Harry Baby

Chapter 17

We spend the rest of day around the table sharing stories. The best conversation by far was the one about the time my aunt broke down the door of my cousin's bedroom because he was smoking pot. To this day there's still no door to that room. My cousin also never lies to my aunt now. Twelve years later, he's living downstairs.

"Mommy, can we go home?" Ally asks.

"Sure sweetie," my mom says.

"Yay!" she yells.

"Come on, Cassy," she says tugging at my arm.

"Hold up, baby doll, you still need your coat," I say. "Plus we need to find Maria," I add.

"I think she's sleeping on the couch," Kevin says.

"Thanks," I say walking towards the family room. Maria is curled up in a ball on the couch in the back. I pick her up just as Ally comes running towards me with her coat on and zipped up.

"You really want to ride in the car, don't you?" I looking at her.

"Yeah," she nods. I laugh and take her hand.

Since she's sleeping, I put Maria in the back and let Ally sit in the passenger's seat. The sun is just starting to set and the temperature has dropped. I turn the heat up in my car and turn on the radio. Let It Snow is playing and I softly sing along.

"Oh the weather outside is frightful/ But the fire is so delightful/ And since there's no place to go/ Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow," I sing.

"A fire sounds nice," I say.

"Can we make one?" Ally asks.

"We'll ask mom and dad when we get home," I answer.

"If they say no, can we make one anyway?" she asks.

"Maybe," I laugh.  It sounds like me though, building a fire without permission.

Instead of going straight home, I decide to drive around for a bit. Even Ally has fallen asleep by now. O Holy Night is playing. I sing along as I do to almost ever song. I'm driving by the lake and hear another voice singing Christmas (Don't Be Late).

"I know that voice," I say slowing my car to a stop.

I leave it running while I get out and approach the bench the singing is coming from.

"I knew, I knew that voice," I say walking up to a guy with curly, playing his guitar, and singing his favorite Christmas song.

He stops aging and looks up at me.

"Really? Because I don't think I recognize yours," he says.

"I'm pretty sure you do," I say playfully shoving him.

"I pretty sure I don't," he chuckles at me.

"From last night?" I say.

"Remind me about me that," he says.

"Presents for the children wrapped in red and green," I sing.

"All the things I've heard about but never really seen," he starts playing again.

"No one will be sleeping on the night of Christmas Eve, hoping Santa's on his way," we harmonize.

"Remember now?" I say leaning into him.

"Yeah I do," he smiles.

"So what are you doing here?" I ask.

"Like I told you last night, my family is scattered across the world right now, and I didn't really anywhere else to go today," he answers.

"You've been out here all day?" I ask.

"No, just the last hour," he chuckles.

"You have got to be freezing," I comment.

"Just a bit," he says.

"I was actually just about to leave," he says.

"I'm on my way home from my aunts house. Do you need a ride?" I offer.

"Sure," he says standing up.

"I hope you don't mind I have two of my sisters in the car. They're both sleeping," I inform him.

"That's fine," he shrugs. He puts his guitar in the case and follows me to my car.

"Nice new car," he says.

"It's incredible. Santa gave it to me for Christmas," I say opening the door to the passenger's seat. I move Ally into the back with Maria.

"A 54 convertible light blue?" he says.

"Yep," I say popping the 'p'.

"You must have been a really good girl this year," Harry says.

"My sister said the same thing," I say climbing into the drivers seat.

"Nice ring. You engaged?" Harry jokes.

"No," I say dragging out the vowel, "it was also from Santa."

"I thought Santa was married to Mrs. Clause," he teases.

"Ok, now you're starting to annoy me," I say putting my car in drive.

"Sorry," Harry says. I giggle. I change the station to 92.3 because I'm getting tired of Christmas music.

"I see you set the radio stations," Harry comments.

"Nope," I say.

"Santa did," Harry and I say together.

"Since Santa treated you so well, I'm assuming everyone else got what they wanted," Harry says.

"Yeah, they did. It's a Christmas miracle," I say.

"Well, I'm glad you had a wonderful Christmas," Harry says.

"What did you get?" I ask. "For Christmas, I mean."

"Phone calls, money, a few souvenirs from Australia and New Zealand," he lists.

"Oh," is all I say.

"It wasn't bad," Harry says.

"But nothing like my family had," I say.

"It was still nice. You never know, maybe next year will better," he says as we pull up in front of his house.

"Maybe," I shrug.

"Well, Merry Christmas," he says getting out of the car.

"Merry Christmas," I call as he jogs off to his front door.

"Cassy, who's that?" Maria says waking up in the back seat.

"No one," I say pulling away from Harry's house.