by Mary Carter
“How many fingers am I holding up?” Joy said.
“We’re not on camera,” Josh said.
Faith glared at Joy. “I’m just trying to keep him talking,” she said.
“I didn’t take your Xanax,” Josh said. “I swear.”
“He seems fine,” Austin said.
“Oh, thank God,” Faith said.
“Is Dad going to get arrested?” Josh said.
“No,” Faith said. Possibly run over.
“He did try to kidnap us,” Josh said.
Your mother is your kidnapper. Did crazy run in the family?
“We’ll work it out,” Faith said. “I can’t tell you how glad I am that you’re all right.” She followed Joy’s directions to the gas station. Two police cars were pulled up next to Stephen, who was outside pacing while an officer took notes. Brittany was leaning against the car, crying.
“Let me handle this,” Faith said. “You guys stay in the car.” She slammed the door and glared at Stephen. She’d wanted to drag out the news that she knew where Josh was as long as possible, torture him a little, but she couldn’t do that with the police involved.
“Josh is with Austin,” she said.
Stephen bent over and let out a sob. One of the officers squared his shoulders. “Who is this Austin?” he said. “Do you have a description?”
“No, it’s okay. He’s a friend of the family. He’s taking Josh back to the house now.”
The officer turned to Stephen. “Is this true, sir? You can trust this Austin?”
Stephen lifted himself and gasped a few breaths. Then nodded.
“Austin is Aunt Hope’s boyfriend,” Brittany sang. Faith ran to her little girl and threw her arms around her.
“I guess we’re done here,” the officer said. “Unless there’s anything else?” He stared directly at Faith. She held the eye gaze, hoping the silence would offer some small amount of torture, then shook her head.
“Thank you,” she said.
The officers headed back to the car. “Happy endings at Christmas,” the one called out. “It doesn’t get better than that.”
“Merry Christmas!” Brittany called back to them.
“Brittany, will you wait in the car,” Faith said.
Joy and Harrison got out of the SUV. “We’ll help you,” Joy said.
“I’m getting pretty good at hopping,” Brittany said. Joy and Harrison helped Brittany to the SUV. Brittany looked back at her father. “Are you coming back with us, Dad?”
“I don’t think so, pumpkin. I’m so sorry.”
“But it’s Christmas,” Brittany said. “You have to come.”
“Let me talk to your mom,” he said. As soon as they were back in the SUV, Stephen looked at Faith.
“I’m so sorry,” he said. “I was so angry. And impulsive.”
“I wanted to run you over with the car,” Faith said.
“Thank you for not telling the cops I took them without your permission,” Stephen said.
“I called you a million times. I thought Josh had taken my bottle of Xanax.”
“Oh my God.”
“This could have been our worst nightmare.”
“Does he have it?”
“He said he didn’t take it.”
“Do you believe him?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Good. That’s good.”
Faith took a deep breath. “I should have told you about Josh’s call to the center. Not that it’s any excuse, but I found out late in the game myself. But I think he’s okay. I really think he’s okay.”
“We still have to watch him.”
“Oh, we will. We certainly will.”
“I’d better get going.”
“Stephen. It’s Christmas. We’ve all had such a tough year. Come back to the house with us.”
Another sob broke from him. “Do you mean that?”
“Yes, but Charlie is with us. She’s the one who saw you with the children. She called me.”
“I understand. Brittany recognized her. She waved at her.” Stephen gave a wry laugh.
“Our Granny is dying. I don’t think she’ll see Christmas Day.”
“Are you sure you want me to come back with you?”
“I’m sure.”
He wiped his eyes. “Thank you.”
“Hurry and get in your car before I run you over,” Faith said.
* * *
Hope put down the phone. “They found them.”
“Oh, thank God.” Carla poured herself some more whiskey.
“I thought you were drinking because you were worried,” Hope said.
“Now I’m drinking because I’m celebrating,” Carla said. “Did they arrest Stephen?”
“I don’t know. That was Austin on the phone. He’s on his way here with Josh.”
They both glanced down the hall. Roger was still in with Yvette.
“How do you feel about Dad?” Hope asked.
“I won’t lie,” Carla said. “My heart has been pattering nonstop. But not for Roger. For Thomas. And he’s gone. I see that now.”
“I feel like he’s half here,” Hope said.
“The dad half,” Carla said. “The half we need to take care of.”
“We?”
“This place has like a dozen bedrooms. I’ll be in and out.” Carla began pulling baking pans out of cabinets.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m making Christmas cookies.”
“You don’t bake.”
“How hard can it be?”
* * *
They all gathered in Yvette’s room. Hope thought Roger would leave the minute others started to come in, but he was in a chair by Yvette’s bedside, and there he remained. Mr. Jingles was sitting beside him, wearing, to Hope’s surprise, reindeer antlers. He didn’t seem to mind them. Yvette was breathing slowly, but awake, and her eyes actually lit up when she took them all in.
“Look at all my gifts,” she said, holding her hands out. Josh took a hand, and so did Brittany. Yvette smiled and looked everyone in the eye.
Joy leaned over to Hope. “Did she just call us gifts?”
“She’s heavily medicated,” Hope said. “Go with it.”
Yvette looked at Carla. “I’m sorry I called you a trashy whore.”
Roger laughed, startling all of them. He and Carla made eye contact and he immediately stopped laughing, looking instead like a child caught doing something naughty. Then, Carla started to laugh and soon everyone joined in.
Suddenly they heard the sound of cars honking. Simultaneously came the smell of something burning.
“Someone is always trying to burn me out,” Yvette said.
“My cookies!” Carla said. She flew out of the room.
“We forgot about the second night of festivities,” Faith said. “We have to cancel.”
“No,” Yvette said. “I want to celebrate.” They all stared at her. “I won’t make it until Christmas.”
“Are you sure?” Hope said.
“I’m sure,” Yvette said. “I want to see lights, and laughter. And all of you. Celebrating.”
“Okay,” Austin said. “I’ll turn on the lights and let them in.”
“Me help,” Roger said.
“That’s my boy,” Yvette said. Roger shuffled out of the room after Austin with Mr. Jingles at his heels.
“Look, Mom,” Josh said, picking up an orange bottle from the table near Yvette’s bedside. “The Xanax!”
“What’s it doing there?” Faith said.
“You were taking too much,” Yvette said. “I thought it would be safer hiding amongst all my pills.” She saw the looks exchanged around the room. “What?” she barked.
“Nothing,” Faith said. “You’re right. I don’t need it.”
“I want to go out there,” Yvette said. “I can’t walk.”
“We can put you in the wheelbarrow,” Brittany said. “I’m getting good at hopping now.”
“What a smart girl,
” Yvette said. “But I won’t need to take yours. There’s a second wheelbarrow in the barn.”
“I’m on it,” Harrison said. “It’s okay if I wheel it in here?”
“I’m dying,” Yvette said. “You can ride a horse in here if you want.”
Josh jumped up and down. “Can we?”
“No,” Faith said.
Josh shook his head, and Yvette laughed. “It’s my house and I’ll have a horse in it if I want to.”
* * *
Yvette and Brittany were the queens of the evening. They rolled them up to the bonfire in their heavily blanketed wheelbarrows and gave them long sticks to roast S’mores. Yvette couldn’t actually eat, but she seemed delighted by all the sights, and sounds, and lights. Roger was meticulously making the rounds, checking all the moving parts and lights and every once in a while returning to squeeze Yvette’s hands. Her eyes were constantly wet with tears.
“Can Granny open her presents tonight?” Brittany said.
“That’s a great idea,” Hope said.
“I have all my presents,” Yvette said. “Every single one of them.”
“You mean you peeked?” Brittany said.
Yvette laughed. “You’re priceless,” she said. “I can’t wait until you open the ones from me.”
“You didn’t have to get us anything else,” Brittany said. “You’ve already given us so much.”
“I’m just sorry I didn’t cop on a year ago,” Yvette said.
“What does that mean?” Brittany said.
Yvette laughed. “It means I should have mended fences a long time ago.”
Brittany ambushed Yvette in a hug. “I forgive you.”
Yvette hugged Brittany back as carolers began to sing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” Hope looked around at this crazy group of people she called family. Definitely not perfect. At times downright annoying. Perhaps a little unconventional. And she couldn’t imagine it any other way.
“Mr. Jingles just stole a bag of marshmallows!” Brittany said.
“I’ll get him,” Josh said. He tore after the dog.
Harrison came to push Brittany around the grounds. Hope, Faith, and Joy wheeled Yvette to a private spot in the yard where they could gaze upon all the glittering lights and happy people.
In the distance Roger and Carla were walking together, weaving their way through the people and the lights.
“Thank you,” Yvette said. “You girls have performed true miracles.”
“We love you, Granny,” Joy said. She leaned down and hugged her. Soon Faith joined in and then Hope.
“Killing me with love,” Yvette said. “I guess it’s better than burning down my house.”
CHAPTER 41
They sat in the living room. It was well after midnight, but they were all still wide awake. Yvette seemed to have a new burst of energy, as if summoning everything she had to make every second count. She sat in front of a sea of presents.
“We were supposed to draw names,” she said. “What’s all this?”
“Turns out we’re not much of a name-drawing family,” Hope said.
“I’d rather you give these to someone else,” Yvette said. “You’re my gifts. Love is the only thing I get to take with me.”
“Start with this one,” Hope said. She handed her a package. Yvette’s hands were shaking too much, so Brittany and Josh helped her tear into it.
“Clementine oranges,” she exclaimed, running her fingers over them. “Like when I was a little girl.”
Once she got into it, Yvette seemed to have a blast opening all her presents. Ornaments with their pictures on them. A bottle of top-shelf whiskey. A mug for tea. A box of chocolates. A soft blanket. She exclaimed over each and every one of them. Roger stepped up and handed her a gift. They all watched as she unwrapped it. It was a picture frame that said: MOM.
* * *
“I never knew that people cried so much when they were happy,” Brittany said.
“Life is full of surprises,” Faith said. “Now go to sleep.”
“Will Granny make it until Christmas?”
“I don’t think so. But I think we’ve given her the best Christmas she could have ever asked for.”
“She’ll get to be an angel,” Brittany said.
Faith kissed her and pulled her blankets up. “Just like you,” she said.
* * *
Hope knew the minute she saw Roger’s face the next morning. She found him standing in the hall between Yvette’s room and the living room. Tears were running down his face and he was shaking.
“I’m so sorry,” Hope said. She reached out for him. He sidestepped her and headed out. She stood still and soon heard the slam of a door. She bit back her own grief and resisted the urge to go after him. She hurried to Yvette’s room and was at least grateful to find that her eyes were closed and she looked entirely at peace. She went and held her hand and kissed her cheek.
“I love you,” she said.
* * *
As per Yvette’s wishes, she was cremated. They had planned to spread her ashes in the woods, but they were waiting for Roger. He’d locked himself up in the cabin and not even Mr. Jingles had been allowed in. The dog paced through the house, whining. It was Christmas Eve Day and the festive mood they’d been in yesterday seemed so far away. Josh and Brittany had been crying all day. Harrison and Charlie had busied themselves in the kitchen, creating one comfort food after the other. Piles of bacon and coffee, and donuts for breakfast, macaroni and cheese for lunch, and now it smelled as if a roast was on for dinner. Stephen was being a good sport, bringing offerings to Roger’s cabin, and although Roger had opened the door each time and accepted the offerings, he still hadn’t let any of them in or come out himself. It was hard to lose a mother at any age, but they had no way of knowing for sure what mental age Roger was operating at, and impossible to know it on an emotional level. Hope wanted nothing more than to comfort him. The slam of his door and his tightly drawn curtains kept her from breaking in and forcing comfort upon him.
“I don’t feel right about celebrating Christmas anymore,” Brittany said.
“Me neither,” Josh said. “Can we just skip it?”
“We don’t have to force anything,” Faith said. “But Granny had a wonderful day with all of us yesterday. She would want us to be happy too. She would want us to celebrate with the best gifts we could ever ask for.”
“Xbox games?” Josh said.
“Each other,” Faith said. Josh didn’t look convinced.
“And Xbox games,” Joy said. “What?” she said off Faith’s look. “We all need a little something to boost our ratings.”
“I just want Roger back,” Brittany said. “I don’t want to celebrate Christmas without him.”
“Me neither,” Josh said. “And it looks like Mr. Jingles feels the same.”
“We’ll try,” Hope said. “But first things first. I think we should all call him Thomas, or Grandpa, or Dad.”
“Roger that,” Joy said. Hope threw a biscuit at her. Joy caught it in her mouth.
“Do we get to each open one present on Christmas Eve?” Joy said.
“Ah, the old tradition,” Faith said.
“Can we, Mom?” Brittany’s eyes lit up.
“You didn’t carry on the tradition?” Hope said.
“We only did it because Joy couldn’t stand to wait,” Faith laughed.
“And even then it was just a farce,” Carla said, biting into a piece of coffee cake. “Joy had already opened and rewrapped them all anyway.”
“You did?” Brittany sounded horrified and fascinated in equal measure.
Joy turned to her mother, mouth agape. “You knew?”
“We all knew,” Faith said. “The best part was watching you pretend to be surprised the next morning.”
“Well, I didn’t do it this year,” Joy said.
“It’s not Christmas yet,” Hope said.
“I’ll lock her in her room,” Harrison said. “She won’t be p
eeking this year.”
“Good luck with that,” Joy said. “You’ll be asleep before I can say ‘Twas the night before Christmas.’ ”
“How about a Scrabble tournament,” Austin said. “In Yvette’s honor.”
“We can make up words,” Hope said. “Tonight they all count.”
“I hope I get ‘glitty,’ ” Austin said. Hope looked out across the grounds. The lights were off out of respect for Yvette and Thomas. She glanced at a set of candles on the mantel.
“Are any shops still open?” she asked suddenly.
“It’s dark, but it’s actually only five p.m.,” Austin said. “There will be plenty open for those last-minute shoppers.”
“I knew you didn’t get my gift yet,” Joy said.
“Har, har,” Hope said.
“You’ve got that look in your eye,” Faith said.
“What look?” Hope said.
“She’s right, you do,” Joy said.
“What look?” Hope said.
“Don’t tell me you’re about to adopt every stray dog in the neighborhood on this Christmas Eve,” Faith said.
“Can we?” Brittany said. “Can we?” Mr. Jingles, either from hearing the word dog or from Brittany’s excitement, barked rapidly.
“We need candles,” Hope said. “Tons of them.”
Austin stared at her. “You do have a look,” he said. “What are you thinking?”
“Forget Scrabble,” Hope said, putting away the board. “What do you say we make real words instead?”
* * *
They bought all the candles they could get their hands on, plus used every one from their house and Austin’s house. It wasn’t an easy job, and it took hours, but they worked together and when they finished and lit them all, and stood back to gaze upon their efforts; it was all worth it. In large letters facing his cabin, with a heart before and after the words, the candles spelled out:
MERRY XMAS DAD
They didn’t have enough candles or time to spell out grandfather, but Hope assured the kids he would understand. The candles were flickering in the wind, but each person held a lighter and would be quick to ignite any that burned out.
“Now what?” Joy said.
“Now, we sing,” Hope said.
“Should we start with his favorite?” Faith asked.
The girls exchanged a look, then they started in on “Here Comes Santa Claus.” Finally, in the middle the curtain twitched. Then opened. Seconds later, Roger opened the door to the cabin and stood staring at the message. He looked up to find Faith, Hope, and Joy standing in front of him.