the twenty-first century ellinghams

chapter five: home

     stevie loved many things about their home in burlington, the layout being one of them. whatever family that had lived there before them must have had a grudge against walls, because the entire first floor had barely any. she was able to see practically everything from the kitchen island or the couch. then, there was the second floor that had all the bedrooms. when company came over, she was able to throw all of their crap upstairs and worry about it another day. finally, there was the basement that, while being unfinished and definitely a little scary at night, was the perfect space for their laundry room and storage. they pull into the garage after a car ride of easy silence, just enjoying the christmas music on the radio.
     "i just have a quick phone call to make, but i'll see you inside," david says.
     "see you inside," she says, not thinking anything of it. she gets out of the car and walks inside where she finds becky reading on the couch.
     "hey," becky says quietly, putting down her book. "how was it?"
     "amazing. thank you so much for staying with us these past few days. it's been such a huge help between setting up for the event, and dana's preschool being on break for the holidays, and henry's day care as well, and just... thank you," stevie says, with a grateful sigh. "how was everything here?"
     "absolutely perfect, they've been in bed for hours. they are both very excited for christmas."
     "i hear that," stevie says, nodding. "i am in desperate need of a hot shower, can i do anything for you before i do? is everything ready for your flight back home tomorrow? or today, i guess."
     "i'm all good, but thank you for asking. go, go, enjoy your shower," becky says with a smile, shooing stevie with a hand.

     after a quick check on dana and henry, she quickly got out of the dress and into the shower. the hot shower was exactly what stevie needed. it helped with her sore feet and wiped away all of her makeup and product in her hair. but the hot water made her realize just how exhausted she is. she pulls on a robe and wraps her hair in a towel and walks out of the master bathroom into the bedroom. she finds david sitting on the bed, his back parallel with the headboard, writing on a legal pad. he had already changed into pajamas and had the national evening news on in the background.
     "what're you writing?" stevie asks as she pulls some sweats, a shirt, and underwear out of her dresser.
     "one second..." david says, focused in on whatever it was he was writing. she gets dressed and returns her towel and robe to their hooks on the bathroom door. when she returns, david is finishing whatever he was working on. "okay... done." he flips over the legal pad to show her a very filled, but very organized list.
     "what is it?" she asks, walking over to the other side of the bed to sit next to him.
     "it's a sort of itinerary for the next few days," he says as she sits on the bed next to him. "everything that it going to happen is written down, so that we don't forget anything and can be as organized as possible. it will hopefully lead to a more stress-free holidays, or as stress-free as the holidays can get. and i-" he looks over at her from the notes and finds her smiling at him. "what?"
     "nothing, nothing," she says. "i've just never seen you so organized before."
     "yeah, well. it's just... this is the first time we'll be traveling somewhere for the holidays instead of having it here. i know we've explained it to the kids, but it just seems like a thing that could easily become a train wreck and..."
     "babe, i get it. it'll all be okay, okay? it's gonna be great. and, bonus, this way we don't have to cook or clean, and we'll even be getting a little help with the whole santa thing. it'll be great." she rests her head on his shoulder and feels him exhale a little bit.
     "it will be great, you're right," he says.
     "of course i am," she says, with a small laugh. "but, still, read me the plan. fill me in."
     "okay," he begins. "tomorrrow, or i guess today because it's after midnight, the 23rd. i'll drive my mom to the airport in the morning, and then, we'll have a super fun and festive afternoon and night with the kids. we'll watch all the movies, hot chocolate, candy canes, the whole thing. then, on the 24th, we'll leave early in the morning, so that we can be at my mom's house by mid-afternoon. we'll have christmas eve dinner and everything with my mom, us, allison, and jack. then on the 25th, your parents will join all of us for the day. then, sometime of the 26th, we'll leave to come home and get to enjoy the rest of our break here. am i forgetting anything?"
     "did you schedule in time to breathe?" she asks.
     "there will be plenty of time to breathe next year. boom, new year's resolution, breathe more," he replies sarcastically. she gestures for the legal pad, and he hands it over to her. she then places it on her nightstand, getting rid of the temptation. david is about to object when she raises a finger, silencing him.
     "you," she says. "are in desperate need of a good night's sleep. you need to be fully alert when you drive your mom to the airport in the morning, and worrying isn't going to help anyone. now," she grabs the remote and turns off the tv. she places the remote on her nightstand and turns off her lamp. "i'm going to bed. good night, david." her voice is very matter-of-fact, and david laughs a little bit, but follows orders. he turns off his lamp, making the room entirely dark. 
     "good night, captain," he says, using a mocking version of stevie's matter-of-fact voice.