Yay! We made it to double digits! Thank you for the reviews! I'm sorry this chapter is late.
To answer NessieBooEvans: I'm good. How are you?
I hope you enjoy!
Christmas
Dear friends and family,
Merry Christmas.
2009 has been a busy and exciting year for the Hecks.
Last summer, I lost my job in the dental office but was lucky enough to land a new, thrilling job selling cars. And thanks to his years of hard work, Mike got a promotion at the quarry and is now manager. Even Axl, who's now fifteen, has recently joined the work force and we are having so much fun watching him work. Delaeney, who is also fifteen, has also joined the work force by babysitting. And Sue, thirteen, is busy.
Sue made.
Sue tried out for.
Sue has a boyfriend.
But nothing says Christmas like the wonder and magic on our little boy, Brick's, face.
Frankie paused as Brick came into the room and discussed his non-understanding of Christmas.
Ah, the first tradition of Christmas. The putting off of the Christmas letter.
~8~
Delaeney bounded down the stairs and raced into the kitchen to see Sue, Frankie, Axl, and Mike.
"Ello, Captain. How the weather?" Delaeney asked Axl with a British accent.
Axl rolled his eyes and brushed past her,
"Great."
"We still going to the mall?" She asked Frankie from the doorway.
"Yeah, go get your stuff so we can go." Frankie replied and Delaeney nodded before running back upstairs to grab her coat.
~8~
Delaeney sat in between Axl and Brick as they sat at church. Axl had his hand wrapped loosely around hers and they watched as the priest started to speak.
"Welcome, friends. Before we begin, please join me in praying for a member of our congregation, Melanie Howard." Delaeney let go of Axl's hand and everyone folded their hands in prayer, "May she make a quick recovery from her throat polyps."
A motion caught Delaeney's eye and she looked over to see Frankie shaking her head. Delaeney looked at her hands and then to Frankie before carefully putting her hands in her lap.
~8~
"I have just come back from rehearsal and I can safely say that I am going to blow the roof off that church tonight." Delaeney heard Frankie say and she looked up from the bowl of candy in front of her.
"Wouldn't it be funny if she got throat polyps right before her solo?" Delaeney asked Axl as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
"That would be great."
"How's Gary?" Delaeney asked Sue since she was sitting in between her and Axl.
"Fine," Sue replied stiffly.
"Really?" Delaeney pushed.
"No," Sue spilled, "He hasn't kissed me and every time we get close, he avoids it."
"Egh," Axl groaned, "I don't wanna hear this."
As the four kids watched TV, they heard Mike and Frankie having a small argument in the kitchen.
"Ah," Axl said as he ate some Skittles, "Now it's starting to feel like Christmas."
~8~
Delaeney slept peacefully as she rested her head against Sue shoulder and Axl rested his head on hers. She was in that type of sleep where she knew what was going in around her but she her body didn't want to move. Right as she finally felt deep sleep claim her she heard Mike's chair snap closed.
"Oh, no. Oh, no." She heard him say and she groaned.
"Sue, Axl, Delaeney, Brick. Get up. We're late."
"What?" Delaeney said as she slowly got up and rubbed her eyes.
"Oh, Nice, Dad." Axl said as he rubbed his face. "Classic."
"Oh, no." Sue said as she got up, "Are we gonna make it? I'm not dressed for church."
"No time." Mike said as he pulled his shoes on, "Throw something on and let's go now."
Delaeney looked down at her pink pajama shirt and blue plaid pants before racing to get her coat from the coat rack.
"What about presents?" She asked as she slipped her coat on, "Mom lets us open one present on Christmas Eve."
"You can open it when we get back." Mike said and Delaeney nodded.
"It won't be Christmas Eve when we get back, it will be Christmas Day." Sue pointed out.
"Fine. Grab a present and open it in the car."
Delaeney and Axl, who had pulled on sweatpants and his coat, raced over to the Christmas tree and started grabbing the presents, looking for their own.
"There are no tags!" Laynee exclaimed as she looked over the presents.
"Tags?" Mike questioned, "That wasn't on my list. Just throw them in the car, we can sort them on the way. Let's just move. Brick, head for the car."
Delaeney piled as many presents as she could in Axl's arms before grabbing some of her own and rushing out the front door.
"If your mom asks, we couldn't find a parking spot."
~8~
Laynee sat in between Sue and Brick as Sue opened the presents and handed them out.
"This one's for Brick." Sue said as she reached over Laynee and handed Brick a book.
"Don't get too into that book." Mike warned, "We're all jumping out as soon as we get to the church."
"Oh, my God." Sue gasped, "A cell phone?"
"That's for Axl."
Sue pouted and continued to look through the presents and Delaeney decided to help her. Something was wrong,
"There's no present for me?" Sue said as Delaeney frantically shuffled through the paper.
"There's nothing here for me either." Laynee added.
"Did you even get us anything?" Sue asked, unamused.
"Delaeney got a book series and you got a Rihanna CD and a Twilight-" Sue cut Mike off.
"Well, don't tell me what you got me." Sue sighed, "I wish Mom had done Christmas."
"Well, get in line." Mike said.
~8~
Frankie stood in front of the church, singing her solo. She was disappointed. Her family hadn't showed up and they wouldn't wait an extra few minutes so that they could come in; if they were coming. In the middle of here solo, Frankie saw the doors open and Mike, Sue, Brick, Laynee, and Axl shuffled in. She put her hand on her hip as she continued to sing when she saw that they were all in their pajamas. She watched as Delaeney quickly zipped up Axl's jacket and Mike motioned for them to go left into the last isle. Frankie raised her eyebrow as Axl walked straight into the pew armrest and bent over as Delaeney tried to stifle her giggles.
Frankie narrowed her eyes at Mike.
~8~
The Heck clan sat in silence as they felt waves of aggravation come off Frankie on their way home.
"How could you be late?" Frankie exploded and Axl immediately pointed finger.
"It was dad's fault. He fell asleep?"
"Why was that?" Frankie asked sarcastically, "Is it because you were exhausted? Is it because Christmas is hard?"
"It's not hard." Mike muttered. "We would've been there sooner but the kids had to open a gift."
"Oh, some gift." Axl announced, "I've only got family minutes. Why would I wanna talk to my family?"
"You didn't even get Sue and I anything." Delaeney added and the argument in the car climaxed.
"Everybody stop yelling." Brick shouted before whispering, "Yelling."
Brick gasped,
"Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no. I can't stop. I can't stop."
"See what you did." Sue directed at Axl.
"What I did? What did I do."
The arguing once again commenced and suddenly, the car spun out of control. Delaeney screamed and wrapped her arms around Axl's torso, squeezing her eyes shut. Axl grabbed the handle above the window with his hands and joined everyone in the yelling/ screaming.
"Nice driving, dad." Axl commented once the car stopped.
"Watch where you're going." Brick added and the car once again spun out of control.
Delaeney screamed again and held on tighter to Axl as Axl wrapped one arm around Delaeney and used the other arm to hold the handle. Everybody started to scream again and there was a somber quite when the car stopped.
"Beautiful solo, mom." Sue quietly said as Delaeney still clung to Axl.
"Thank you, Sue."
"I, uh, I like my cell phone, Dad." Axl said as he kept his arm around Delaeney.
"You're welcome, son."
A relieved yet stressful silence passed before Mike spoke,
"Frankie, Christmas is hard."
"Thank you," Frankie sighed, "That's all I wanted to hear."
"Hey, look what I found." Brick cried as he lifted up a PEZ dispenser, "My Santa PEZ dispenser. It slid out from underneath the seat the second time we almost died. It's a Christmas miracle."
So almost dying, twice had made the rest of us start thinking about our own existence.
But for Brick, it made him stop.
Was the two-year-old PEZ dispenser sliding out from under the dirty, crud-encrusted bottom of our seat a Christmas miracle.
Who knows.
I'd like to think yes because Brick was the happiest I've ever seen him that Christmas.
~8~
Delaeney raced back into the house holding a large box with a giant bow on it.
"Hey," She exclaimed as she entered the house, "look at what was on our porch."
"Laynee, do you know who this is from?" Frankie asked as Laynee brought it into the living room.
"Nah. Can we open it?" Delaeney's eyes shined with excitement and Frankie smiled.
"Of course."
As Delaeney pulled the box open, the rest of the family gathered around to see what was inside.
"Look," Sue exclaimed as Delaeney pulled out six packages wrapped paper with white and gold designs, "They're presents."
The family all reached and grabbed the presents that had their names on them.
"What…." Delaeney asked as she opened hers.
"Sock?" Sue said in disbelief.
"That's so lame." Axl said as he tossed his socks.
"Ah," Mike said with a sigh, "Jacob and Rebecca never cease to amaze me."
The Heck family laughed and continued to open their presents with smiles.
Don't get me wrong.
Christmas is hard.
But no matter how stressed you are, the 25th rolls around and it's great and wonderful and the best Christmas ever.
It's like giving birth.
You forget the pain and can't wait to do it again next year.
Happy Holidays.
Love,
The Hecks.
This chapter was a bit challenging to write. I didn't know how to fit Laynee it in. Tell me what you think. Also, do you want more romance?
See you next time,
Ana