December 24, 1981 ~ Christmas Eve

“I hope Santa can find us here.” Victoria Belden stared wistfully out the window of her grandparents’ home in Sleepyside on the Hudson, New York. “I left a note under the tree telling him we’d be at G-Moms and Pops.”

“Geesh, Tori.” Her older sister, Virginia, sighed dramatically. “Don’t be so immature. Of course he knows where we are. Santa is Daddy. Daddy was putting all our presents in the car trunk before he drove us up from Virginia. Daddy bought your Christmas presents at the store, just like he did for your birthday last week!”

“If Santa’s Daddy, why do I get two sets of presents every year and not just one?” Tori repeated the explanation given by her mother the first year she had questioned the existence of Santa Claus.

“Ginny! Tori!” Their grandmother called out from the kitchen. “Will you come help me with these cookies?”

“Daddy?” Tori walked across the family room to where her father sat, as her sister ran into the kitchen. “Daddy?”

Brian Belden glanced up from the book he was reading. “Mmm?”

“It’s okay to pretend, isn’t it, Daddy?”

“Pretend what?” Brian pushed his glasses back up on his nose and looked over at his daughter.

“I know you’re Santa Claus, but I can pretend he’s real. It’s not stupid to pretend. Is it?” She tried to climb up on the arm of the sofa.

Brian stared silently, trying to come up with the right answer. “You can believe whatever you want.”

“You’re too slow. I ate all the cookies.” Ginny came in from the kitchen with a cookie in each hand.

“At least I won’t get fat like you!”

“Well, you’re ugly.” Ginny threw a cookie at her sister.

“You’re fat and ugly.” Tori picked up some crumbs from the floor and tried to throw them at her sister.

“What are you two hooligans up to?”

“Aunt Trixie!” Both girls ran across the room and tried to hug their aunt simultaneously. “You got off work!”

“Freeze!” Trixie almost fell over as the two girls ran into her. “What’s all this arguing and name calling going on in here? Am I going to have to arrest someone?”

“She was…”

“Was not. She started…”

“Was, too.”

“She’s...”

“Stand back.” Trixie stood up straight and stepped in between the two sisters.

“We’re not...”

“I said,” Trixie said, taking each girl gently by the arm. “There will be no arguing, fighting, disagreements or speaking loudly! OR I will personally make sure that Santa...”

“Santa isn’t...” Ginny stopped mid-sentence when she saw her aunt’s threatening glare.

“I’m sorry, Aunt Trixie.”

“Thank you, Tori.” Trixie paused. “But you should be apologizing to Ginny, not me.”

Both girls looked up at Trixie and then at each other.

“I’m sorry.” They mumbled in unison.

“That’s better. Now I want both of you to clean up those crumbs and then you can check out what I left on the kitchen table. I think you will...”

Both girls ran out of the room before Trixie could finish.

“Hey, I said...” Trixie shrugged and began picking up the largest crumbs from the floor in front of her brother. “How can you sit and read with all that going on?”

“Who? All what?” Brian had returned to reading his book.

“Darnit, Brian. Your girls were right in front of you and you didn’t even...”

“I was reading! I was taking a mental break.”

Trixie took off her coat and sat down next to him. “Brian, Moms said you haven’t said two words to the girls since you got here yesterday. They spent the entire day with her while you’ve been...I don’t know what you’ve been doing.”

“They enjoy spending time with…”

“If I recall correctly, your favorite Christmas carol is Good King Wenceslas.” Trixie paused before singing, “Ye who now will bless the poor, Shall yourselves find blessing.”

“They aren’t poor! They have everything they need.”

Trixie crossed her arms in front of her. “They are begging for some attention from you.”

Brian jumped up from the sofa. “I spend as much time as I can with them. I work long hours. I’m a doctor, dammit! A Navy doctor! They’re lucky I’m not stationed overseas! They have everything they need.”

Trixie jumped up behind him. “It’s Christmas Eve and you ignored them all day. This is their first Christmas since their mother died. I know you’re hurting, but they’re hurting, too. You lost your wife, but you’re going to lose your daughters if you aren’t careful. You need to put that damn book down and…They …They need more than material things. They need YOU, Brian!”

“You don’t know what...”

“I know more than you realize. I know they spend all their time with a paid nanny. She might be capable but she’s not...”

“I don’t need to have you nagging me about my parenting skills!” Brian threw his book onto the sofa and stormed into the kitchen. The girls were sitting at the table drinking cocoa and talking excitedly about the books that their Aunt Trixie had given them.

“Daddy! Look what Aunt Trixie gave us.” Tori held up a book. “Ramona Quimby, Age Eight!”

Brian opened the refrigerator without responding. “Isn’t there anything to drink here? Dad? Dad? Where’s the beer?”

“There’s lots to drink, Daddy. There’s more cocoa in the pan...”

“I don’t want cocoa.” He jerked open the door to the service porch. “I’m going to get a drink.” He grabbed his coat from the hook where it was hanging and slammed the door shut as he went out.

The snow that had been threatening all day had finally arrived and his car was covered with a heavy wet white coating. He grabbed a scraper from the back seat and cleaned off the windshield, cursing the entire time.

After over an hour of driving around Westchester County on slick roads, Brian was ready to give up and return to Crabapple Farm, but at least now he was calmed down enough to deal with his daughters and apologize to his sister and the rest of the family. He was cutting through the village of Chappaqua when he saw the neon “OPEN” sign in the window of a small grocery and skidded to a stop. He mumbled his thanks as he backed the Volvo into a space in front of a Lincoln Town Car.

Grabbing a basket, he headed straight for the refrigerated beer case and placed two six packs of Heineken into it. He hesitated before adding a third, but decided he might need them to get through the next few days. Deciding that he shouldn’t waste a trip to a gourmet deli he wandered over to the look at cheeses, hoping he might find something exotic enough to make amends to his mother and sister. His behavior that evening had been despicable. He knew he was neglecting his daughters; that he’d allowed his personal loss and grief to consume him when they were grieving, too. He was thinking that he might make up for some of his neglect over the next few days.

“Excuse me.” He accidentally bumped a young woman in a long cashmere coat with his heavy basket as he squeezed past her in the narrow aisle. He stopped suddenly and looked back in shock.

“Honey? Honey Wheeler?” Honey had grown up next door to the Belden family and remained one of his sister’s best friends. He had been close friends with her brother. But they were now scattered and he only spoke with her brother a few times a year. He knew she and his sister remained in contact, but he had thought she was attending graduate school somewhere in Canada. Just that morning, Trixie had given him an update on all their high school friends, but he’d barely heard anything she said. It sometimes seemed as if the adventures of their club, The Bob Whites of the Glen, had never happened.

The slender young woman turned towards him and stared blankly.

“It’s Brian.” He touched her arm. “Brian Bel...”

“Oh, my gosh! It is you! I didn’t...What, what are you doing in Chappaqua? And when did you start wearing glasses?”

Brian pulled her into a tight hug. “It’s me. How long has it been?”

“At least five years.” Honey stepped back. “I’m so sorry about Terri. I wanted to go to the funeral but...”

“I understand. Trixie explained.” Trixie had said something, but he didn’t remember what.

“I should have called or...”

“I understand. Really.”

“Are you still living in Naples? No, I remember that Trixie said you’d moved back to the states.”

“I’m home for Christmas. I...we...ah, we’re living in Portsmouth right now. Portsmouth, Virginia.”

“So you’re still in the Navy?”

Brian nodded. “For a few more months.”

“And the girls?”

“They’re okay. A handful, but...” He shrugged.

“How old are they?”

“Victoria is eight and Virginia, Ginny, is ten. Ten going on twenty some days. Moms and Trixie are watching them right now.”

“Do you have a photograph?”

Brian pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and opened it. “This is a little dated. It…it was taken in Naples.”

“They’re beautiful. Terri, too. So, how’d you end up in the Village Market at this hour on Christmas Eve?” Honey laughed lightly, trying to change the subject.

Not wanting to admit he had traveled halfway across Westchester County looking for beer, he glanced nervously around the store. “I was looking for...ah...ah...cream. Where do you think...”

“Heavy or regular? Or would half and half do?”

“Heavy? I don’t know.”

“What do you need it for?”

“Ah...ummm...pies. Yeah. Moms needs it for, for pies.” Brian had never been good at lying. “Ah, whipped cream.”

Honey glanced at the beer in his basket and smiled. There’d been a time when she’d used lame excuses for trips to the liquor store. She walked over to the dairy case, opened a door, and pulled out a pint of heavy cream as well as a large carton of eggnog.

“Thanks.” Brian took the cream and placed it in the basket. “Oh. And cheese. I’d like some...ah...French cheese.”

Honey then walked over to a display and pulled out three wrapped wedges of cheese. “Camembert, Brie de Meaux, or Roquefort? Although I really think peanuts or pretzels might go better with that beer and they are a whole lot cheaper than any of these.”

Brian smiled sheepishly. “I...It...” He held up the basket. “This is for later.” He took all three of the cheeses and placed them in the basket, then looked around. “I guess this is...”

Honey grabbed a box of crackers and tossed it on top of his basket. “You might as well buy those while you’re here.”

He followed Honey to the front register where they got in line behind a man buying several cases of wine. Honey turned and whispered that she hoped he wasn’t drinking all of that himself and Brian laughed, not knowing what to say since he’d planned to drink almost as much beer alone.

Finally, Honey stepped up to the register and paid for her eggnog. She turned to wish Brian a Merry Christmas when he took her arm. “You never said what you’re doing in Chappaqua.”

“It...it’s a long story. It’s complicated.”

Brian quickly paid for his purchases and followed Honey out into the cold. “Is this yours?” He motioned to the Lincoln as Honey walked between the two parked cars. “What happened to your Mustang?”

Honey paused to look back at him and smiled. “Oh, my parents...I...sold it. This is a little more appropriate for Chappaqua. Looks like you’ve gone suburbanite too. What ever happened to your jalopy?”

Brian opened the trunk of his car, placed two six packs and the rest of the groceries in and held up the third six pack of beer. “I got rid of the Nash ages ago. Join me. I’d like to hear about what’s ‘ah, complicated’. I’ll scrape your windshield for you as repayment.” He offered his most endearing smile. “Just a drink. One beer...for old times.”

Honey shook her head and reached inside her car for the scraper. “I need to...” She looked up at him and tossed it back into the car. “Why not? My car or yours?”

Brian slammed the trunk closed and walked around to the passenger side of the Volvo. “Your chariot awaits, milady.” He bowed as he opened the door.

Honey slid in and he jogged around the car and got in behind the wheel, placing the six-pack on the seat between them before starting the car and turning up the heat. He took one beer from the carton, then reached into the pocket of his trousers and pulled out a pocket knife. “Dad always said to carry a pocket knife at all times. You never know when you might need it.” He slid out the can opener and took the cap off of the bottle. Handing it to Honey, he pulled another bottle from the carton and did the same.

“To...to...whatever.”

“To old times. To now.” Honey offered as the two clinked bottles and drank. She giggled when some dibbled down her chin. “I’ve never quite mastered drinking from a bottle.” She started to take another sip when Brian reached over and wiped her chin.

“You’re far too elegant to be drinking beer from a bottle.”

“Oh, I would never say that!” Honey blushed as she took another drink.

“So, Honey, are you going to explain complicated?” Brian broke the silence after a while.

“The snow is beautiful, isn’t it?” She reached over and tapped her bottle against Brian’s. “To snow.”

Brian tilted his bottle back and emptied it. He then opened another and held it out towards Honey. “To snow.”

“I’m seeing someone.” Honey finally blurted out.

Brian almost choked. He stared at her silently for several moments. He vaguely recalled Trixie telling him that Honey and Chip had divorced. He tried to remember what, if anything, she might have said about a new boyfriend. Or maybe Jim had told him something. Trixie called him regularly, and Jim had too since he’d lost Terri, but he barely recalled anything they ever said. He was totally overwhelmed by his responsibilities and his grief.

“Who is he?”

Honey laughed nervously. “I doubt you know him. He’s an architect.” Honey waited as Brian took another drink. “I’ve known him forever. He’s...his family...they’re old family friends. His mother and mine actually went to school together.”

“Is it serious?”

“I’m not sure. He proposed over Thanksgiving, but I haven’t given him an answer yet. That’s why I wasn’t at your parents’ open house. I was with him.”

“I didn’t make it up over Thanksgiving. I didn’t...I didn’t know.”

“Trixie knows all about him. She met him several months ago. He...has a house here in Chappaqua. I’m...I just made this quick run for eggnog.”

“Your first Christmas together and you went out alone in a snow storm?”

“He’s a good guy, Brian. He knows about...about Chip and, well, everything.”

Brian took a long slow drink. “Do you love him?”

Honey stared out at the snow. “How about opening another one for me?”

Brian opened another bottle and handed it to her. “Do you love him?” he repeated.

“He’s a good man. He’s...” She took a drink. “I can’t lie to you. I’m not sure. But I was head over heels for Chip and...look how that turned out.”

“Well, you look good...” They tapped bottles again. She didn’t look happy, though, Brian thought. But how could he make any judgment about happiness when he was anything but happy himself?

“Trixie keeps me up on what you’re doing. Jim, too. I know the past year has been rough. But it’d be nice to hear from you sometimes.” Honey said softly. “I miss the...” She reached into her purse and pulled out a small notepad and pen. “My phone number and address.” She scribbled on the pad, tore off the top sheet and handed it to him. “I don’t work. I’m home alone…a lot. If you ever need to talk...or whatever. I’ll be back in the City tomorrow evening.”

Brian hesitated before taking the paper. He took out his wallet and placed the paper inside; then offered his beer up in a toast.

“To...to...”

“To innocence.” Honey finished for him as she tapped her bottle against his.

The two old friends finished their beers in silence, watching the snow pile on the ground around the cars. The only interruption was when Brian periodically turned on the wipers to clear it from the windshield.

Finally, Honey placed her empty bottle beside the others in the carton and said she really needed to go. The architect would be worried.

“Are you okay to drive?” She’d had only two beers compared to his three, but she was half his weight. Brian was concerned.

“I’m fine. It’s only a few blocks and...” She opened the car door.

“Do you want me to follow you?”

“No! Oh, no.” She kissed him quickly on the cheek and started to get out, but Brian pulled her to him and kissed her on the lips. She lingered before pulling away and getting out of the car.

Brian opened his door and followed her. “I did promise to clean your windshield.”

He watched as Honey got into the Lincoln and started the motor. The wipers cleared most of the snow from her windshield, but Brian brushed off the rest. He stepped back and waited as she backed the car up and pulled out of the parking space.

Brian stood in the street and watched as the taillights disappeared into the night. He got back into the Volvo and sat for some time, staring at the phone number on the slip of paper. Their kiss had tasted of beer, but it stirred sweet memories. For just a moment he was back in school, feeling that old pang of adolescent longing, and wishing for what would never be. Or could it? He’d only know if he called the number on the paper.

December 25, 1981 ~ Christmas Day

The roads were slick and Brian had to drive cautiously back to Sleepyside. The house was dark except for a light by the service porch and one in the kitchen when he finally arrived back at his parents’ home. But the long drive had given him time to reflect on his boorish behavior of the past few days; especially how badly he’d treated his daughters.

He’d suffered greatly since Terri had died. He knew he was entitled to grieve over the untimely and sudden death of his wife, but Tori and Ginny’s loss had been even greater than his own. They were young children trying to cope with their mother’s death. He had done very little in the past few months to ease their loss. He only hoped that he could set aside his personal anguish and be the parent they deserved. He knew that loving and caring for their daughters would be the best way to honor Terri.

He parked his car behind the others in the driveway and trudged through the snow to the barn. He had stashed all of his gifts in a small storage room, locked away from curious family members. He chuckled softly as he removed the padlock from the door and took out several wrapped packages. His mother and sister were just as likely to try sneaking peeks as his two young daughters.

He was surprised to find his sister dozing on the sofa in the family room.

“Trixie? Why aren’t you...”

“I thought you might need some help...wrapping or putting together or...whatever.” Trixie rubbed her eyes as she sat up.

“I took care of all that earlier today.” Brian set down his load and glanced at his watch. “Yesterday. That was some of that time I was neglecting...”

“I’m sorry, Brian.” Trixie ran over and hugged him. “That was totally uncalled for. I had no business saying that.”

“No. I needed to hear it. I also needed to get out of the house. I was a total ass. But I did have time to realize that...” Brian choked on his words. “My girls...they need me. And I need them, too. I have more packages in the barn.” Brian turned quickly and headed back towards the kitchen. “Could you help arrange those around the tree? I’m not sure how Moms wants them,” he called out as he left.

Brian made two additional trips to the barn and back, while Trixie mixed his gifts with the multitude of packages already piled around the large pine tree.

“What all did you get? It looks like you bought out Toys R Us!” she commented when her brother finally announced that was all.

“I probably did try to compensate for my lack of attention.” Brian struggled out of his overcoat. “But they didn’t get much the two years we were in Naples. The apartment was small and we didn’t want to deal with shipping it all when we moved back to the states. Neither girl asked for much this year, so I consulted with Diana and I just got what she suggested. I would imagine she and Mart got even more for their kids.”

“How about some cocoa?” he asked as he headed into the kitchen.

“I thought you didn’t like cocoa?” Trixie glanced back at the tree in amazement as she followed her brother.

“I’m not ready to go to bed.” Brian got a pan from the cupboard. “What I really want are some cookies...and company.”

Trixie laughed as she took some cookies out of one of the many sealed containers on the counter and carried them over to the kitchen table. “I’m always ready for some of Moms’ cookies...and company.” She sat down and watched as her brother worked at the stove. “Do you make cocoa the same way as Moms?”

“I had to call her to find out how after...It was all the girls wanted for weeks after Terri...died.” Brian sighed. It was difficult to say the word, but also cathartic.

They both waited silently as the cocoa warmed and Brian poured it into two mugs. He carried them over to the table and handed one to Trixie.

She took sip. “Perfectly perfect, as Honey would say.”

“That’s part of why I wanted to talk.” Brian sat down across from her and grabbed a cookie. “I ran into Honey tonight. In Chappaqua.”

“You were all the way over in Chappaqua?”

“I told you I drove around and did a lot of thinking. I couldn’t find a store open...there’s beer and cheese in the refrigerator by the way...” Brian chewed slowly on the cookie. “I ended up at that small gourmet market in Chappaqua.”

“She’s dating someone who lives there.”

“She told me. An architect.” Brian paused dramatically.

“She’s living near Columbia. I’ve been there a few times but I’m so busy with work and she’s been busy going to school and…”

“Dating the architect.”

“I don’t think it’s serious. He’s...I don’t know. I think he’s comfortable; convenient maybe.”

“She gave me her phone number.”

“As a friend or to call her?” Trixie leaned across the table.

“And I thought Diana was the matchmaker of the family.” Brian laughed and took a sip of cocoa. “I don’t know, Trix. I think maybe…but the architect...What is his name anyway?”

“It’s not important. What is important is that I think you need to call her. As a friend...but if it becomes more...Who knows?”

“Yeah. Who knows?”

Brian and Trixie sat up talking for some time. Brian had barely fallen asleep when Ginny and Tori were pulling him out of bed and down the stairs. The girls' squeals of delight at the snow covered landscape outside as well as the mounds of gifts under the tree in the family room had awakened everyone except Brian before dawn. However, the tradition in the Belden household was that no one opened presents until everyone was up. Someone thrust a steaming mug of coffee in his hand and he sat on the sofa. “Okay, who’s playing Santa this year? Who gets to open a present first?” He called out.

While he probably had tried to compensate for his failings as a father the past year by buying every item suggested by his sister in law as well as the sales clerk at the toy store, the two girls were overwhelmed with surprise and gratitude. Brian could barely contain his own joy while he watched them and the rest of the family enjoy the gifts he’d purchased.

There was a Nintendo Entertainment System with the latest games, Donkey Kong and Frogger, for the both of the girls; although he insisted they had to share it with him. There were the latest fashions, including work-out clothes and Chucks in their favorite colors, a Walkman for each girl, and lots of books. Terri had passed her love of music and reading to both of their daughters. He’d even managed to find a signed first edition of The Secret Garden for Ginny. The girls’ stockings were stuffed with cassette tapes, Rubik’s Cubes, hair bands and other items suggested by Diana. Their squeals of delight, hugs and kisses had him almost forgetting that Terri wasn’t with them. Almost.

The girls had changed into their new clothes and were singing and dancing along with Olivia Newton-John when his brothers, their wives and families, as well as several friends and neighbors began arriving that afternoon.

“Physical! Let’s get Phizzzz-ah-chal.” Mart put on a headband and began bouncing around the room with his neices. He then invited his three boys to join them in a contest began to see who could sing and dance the loudest.

“Physical! Let’s get Phizz-ah-chal!” They all sang as they jumped up and down. “Physical!”

“What have you started, Mart?” Brian held his hands over his ears.

“That’s joy, my most senior brother. Or are you too cantankerous to recognize it?” Mart collapsed onto the sofa next to Brian.

“I know what it is. But it still hurts my ears when you try to sing.” Brian leaned back and laughed heartily, realizing it was the first time he’d truly laughed in months. The joyful noise served to remind him that, while his life was anything but perfect, he was blessed. He went to bed that evening with his stomach filled with his mother’s cooking, his mind eased with the knowledge that he had family and friends, and his heart warmed by their love and understanding. He also knew that he could and would return home to Sleepyside when his service in the Navy ended

December 26, 1981 ~ Feast of St. Stephen’s Day

Brian woke early on the day after Christmas. He’d slept well, perhaps better than he had in almost a year. He had hesitated taking a full week’s leave to spend at his parents’, but now welcomed the extra time to spend with his girls, away from the stress of school and work and, especially the reminders of Terri. He also decided he should use the time to shop for a house to rent or buy. While he had no guarantee of employment if he moved to Sleepyside, he felt the act of looking at houses would reassure his daughters, as well as himself, that they had a secure and happy future. One where there would be family and friends to help feel the void in their lives.

They met with a realtor who showed them several rental properties. It took only mild pleading from his daughters and a smile from the realtor to convince him to sign a twelve-month lease with the option to buy on a charming Cape Cod in Sleepyside. It would be freshly painted and ready for their occupancy on February 15. Brian’s tentative discharge date was February 1. It would take at least two weeks for them to make the move from Virginia.

“Will we each have our own room?” Ginny asked as they left the real estate office.

“You saw. There’s one room downstairs and two upstairs. We’ll each have a bedroom, but we have to share a bathroom,” Tori pointed out.

“There are two bathrooms for three people. We had one bathroom for six when I was your age.” Brian laughed. “I think you girls can share a bathroom.”

“I like having a room with slanted walls. Will I be able to paint it lavender?” Tori looked back at the house, longingly.

“I want blue,” Ginny said.

“I think we can arrange that.” Brian hugged both girls before unlocking the car. “Ms. Sell said we could pick out any paint colors we want.

“What color will you have in your bedroom, Daddy?” Tori climbed in and buckled her seat belt as her father shut the door.

“I think I’ll leave all the decorating up to you girls. Maybe G-Moms or Aunt Diana can help.”

“Aunt Trixie, too?” Tori asked. “I want her to help me decorate my room.”

The girls were out of the car and halfway to the house before it came to a complete stop in the driveway of Crabapple Farm. G-mom! G-mom! We bought a house!”

Brian’s mother was trying to decipher what they were saying when Brian entered the kitchen.

“My room is going to be lavender and Ginny’s blue. And Aunt Trixie can help me decorate.” Tori was chattering while struggling out of her coat.

“Daddy said I can take ice skating lessons after we move. We’ll be able to skate on the Wheeler lake just like he used to,” Ginny added. “And we’ll both be going to the same school that he did.”

“And Aunt Trixie and Uncles Mart and Bobby went there when they were kids.”

“It has a big yard, G-mom!”

“And lots of trees, too.”

“You bought a house?” Moms took the girls coats and hung them on hooks. “A house with a red door and blue shutters?”

Brian hung his coat next to the girls’. “That little Cape Code on the corner of Lee and Locust? I rented it.”

“You WHAT? You rented the Danley house?” His mother took a tin of cookies from the counter and set it on the table. She turned and pulled her son in a hug. “You’re moving home? You and the girls are coming home?”

After Brian and the girls had shared the details of the afternoon and their plans for moving, he left the girls to share cookies and decorating ideas with their grandmother and headed upstairs to put away the legal documents. He was surprised to find Trixie sitting on the hall floor, speaking softly into the phone.

“I know. I love you so much. This is getting really, really old. I’ve lost my passion for it,” he heard her whisper. It sounded like she was talking about work, but he’d always thought she loved her job. Of course, he knew it placed as much, if not more, stress on her personal life as being a Navy doctor had on his own.

He walked by her to his room, placed the papers in his satchel and pulled out a small scrap of paper.

“Call her.”

Brian startled, almost dropping the paper. He turned to Trixie, who was standing in the doorway.

“Call her. Don’t miss this opportunity.” She turned and walked away.

Brian looked down at the paper again.

“Aunt Trixie! We’re moving to Sleepyside!” He heard Tori greet her aunt downstairs.

He walked out into the hall, picked up the phone headset and held it up as if to offer a toast.

We drank a toast to innocence
We drank a toast to time
Reliving in our eloquence
Another 'auld lang syne'

Ryl

Yes, I had to good fortune to draw your name again this year. It made it a bit challenging to personalize this story, but I knew for certain you would be surprised! I am honored to offer this humble story as gratitude for you encouragement and friendship (and hospitality at WWW).

Merry Christmas, my friend!

PatK

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