters are to go in garages. Father marked those with a red X. Sara’s got the computer that goes to the Davenports in her car. Sam has six bikes on top of his truck. I’ve got all the doll babies and gear in my car, so I guess I’ll just follow you. We really are going to need two cars.”
“Don’t forget we have to pick up Father Stanley’s present before three o’clock.”
Hannah grinned from ear to ear. “It’s so nice playing Santa, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is. Okay, Mrs. Claus, let’s get this show on the road.”
Giggling like a little girl, Hannah gathered up two of the food baskets and carried them out to her car.
An hour later, a car horn sounded at the end of the Kellys’ driveway. Four vehicles were lined up waiting for Zack and Hannah.
The family.
Cisco glared at the new stove, the oven in particular. “I don’t know, Ezra, you can only roast two things in this newfangled oven. We could have used the oven in your house. Now, why didn’t I think about that earlier?”
“Because your mind is a million miles away, that’s why, Loretta. We’re just having family and Father Stanley, so that prime rib will be more than enough. You baked your pies and rolls this morning, so what else do you need to roast or bake?”
“Nothing, I suppose. The table’s set. I guess there’s nothing for us to do but sit down and stare at our Christmas tree. It’s not very big, Ezra.”
“It’s eight feet, Loretta,” Ezra said patiently. “You’re just upset because no one came to help us decorate it. It’s pretty, even though all the ornaments and lights are new. The family will love it. The lights Hugo found are glowing beautifully around the lamppost at the end of the driveway. We need to be thankful, Loretta, that the whole family will be here. I don’t want to hear another word about not being able to make the taffy this year.”
“All right, Ezra. The house smells nice, doesn’t it? The balsam almost covers the new-wood-and-paint smell. I miss Hannah and Sarah already, and they haven’t even gone yet. How can that be, Ezra?”
Ezra pulled his pipe out of the pocket of his red flannel shirt. He tapped down the tobacco and fired up his pipe.
“That’s such a bad habit,” Cisco sniffed.
“I’m thinking you could do with one or two bad habits yourself,” Ezra sniffed in return. “Maybe you should think about doing something really dangerous, like painting your toenails red or something equally decadent.”
Cisco burst out laughing as she threw a dish towel at the man she was marrying on Christmas Day. She thanked God that Ezra had come into her life. Without him, she knew she would have collapsed after the tornado. He kept her grounded, as Sam put it.
“Why don’t you and I have a nice glass of brandy, Ezra? We can use that brand-new decanter and our brand-new brandy snifters. I’d like to make a toast to you for putting up with me these past weeks. I know it wasn’t easy. Sshhh,” she said, when Ezra was about to protest. “It’s true. I felt so sorry for myself, I didn’t see how unhappy my Trips were. Oh, I saw things, but chose not to act on them. It was the same with Jonathan. Drupi helped me a lot, you know. He listened till his ears ached. Poor man. I thought he’d be here by now.”
“It’s not five o’clock yet, Loretta. The Trips are out doing his bidding. I’m sure he’s waiting to see that everything goes off as scheduled. Plus, it’s snowing out there. I hope we don’t have to put dinner on hold again this year to pull someone out of a snowdrift.”
Cisco handed Ezra the brandy snifter. She raised her own glass to clink against his. “To the man I want to spend the rest of my days with if he’ll have me.” A lone tear trickled out of the corner of her eye to match the one on Ezra’s cheek. Together, they sat down on the new sofa. Both dogs jumped up to be beside them.
“See, Loretta, our immediate family is right here. For now, it’s all we need.”
It was true, and Cisco knew it. “Wanting others’ happiness is all that’s important. Knowing when to let go makes for that happiness. That’s what you’re saying to me, isn’t it, Ezra?”
“I guess so. I’m not as good with words as you are, Loretta.”
“They’ll do, Ezra, they’ll do.”
The five vehicles lined up in front of the rectory. It was decided among the six people in those vehicles that Sam would take the crossed-off list of Christmas deliveries to Father Drupieski by way of the back door. Zack, the fastest on his feet, would then deliver their present to the front door and ring the bell, at which point he would hightail it around the side of the building where his car was parked. Sam would stay just long enough to make sure the present was taken inside out of the cold and snow.
“Okay, gang, let’s do it!” Sam bellowed as he beelined through the snow to the back door of the rectory. The minute the priest opened the door, Sam shoved the lists into his hands. “We ran a little late, Father, but we made every delivery. Listen, do you need a ride out to the valley? I can take you if you’re ready.”
“No, that’s okay, Sam. Toby came by before he closed the garage and put chains on my car. I like driving through town looking at all the lights. I won’t be late. Go on now, go home to your wife and family. I’ll see you in a little while.”
“Oh, I hear your front doorbell! You better go see who it is, Father.”
“Yes, I guess I had better do that. You’re a good boy, Sam.”
For no reason, Sam felt tears burn his eyes. “You know what, Father Stanley, you’re an okay guy yourself. Boy, it’s cold out here. You better not keep whoever it is at your door waiting. See ya later.”
Sam slipped and slid his way around to the front in time to see Father Drupieski open the door, look down, pick up the basket, and carry it inside. He whooped his pleasure as he made his way to his truck. Damn, I feel g
ood.
Inside the rectory, Father Stanley carried the heavy basket out to the kitchen, where he set it on the table. Some kind parishioner sending him Christmas dinner no doubt. He removed the light covering and stared down at the contents, his jaw dropping in amazement. Two tiny, fuzzy little heads bobbed up immediately.”
“Dogs!” Drupi shouted. “Two dogs!” He scooped the warm balls of fur into both his hands and brought them up to his cheeks, his eyes raised heavenward. “How did You know?” he asked over and over. “Well this is certainly going to make life interesting,” he said, happier than he’d ever been. “Are you boys or girls? Not that it matters. I think, since I don’t know the first thing about puppies, I am going to bundle you back up and get some advice from an authority, Loretta Cisco.”
On his way out to his old car to warm it up, Father Stanley sang a robust chorus of “Jingle Bells.” His stride was peppy even though he was trudging through the snow. His heart was lighter than it had been in months. And all because someone, somewhere, knew and cared enough to grant his unspoken wish. Who? Did it really matter? He decided it didn’t as he scurried back to his new roommates.
Loretta Cisco’s eyes sparkled as she looked around at her happy, laughing family. Piles of presents nestled under the tree. The huge gold star from Wal-Mart glistened in the glow of the colored lights at the top of the tree. The tree looked festive. There were nine additional ornaments hanging on it, each with meaning from the giver. “In twenty years, we’ll be able to fill up a twenty-footer,” Sam joked. “Hey, I don’t see Father Stanley. Do you think he got lost in the snow? You might have to go out to look for him, Ezra.” He winked slyly at Zack, who was grinning from ear to ear.
“I hear him now,” Ezra said. “No one else in town has a car horn that says, tootaloo! Stay put, everyone, I’ll open the door.
Family Blessings (Cisco Family) Page 15