A long lane at night

2.14. GOOD INTENT Part 1

**JACK **

IT APPEARS TO BE THE FATE OF THIS FAMILY TO HAVE celebrations cramped on top of one another. My dads had their first kiss on dad Brian's birthday, which is also their dating anniversary and they had their engagement right next to it all. The twin's birthday is barely two weeks before dad Allan's. And now it's my turn! Alice's birthday is precisely one month before Christmas, but halfway through it, I have my dating and engagement anniversary with Nate. Talk about a busy holiday season for this family, right?

And the season was already busy enough for everyone involved as it was, thanks to my dad Allan. The man absolutely adores the date. He decorates the house far too early in advance. Now, put all of that together: it's still the first week of November and you have a highly-decorated-for-the-holidays large house that belongs to two rather famous people and it sits on what once was a public park, albeit a neglected one. Our house made the local news. Every. Single. Year.

'People rely on that, you know' said Nate one night, looking over my shoulder to see a picture of our front door on the screen in front of me. It was already showing my dad's work for this year. Lights everywhere. Everywhere. Every single tree was lit. The mounds across the pond had been transformed into what looked like Father Christmas's working village, full of little houses and elves carrying carts up and down little streets he created with pebbles. There was a huge tree in the centre of the pond. I still have no idea how he did that without creating a fire hazard, but he somehow got the fire department to check and approve it. He has a written permit for that tree and he has regularly scheduled maintenance visits! The house itself had lights along every edge, including the windows, and he was very clever here, for he placed the lights just outside the window edges enough to still frame them, but far away just about to keep the excessive light from going into the rooms. I actually reckon he had lots of help from Will there. The frozen lawn around us had fake animals with striped scarves looking expectantly up to the ceiling where dad Allan had put up a fake chimney with a life-sized doll of the big fat guy going down through it. Why didn't he use the real chimney? Because it gets cold as shit and we intend to use the fireplace, thank you very much.

'What do you mean that people rely on it?' I asked, looking away from the picture to face Nate. Behind him, through the window, I could see the tree in the centre of the pond.

'It's what tells them the holiday season has begun,' Nate answered in an amused voice. 'The town commerce preps for the end of the year during Halloween season and, as soon as your dad lights up the Big House, the shops are ready for the holidays. It's part of our culture already.'

I honestly had no words. At all. I stuck my chin out in an impressed face and Nate laughed at it.

'How does he have the time for all of that?' I asked, still sounding shocked. 'Only last night, we were discussing sitting arrangements for our wedding and two nights ago, he had a full brochure of caterers!'

'Jealous, Sunbeam?'

'In fact, I am! I only teach a few classes at Uni and I am overwhelmed by the number of assignments I have to grade in time for their finals.'

'In your defence,' Nate came to me, moving my growing hair out of my face and straddling me on the chair of the study, 'grading assignments isn't anywhere much as fun as decorating your home for your favourite time of the year and planning your kid's wedding. Come on, Jack, you dad is having the time of his life here!'

I kissed Nate, holding tight on his hips.

'And what do you say to us going upstairs and having some fun ourselves?'

Being the tired parents we were, we couldn't help but taking a nice nap in each other's arms once we were done.

The next Saturday morning had me, Nate, and dad Allan all happily sitting by the kitchen counter discussing more details of the wedding as we had breakfast.

'Let's talk venue, boys' dad Allan said. 'I think I found the perfect place.'

'Oh, I'm curious,' I said, pouring myself a bowl of cereal dunked in yoghurt, Nate's favourite, which I had learned to love. If I'm going to make serious decisions, I might as well munch on something tasty while at it. Alas, I was too slow. When I reached for a spoon, Nate reached for my bowl and was already chewing on what was now his cereal dunked in yoghurt.

I poured myself a second bowl and turned my attention to dad Allan.

'What do you have there, dad?' I asked, standing up and going to the fridge for the can of whipped cream. My intention here was only to see the shocked and jealous look of Nate's face and I succeeded. After I covered my bowl with the cream, I meant to return it to the fridge, but Nate stretched his bowl towards me with pleading eyes. I raised my brow at him, making him believe he would go ignored and, holding back my laughter, I matched his contents to mine.

'Until you stop that silent war and pay attention to me, I have nothing,' dad Allan said with a tempted look to my cereal bowl.

'If you steal that one, I'll put whipped cream on your pillow tonight,' I said with a faked serious voice.

'Betrayed by own son. Do you see that, Nate? Is that the man you wish to marry?'

'Why do you think I secured my own cereal?' Nate asked.

While dad Allan and Nate bantered, I made him a third identical bowl and placed a cherry on top of the cream because I knew he loved it.'

'Fine, you're forgiven,' dad Allan said. 'But just because of the cherry.' He dunked the fruit all the way down to the yoghurt, pulled it back up and placed the whole combination in his mouth. We all ate in silence for a few seconds before I finally spoke after swallowing. I was halfway through my bowl already.

'Will you show us the venue you found or what?'

'Oh, right! I forgot!' Dad Allan reached for another binder on the kitchen counter and plopped it open in front of me. I could see lots of pictures of this classic-looking large area inside what seemed to be an old building.

'The Grand City Library has an event area,' dad Allan explained, showing Nate and I more pictures. The place looked gorgeous. 'And they have date you guys agreed on totally free, I already asked. It sits nearly three hundred people, so our smaller party is sure to fit comfortably and we can arrange the space well so that it also doesn't look empty.'

'What do you think, Munchkin?' I asked, exchanging some pictures with Nate. The light walls contrasted the dark wooden floor and the walls were decorated with ornamented book shelves. Dad Allan showed us some other pictures, those of past wedding ceremonies that had already happened there. They all looked tasteful and, although the place looked expensive, it also gave the intimate feel we were hoping for.

'Can you picture yourself getting married to me in this hall?' Nate asked.

'I really can.'

Nate and I shared a sweet kiss and rubbed our noses against each other.

'Make the call, dad,' I said. 'That's where we're getting married in less than three months.'

'I knew you'd like it,' said dad Allan triumphally.