Operation Christmas Cracker

A Treasure Trove

The first to arrive are the Army Corps of Engineers. They were up against the clock from the moment they arrived but they were determined to make this happen. It's not something they've ever done before but when the President makes a personal request, then all of the stops are pulled out.

Buses of Marines arrived shortly after, they needed to be briefed by the secret service and then set to their tasks. They practiced and asked questions and took up new duties; all day checking the perimeter, tweaking the security and checking again until they and the service were happy that there were no weak points.

The Navy were next. The lieutenant was shown into the Oval Office, spent some time with the president and retreated to gather his company and figure out what way they would run this. The president had made his wishes clear then let it up to the lieutenant to do as he saw fit.

Joe was busy besides. He had so much to do before they could break for Christmas, he was anxious to let staff have as much time off as possible but by noon he knew that the run into the holidays was not going to be plain sailing.

'We're seeing potential for very bad weather, sir', he heard down the line.

He sighed, threw his pen down on the desk and leaned back in his chair. Something told him this was going to require his utmost attention.

'Please continue', he urges.

'We're seeing multiple storms brewing out in the Atlantic, sir. Potentially some of them could morph into one huge storm', the lady from the meteorological service tells him.

'And I assume they look like they're coming into land, otherwise you wouldn't be telling me this five days before Christmas Eve, right?' he asks, a feeling of dread settling in the pit of his stomach.

'That's correct, sir', the lady replies.

He sits up again, takes his pen in his fingers, and thinks of the hundreds of thousands of folks who are due to travel over the next few days. 'Ok, keep a close eye on it. Update me later and I'll take a full briefing in the morning. If you prefer to stay in your office and we can do it over zoom, that's fine. I don't want you wasting time traveling to meet me if you can be better served making preparations elsewhere. Understood?' he asks.

'Perfectly, sir. Thank you. It would be far more efficient to do it over zoom', she tells him, glad of his understanding. The seven hour round trip for a thirty minute briefing would add so many unnecessary complications to her department's preparations.

They rang off.

Joe stood and looked out the window. He could see movement everywhere. Pondering the news he'd just been told he was more determined than ever to make this evening a wonderful one for Jill.

'Hey! Congratulations, you're on your Christmas vacation!' Joe calls out to her that evening as she passes the door of his private office upstairs.

The day may have passed in a whirlwind of work but for the past hour he's been regularly checking his watch. He has been so looking forward to seeing her, to hearing about her day, to catching up. And to reveal his surprise.

She comes towards him with arms outstretched.

'Thanks. Mmmmm', she murmurs as he wraps her in a huge hug. She nestles against him, dumping her bag on the desk and slipping out of her shoes at the same time. He presses a kiss to her hair as she rests her head against his chest. 'And I fully intend to enjoy it, too', she says. 'I did as you said, I gave almost no work to my students. The guys all wish you a merry Christmas and I am done with school until January!' she declares turning her face up to look at him.