Patience

13

December 21, 2019

She has her beach bag slung over her shoulder as she knocks gently on the front door. It had been an interesting few days. She and Stevie had been texting each other back and forth. The old woman struggled with it, and she was so agonizingly slow but Tori was learning to live with it. Tori heard the dog barking and she looked down and tried to smooth out her long black chiffon skirt and plain black long sleeve just to make sure she looked presentable and then when Stevie opened the door she smiled.

"Hey, *baby. How was work?" Stevie asks taking her into her arms quickly.

"It was okay. I mean it was w-woah." Tori gaps looking around.

"Chris, Lori, and I set it all up today. You're just in time for the tree and I have meatball stew in the crockpot. I also made biscuits we were about to sit down and eat. I always make meatball stew when we decorate the tree." Stevie explains as Tori starts taking her boots off.

"Alright, that sounds good. I'm starved but I'm going to go put this away first." She holds up her bag.

"Yes, absolutely do you remember what room it is?" Stevie questions.

"Yeah, the one directly across from the giant double oak doors that are kind of hard to miss." Tori laughs.

"Alright. Meet us in the dining room." Stevie rubs Tori's biceps.

"Could I put my pajama's on?" She questions. 

"Baby girl, I want this house to be like your home. Normally I wear pajamas all day too unless I have company. So go for it." Stevie smiles. 

***

She's slightly self-conscious when she walks downstairs in her pajamas. She's thrown her hair up into a very messy topknot and she's dressed in a pink silk pajama set. The pants are shorts and they have cacti on them. The top is short sleeve and a button-up just like the shorts. But she bounds into the kitchen where she can hear everybody laughing at something. 

"Well aren't you just cute are those cacti?" Lori questions.

"Yeah. I was in Arizona the longest about ten years or so, I always considered it like my home. I just felt kindred with the place. Chad bought me these pajamas one year said that even though we couldn't afford to go to Arizona the pajamas could at least remind me of Arizona." Tori shrugs.

"Teedee and I were born in Phoenix." Chris smiles.

"That's right. It's in your blood. Come on let's eat." Stevie grinned.

"What are you drinking?" Tori asks.

"Well right now, I'm drinking Rose but I'm making some egg nog for when we decorate the tree," Stevie explains. 

"I've never had rose." Tori shakes her head.

"Try it." Stevie holds the glass out to her.

"Are you sure I..." She starts.

"Tori. In the New Year, we're going to prove what we both already know. And what we already know is that you came out of my body and I breastfed you. We can't get any closer than that. I don't care if you drink out of my glass." Stevie tells her. 

"It tastes like a lighter red," Tori says after she drinks it. 

"That's because it is. Literally and figuratively. Come on I'm hungry, let's go eat." Stevie laughs.

***

As they were setting up the tree Chris asks. "Favorite Christmas song?" 

"Um Silent Night," Tori tells him.

"Coke or Pepsi?" 

"Coke." 

"Favorite movie?" 

"Beauty and the Beast. Both the cartoon and the English version of the original." 

"You are literally a miniature clone of my sister. Coffee or tea?" 

"Depends on the time of day. Coffee first thing in the morning before food. Two sugars and half and half unless I have a little extra money and I splurge on soy milk. Tea anytime after lunch. I say that because on my days off I tend to stay up until two or three and sleep until around one." Tori tells him.

"Are you lactose intolerant?" Lori asks.

"No, I just don't like milk. Normally I eat a thing of blueberry yogurt for breakfast." Tori tells them.

"Steves, you can finally put it up," Lori says after a moment. 

"Put what up?" Tori questions sipping on her eggnog. 

"Well, I found out I was pregnant in March. Around my mother's birthday. I was nine weeks along. My mom, when she was alive, would collect Christmas ornaments so Lindsey and I had your first ultrasound made into an ornament and we gave it to her for her Birthday. She was so upset when she found out we gave you away and she threw the ornament in my face and made me leave her house. That was the only Christmas I didn't spend with my family. I vowed that I wouldn't hang it up until I found you." Stevie pulls out a little ornament box. 

She hands it to Tori and Tori uncaps the box revealing a circle where a very small fetus is pictured and it says Baby Buckingham 9/1993.

"Wow." Tori runs her finger on the little fetus.

"Go ahead, put it on the tree." Stevie smiles.

"No, I think you should." Tori hands it to her. 

Stevie places it right smack dab in the middle for everyone to see and then she quickly wraps her arms around Tori and squeezes her tightly. 

***

It was around two in the morning when Tori was walking back from the bathroom when she saw Stevie's door ajar and a glowing blue light. She gently knocked on the door and a quiet come in sounded before she pushed it open completely. Stevie was sitting up on the right side of the bed wearing what looked like a blush-colored silk lace negligee. 

"Hey, what's up?" Stevie asks seeing Tori standing awkwardly in the doorway. 

"I was still awake and I saw the TV. What are you watching?" She asks.

"I'm about to watch Twilight for the millionth time." Stevie smiles.

"I love Twilight." Tori grins. 

"Come on." Stevie closes her journal and motions her head as she pats the spot next to her. 

Tori gives in and walks into the bedroom and Stevie pulls the covers back for her. 

"You don't mind?" She asks.

"Of course not. You know, when you were a baby even though Lindsey and I weren't necessarily together-hate to tell you this but you're the product of a one-night stand-but the four days that we had you, Lindsey stayed with me and the three of us slept together. You right in the middle of your father and me." Stevie grins. 

"I would've been too scared that I might've smothered the baby." Tori chuckles getting comfortable.

"I was, but when you become a mother all of these instincts kick in and the moment I started rolling closer to you, I woke myself up and caught it." Stevie shrugs. 

Near the end of the movie, Stevie turned to Tori and she was met with the girl sleeping soft snores coming from her. Stevie smiled and quickly turned the TV off before placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. She shut the light off and though she hates laying on her side, She lays on her left side and interlaces her right hand with Tori's left which is perched by her mouth on the pillow.