Part 2
After dinner was finished Michael helped Carradine through his nightly ritual of brushing his teeth and taking a bath before finally wrestling him into a pair of pajamas. He picked him up and walked into his bedroom to rummage through the top drawer of his bureau to find a pair of socks.
"Daddy?"
"Um-hmm?"
"How come there's all them Santa people in the stores? I know they're not him." He leaned back against his father's chest when he sat down on the couch in the living room, watching as Michael reached out to pull the socks on his little feet.
"That why you pulled that Santa's beard off today?"
"He was lyin', Daddy, an' you an' Mama said it's bad to lie."
Yeah, Maria definitely got the easier deal this time, Michael thought. "That's right, it is bad to lie." He reached up to scratch his eyebrow with his right thumb. "But, here's the thing, Carey; Santa's kinda busy this time of year, y'know? I mean, he's gotta get stuff ready to deliver to kids all over the world, so he can't really be hangin' out at every single place where you see a Santa, right?" He smiled to himself, feeling smug when Carradine nodded. This wasn't really all that hard after all. "So, he's gotta have help from some regular people who dress up like him and talk to all the kids all over the world so they can report back to him and make sure his list is right when he loads up the sleigh on Christmas Eve." Yeah, that sounded pretty damn believable in his opinion.
"Is Santa like us?"
Michael shook his head despite the temptation to take credit for the existence of Santa Claus. "No, he's not like us." Carradine had an accelerated ability when it came to processing certain information and he didn't know if that was because the boy carried the hybrid gene or if he was just really smart for his age.
"But, he's got special powers, right?"
"Well, they're not really powers, Carey."
"Then how come he takes presents to the whole world? An' how come he can get in people's houses when they don't got no chimley? An' how's he make them reindeers fly an' walk on people's houses? An' how come he eats cookies an' milk at every house an' don't get sick, huh? You 'member that time I eated all them cookies an' then I didn't feel good no more? Cuz I got sick, Daddy… 'member? I throwed up all over, so how come Santa can eat all them cookies an' he don't get sick?"
Michael grimaced at that particular memory. "Yeah, I remember that, buddy. Santa can do all that stuff because it's Christmas. He doesn't have any special powers or anything, it's because Christmas is… it's like magic, but it only comes around once a year and it only lasts for that one night."
"So, the Christmas magic makes him be able to do all them things?"
"Yeah."
"Huh." Carradine shifted around until he was comfortably snuggled up in the cradle of his father's arm. "So, if you go to a Santa an' tell him what ya want, you'll get it for Christmas?"
"Yep, that's the way it works. I mean, sometimes kids misbehave and Santa knows that so they don't get what they ask for."
"But, if you're good you get what you ask for, right?"
"Uh-huh." Michael was feeling pretty good about his explanation. Ha! And Maria had thought he was gonna have a difficult time with this? He rocked at this!
"I been good, Daddy."
"Yep, I'd say you've been really good. Although, you can't be goin' around snatchin' the beards off of the store Santa's… most kids don't know that Santa has helpers like that."
"Okay." Carradine played with the buttons on his father's shirt, considering everything that he had learned. "So, since I been good, if I go ask one of them Santa's for a puppy, I'm gonna get one, huh?"
Aw, crap! He hadn't seen that one coming! Maria was gonna kill him for sure! "Uh, well, y'know, son, I can't speak for Santa, but you should definitely put it out there and see what happens." Carradine had been asking for a dog for the past couple of months; it seemed to be the only thing the little boy wanted.
"Okay." He yawned and rubbed his eyes sleepily. "Can I ask the Santa tomorrow?"
Michael's eyebrows shot up at his son's question. Carradine was wary of strangers and this was the first time he had expressed any interest in paying a visit to Santa Claus. The fact that he was willing to take that step only proved how much he really wanted a dog. They were going to the mall the next day to pick up a few things so they could decorate the tree and apartment in the evening, but he hadn't expected to be paying a visit to the mall Santa. "Sure, we'll go see Santa." He stood and lifted the little boy's sleep-heavy body up against his chest. "But for now, I think we'd better get you to bed." And I've gotta figure out how I'm gonna explain this to your mother.
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The entrance to the mall was festively decorated and holiday music and a rush of heat greeted them as they stepped through the automatic doors the next afternoon. Carradine's eyes were wide as he looked around at the constant streams of people moving past them, the shoppers loaded down with brightly-colored sacks as they rushed from store to store. His parents held tightly to his hands as they walked to an area near a large water fountain with benches placed around it and he held his arms up as his father reached down to pick him up and stand him on one of the benches.
"Okay, how do we wanna do this?" Michael asked as he unzipped Carradine's coat and worked it off of him.
"Why don't you take Carey while I go pick up my half of the list and when I'm finished, I'll take him, so you can take care of your half?" She checked her purse to make sure she had both lists and nodded to herself. She bundled Carradine's coat up and pulled a small jacket out of her oversized purse before shoving the coat inside in its place. "Take that just in case he gets cool."
"Maria, he's got a sweater on…" He trailed off when she just gave him a look and he quickly took the jacket from her. "Right, jacket, got it."
"You cleaned the trunk out like I asked, right?"
Michael rolled his eyes at her as he took Carradine's hand and motioned for the boy to hop down to stand on the floor. "Yeah, I cleaned it out."
"Okay, now, where will I find you when I'm finished?" Neither of them was comfortable leaving Carradine with anyone else, so that made it necessary for them to split up to pick up his presents from Santa.
"We'll meet you at the pet store… is an hour enough time to pick out the boring stuff?" He leaned in to kiss her, smiling against her lips when she thumped one hand against his shoulder. "I'm kiddin', babe."
"Uh-huh." Her tone said she didn't believe him. "I'll meet you guys when I'm finished. If it takes longer than an hour, just wait at the pet store and I'll find you."
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Michael and Carradine wandered in and out of a few stores as they walked through the mall, looking at different things that happened to catch their eye in passing. The main reason for the visit was to finish picking up the last of Carradine's Christmas presents and a few things they needed to decorate the apartment.
He shook his head when they passed a jewelry store and the saleswoman at the door asked if she could interest him in something special for his wife. He smiled to himself; he had gotten her the perfect gift this year and he didn't have the slightest worry that she wouldn't love it. For once, he was ahead of the game and he couldn't wait to see the look on her face when she saw the gift he had chosen.
"Daddy, look!"
His hand automatically tightened around his son's when Carradine started shouting excitedly and trying to pull free of his hold. He glanced up and saw the pet store looming ahead of them; the large window to the right of the entrance was lined with straw and half a dozen puppies bounced around playfully.
When they were close enough he released Carradine's hand and the little boy ran up to the window, hands and nose pressed to the glass as the puppies started to jump up and down, yapping and pawing the window.
Michael crouched down behind Carradine and he glanced at his son, intrigued by the intense look in his dark eyes. He suddenly realized that the little boy wasn't looking at the puppies clambering for attention and he turned to follow his gaze. In the back corner of the display window a small white puppy was curled up in a little ball, its dark brown eyes constantly moving as it observed everything going on around it.
"See something you like?"
Michael looked at the bubblegum-popping teenager and barely controlled the urge to roll his eyes. He kept his hand on Carradine's shoulder as he stood up, glancing at the girl's nametag – the only thing that identified her as an employee of the pet store. "What's up with that one?" he asked, pointing at the puppy that had captured his son's attention.
"No one knows," she answered. "They're all from the same litter, they're in perfect health, but for whatever reason, that one just chooses to hang back away from all the others."
"Tell me about this breed; are they good with kids?" He listened as the young woman rattled off an excessive amount of information about the American Eskimo dog.
"Would your son like to hold one?" she asked.
Michael glanced down at Carradine, not surprised to find the boy looking at him expectantly. "Yeah, maybe just for a few minutes."
Carradine shook his head and tugged on his father's jeans when the salesgirl picked up one of the puppies. "Not that one, Daddy."
Michael rapped his knuckles against the glass to get the girl's attention, shaking his head and motioning to the quiet puppy in the corner. They stepped into the store and Carradine held his breath when the girl leaned down to place the puppy in his arms.
"Daddy, look," he whispered.
"Oh, my God," the salesgirl muttered when the puppy suddenly started wiggling around, grunting and whining as it pressed its cold, wet nose against the little boy's neck and snuffled. Its tail was whipping back and forth causing its entire body to move all over the place, but Carradine managed to hold onto the squirming animal.
Michael reached over his son's shoulder to stroke the soft fur on the puppy's head. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and flipped it open. "Hey, Carey, turn around for a sec." He pressed one of the keys to capture the image and then sent it to Maria before closing the phone and putting it away.
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Maria placed her purse on top of her purchases where she had just dropped them in the trunk and dug around for her phone when she heard it ringing. She flipped it open and scrolled through to find the most recent message, smiling when she saw the picture Michael had sent. She had been waiting for her husband to spring the puppy idea on her again and it looked like he was working his way up to it. She was ready for him though, she thought as she sent a text back to ask him if they wanted to get something to eat before they switched off. She chuckled when he responded with an affirmative answer and the name of one of the restaurants in the food court before she even had time to finish shifting the sacks to one side of the trunk.
She was certain when they had flipped a coin to see who got to pick up the toys and who got to pick up the boring things like clothes and shoes that Michael had cheated. She knew it was going to take him longer than an hour to pick up the things on his list because he would end up playing with every toy on display as he made his way through the stores.
Maria was halfway through the food court before she spotted her husband and son at a table singing loudly and off-key. Carradine had inherited his father's inability to carry a tune, she thought, wincing. She paused, hanging back for several minutes just to watch them as the little boy said something and Michael laughed openly. Carradine had brought out a side of Michael that he had always kept hidden deep inside. A part of himself that had never really been allowed to surface as a child because circumstances had forced him to bury anything that would make him appear weak or vulnerable.
"Mama!" Carradine scrambled to stand up on his chair and before she could form the words to tell him to be careful, Michael placed a steadying hand on his back. "Mama, here!"
Maria weaved her way through the maze of tables and pressed a kiss against his messy hair before leaning over to kiss her husband.
"You get everything?" Michael asked, watching her as she held Carradine still with one hand and brushed tiny white hairs off of his clothes with the other.
"Um-hmm."
"Daddy teached me a new song, Mama. Want me to sing it for you?"
"Of course, sweetie."
"Okay." Carradine took a deep breath and belted out the slightly altered lyrics. "Gramma got runned over by some reindeers…"
Michael scrambled to his feet when his wife's hands paused in their task and she turned to look at him, her green eyes shooting sparks as she glared at him. "I'll go get the food."
"I don't know no more of the words, Mama. You want me to sing it for you again?"
She was going to kill Michael for this! "Sure. Unless you'd rather tell me about the puppy at the pet store."
"Can we go back and I can show him to you?" He looked down when his mother settled him back down in his chair and then unfolded a large napkin and tucked a corner of it into his collar.
"We're gonna go pick up a few things for the Christmas tree after we eat and if Daddy's not done with his errands we'll stop over at the pet store so you can show me the puppy before we go home."
"Huh-uh," Carradine denied. "We gotta go see Santa too, Mama."
"You want to go see Santa?"
"Uh-huh. He's not the real one, but Daddy said he's not really lyin' 'bout bein' the real Santa 'cause he's like a helper guy for Santa. An' Daddy said if kids are good – and I been good, Mama, Daddy said so – then if I tell the Santa guy I want a puppy he'll tell the real Santa and I'll get a puppy."
Maria nodded at his enthusiastic explanation. "Daddy said all that, did he?"
"Uh-huh." Carradine fidgeted in his seat. "We're gonna see the Santa soon, right, Mama? I gotta tell him 'bout the puppy 'fore somebody else asks for him first." He looked up when his father sat down beside him with a tray of food. "Daddy, what happens if somebody asks for my puppy?"
"What?"
"Your son would like to know what happens if another child asks Santa for the same puppy," Maria clarified as she unwrapped the smallest hamburger on the tray and cut it into four pieces so Carradine could manage them with ease.
Michael cleared his throat as he peeled the plastic wrapper off of a small straw and pushed it into a juice box. "Listen, buddy," he said, setting the drink down and turning Carradine's chair so that the boy was facing him. "We talked about this last night and I told you that askin' Santa for somethin' doesn't mean you're gonna get it. You remember that?"
"But, Santa could bring me a puppy if I ask, right? He won't know if I don't ask him, Daddy, so I gotta ask."
"Right, well, it never hurts to ask just as long as you understand that askin' doesn't mean you're gonna get what you want."
"But, I might?"
"But, you might," Michael agreed, moving the chair around so Carradine could start eating. He glanced at Maria as he reached for his own hamburger, smiling in response to her expression of happiness.
They plotted out the next couple of hours while they ate and agreed that Michael would call her when he was finished so they could decide where to meet.
