110: Holiday

Whitney had leave for one week at Christmas. She arrived at the house in her BDUs and stood inside the door until we’d all come to greet her.

“I’m about to get out of this uniform,” she said. “We are not required to wear any kind of uniform when we are off-base. In fact, we’ve been discouraged from wearing any uniform when off-base or not deployed except in transit between base and home. I expect that will become a regulation before long. But I was coming from the base to home. And I wanted my family, my cónyuge and my hearthmates to see this.” She pointed to her collar. There were now two silver bars connected by small bars on her pin. What the military calls railroad tracks. “As of two o’clock yesterday afternoon, I am Captain Whitney Anderson, USMC.”

“Captain! Wow! They kept their agreement,” I said.

“Brian, Marines always keep their agreements. Just like we always have,” she chided me.

“Well, now that we have seen your bars, Captain,” I grinned, “we have a house uniform for you while you are on leave. Let’s get you out of this one.” Rose and Dani came to help me undress Whitney in the entryway. It took a while to get her boots unlaced and off. The rest of the uniform came off pretty easily. Pretty soon, she stood there naked. I smiled at her.

“A new uniform?” she asked.

“You’re wearing it,” I said. I led her to the big chair and she cuddled in my lap. A few moments after we were settled, Xan crawled up with us. She saluted Whitney and then began petting her face before she settled against her chest and went to sleep.

I’d begun to wonder whether either Dani or Xan actually slept when they did this. They were certainly completely relaxed, but I had a feeling they were aware of everything that went on in the room. Whitney didn’t sleep. She cuddled Xan and snacked on the appetizers that were served as we all chatted about her new responsibilities.

Amazingly, Angela drew a lucky shift and came home for Christmas as well. With her boyfriend. It wasn’t a surprise to me. Even with her bizarre work schedule, I’d talked to Angela by phone at least once a month ever since she moved. I’d been in Minneapolis to broadcast in November and had met Del Olmquist when I was there. If you are thinking that name sounds kind of Scandinavian, you’d be right. He was so pale you’d think he’d never seen the sun. Even his hair was so blond it was almost white. The contrast between the two was like the keys on a piano. But he absolutely doted on Angela. He was a florist, of all things! They met in the hospital where he handled floral gifts for patients.

They stayed at Dinita’s house, of course, but when I asked him if he’d like to join us for a horseback ride, he said, “Yasure. Y’betcha.”

“I think I might keep him,” Angela whispered to me. “He’s not like a doctor. Del could move to wherever I decide I need to practice. I have a great opportunity to go to the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. It’s the new treatment center associated with The Hutch. It’s one of the top cancer research centers in the world. Brian, they are doing bone marrow transplants to treat non-Hodgkins lymphoma. If I can get there, we might be able to cure Doug completely.”

“No matter what, Angela, help as many people as you can. Doug’s doing okay right now, I think. If you find a good treatment, I promise I’ll get him there,” I said.

“I’ll do my best, Brian. Del said he’d go with me!”

“It sounds like you found the right guy, sweetheart. I like him.”

“And he’s a nudist. Do you know how rare that is in Minnesota? I keep the heat turned up in my apartment to encourage him,” she said. I laughed. I wondered how he was dealing with Dinita running around nude at her house.

“Brian, will you join me?” Joanne asked. She got home Wednesday night and as soon as I could get there Thursday morning, I was lying next to her on her bed. It had been strange the past couple years. She wanted us to be lovers. And we’d crossed that line once or twice. Then she was gone. Sometimes she was gone for two or three months, but she would come home for a week or two and tease me to her again. I stared into her eyes.

“Just a vacation?”

“That’s all. I don’t have any contracts. We don’t have to take anyone else with us, but if you want to, you can. We’ve just ... never spent that kind of time together. I think I’m going to retire soon. I want to make sure I am coming home to the man I love ... and his family.”

“I need to talk to my family. It’s always hard when I leave for a week. I have children, you know. And...”

“Shh. Brian, I know. I’ve accepted that we are not a couple. I accepted adoption into the tribe when I wouldn’t accept it into the clan and certainly not your casa. But I’m working on it. You could bring Dani. Or Rose or Rhonda. I know I would be fine with any of them. I just don’t know the others as well,” Joanne said. “I know you are all I want, Brian. And I think I’m ready to accept all that comes with you.”

“Joanne, you know I’ve always loved you. I have done a lot of growing the past few years, too. I understand the schedule you have. I understand your commitment to your career. I’ve got a television show now. But I think I can get a guest host for a week. You don’t need Adam to come with us, do you?” I asked.

“He can come with us all he wants,” she moaned. “But let’s leave him home this time.”

Lupe brought us lunch on two trays designed for use in Joanne’s big bed. I needed to find out where she found this bed. I was sure it was bigger than the one I had in the master suite.

It was strange not to have either Lamar or Lionel there to carry around the Yule log on Christmas Eve. Lionel had a game on Christmas day in Miami and Lamar, Donna, and family had gone to cheer him on. Carl and Josh did the honors. It was our ninth Christmas at the ranch and people had become comfortable with our rituals. They participated without being prompted as the log was carried around the town square and deposited on the fire.

“Cancer is in the fire,” Doug shouted. “I am still here!” We all cheered.

It was a crisp, clear night. There was a trace of snow on the ground. We were all bundled up in overcoats and parkas. The ritual was beautiful, but it moved along a lot faster outside than it used to when we held it inside. I knew, though, that a lot of people would move into the studio after the singing of ‘Silent Night.’ Others would move to their homes and bring guests with them. We were a village now, and not just a family.

Brett and Monte volunteered to be the fire tenders, making sure the log was completely burnt and that there were no live coals when they retired for the night. Both had completed the volunteer firefighter training program and knew how important their job was.

“Yes. Do it,” Rose said late that night as the casa gathered together in the big bedroom. The bedroom wasn’t as big anymore with the division to create a children’s dormitory. But we were all there. Angela had brought Del with her and I was amazed at how comfortably and easily he fit in with the family. It was the first time all our casa had been together in over four years.

“I agree,” Rhonda said. “You need some time to figure out what the future holds for you. I don’t think any of us need to go.”

“I don’t like missing Xan’s birthday,” I said.

“We’ll hold a special celebration the day you get back,” Dani said. “It’s the next day.”

“Whitney?”

“I have to report back to base by five p.m. on the twenty-sixth. I’ll be out of here before you leave.”

“I think it’s great,” Liz said. “You’ve needed to find out if you were compatible for more than a night for a long time. Bring her home to us. Even those of us who aren’t interested in girls don’t mind looking at her naked body. Get her out of her little mansion.”

I nodded. Okay. I’d tell her in the morning.

I was up early Christmas morning. There were only three children in the house. Céleste and Sharon, I knew, were sound asleep. Like their mother, they preferred not to get up until the last possible moment before they had to, even on Christmas morning. Xan, however, struggled up to her chair to watch me putter in the kitchen and talk in the morning. I’d made up all the cinnamon rolls the day before and they were ready to pop in the oven. Xan ‘helped’ me make the frosting. Mostly by licking the spatula. I gave her hot chocolate while I drank coffee and sang “It’s the hap-happiest time of the year.”

While the first batch of rolls was in the oven, I picked Xan up to take her to the big chair. First, though, she wanted to look at the stockings. We didn’t hang stockings for all the hearthmates. We still had a firm rule about only giving a token gift or none at all, but the children were different. Xan wasn’t interested in her own stocking, though. She had a little bag of gifts to put in Céleste’s and Sharon’s stockings. She made them origami swans. She debated a moment and then put one in her own stocking.

“Otherwise they’ll think Santa forgot me,” she whispered. I treasured the words. Her voice was soft and far more mature than any of the other siblings. She spoke to others now, but not often. We sat in the big chair and cuddled until the timer dinged and we needed to take out the cinnamon rolls. Fresh, hot, sticky, cinnamon buns meant a need for more coffee for me and a big glass of milk for Xan. She still preferred goat’s milk to dairy. By the time we were settled, Dani and Rhonda were both in the kitchen getting coffee. Sharon and Céleste padded downstairs and ran straight to the Christmas tree. Liz stumbled down shortly thereafter and got them up in their chairs for breakfast. Not satisfied to have just sweet things for breakfast, Rhonda and Dani were busy cooking up a healthy breakfast for the kids. Both of them were usually up at this hour. The café was closed today, so Dani didn’t need to rush out.

Gradually, over the next hour, my other cónyuge emerged from the big bedroom. We let the kids open their stocking gifts and I was surprised when Céleste looked carefully at her little origami swan and then hugged Xan. Apparently she figured out that wasn’t from Santa. Céleste proceeded to curl up on Nicki’s lap and explain all her gifts to her. Sharon did the same with Liz. Having already spent time with Dani, Rhonda, and me, Xan made her rounds, starting on Whitney’s lap and then moving to Elaine, Sam, Jen, Courtney, and finally to Rose, who was sitting with me in the big chair.

“Can we visit Ruth and Robert now?” Xan signed.

“I think that’s a good idea,” I said. “I know Grandma Bea will be up making something good for breakfast. Shall we put on our gis?”

Xan took my hand and led me upstairs so we could dress. Then we got our coats and walked together to the Clinton house.

“Merry Christmas, Precious,” Bea said as we came through the door. She winked at me, but it was obvious she was talking to Xan. Xan gave her a big hug and ran to see the babies. They were seven months old now and Cassie and Mary were feeding them. Josh was doing his best to get in the way and John was sitting at the table laughing. Xan gave each of the little ones an origami swan and then ran to crawl into John’s lap. I got sweet kisses from Cassie and Mary and a hug from Josh. Xan jumped from Grandpa John to Daddy Josh when she was given the opportunity to hold the babies.

Bea called me and I helped her carry the breakfast casserole and plates to the table.

Xan’s eyes got big.

“We ate breakfast,” she signed to me.

“It’s Christmas morning,” I said. “If you go with me to see everyone this morning, everyone will eat breakfast with us. You need to just eat a little and not get too full.” She nodded. She had definitely decided she was going to all the houses I visited today. I hoped she was up to the challenge.

We enjoyed breakfast and as soon as I’d had a chance to get oatmeally kisses from the babies, Xan and I headed for the Swifts. Jim and Jill were visiting for the holiday, but so were Claudia and Ken Harris and Sherriff Donaldson. The house was full and with Xan, there were seven children.

“Look what our son did,” Doreen said proudly. “When I came out this morning, he’d made the coffee and had fresh bread in the oven.”

“Matthew, that’s great!” I said. He beamed proudly and hugged Xan to him.

“I’m going to be a cook like Papa,” he said. “And talk to Ellie every morning.”

Rachel finished nursing Raven and handed her to me. We danced around the family room and she had a very big burp. Matthew asked for help slicing the bread. I was relieved. I didn’t think he needed to be wielding a bread knife yet. But we spread soft butter and sprinkled cinnamon and sugar on it for breakfast at the Swift house. Xan reached in her bag and gave an origami crane to each of the six children, even though I had to take the one for Raven and keep the baby from eating it.

In addition to playing with the kids, Xan spent time cuddling with each of the adults. Jim and Jill were pleased to have her treat them the same as any of the other grandparents. Sandy just loved her up one side and down the other. She and Doug had been planning to have a baby at the same time I was impregnating Rachel. Apparently, it just never took. Last before we left, Xan spent time in Doug’s lap, whispering in his ear.

That was one of the interesting things about Xan’s reluctance to speak. Usually, she used her voice only in a whisper so that only the person she was talking to could hear her. Doug whispered back to her and when he put her down, she signed ‘I love you, Daddy, ‘ to him. She had lots of daddies and lots of grandparents, but only one Papa. Still, Doug beamed at her.

We were off to the Cortales house. There were no children at this house, but Xan was no less exuberant in her greetings. Rhonda and Samantha had come over after our family breakfast in the big house. Amber, Judy, Monte, and Ross were also there. Xan spent less time with the younger adults, but spent a lot of time with Grandpa Sly and Grandma Lil. These two treated her like their own grandchild. Well, she was named after their youngest daughter. They were the first to volunteer if Dani and I needed Xan-care because we were working. Of course, Sylvia and Bart were always happy to have Xan with them, but they were usually only in residence on weekends. That had turned into a strange family, but I got Dani.

Lily was so captivated by playing with Xan that Samantha finally got the bread twist out of the oven and made coffee. She and Rhonda took over the kitchen while I talked to our younger clan members. Amber hugged me and gave me a few very friendly kisses.

“Can we travel together sometime?” she asked. “I just think it would be a lot of fun to work in the same town for a week. And sort of sleep together, if you know what I mean.”

I knew what she meant. She’d had a boyfriend for a while last year, but he couldn’t put up with her travel schedule. And he was a bit of a leech. She came home from one of her trips and found him living in her apartment. That lasted only long enough to have Monte, Rich, Ross, and Leonard show up to escort the guy out of the village.

Judy and Ross were definitely a couple and had moved into an apartment together. Ross was working on his PhD. In philosophy, of course. Judy had just received word that she was accepted into the Sheriff’s department. She had to go to a special police academy before she could become a deputy, but she was working in the office during the day and still functioning as our head of security for the studio, the office building, and the village.

Monte was a different case entirely. He was very close to Leonard and handled security for Designed by Leonard under Judy’s direction. But he had a different goal in mind.

“I’m number two in the fire department now,” he said softly. “I’m always here, so I’m usually the first one to the firehouse if we are called.”

“Mr. Jones says you are really getting into the work at the firehouse,” I said. “What is it you want?”

“I think I want to become the fire chief. I know at the moment, that’s just a pipe dream. Lee Jones is doing a great job as lead firefighter. But we’re almost at the point where we need someone to be dedicated to the job full time. I want to be the full time person who is responsible,” Monte said. “I know we have a long way to go yet. It’s a township position. But right now, I’m just devoting my time to taking care of the firehouse and equipment. I’m there. I’ll be there when the time is right.”