If Only

Chapter Forty-Eight: 'Tis the Season

December

It's been a couple of months, and my father was still on his world tour, leaving us here to revel in the luxury of freedom.

During this time, Jared's made himself at home, strolling in through the front door like it's no big deal, no more sneaking through my bedroom window.

Mom and Glenda have taken to him, treating him like one of the family. I'm not quite used to it yet, and I doubt it's the norm for Jared either.

As he swings by for visits, Glenda plays the perfect host, and in those moments, Jared and I exchange glances, silently sharing thoughts, and then break into smiles.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and the anticipation is mixed with a bit of unease. My father's expected back from his journey, and while part of me worries about Jared going back into hiding once Dad's around, there's also a sense of comfort in knowing that Mom is excited to see him after months apart.

Putting myself in her shoes, I can't fathom months of being away from a spouse.

This morning, the news broke our anticipation. My father's return home, initially expected for Christmas Eve, got postponed, and now, he won't make it until New Year's. The disappointment was etched across my mother's face.

In an attempt to lift spirits, we decided to make the most of the situation. We sprawled across the living room, laying out a mat on the floor. After some convincing, my mother joined us, sitting on the wide mat as we enthusiastically worked on cutouts for our Christmas tree. Jared sat beside me, fully engaged in the festive crafting, while my mother sat across from us, trying to be in the moment despite the unforeseen change of plans.

My mom couldn't help but wonder why we were busy cutting out decorations for the Christmas tree when the actual tree hadn't arrived yet. She had previously mentioned that we should go look for trees for sale so we could decorate one together.

Jared played along, suggesting that we could all go Christmas tree shopping. Little does my mother know, everyone was already in on the plan. Lizzy was already at Gramps' house, setting up the tree with Chandler. We've been secretly organizing it. We're going to celebrate Christmas Eve and morning at Gramps' house.

Considering all things, it's turning out to be a surprisingly "normal" Christmas, a pleasant surprise to show Mom how much she's appreciated. Jared was the one who came up with the idea, and we all gladly joined in on the plan.

Time was ticking away, and my mother's curiosity was growing. She wondered why we weren't getting ready to go out for Christmas tree shopping.

"It's Christmas eve. We don't know if we could still get anything at the store!" she announced.

I was feeling giddy about making sure I delayed everything.

Glenda was already aware of the surprise as well and was in the kitchen, cooking food that we would feast on later tonight.

I finally gave in to my mom, telling her to go get herself ready and that I would too, so we could already go Christmas tree shopping.

She went on her way, and when she was in her room, I gave the cue to both Chandler and Lizzy through that we'll be on our way.

*****

With the food neatly packed in the trunk, which we made sure to keep hidden from my mother. We stood beside the car, ready to hop into the car. Glenda, my mom, Jared, and I were all set to go.