The Piggy Bank (AIO Christmas Fic)

The Present

Despite having been put away in an organized fashion, the string of lights for the Christmas tree were in a tangle, anyways. Buck had volunteered to detangle them, while Katrina worked to sort through the boxes of ornaments—preparing to put them on the still-bare-tree. And as Eugene returned to the living room, Buck looked up from the lights in his hands. "Did you get the ornament?"

  "I did. Fortunately, Sparky didn't break it." He answered, showing off the slobber-covered red, and silvery ornament. "Nothing a simple polish shan't resolve." Eugene added, then showing the rag in his hand that he'd taken from the kitchen. "Good, I don't want the dog breaking any more ornaments like he did last year." Katrina told, just as the pet in question quietly trotted back to where everyone was.

  Upon earning a stare from both Eugene and Buck, Sparky instantly put on the "woe is me" act, hanging his head down in shame. Buck couldn't help but chuckle at the sight, as his dog "shamefully" made his way to his pillow in the corner of the room. "Don't worry, mom. I'll keep an eye on him while we decorate." He assured her. Katrina smiled. "Thank you... Oh,"

  "What?" Reaching into the bottom of the box she'd been sorting through, Katrina pulled out a small, porcelain figure, which resembled a shepherd kneeling down. "Aha! There's that shepherd!" Laughing a little, Katrina held the shepherd up for Buck to take. "Not sure how he ended up inside here, but can you put him in the manger scene please, Buck?"

  "Yup." Moving the bundle of lights all onto his left hand, Buck used his free hand to take the figurine from his mother to place with the rest of the scene on the fireplace mantle. He put the shepherd down next to the two others. Then, he looked over the scene again—now that all the figurines were in their place. The porcelain manger scene had been set up in the center of the mantle shelf, between the few other things adorning it. Such as, a few family photos, and a ceramic piggy bank.

  For a moment, Buck's attention lingered on the piggy bank. He'd never meant to ask about it, but had noticed it didn't seem to match any other decor in the house. The teen assumed it was something Katrina had picked, or something like that. "Hey, mom?" Katrina glanced back at her son. "Yes?"

  "Where'd this piggy bank come from?" The question had caught Eugene's attention. "It's a 'family heirloom', you could say." Katrina answered, adding, "It's actually your dad's." His curiosity now piqued, Buck turned around to look at Eugene. "Really?" His dad nodded in confirmation. "Indeed. My grandmother hand painted it, and my grandfather went on to gift it to me on the last Christmas I saw him."

  "Wow. How long ago was that?" Buck wondered. "Several years ago. I was only two at the time." Eugene answered. "My grandfather had also given me a silver dollar to put inside the piggy bank. He told me that, if I kept the bank with him, there'd be another silver dollar to take out the following year." He retold. Katrina hummed. "You remember that?"

  "Not entirely, that's only what I was told years later. All I do remember is a room, the tree, a smiling face, and a silver dollar in that piggy bank." Eugene answered her. "So, your granddad told you to leave the piggy bank with him... but you just said that's the last Christmas you saw him." Buck noted, to which his dad nodded. "It was, and I did leave the piggy bank with him." Buck still looked a bit puzzled. "You didn't see him again the next Christmas? Why...?"

   "Well, the reason why that had been our last Christmas together, was because of an argument between my father and him. About the archeological expedition to Africa my parents were planning to embark on."

  "Oh..." With a sigh, Eugene added, "My grandfather had said they would die in Africa, and to an extent, he'd been correct... My mother, unfortunately, did pass away there." He recounted. "I'm sorry." Buck said, almost feeling a little bad for bringing it up. "Yes... anyway, for each Christmas following, my grandfather didn't lose hope that I would return. He put a silver dollar in that piggy bank every year until it was full."

  Curious, Buck set the string of lights down, before then going to pick up the piggy bank from the mantle. As Eugene said, it was full. After setting it back down, Buck then asked, "So, did you see your granddad again?" Eugene smiled sadly, and shook his head 'no'. "Years after that Christmas, after I had moved to Odyssey, a set of circumstances had led me to where my grandfather had been residing all these years... Sadly, by the time I returned, he had... already passed two weeks prior."

  "Two weeks...?" Eugene nodded. Buck gave his dad a sympathetic look. "Man..." The teen wasn't quite sure what exactly to say in answer to that. "Once we'd arrived to my grandfather's home, Mr. Whittaker and I had met Ralph Reems—whom had been my grandfather's oldest companion. He was the one who told me the story of that Christmas, and had also given me the piggy bank." Eugene continued. "I've kept it ever since then."

  "That's cool he held onto it, and that he added coins to it... but it's also still kinda sad." Buck commented. Eugene hummed. "Yes, it is... It makes the memories—of what I can remember—bittersweet when I think on them." Buck nodded. "Definitely." He agreed, though was still looking a little saddened by the story.

  Pausing to think for a moment, Eugene set the ornament down on the coffee table. He then reached into his pocket, and pulled out his wallet. Luckily for him, he did have a silver dollar. Having taken it out, he replaced his wallet, and went over to his son. Buck smiled, seeing his dad hold out the silver dollar for him to take. Eugene smiled too, watching as Buck took the coin and went to add it to the numerous others inside the piggy bank.

As Eugene wrapped an arm around Buck, Katrina spoke up. "Maybe it's time to start your grandfather's tradition again." She suggested, standing up to join her husband at his other side. He nodded. "Maybe it is." Eugene agreed. Buck was now smiling happily. Eugene held his loved ones tightly in a hug. "... It most certainly is."~Fin~

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