Miles to Go

CHAPTER FIVE - THE DEPARTED

It was Christmas 2011, seven years before everything went to hell. Thomas and Prudence Cooper had just announced their retirement to Florida, leaving their son Hal the sole owner. The Coopers were going to have one last Christmas together before the move, but Hal's parents had both decided it would be best to get adjusted to their new snowbird lifestyle. Alice acted like she was bittersweet to watch her in-laws finally leave Riverdale just three days before Christmas, but inward she was silently rejoicing. She never got along well with Hal's parents, especially Prudence.

Christmas became the way it was for the three of them again the same way it did in that small apartment in Boston. Hal made his special eggnog recipe (it was just eggnog he bought from the store and spiked with some rum) for him and Alice, and he used some of his new inheritance money to spend on Chic's presents.

Alice spent the majority of the morning watching her boy tearing open his presents with glee. She remembered work having been hard, so Hal generously offered to make the family's Christmas breakfast.

"Mom, I love this!" Chic goggled at a robotic toy that Alice had picked out earlier in the week. "Archie and Jason are gonna be so jealous!"

"Chic, go wash up! Breakfast is almost ready!" Hal called out from the kitchen. Chic cradled the toy in his arms and ran up the stairs.

"Be careful!" Alice watched her son and laughed. She slowly rose up from the couch looked out the window. The snow was coming down in flurries. She felt Hal wrap his arm around her stomach and rest his chin on her shoulder. She allowed herself to lean back into him and rested her arm on his.

"This is the first I've seen you happy in a while, and not so stressed." He softly kissed her shoulder, making Alice chuckle.

"So? It's the holidays, your parents finally left, and I have my boys." She took her free hand and grabbed for Hal's, turning around to face him. She stepped in closer and cupped his cheek.

"You're going to do good things with the Register, Hal. You were meant for this." He smiled at her slowly. Alice was starting to sense he was up to something. Then, he pulled out from behind his back a mistletoe and held it above their heads.

"Oh my god, Hal." Alice sighed and laughed, shoving on his chest.

"What?" he egged her on. "You really think I'd stop doing this? I know it works every time."

"You dork." She muttered and closed the space between them. They lingered in the kiss and pulled each other in closer. They pair didn't even notice their son coming down the stair.

Alice pulled away to find Chic, eyes widened and mouth hanging, standing on the stairs.

"I didn't see anything!" he shouted and bolted back up the stairs, causing Alice and Hal to burst into laughter. She rested her head on his shoulder trying to catch her breath.

"So, I've been thinking..." Hal began. Alice lifted her head to meet his gaze.

"What?" Hal turned to the stairway then back at his wife.

"How about we give Chic one more present in the near future? Say....a little brother or sister?" Alice leaned back slightly. Her eyes began to water.

"Hal...are you saying you want to have more kids?"

"Well, I figured since we're both free from my parents' wrath, and we still have that extra room upstairs that we could turn into a nursery---" but Alice cut him off when she flung her arms around his neck and kissed him.

It was the best Christmas with Hal she could remember.

But there would be no more Christmases like the one so many years ago. There wouldn't be anything anymore, because Harold Cooper was dead. He was dead, and Alice couldn't save him.