"I thought you said you were done unpacking?" Jane said as he brought a handful of boxes into the living room.
Teresa reaches for a box.
"These are Christmas decorations"
"You never struck me as the type"
"I'm really not, these are just the important ones...ones from when I was little, things I've collected, it's just tree stuff, not much more."
Teresa smiles at him as she starts unloading boxes.
"What do you want me to do?"
"Just pick a box, I'm sure you know how to decorate a tree."
"It's been a while"
Teresa states at him and leans in for a kiss. She hands him a box as she begins assembling the small tree.
Patrick opens the box. It's a box full of ornaments. He smiles to himself. He knows he can do this, if not just for her, but for him also.
The first ornament he sees is a warn out, Santa teddy bear. He reaches for it.
"Mind explaining this" he looks at her with a twinkle in his eye.
"It was our family dogs, Todd's. I just couldn't throw it away..."
He stops his laughing, he knows this is her way of opening up to him. Each item in the box holds a meaning to her, a meaning that she's ready to share.
Next one he pulls out, is a shiny little snowflake, sparkles in the light.
"It's from the last winter father daughter dance, we ever attended, something so perfect before it all went away... I normally don't put it on the tree, but it's here"
He brushes her face with his hand. A question in his eyes.
She looks away.
"Let's not talk about it..."
"I think you should put it up" he makes her eyes look back at him.
"I love you Teresa" he leans in to kiss her cheek.
Before they knew it, the tree was up, lights strung and the ornament box was about empty. They had laughed, cried, and even talked about her past.
Something caught Janes eye at the bottom of the box. Tissue paper was protecting whatever was inside.
He unwrapped the item carefully. He lost his breath when he figured out what it was.
"You kept this?" He looked up at her.
Her face blushed. "It was all I had of you. It hasn't always been in this box. When I moved from Washington, it just seemed like that's where it needed to be... I know it's strange..."
He interrupts "I didn't know it meant that much, I wish I could have done more."
He fingered the shell. His eyes brimming with tears as he realized all that they'd missed and all that he missed.
His heart broke for her.
"I loved you then, you know?"
"I hoped, but I never could tell with you" she smiled. "That box is all of what made me, I figured you belonged there too"
"I hope that we can keep filling that box, but I hope, that the rest of those items bring back happiness."
He didn't want to say to much, nor to little, but he knew he could never spend a day with out her, ever again.
"Merry Christmas Teresa"
"Merry Christmas Patrick"
He leaned in for a kiss.
