Legacy of the Dreams

Chapter 4 - Morning on Christmas Day

Julie, Elliot, Aaron, and Jake Rosenberg pulled up in front of a large, lakefront home on the shores of Lake Tahoe, in the middle of a winter storm. It was Christmas Eve, a holiday none of them observed, however they were arriving to join Julie's father, Greg and his wife, Susan for a winter holiday a day or two earlier than expected. Susan, they knew, was Christian. So was her family, and they certainly would be observing Christmas while they were there.

"Be quiet when you go inside," Julie cautioned her teenaged sons. "I'm not sure if the kids will already be in bed."

"Isn't it still early, Mom?" Aaron asked.

"It's almost midnight, Aaron. From what Dad said, they've all had a very busy day," Julie said.

The four of them climbed from their car, pulled on jackets, and cautiously made their way to the front door through the snow.

"Hi Dad!" Julie said with a smile, when Greg opened the door.

"Welcome!" Greg told her. "I'm pleased to see you, Julie. We were becoming concerned. The snow began coming down much more heavily about an hour ago."

"We were too," Julie told him. "The visibility was really bad by the time we got to the pass."

"Definitely. It was approaching white out conditions in some places," Elliott said. "I, for one, am glad we are here."

"Do you need help bringing things in?" Greg offered.

"Please; but maybe we should say 'hello' first?" Elliot suggested.

Greg grinned. "Come on inside."

Greg escorted his daughter and her family in through the entrance hall to the living room, where Susan and Alan were sitting by the fire. They were also the only ones still awake.

Susan smiled, standing when the four newcomers walked into the room.

"I'm glad you made it," she told them genuinely.

"Thank you ... ah, are you the only ones here?" Elliot asked.

"We're the only ones still awake," Alan said. "Everyone else is already in bed. Santa has even been here."

"Did you see him?" Jake asked.

"I'm sworn to secrecy, Jake," Alan told him. "You are too."

Jake grinned.

"Let's get your stuff inside," Alan said to Elliot. "From what I hear, the storm is only going to get worse out there."

"I can attest to that. The snowfall has been becoming thicker by the hour. We were beginning to wonder if we would get here," Elliot said.

"Well, you are here now," Greg said. "Let's help you unload. After that, you can relax by the fire for a while."

With seven of them helping, It didn't take all that long to get Julie's family's things brought inside from their car, which was a good thing because by the time they were finished, there were several inches of fresh snow on the top of it. The snow in front of the house kept getting deeper, and soon it would be difficult to climb the two steps to the front porch at all.

Once they were inside, Susan showed Julie and her family to two rooms set aside for them on the second floor. She left them to settle in, returning to the fire with Greg.

"Has Alan gone to bed?" Susan asked when she discovered her husband alone by the fireplace.

"Yes, and we should too. The girls will likely have us up early tomorrow morning," Greg reminded his wife.