Silent Night

8 - Doing My Laundry & Stuff

FRANKIE POV

"Coming through! Make way! I have tons of laundry!" I call out as I drag three large laundry bags full of my laundry from my car into our home.

It feels good to be done with the fall semester of school as it was a doozey with the extra classes I decided to take so I can graduate earlier than expected. Of course, halfway through, I felt like I had made a horrific mistake, but I was able to pull through, and I'd find out my final grades here within the next week or so.

"You're home?" I hear my mom yell from her room as she makes her way down the steps to see me dragging my laundry.

"Yes! I get dibs on the washing machine!" I smile as she shrugs.

"Well, I have socks drying right now, but go ahead."

"I called dibs though! I'll never be able to finish all of this before we decorate the house and bake cookies!"

"Well, you can't call dibs if you don't live here anymore. Just start a load, and I'll order the pizza," my mom says as I laugh and shake my head and head in the laundry room to sort and start on my laundry as the dryer buzzes and I open it only to see one lonely pair of socks as I can't help but roll my eyes as I bring them into the kitchen.

"Really, Mom????? Your fuzzy Popeye the Sailor Man socks????? And ONE pair? What gives?"

"Thanks!" she snatches them from me and slips them on her feet before finishing writing down what she wanted to order. "I like to put toasty socks on my feet! You know this!"

"It's a royal waste of energy sources! What happened to your oven trick you used to do?" I laugh as I open the fridge and pull out the chip dip and veggies to cut up for a platter.

"Oh, that? I set a pair on fire, and Stef put a stop to that," she says quickly as I she picks up her phone to call in the pizza and bread-stick order.

"Well, did you set the timer?" I ask when she hangs up and grabs a cucumber to help me chop, and she looks right at me.

"A timer?"

"Yes! For your socks when you put them in the oven? Did you set a timer the day that they caught on fire?"

Looking away now, I know she doesn't like me digging, but I wish with all my heart she'd stop being stubborn in regards to Stef...in fact, I wish Stef would stop being stubborn too, and the only way I know to get through to my mom is to keep trying to dig and dig to get her to think.

"Yes. I always set a timer, Frankie. They just caught on fire that day is all...." she trails off now as I look over at her.

"You see her any? In town I mean. I know you have to considering you go there for coffee every morning for work."

"I don't actually. I go to Diane's Cafe, and her coffee is good. In fact, I've started ordering her hot cappuccinos with nutmeg on top. They're pretty good. Sierra said she can make me coffee, but our shipment for the inn just came in, and I was already hooked on Diane's cappuccinos."

"Ahhhh," I say as our phone starts to ring, and I go to answer it, but my mom stops me.

"Let the machine get it, Franks."

We both stop chopping the veggies as we hear Dana loud and clear on our answering machine. "Lena, did you know that Francesca canceled on coming to our annual Christmas party? This is YOUR doing, young lady, and you are trying to keep her from me and her grandfather! This isn't right! You've not done this in YEARS, and me and her had an agreement that she attends Friday night dinners every single week as long as we are paying for Ohio State! Call me when you get this!"

She hangs up as I look down and continue cutting up the green bell pepper on the cutting board as I feel my mom's stare on me. "You canceled on Grandma's Christmas party? Frankie, I told you that you don't have to fight my battles. I'd never keep you from your grandparents. Ever."

"Her party is on a Saturday. I'd go to Friday night dinner as promised, but she's the one who canceled it saying that since her party is Saturday, no need for dinner. I'm not going, Mom. I'm just not! It wouldn't be the same without you, and I don't know any of her rich friends. So, this was MY choice. I get to be mad at Grandma if I wish."

She nods now as she sighs and heads to grab a bowl for pretzels. "I just don't want you to be mad for me, Frankie. I can't stress that enough. This is between me and her. She's always butted into my life for as long as I can remember, but she loves you, Franks. You're her only grandchild."

"Well, then she should act better. She doesn't learn, and this hurt ME TOO, Mom. Not just you. I love Stef, and you love Stef, and what she did was wrong on so many levels. She's the one pushing me away, plain and simple."

"Okay, sweets. I love you," Mom says softly now as she grabs my chin and kisses my nose as she pulls down the paper plates.

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LENA POV

"I'm stuffed!!!!! Why did you let me eat so much?" Frankie moans as I sip my glass of wine and look over at her.

"Why did I let you eat so much? Am I hearing this correctly? Weren't you the one who just challenged me to a marshmallow eating contest when we made hot chocolate?" I laugh as she moans even more as she holds her stomach.

"Hey! I didn't see you backing down from the challenge, you cheat!" she yelps as I playfully nudge her before standing to my feet.

"Soooooo, I think we did good this year, baby, on these decorations!" I admire the room which we had finished decorating while eating and dancing to music. "Our tree is kinda puny though."

"Ya, well, you were the one who chose the Charlie Brown Christmas tree. I suggested we cut one down, but you threatened to lock the laundry room on me, Mom!"

"That was for your own good, my child. The last time we tried to cut down a tree, you ended up in the ER, or did you forget?" I laugh as I turn on the Christmas village lights as Frankie giggles.

"Umm, let's get it right, Mom. I ended up in the ER because YOU chose to use a dull ax instead of listening to me and having Kirk help us with his electric saw! Or did YOU forget!"

I whirl around now. "YES! Because he was charging $20 an hour for his services!"

"It doesn't take more than an hour to cut down a tree, Mom. I said I'd pay it anyway," she rolls her eyes now as she sits up to help me clear the plates and trash from our dinner before she head to switch over her laundry.

I sigh as I glance over at the fireplace and see the wood piled up neatly beside it knowing that Stef had done that for me. I haven't had the heart to light the fireplace yet this season, and I want to so badly. I'm sure Frankie will pressure me into it at some point, if even tonight, but I just can't right now as I blink back tears and meet her in the kitchen.

"Ready to start the cookies?" she asks as she comes back out of the laundry room, and I turn on my little radio with Christmas music.

"You know it, babe. How many different kinds did you want to make this year?"

"What do I look like?" she giggles now as she pulls out tray after tray of pre-made sugar cookies as well as chocolate chip and gingerbread, and I can't help but to burst out laughing, for she really was my daughter.