Holiday Specials

Christmas-2011, Part ll

  It was so weird how you never quite got over the excitement of Christmas. Just like a kid again, I found myself not able to sleep. It was already one in the morning and I hadn’t slept a wink. Anxiety demanded my full attention. I wished I hadn’t been “smart” and wrapped all of my presents after I bought them. At least then I’d have something to do instead of staring, wide eyed, at the ceiling.

  Liam, on the other hand, was snoring loudly. Nothing could wake that man, I swore. If he had been awake I would have demanded he stay up with me. But I did that last year. And the year before that.

  I thought about calling Lulu, but she’d heard enough of my crap. She was going through a lot right now, what with her divorce and all. I could kill Cam for dropping that on her. And the fact that he’d cheated on her with Kass! How could Kass have done that to her friend? Needless to say, none of us were speaking. The drama club kinda fell apart after Adrienne and Maddison moved away, both going to drama school. And now, with the divorce, Lu and I were no longer speaking to Kass.

  Ah, the life of an adult was so nice.

  I had dealt with growing up with Liam just fine. I had finally accepted my fate as a somewhat still immature adult. But now….I was freaked out all over again.

  I glanced at the clock a while later. Two thirty. Lord, would the hours ever pass by? How dare Christmas still have this affect on me! It just wasn’t fair. That was the thing about growing up I had anticipated the most, and yet it seemed to skip me. I was still a little girl when it came to Christmas. Except now I had to pay for my gifts……That part wasn’t so much fun.

  Liam was working at two farms, plus ours, and the experimental dairy farm, and going to classes at the community college. I worked up at the mall and at the nursing home, Village Manner, plus going to classes. All jobs paid surprisingly well and we were able to pay the bills and what not. Liam was very wise when it came to money. We kind of had to be, though.

  But now I wondered about all that. This year was going to change. Things would be tighter.

  My mind stayed on that stupid white plastic stick all night.

  Things were going to be drastically different.

  Finally, six thirty rolled around and I just couldn’t take it. I had already made coffee and set a mug on Liam’s night stand. Now all I had to do was wake him up.

  I shook his shoulder excitedly. “Hey,” I whispered. “Wakey wakey! Santa Claus has been here!”

  Liam groaned, stuffing his face in his pillow. He wasn’t exactly what you call a morning person.

  I shook him harder, speaking louder. “Up an at ‘um.”

  “I thought we talked about this?” he mumbled into his pillow.

  I sat next to him. “About me waking you up so early? Yes. I do believe I declined the petition not to wake up so early. Sorry, babe.”

  He rolled over, pulling me on top of him. “Five more minutes,” he muttered into my neck.

  I giggled. “No! I’ve been up since one. You can’t possibly make me wait any longer. I might explode.”

  Liam smiled tiredly up at me. “Life would be so much easier if you were a Grinch.”

  “Like you?”

  He nodded once. “Exactly.”

  I leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Please get up?” I pleaded in a pathetic voice.