by P. A. Glaspy
Carly tried not to worry, knowing that she would anyway, probably all week. She left the note to call Will as a reminder to check in with him in a day or so. If it was one of his visions, it would get stronger as the time got closer to whatever was going to happen. She leaned her head back, closed her eyes, and crossed her fingers, thinking, please let this one be a miss. She opened her eyes when she heard the sound of something being dropped in the kitchen. Cameron yelled out, "Sorry, Mom! I'll clean it up!"
She sighed, shook her head, and stood up to go see what had happened. She walked in to see both boys on their knees scooping up the splattered remains of a plate of lasagna. She turned around and walked back out. "Yes, you will. Every last drop."
She shuffled into the living room, flopped down on the couch and turned the TV to a silly sitcom. She didn't plan on watching it. She just wanted to rest her eyes a minute before she got started decorating the tree. Within five minutes, she was fast asleep.
Chapter 2
Monday, December 14th
Carly had come in early to try to get some of the final modifications in that had to be uploaded to the software for their firm. She was surprised she'd made it when she did after sleeping on the couch all night. She woke up stiff and sore, but a hot shower worked out the kinks pretty well.
While waiting for one of the mods to finish, she pulled out her tablet and went to Amazon. "Might as well see if I can get some shopping done while I wait, because this is probably the only way it's getting done," she said to no one in particular, since she was alone in her office. She dropped a new Kindle e-reader in her cart for her mom, since she wouldn't get a new one for herself and she was still using one of the original models made. She added a set of fifty classic western movies for her dad, as well as a couple of video games the boys had asked for. She picked out a set of cast iron cookware for Elliott. She knew he'd had his eye on some but wouldn't spend the money to get it for himself. She was thinking hard about what to get her brother, who had every electronic device made, when there was a knock on her door. The door opened and her boss, Marcus Cole, leaned in with a grin.
"Morning, early bird. How's the upgrade coming?"
She gave him a half-hearted smile in return. "Slow. Trying to multi-task and get some Christmas shopping done online while I wait. Have you done yours yet?"
He laughed out loud. "You're joking, right? I'm a guy, a married guy at that. I buy for her. She buys for everybody else. I can do my shopping on Christmas Eve, and usually do. Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Yeah. Give out Christmas bonuses early, so I know what I have to work with."
He smiled wider and stepped into the office with an envelope held out to her. "Damn, you're a mind reader, too. Merry Christmas, Carly."
She took the envelope and said in surprise, "Really? I didn't ... I mean, I was kidding, sort of ... really? Thank you, Marcus!"
"Open it, then thank me," he replied.
She looked at the envelope and back at him. "Is it awesome, or just, you know, it's the thought that counts?"
He laughed out loud. "Open it and see!"
She turned the envelope over to expose the flap and slid a French manicured fingernail under it. As she slid the check out, the stub was the first thing she saw. Gross pay: ten thousand dollars. Ten thousand dollars! Holy shit! she thought. Her jaw dropped as she looked at the check, then back to her boss. She had flipped it over to see the net amount. Uncle Sam had taken a stiff payment, but the net was still four figures.
Marcus was grinning at her with his finger against his lips. "Don't scream. You got more than anyone else. We had a really good year and you have been a big part of that, Carly. After we get through tax season, you and I are going to sit down and talk about a partnership. I wanted you to know that all your time and hard work have not gone unnoticed. Again, Merry Christmas, Carly."
"I don't ... I just don't know what to say. Thank you doesn't seem like enough. But, thank you again, for all of it. You don't know what this will mean to me and my boys. I could buy Aaron a car with this. Or maybe pay part of college. A partner? Really?" Carly knew she sounded like a stuttering idiot, but she was in shock.
Marcus was nodding and still grinning. "Yes, a partner, and if you need any help with the rest of that, come talk to me. I've got to get to my desk and respond to a dozen emails. Have a good day." He gave her a thumbs up, turned, and left her office.
Have a good day? This is going to be a great day! She started running things through her head that she could do with the money. The smart thing? Pay down on that one credit card that she just couldn't seem to make any headway on. Or get her dad to help her find a good, reliable car for Aaron. That was probably the more practical thing. Yes, she thought, that is the best use of this little windfall. Just as she was picking up her phone to call her dad, it buzzed. She looked at the caller ID. It was Elliott. She slid her finger across the screen to accept the call.
"Hey, Elliott. Everything okay?"
"Mornin', Carly girl. Yeah, good out here in the country. How you doin'?" Elliott replied.
"Busy as always. Mom told me you were coming for Christmas dinner."
Elliott chuckled. "Like I had a choice. Look, I was wondering if it would be alright if the boys spent the week with me next week when they're out for the holidays. I could get them Saturday and bring them to your mom's Christmas Eve for dinner. I haven't had them for a week since last summer. I miss those rascals."
Carly laughed. "Of course, you can get them, as long as Aaron can get off work. Did you have anything special planned for this visit?"
"Yep, it's about time those boys learned how to hunt. So, we'll start with bow and gun training, then I'll take them out to the woods to hunt some deer."
Carly paused, concern apparent in her voice. "Elliott, are you sure they're old enough to be handling weapons? Aaron's only seventeen. Cameron is just over fifteen. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with them handling guns. Bows, maybe, but guns? They scare me."
Elliott didn't budge. "Then we need to get you out here for some gun training, too. Ain't nothin' to be scared of and y'all should all know how to use them. Ya never know when ya might need one. Hell, their daddy's been shootin' since he was ten years old. I shoulda already taught ‘em since he ain't around, but I knew you weren't into it. It's past time they knew. I'll teach y'all how to use guns and be safe handling them."
Carly bit her tongue to not say anything nasty about Ethan to his father. "I trust you completely, Elliott. If you think the boys should learn to shoot, then I won't argue. We'll talk about me learning later. You want to pick them up or do I need to bring them to you?"
"I'll come get them. Thanks, Carly. This is important. A man needs to know how to use a gun. There's a reason I want to do it before Christmas. If you're okay with it, I want to give them each one of my old guns for Christmas."
Carly couldn't hide the shock. "You're giving them a gun? Oh, Elliott, I don't know about that..."
Elliott interrupted her. "Carly, I ain't gonna be around forever. Their daddy ain't around at all. They need someone to teach them this stuff, and they need to have the tools to use once they learn. And that's what a gun is–a tool. A tool for getting food, or a tool for protection. When I get done with them, they'll know how to use it, how to take care of it, but most of all to respect it. Honestly, I worry about y'all so close to Memphis. Ain't no place truly safe, hell I'm really too close, but there's just so many people there. If something bad happened, y'all would be sittin' ducks."
Carly looked heavenward. Here we go again. He'll be off on that shit hit the fan survivalist jag if I don't nip this in the bud. "Okay, Elliott, I need to get off here and get back to work. Just call me later in the week when you know what time you're coming Saturday to pick them up."
"I'll be there by nine. Tell them boys no sleeping in this Christmas break. Pap is comin' to get 'em."
~~~~~
The boys had already eaten by the time Carly got home at eight. Af
ter three weeks and the last twelve hours that day in the office, the software update was done, so she was hoping for light days at work the rest of the year. The insanity would start soon after New Year's. She shuffled in the door from the garage to the kitchen. She was beat, mentally and physically. The only upside was that by the time she had left the office, rush hour was over, and her drive home was uneventful and easy. She'd had every intention of decorating the tree the night before and instead had fallen asleep on the couch and slept there all night. When she left that morning, her thoughts again went to the bare tree. I have to get it done tonight after work. Now, dragging herself in the house after the equivalent of a day and a half at the office, she dreaded the thought of even seeing it. As she came into the dining room, she could see twinkling lights reflecting in the crystal centerpiece on the table. Rounding the corner, she stood in awe of a fully-decorated Christmas tree in her living room. Her sons were standing beside it, having heard the garage door opener running when she got home, grinning from ear to ear.
"Surprise!" They shouted in unison. One stood on each side of the tree and held their hands up like game show presenters showing off a potential prize. Carly stared at the beautiful results. The multi-colored lights were reflecting off the silver garland and the shiny glass ornaments. Just looking at it, watching the lights go on and off and back on again, made her feel like it really was Christmas time. She went over and pulled both of her sons into her embrace.
"Oh my. Oh, you guys did an awesome job. The tree looks wonderful! Thank you so much."
They stood there for a moment, a family hug in the warm glow of their tree. Then, Cameron ducked out from under his mother's arm. "When you have a slacker mom, sometimes you gotta step up and take control. We still love ya though, slacker mom."
Carly made a move to grab him, but he turned and ran for the stairs. Aaron stood there snickering. Carly called up the stairs, "I'm a slacker mom, huh? Okay, I'll just call Pap back and tell him you aren't interested in going to his place next week and learning how to shoot..."
It only took a moment for Cameron to come bounding back down the stairs. "Really? No kidding, Mom? We're gonna get to shoot? I was just foolin' about that slacker mom stuff. You're the diggity bomb mom ... Mom. When are we going?"
She smiled and said, "First thing Saturday morning. He wants you guys to spend the week with him. He may be headed down one of those end of the world is coming roads again, so be prepared. Aaron, can you get off work next week?"
Aaron replied, "Yeah, it shouldn't be a problem to get the time off. Jason will cover for me. I kind of like it when Pap goes down that road. He always teaches us cool stuff–practical, useful stuff you might actually need someday, unlike algebra. Seriously, Mom, how many times have you used algebra since you left high school?"
Carly thought for a minute. "Um, well..."
"See? I bet not once. Did they teach you stuff you needed to live, like how to change a tire, or balance a checkbook, or grow plants you can eat? Nope."
Carly looked at her oldest son. "Do you know how to do those things, honey?"
Aaron grinned at her. "Yep. You taught me the checkbook part. Nana taught me the food growing. Pap taught me the tire changing and more food growing. History, geography, science–that stuff is cool, but food is kind of important, ya know?"
"Yes, food is important," Carly replied laughing. "Look at you, being all adulty." She held her fist out for him to bump. He did, kissed her on the cheek, and headed upstairs to do teenager stuff. She considered telling them about her Christmas bonus, but decided to hold off. She wanted to talk to her parents, and maybe Will, about a car for Aaron, and next week while the boys were with Elliott would be the perfect time to do it. If she could swing it, it would be the ultimate Christmas slash birthday present, since his eighteenth birthday was New Year's Eve. She always tried hard to keep the two separate, as kids born around Christmas sometimes got the shaft and got a combo pack for both at once. A car, however, was worthy of the two, especially since he was turning eighteen. She picked up her cell phone, went to her to do list, hit the microphone and said, "Call Dad about the car." Seeing the text show up correctly, she set the phone back down and went to the kitchen to find a snack.
~~~~~
The North Korean officer stared at the missive he had been handed by his junior lieutenant. He read it three times to make sure he understood.
The evil that is the United States cannot be allowed to continue. They flaunt their prosperity in the face of the world. Soon, we will bring them down to the level of third world countries. They will know what it is to suffer, to fight to live. They think we cannot hurt them. They think they know the limits of our missiles, because we have led them to believe we cannot reach them. They will soon find out they have been duped into believing this to be true. We have misled them. Their upcoming Christmas holiday will be one they will not soon forget, because their world will be forever changed. Prepare, comrades. We will show our might very soon.
He looked at the lieutenant. "This is authentic? This is from the supreme leader?"
The junior officer gave a curt nod. "It is, Colonel. Is there a response to send back?"
The colonel shook his head. "No response. We must prepare for war."
Chapter 3
Tuesday, December 15th
The weather had finally turned colder. Winter in Tennessee was a daily surprise. It could be forty degrees when you got up in the morning, but you could need the air conditioner on that afternoon. While taking a moment with a cup of coffee before heading to work, Carly checked the weather app on her phone and found that the forecast was for clouds with a chance of rain. Looking at the extended forecast, that pattern was going to last the rest of the week and there was even a chance of a wintry mix coming for the weekend. Carly sighed. Aaron looked up from his toaster pastries.
"Something wrong, Mom?" he asked around a mouthful of strudel.
She shook her head. "No, not really. I thought I might try to do a little shopping this weekend while you guys are with Pap, but it looks like the weather is going to be nasty. I'll try to do as much online as I can. I just hate taking the chance it won't get here in time for Christmas."
"Don't you have that free two-day shipping thing on Amazon? There's plenty of time for that."
"Thankfully, yes," she replied. "I don't know what I would do without it, especially at times like this. I guess I'm in shopping mode today–from my desk." She got up with her coffee cup, stopped to kiss her son on top of the head, and headed to the sink. "Take a jacket. It's cold out and it doesn't look like it's going to warm up any today. Where is your brother? He's going to be late for the bus. Will you go up and get him please?"
Aaron put his toaster strudel down, looked toward the living room and shouted, “Hey Caaaaaaammmmeroooooonnnn! Let's go!"
Carly put the cup down in the sink and placed her hands on her hips. "Really, Aaron? I could have done that. Go up there and see what's taking him so long!"
Aaron huffed, placed both hands on the table to push himself up and grumbled to himself as he headed toward the staircase, "Am I my brother's keeper?"
Carly called after him, "I heard that! And yes, you are!"
Aaron shook his head and took the stairs two at a time. At the top, he turned and stomped to his brother's bedroom door. Finding it closed, he banged with the side of his fist. "Cam! C'mon, man, the bus will be here in like five minutes." He reached for the knob which turned in his hand as the door opened. Cameron slid out and shut the door behind him.
"Yeah, okay, let's go," he said, as he tried to slip past his older brother.
Aaron eyed Cameron suspiciously. "What's going on in there? What are you being so sneaky for?"
"None of your business! Nothing's going on, alright? Let's just go!"
"If nothing's going on, then what is none of my business, punk?"
"It's just ... never mind. We're gonna be late. Let's go."
Aaron reached out to touch his broth
er's shoulder. "Seriously, what's up?"
Cameron looked at Aaron, then down at the floor. "I was talking to Dad on Facebook."
"What? When did this start? What did he want?" The questions flew out of Aaron's mouth.
"See? This is why I didn't tell you before. I knew you'd make a big deal out of it."
"It is a big deal, Cam! He left us. Walked out and left Mom with two little kids. No money. No car. Nothing. If it hadn't been for Nana and Pops, we probably would have starved to death. Do you think he cared? Hell no, because he only cares about himself."
Cameron looked at Aaron pleadingly. "But he's sorry and he misses us, and he wants to be a part of our lives again. He's our dad, Aaron."
Aaron snatched his hand away. "No. He's the sperm donor. He isn't a dad. That title you have to work for and earn. I've heard the stories from Mom about the way he was always trying to do some kind of deal for everything, so he didn't have to actually work for a living. He was lazy, selfish, and didn't give a rat's ass what happened to us. He's been gone for ten years. How long have you been talking to him?"
"Just a few weeks. He said he's trying to get his life back together and he really wants to see us. I was thinking about telling him we were going to be at Pap's Saturday, so–"
"No! Hell no! You tell him that, he shows up, Mom finds out, we could lose Pap, too! She'd go ballistic! Don't you dare tell him!"
Now Cameron looked dejected. "Okay, okay! But, what do I tell him when he asks about seeing us again?"