So Happy Together

Nice to see you again.

  The sun peeked through the trees, giving your face a nice warmth to it. You stretched and yawned reaching over to wake up your grandpa, but to your surprise the spot where he was the previous night had been empty. You'd wondered if he had gone inside to sleep the rest of the night. You sat up and looked through the little plastic window of the tent. Sure enough, the view of the sunrise was still breathtaking. The trees on the distant mountain had changed. Some taller, some not there at all. Had it really been that long? You paid closer attention trying to see what else could have possibly changed. To your knowledge other than a couple fallen trees. Nothing was drastically different. A sound pulled you from your thoughts and you looked towards the opening of the tent.

"Hello there, good to see you're up. I brought some cocoa to help us keep warm."

You grabbed the mugs from your grandpa holding them while he struggled to get inside. You looked at the two mugs. He still used the same one he did as when you were a kid, and he even gave you the old batman mug that you found at a charity store. You remember begging him for it. All because the logo was shiny, and you wont lie you still loved that about it. There was something else about the cup of hot chocolate he had brought it. It had a giant pile of whipped cream, tiny marshmallows put over it, and cinnamon sprinkled on top. Exactly the way you preferred it.

"I hope you're cocoa order hasn't changed since you were 13," he said, grabbing his mug from your hands."I haven't had a need for mini marshmallows in my pantry in a long time, I'm glad I had a reason to buy it again."

"I don't think I'll ever change my cocoa consuming ways, I always make it at my dorm in the winter but it's never as good as when you make it." you did your usual habit when you drank hot chocolate. Straight for the whip cream first. As a kid you would just go right in and just start drinking, and it would always result in whipped cream and cinnamon all over your face. When you were 12 you came up with the rational idea of either not putting as much whipped cream on it, or eating it before you started drinking it. 12 year old you decided eating it first was the best way to do it, and damn was she right.

"Once we're done if you could help me pack the tent that would be lovely, our guests will be here at about 4 in the afternoon." he informed you as he sipped on his drink.

Once more time went by quicker than you enjoy. The sun was shining high when you two decided to start getting the house and yourselves ready. The house was already decorated and ready, you just had to pack the tent, clean your mess from last night's festivities and set the dining room up. Your grandfather left the tent mugs in hand, and you stayed back. As you started piling the blankets on the back yard table you heard Christmas music blasting from the kitchen. You hummed along as you folded the blankets up, and dismantled the tent. After you finished packing the tent up and you walked it over to the shed where you knew he usually kept it. You listened as the birds chirped, and the trees moved restlessly as the cold wind blew. You were content. At this moment nothing and nobody else existed. Not the hell that was the republic boarding school, not the pain you felt from your parents neglect. Nothing. Just you, the birds, and the trees. You opened the shed door, and put the tent in its rightful place. You walked back towards the table that was covered in blankets, and started piling them in your arms to reduce the amount of trips you would need.

As you walked in with the first set of blankets the most heavenly smell hit your nostrils. That couldn't be what you thought it was. Certainly he wouldn't be doing that much for you. You quickly ran the blankets to where they belonged and jogged towards the kitchen. Sitting on the counter was a pan. As you approached it the glorious smell grew stronger and stronger. Just as you had suspected. He made mama's cinnamon rolls. The ones she would make you for breakfast on your birthday. The ones you looked forward to every year up until she passed, but how did he do it. She had always said she never wrote it down and that it just came from her heart.