25 Days of Christmas
Day 21: Blitzen (Sheamus/Alex Riley)
"I can' believe that he was picked t' be a deer!"
Kevin smiled at his husband and patted Stephen's arm. They were sitting in the elementary auditorium waiting for their son's Christmas play to begin. Joseph had been so excited when he was picked to play Blitzen and he made both of his daddies promise to be there. While Kevin had been just as excited as Joseph had been, Stephen couldn't fathom why his son was so excited to play a reindeer.
"I mean, he's good enough t' be Rudolph! I jus' don' understand…"
Kevin sighed softly and turned on his video camera. Parents and grandparents were still filing into the auditorium, anxious to see their children and the play that they had worked so hard on.
"I jus' don' get why Mrs. Shinners didn't pick him."
Ah yes, Mrs. Shinners. She taught third grade social studies and was Joseph's homeroom teacher. She was nice enough, had more than enough experience as a teacher, and had a lot more energy than most elderly teachers did nowadays. Kevin liked her, but Stephen, being the overprotective parent that he was, criticized her methods and what she taught. Parent teacher conferences were always a disaster. Whenever one came around, Kevin always tried to schedule one for a time that Stephen would miss. The last time the Irishman came to one, he made the teacher's assistant cry. It was the first time Kevin saw a twenty-one year old man cry.
"Blitzen… He should 'ave been Rudolph." Okay, enough was enough.
"Stephen, I understand that you feel that Joseph deserves the best of everything. I feel that way a lot too. Hell, almost every parent feels that way about their child. But he's proud to be Blitzen and that's good enough for me and it should be good enough for you too." Stephen stared at him wide eyed for a moment before conceding defeat. Kevin smiled and kissed his husband's cheek.
"Jus' one more question."
"What?"
"Why Blitzen?" Kevin laughed softly. The lights dimmed and everyone quieted down, ready and waiting for the Christmas play to start.
"Because Blitzen is Rudolph's daddy. In Joseph's mind, it all started with Blitzen. And for Joseph, being Rudolph's daddy is more of an honor than being Rudolph himself."
Nodding in understanding, Stephen turned his attention to the stage. Kevin held up his video camera and waited patiently. Mrs. Shinners came out and spoke briefly before exiting stage left. A moment later, the curtain was raised and the play started. He had to laugh to himself when Joseph came on stage, wearing his Blitzen costume with his little chest puffed out proudly. Although Kevin could never understand why Mrs. Shinners picked the original Rudolph movie to do a play of, he couldn't help but feel pride in his son as he made one of the best Blitzens he's ever seen.