Motion (Sequel to "Collide")

CHAPTER SIXTY

It was way past his bedtime when Michael and I excused ourselves to go tuck Faraji in. As it was a special day, we allowed Faraji to stay up a bit longer, so that he could make the most out of our family gathering.

After we said goodbye to Joseph and Katherine, we decided to play charades for a bit, which Michael, Faraji and I won hands down. Alice almost lost it when I figured out Michael was miming The Godfather while he had barely started squinting his eyes and raising his eyebrows to do the famous De Niro facial expression. 

Alice decided she had had enough when she suggested we switched games. She opted for a game of Monopoly, claiming we wouldn't be able to cheat this time. She always had been a sore loser, but it never failed to make me laugh.

Andy and Faraji were both struggling to keep their eyes open throughout the game, and that's when we decided to put them to bed. They were closely followed by Grams and Carl who excused themselves and called it a night. Since we were hosting Christmas the next day, everybody stayed at the Ranch: Grams was staying in my old room upstairs, while Carl and Alice stayed at the guest house with Bree, as well as Hayden and LaToya who had their own respective rooms.

"The luminosity of Rudolph's nose was so great that it illuminated the team's path through the foggy night, and Santa's task could safely be accomplished. The young red-nosed reindeer was very proud of himself. All the reindeers loved him, and shouted out with delight: 'Rudolf the red nosed reindeer, you'll go down in history!'" Michael read with enthusiasm, as I watched the two loves of my life from the other side of Faraji's bed.

"Rudolph saved Christmas thanks to his shiny nose," our son said, as he rubbed the tiredness from his eyes. "Do you think we can see his red light in the sky?"

"Maybe, although Santa's sleigh is really fast," Michael answered, before he pecked our son's forehead. "You'd have to look very carefully."

Faraji nodded, a yawn escaping his mouth. "You know daddy, I think you're a bit like Santa."

"Me?" Michael asked with a soft chuckle, stealing a glance over me. "In what way?"

"Santa tours the world on Christmas to give people presents. That's what you do, too, but not only on Christmas," he explained.

I put a hand over my heart, as I leaned down to kiss our son's temple. I could barely handle his cuteness. Faraji never ceased to amaze us with his cleverness. He could put two and two together so fast that I sometimes had to remind myself of his age.

"You couldn't be more right, baby," I said in awe.

"Santa's way cooler, though," Michael said with a grin, before he leaned closer to our son. "He's got a red-nosed reindeer," he whispered.

"It's true," Faraji chuckled, his eyelids becoming heavier by the second. "I hope he'll see the cookies I left for him and his reindeers."

"He will," I assured him, as I leaned down to give him another kiss. "Now sleep tight, baby. You need your rest. You'll need a lot of energy to unwrap your gifts tomorrow."

"I can't wait. Good night, mama. I love you," he told me, holding Rafiki close to his chest, as Michael kissed his forehead. "Good night daddy, I love you."

"We love you too, baby," I answered, as I tucked him properly once Michael and I got out of his bed. "Good night."

Slowly, my husband and I left Faraji's room, and I carefully closed the door behind us. We were barely able to wipe off the grin that was on both of our faces. We were so proud of Faraji and the little boy he was becoming. The way his mind worked, the way his eyes lit up with curiosity every time he was told something new. He was the perfect little boy, and he was fulfilling our every dream as parents.