Ageless

Stanley

December 24, 1921 New York

It had only been a few months, but when lightning strikes you know. At least that was what Stanley thought. It was Christmas Eve, and he had been invited by Sissa, and Eli to spend Christmas with them and Imogene. The ring box felt light as air , and he kept patting his pockets to make sure it was there. He wore his best suit knowing Imogene would be beautifully dressed as always. As he knocked on the door Emma Jean answered. The beautiful little girl grinned up at him "Mama! Daddy! Duchess! It's Uncle Stanley!" Stanley grinned. In the past few months he too had fallen under the spell of the little girl, and was proud to be considered family. He came in with his arm full of presents, and greeted everyone. "Is one of those for me?!" Squealed Emma Jean. Stanley looked down at her with a very serious face. "Not one of them." He said with a straight face. As her face fell he added with a mischievous smile "Not one. Three. Three of them are yours." "Oh Stanley! You are going to spoil her!" Sissa cried, coming down the hall to hug him. "Someone has got to do it!" He laughed setting the presents on a chair to hug her. "That someone is me." A voice said from the end of the hall. There against the door frame leaned the Duchess herself. She was wearing a velvet, emerald colored dress with a dropped waist. A white ermine shawl draped gracefully over her shoulders. For the first time ever he could help but notice, she was barefoot. It was a very Imogene look. All dressed up with no shoes or stockings, and he almost laughed. "Emma Jean, why don't you help your mother get those presents under the tree. And don't you dare peak!" She said to the young girl, and she happily obliged. As soon as they left the room, Imogene came to him , and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. "I'm glad you could come." She said softly. "It was my pleasure. Mickey went to see his family for the holidays, so I would have been on my own." Her hand dragged softly across his chest. "We couldn't have that, now could we." She whispered. He considered kissing her right then. He had been waiting to for months. But then he remembered the ring in his pocket. "Well! I'd say we need to go check on dinner!" He said, trying to step around her but she blocked him again. "Oh Eli, is a fabulous cook, there's no need to check." She purred. Stanley gulped, whatever had gotten into Imogene, this was not the time! He dodged her again. "Ah, yes, but I still need to greet him! It's not very polite to not!" She frowned a little, and stepped aside in a disappointed sort of way. So she was hoping he was going to kiss her! He tried to swallow his grin, and followed her into the kitchen. "Stanley! My pal!" Eli cried, wiping off his hands on his apron, before tossing it aside, and hugging Stanley. "Merry Christmas, brother! Tell me, what is that that smells so good?" "Christmas Gumbo! Miss Imogene's recipe!" She smiled. "My mama's actually. It was one of the only things she actually cooked herself. Every Christmas Eve she gave all of the... staff... off, and made her gumbo for everyone. It was the biggest pot I'd ever seen, and I have it hanging in Georgina's to this very day." Stanley appreciated her tact, although he wasn't the slightest bit upset with her for having slaves in her childhood. It was a different time, in a different place. And if anything Sissa said counted, her family was the best kind of people to work for. Ones who cared. "There is French bread cooking, fried okra, and a creamy onion soup as well. For dessert one of my wife's chocolate pies, and eggnog that Mickey sent." From behind them came an excited shout, "And Duchess' sugar cookies for Santa!" Stanley looked to Imogene. "Every year since she was born I've baked her and Santa sugar cookies, with a simple frosting. I wanted to start a tradition for my baby girl." She smiled down at Emma Jean. "They really are quite good." She added. He looked at the woman He hoped soon would agree to be his wife, and felt joy spread through him like warmth. They all sat down to dinner, and said grace, before eating one of the best meals of his life. After dessert, Imogene suggested the adults take their eggnog, and Emma's hot cocoa, to the living room to open presents, and eat cookies. They all sat around the pretty tree,  near the lit fire place, and passed around gifts. Stanley had tried his best to pick well for his friends. Sissa had a crimson cashmere shawl that would look lovely on her. He had gotten Eli a stack of some of his favorite records for Eli's new phonograph. Emma he had indeed gotten three gifts for, a china doll, a pretty pink dress, and a copy of his  favorite Christmas book, The Night Before Christmas. The moment she saw it she instantly demanded her mama read it to her, but Sissa told her to wait until they finished. He turned to give Imogene her gift, but she stopped him and insisted she give hers first. She handed him a heavy, rectangular box with a grin. As he unwrapped it he froze...She had gotten him a new trombone. "Imogene, this is too much, I can't take this!" She smiled like she had expected him to say that. "You can, and will!" "Fine, may I give you yours?" He asked teasingly. "I would hope you would!" She teased back. Stanley took a deep breath, and stood up. "Imogene DeLacey," he said before dropping onto one knee. "Would you do me the honor of being my wife?" He presented the ring in it's box. Sissa shrieked and dropped her cup of eggnog letting it spill across the floor, and Stanley desperately tried not to laugh. Imogene sat frozen for only a moment, before launching herself at him from her chair into his arms. "Yes. Yes! A thousand times yes, Stanley!" She screamed hugging onto him as she never had before. The relief washed over him so suddenly he was aware of how nervous he had been before. She had said yes! He slipped the ring on her finger, and as she admired it a slight frown crossed her face. "And yet you couldn't accept my present... look at this ring! Things like this do not come cheaply!" She said looking at him with both annoyance, and admiration. "I assure you, you are worth every penny." He told her, pulling her close to him again. Sissa, and Eli hurried to congratulate them, and Emma gave them both big kisses on the heads. Sissa looked at Eli knowingly, before turning back to them. "Well I suppose now is a great time to announce our big news... we have found a house of our own." "What?" Imogene cried sitting up. "You know I'm more than happy having you three living with me!" "We do, and don't think for a minute we don't appreciate or love living with you, dear." Said Eli. "But it's time. We won't be far, and it seems that soon you could be needing those rooms we currently occupy." He winked at Stanley, and Imogene blushed, madly. "Congratulations!" Stanley told them, giving out more hugs. Emma whined from her place on the floor, bringing the attention back to her. "Isn't ANYONE going to read my book with me?!" She asked in an exasperated tone. "I will, honey." Said Sissa, picking up her daughter and setting her in her lap. Imogene grabbed a cookie, and jumped on to the love seat with Stanley to listen. She settled into his arms slipping bites of cookie into his mouth, and Eli realized there was no place else he'd rather spend his Christmas Eve. Sissa's soft and warm voice filled the air as the group settled in to enjoy the story, the eggnog on the floor completely forgotten.