No Strings

CHAPTER 33--BOY AND GIRL ENJOY CHRISTMAS

William built our Christmas tree from old boughs and left over artificial Christmas trees he found at a flea market. The white, green and bluish-green boughs had a weird kind of ethereal beauty. The construction of the tree proved that he was a good architect. I couldn't tell how he kept all of the boughs into place. It wasn't that big. It came up to my waist, but it was enough for him to put Christmas gifts around.

"You wanted a Christmas with you and me, didn't you?" he asked also arranging the gifts.

"I hope it wasn't too much of a bother."

"Lacey is out of town. She's with family. Besides, we went to how many Christmas parties last week?"

"Thank you."

I hugged him from behind. I forgot I'd been dating him. He lost his balance and we fell over together.

"Ooph."

"I didn't break anything, did I?" I asked.

He held his back. "I feel like an old man."

"We're the same age..."

"I was teasing."

He stood up and stretched. He rearranged the gifts.

I looked out the front window through the lace curtains past the porch.

"It's going to be a good Christmas, isn't it?"

"Nice snowfall," he agreed.

"I wish I could have fruitcake."

"You like that stuff?"

"I want to try. I like the dried fruit that sticks to your teeth. The kind that's so sweet, you feel like your teeth are crumbling on contact."

"I can make it," he volunteered.

"Do we have the ingredients?" I asked.

"Nope," he said, "But I can get them."

He got up and then admired his work. He grabbed his camera from the back of the couch and then took a picture. The tree didn't look so pitiful on top of the piano. He took put the camera on a stand and then set the timer. He signaled for me to be in the picture. I posed with a v sign and he rushed into the picture. He held my shoulder. The light flashed faster and faster until it clicked.

He glanced at the back of the camera. "Looks good."

"Have you made fruitcake before?" I asked.

"No, what about you?"

"No. My parents were always against eggnog and other things like that. We always had KFC, or went out to a restaurant."

"Ahh... I forgot. Sorry. I'll make you a fruitcake, I promise."

I hugged him from the front this time. "Thank you!"

"I haven't made it before. Just wait. I'll make it for you."

"OK."

I busied myself with making popcorn strings and hanging up decorations. He went out to get ingredients for the fruitcake.

The phone rang when I was working on the second string of popcorn.

I held the needle in my mouth and draped the loose string over my shoulder. I held picked the phone with my free hand and leaned it against my shoulder, I switched the needle to my hand.

"Hello?"

"Yeah, Besty... I'm in the store. I forgot to ask if there was anything you wanted."

"No, just the fruitcake will do."