Across the Pond

Chapter 60

"Come on, come on, let's go!" I squeal and drag Harry out of the house.  We are headed to the airport to go home to America for Christmas.  I feel like little kid jumping out of her skin. 

"I'm coming, I'm coming."  The wait seems extra long in the airport and during the flight.  I basically run out of the terminal to my family and Harry picks up my suitcase that I dropped.  It feels to good to be back home and we're here for two weeks.  I don't have to go back to work until the second week in January.

The whole car ride home, Kira talk my ear off about anything and everything that pops into her little mind.  I just nod and smile and sometimes throw in a laugh here and there.  I am actually paying more attention to the decorations near Times Square because they always put up such elaborate lights and fixtures for Christmas.  Everywhere we turn, there is so much holiday cheer and I am so happy to be home for the first time since I left back in August.

Mom has practically a full feast in the works for dinner tonight, but we have to least a bit earlier than usual because Harry and I are pretty tired from the trip and jet lag.  We've kicked Ryan out of his room in the basement for Harry and I to stay in and we take our bags down all the steps.

The next day I call Liz to go Christmas shopping with me.  I only brought a couple of things from England.  She agrees happily and i take off with her right before lunch.  We spend the whole day shopping and catching up about her new job at the living museum and my time in England.  Not too much seems to have happened while I was gone-- aside from my dog Flynn Rider dieing.  That was really hard on my sister because he kept her company while I was away.

By the end of the day, I've nearly spent all my money, but I have tons of presents for my family from watches to a coffee maker, to clothes, jewelry, socks, I have it all.  I thank Liz for taking me around and bolt inside and to the basement in hopes no one will see my bags; I'm like Santa before the elves have wrapped the presents.  I wrap and tag all the gifts and pile them into the attic closer down here.

I hear footsteps jogging down the steps as I'm closing the closet door, so I quickly shut it and turn around as if nothing happened.  "Oh, hey, babe!  Where've you been all day?" Harry asks and gives me a kiss.

"Shopping.  You?"

"Same" I raise my eyebrows skeptically at him and he breaks into a smile.  "You'll see."  I roll my eyes and we head upstairs for dinner.  It's just simple pasta tonight because tomorrow, mom and I have to start prepping all the food for Christmas the next day.

Harry actually helps mom and I by cutting all the vegetables for the salad and helping me cut the chicken to marinate.  When we finish the bulk of that work, we start on the desserts.  Mom and I teach Harry, the baker, how to make our family recipe for crustoli which is basically think fried dough with powdered sugar on top.  Harry puts the pound cake together and Kira joins up to help with the sprinkling of powdered sugar on the crustoli and making the chocolate chip cookies.

the whole day, we are running around the kitchen like chickens with their heads cut off and are completely exhausted.  When I finally go back down to our room for the two weeks to change for church tonight, there is a bag sitting on the bed.  The tag reads, "For my princess.  Love you loads.  xo Mom"  I peek inside the bag and pull out the mint green dress inside.  I hold it up and really see how gorgeous it is.

The dress has a high neckline in the front and a deep, open plunging neckline in the back.  the straps stretch just to my shoulder and the seams are studded with silver jewels.  The dress is fitted to my rib cage, then flows out a little in sort of an A-line cut at the skirt. 

I immediately pack the simple red, flowy dress with off-the shoulder straps away and don the new green dress.  The back is completely open and the V stretches down to my underwear line.  I'm kind of surprised that my mom would pick a dress like this for me, but I love it.  I twirl in front of the mirror a couple of time before locking myself in the bathroom to curl my hair and put my make up on.