by Alexa Land
“You think so?”
“Oh yeah. Believe it or not, I’m actually considering getting some ink myself now.”
“You should totally do it! What would you get?”
“Something super manly, obviously. Right here.” He made a fist and curled his arm up across his chest, then slapped his huge bicep, which strained the sleeve of his dark blue sweater. “I’m thinking a gingerbread man would be good, or a unicorn sugar cookie flying over a rainbow made of sprinkles.”
I flashed him a huge smile and said, “I know you’re kidding, but that would be epic.”
“Yeah, I really wouldn’t go with that, but I’m serious about getting a tattoo. I’d probably do something old-school, like a simple red heart with D+Q inside it. In other words, my own version of your tattoo.”
“That would be amazing.” I unlocked the sleek, white camper shell, which we’d added to the back of Duke’s truck so we could use it for deliveries, and double-checked to make sure I’d packed all six dessert boxes we were taking to my parents’ house. Once I locked it again, I stepped onto the curb to make myself taller, draped my arms around Duke’s shoulders, and gave him a kiss. Then I said, “Have I mentioned how excited I am that we’re spending our first Christmas together?”
My husband grinned at me. “Yes. Probably six hundred times this week, as a matter of fact, but I never get tired of your enthusiasm.”
“Well, that’s a good thing, because,” I broke into song and flung my arms wide, “it’s the most won-der-ful time of the year!” I’d been serenading him with loud, tone-deaf Christmas carols all month.
Duke shook his head, but he was smiling as he pulled me into his arms. Then he asked, “Do you think your friend’s still planning to join us? He was supposed to meet us at the tattoo studio fifteen minutes ago.”
I said. “I’m sure he’ll be here. He’s probably just running late.”
Sure enough, Sergei jogged up to us two minutes later and said, “Sorry to keep you waiting. I stopped off to get some wine, and the shop was overrun with last-minute holiday shoppers. I didn’t know if Doctor Takahashi likes red or white, so I got both.”
“Both is always the right answer,” I said.
He swung his backpack off his shoulder and adjusted the collar of his black leather jacket as he asked, “Are you sure I’m not intruding? Christmas Eve is a time for family….”
“Dad is super excited that you’re joining us. So am I.” Sergei and I had become good friends over the past few months. He and Even Eide were still seeing each other off and on, but the former hockey player had gone home to Norway for Christmas, and Sergei’s family had moved back to the Ukraine a few years ago, so I’d asked him to have dinner with us. I thought he was secretly happy about the invitation, even though he wasn’t really the type of person to let it show.
Sergei mumbled, “Yeah, okay,” and we all piled into the truck.
As my husband pulled away from the curb, I exclaimed, “Let’s sing Jingle Bells to pass the time on our drive!” Sergei groaned and Duke chuckled as I started belting out the first verse.
*****
After a huge, delicious meal and a great visit with our family, we dropped Sergei off at his apartment and drove to Duke’s church. I’d been accompanying him every Sunday for the last few weeks, ever since we held our second wedding ceremony there for our family and friends. I’d been doing a lot of soul-searching and didn’t really know if I believed the way my husband did, but I still enjoyed the comfort and the ritual of going to church, and I really liked the young, friendly pastor and the welcoming congregation. Most of all, I loved sharing that time with Duke, since it was an important part of his life.
The Christmas Eve service was fantastic. The church was lit by candlelight, and the choir wore white robes with gold trim and sang beautifully. The sermon was about the importance of treating everyone with kindness, and how we should all make that a goal in the coming year. I could totally get behind that message.
We had one final stop that night. It was close to midnight when we parked in the alley behind Rainbow Roost. Duke and I unloaded three big boxes of muffins, cinnamon rolls and pastries, which we’d baked for the residents’ Christmas breakfast, and lugged them to the back door.
Sixteen young people from eighteen to twenty-four called the transition shelter home. They’d either been homeless or had aged out of foster care, and all of them landed somewhere on the LGBTQ+ rainbow. Duke and I volunteered there every week and conducted baking classes for anyone who was interested. We also regularly brought over baked goods, which was as fun for us as it was for the residents.
Darwin answered our knock, and he looked delighted when he saw what we were carrying. As he held the door open for us, I said, “You’re here late.”
“I know. The counselors already went to bed, and Nana left an hour ago, but I just wanted to do a final check to make sure everything’s perfect for tomorrow.”
“You’re amazing,” I told him as we put the boxes on the buffet table that would be brimming with food in the morning. “You’ve done so much to make the holidays special for the residents.” The ground floor featured both a big, brightly lit Christmas tree with a mountain of presents and an elegant menorah. The entire room was ringed in lights, decorations, and tinsel, and sixteen full stockings hung from a clothesline near the brass fire poles.
“I’ve tried my best,” he said as he pushed back the sleeves of his form-fitting red sweater. I loved the fact that he no longer hid in dark, baggy clothes. “Some of these guys have never had a real Christmas or Hanukkah, and I really wanted them to get to experience that.”
Duke said, “Well, it looks like you’re ready.”
“I think so. I just finished wrapping a few last-minute presents.” Darwin turned and assessed the room. “The stockings are stuffed, the refrigerator is full of food for Christmas brunch, and everyone’s asleep but me. I guess that’s it.”
I asked, “Do you want a ride home?”
“No thanks. I set up a cot in the counselors’ quarters, and I’m planning to spend the night. I want to get up before the residents, so the buffet will be ready when everyone comes downstairs.”
“Want us to come back in the morning to help?”
“Between the two counselors and me, I think we’ve got this,” he said, “but thank you for the offer.”
After we said goodnight and Darwin locked up behind us, Duke pulled me into his arms and whispered, “Do you hear that?”
“Hear what?” We were bathed in light from the fixture over the back door, and I looked around the dark, quiet alley.
“Nothing. It’s perfectly still. That’s so rare in this city.”
I smiled and said, “You’re right. Normally, I’d burst into a heartwarming rendition of Silent Night, but then it wouldn’t be silent anymore, so I’ll save it for later.”
I was startled when a small voice in the darkness asked, “Do you work at the shelter?”
A tiny blond boy stepped out of the shadows, dressed in a filthy ski jacket and jeans with a backpack slung over his shoulder. I said, “We’re volunteers. Can we help you?”
“I need a place to stay,” he said. “I went to six other shelters like this one, but they were either full or just for grownups. This is the last one on my list.”
Duke crouched down so he was at eye level with the kid and said, “I’m Duke, and this is my husband Quinn. What’s your name?”
“Aiden.”
“Can I ask how old you are, Aiden?”
“I’m twelve. People never believe me, because I’m so small. I hate being the shortest kid in my class.”
Duke asked, “Do you have a family, or someone we can call for you?”
The boy shook his head. “My parents kicked me out, so I came to San Francisco. I’d heard all these great things about it. It’s different than I thought it’d be, though.”
Since he’d come to an LGBT shelter, I asked gently, “Did they kick you out because th
ey found out you were gay?”
The boy looked at the ground and muttered, “I never should’ve told them.”
“I’m sorry to say this shelter is full, and it also only accepts kids who are at least eighteen, so this wouldn’t be the right place for you,” Duke said. “But I’m a police officer, and I can call a friend of mine who works in social services. She’ll find you a bed for tonight and something long-term after that.”
“You’re talking about foster care, right?” When Duke nodded, Aiden said, “No way. The first thing they’ll do is separate me and Mrs. Nesbitt.”
Duke asked, “Is that a friend of yours?”
The kid took a step back. “She’s my pet, and I’m not giving her up for anything. I’d rather sleep on the street than lose my best friend.”
He looked like he was about to bolt, so I said, “Hang on. We don’t have to call Duke’s friend if you don’t want to. I know a place where you and your pet would both be welcome.” Duke glanced at me, and I told my husband, “It’s Christmas, and we have a spare room….”
He smiled at me before turning back to Aiden and saying, “If you want to, you and Mrs. Nesbitt can come and stay with us.”
The boy narrowed his blue eyes and said, “Show me your badge, so I know you’re a real cop and not some scuzzball kidnapper.” I grinned at that, and Duke pulled his identification from his back pocket and held it up so Aiden could read it. The kid said, “Okay, that looks legit. I guess I’ll go with you. But you have to swear to me that you’re not going to change your mind about Mrs. Nesbitt, no matter what. If you kick her out, I’m gone too! And don’t even think about getting rid of her when my back is turned and then claiming she ran away, because I know how you grownups operate!”
Oh man, I loved that kid. I held up my right hand and drew a big ‘X’ over my chest as I told him, “We promise we won’t get rid of your pet, cross my heart. I love her name, by the way. That’s one of my favorite scenes in Toy Story.”
He studied me for a moment, then said, “Most people don’t get it. They ask me why I gave her an old lady name, and then I’m like, duh! I guess I’ll go get her and we’ll come home with you for tonight. I know I’m not supposed to get in a car with strangers, by the way. I’m not stupid. But the big guy really does look like a cop, and I literally can’t picture you as a kidnapper. Especially not in that sweater.”
“It’s great, right? The tree lights up, but I turned it off because the blinking lights were making me dizzy.”
“It’s super ugly, but that makes it kind of awesome,” he said. “I’ll be right back. I tied Mrs. Nesbitt’s leash to a pole at the end of the alley. I was going to sneak her into the shelter after everyone went to bed.”
As soon as Aiden walked away, I turned to Duke and said, “It’s a Christmas miracle! That boy found us on Christmas Eve, because there was no room at the inn!” I gestured at the shelter and Duke got up and grinned at me. “We talked about adopting a kid someday, and I think he just walked into our lives.”
Duke rested his hands on my shoulders and said gently, “I love your enthusiasm, but you’re getting ahead of yourself. We don’t know his whole story. Maybe he has relatives somewhere who’d be willing to take him in. Or maybe he’s scamming us. We might wake up in the morning to find him gone, along with all our valuables.”
“What valuables?”
“Your macaroni Elvis.”
“Funny.”
“You know what I mean, though. There’s no saying this will work out.”
“I know, but I just have this overwhelming feeling that Aiden was meant to find us tonight.”
“If you’re right, then I’m totally open to the idea of adoption. We knew we wanted that to happen someday. But let’s just take this slowly and see what happens. I’d hate it if you ended up disappointed.”
Aiden came walking down the dark alley with his black and white dog behind him on a long leash, and he called, “I could hear every word you said. Sound totally carries in this alley. The rest of my relatives are even worse than my rotten parents, so there’s no way I’d agree to live with any of them, not that they’d want me anyway. And it’s sweet that you guys want to be my dads, but I need to check out your qualifications and think about it before I decide anything. Just so you know though, I’m not going to rip you off, and I have no idea what a macaroni Elvis is, but I hope you can eat it because I’m really hungry.” He came to a stop a few feet from us and wiped his nose with the back of his hand.
“Well then, let’s get you and Mrs. Nesbitt home and make you both some dinner,” I said.
Duke unlocked the truck and got behind the wheel, and I slid in right beside him to make room for Aiden. The kid picked up his pet and climbed in after us, and I got my first good look at Mrs. Nesbitt and exclaimed, “She’s so cute!”
She also wasn’t a dog. Duke’s eyes went wide, and he stammered, “Um, you should put that outside, Aiden.”
The kid stroked her white back and scowled at him. “You said she could stay!”
Duke exclaimed, “But that’s a skunk!”
“I know that, but you promised!”
“It might have rabies, Aiden. You need to put it down.”
The boy looked like he was about to cry. “She doesn’t have rabies! I bought her from a breeder in Oregon, and I bottle raised her since she was a baby. She’s had her shots, and she’s been to the vet a bunch of times for checkups, and she’s perfectly healthy. I know having skunks as pets is illegal in California, but that’s a dumb rule, especially because they’re legal where I used to live. And I told you we’re a package deal, so if you don’t want her, then you don’t want me either!”
Aiden started to get out of the truck, but Duke said, “Wait.” The kid looked at him over his shoulder, and my husband asked, “Is she de-scented?”
“Of course! You think I’d be carrying around a fully loaded skunk?”
Duke sighed and said, “Fine. Bring the skunk. After Christmas though, we’re going to have to find an underground vet who won’t report us, so we can get her a checkup and make sure she’s current on all her shots. That’s the responsible thing to do, as illegal pet owners.”
I smiled at my husband and whispered, “I absolutely adore you.”
*****
When we got home, we found Xavier outside in a ski jacket and pajama pants, wrestling with a light-up snowman. After buying his half of the building, he really took his new role as a homeowner to heart, especially when it came to holiday decorating. The three of us had gone a bit crazy, and the duplex was festooned top to bottom in a dazzling array of colored lights, while the tiny yard was crammed full of whimsical, light-up figures.
But the wire-framed snowman kept falling over and breaking into three pieces, despite our best efforts to secure it. Duke pulled into the garage, and when we went out into the driveway, he called, “Haven’t you learned, Xavier? The snowman will always win!”
Our neighbor pushed his long, blond hair out of his face and said, “I refuse to accept that. He’s going to stand here and be merry, whether he likes it or not!” He turned to look at us and asked, “Who’s your friend, and is he holding a skunk?”
Duke pushed the button on his keychain remote. As the garage door rattled shut, he headed for the front steps and said, “That’s Aiden. He’s going to be staying here, hopefully for a long time. And of course that’s not a skunk! They’re illegal, and I’m an officer of the law! Now go about your business, citizen. And also, give up on that cheap snowman already and stuff his lopsided butt in the garbage can!”
“Never!”
When we went inside, Aiden looked around appraisingly, and I did, too. The Christmas tree was decked out with a truly insane number of lights and ornaments, and the new medium-blue wall color (halfway between the dark color I wanted and the pale color Duke wanted) looked so pretty with the super comfy blue couch and matching chairs I’d found at a yard sale. But my favorite thing in the room was the cluster of framed we
dding pictures on the mantel. Three were from our Vegas wedding. The rest had been taken at our second ceremony and the big party afterwards at my parents’ house. The best one was a shot of Duke and me totally surrounded by the people we loved.
Aiden murmured, “This place is nice.” Then he turned to me and asked, “Is it okay if I take a shower? I just spent the last seven weeks sleeping in abandoned buildings with no running water, and I’m pretty much grossing myself out.”
“Of course. Go upstairs to the bedroom at the end of the hall,” I said. “It used to be mine, but I sleep downstairs with Duke now, so it’s yours for as long as you want it. There are clean towels in the bathroom, and you can help yourself to anything you want in the closet. It’s all going to be too big, but when the stores open after Christmas, we can go buy you some new stuff.”
“Thanks, that’s nice of you.” He hesitated before asking, “Will you take care of Mrs. Nesbitt while I’m in the shower?” I thought that showed a lot of trust.
Duke said, “Absolutely. She can hang out with Quinn and me in the kitchen while we make you both some dinner. What does she eat?”
“Pretty much anything, but apples are her favorite.”
Aiden handed her to me and climbed the stairs, and I scratched the top of Mrs. Nesbitt’s head as Duke and I went to the kitchen. The skunk and I had bonded on the ride home, but Duke was still eyeing her suspiciously. I figured he’d warm up to her in time, though.
While my husband heated up some leftover lasagna and assembled a plate of cookies for Aiden, I took off Mrs. Nesbitt’s pink leash and put her down so she could explore her new environment. I filled a bowl with water, and when I sliced an apple for her and put it on a little plate on the floor, and she came right over and started packing it away. The skunk seemed very well-behaved, and she was spotlessly clean. It looked like Aiden had taken wonderful care of her, even when he could barely take care of himself.