Aaaall right, readers, this is the final chapter! Wow, I made it to the end and so did Stacey and Mary Anne make it through their tough times...so here's the last chapter! And I'll be adding more to my other stories soon, so keep on the lookout!

Edge of Darkness

By: CNJ

PG-13

10: December 2023

Tamara:

I came home from school after practicing for our school's Hanukkah-Christmas production that's coming on next week before we let out for the holidays. I waved good-by to Rhoda and walked briskly the rest of the way home.

Mom was home early than day and she was reclined on the couch grading papers...and doing something...her hand was at her mouth. Alma was curled up beside Mom since kindergarten lets out by two. That's when I realized that they were both biting their nails!

"Mom..." I walked over to her and took her hand out of her mouth. "Didn't you outgrow that in high school?"

"Oh..." Mom blushed and sat on her hand. "I thought so. I still bit them in college sometimes."

She gently extracted Alma's hand from her mouth. Alma's face was puckered into a nervous frown.

"Are you sad today, Mommy?" Alma asked.

I sat beside Mom and noticed that my mother's dark thick brows were tightened into a worried and yes, slightly sad frown that etched two small vertical lines between her brows.

"A little..." she admitted. "This holiday is going to be strange without your father." I felt tears well up in my eyes. "I'm very lucky to have you girls. I don't know what I would have done without you."

"You've been wonderful with us," I told her, giving her and Alma a hug. "You're one of the strongest women I know."

Mom gave a rueful smile. "Yes, the women in our family hang tough."

We were quiet a minute, then Mom spoke again. "What do you kids want to do to start the holiday season? Aunt Dawn and her kids are coming in another week and a half...so are Stacey and Syrie. And a few days after your great-grandmother. Your father would have still wanted us to celebrate, even though it won't feel the same..."

"Let's do something a little different this year," I suggested. "Like...go into the city this weekend and see the big tree and menorah at the Rockefellar Center!"

"Good suggestion." Mom nodded and even Alma's face lit up. "You know, Hanukkah starts this Saturday."

"We can have those menorah candles," Alma put in. "And we can light them starting Saturday."

"Good idea." Mom smiled. Even though we don't practice any religion today, some of our ancestors had been Jewish, so some years, we did have a menorah.

Mary Anne:

We took up Tam's suggestion and went into the city that Friday afternoon. We stood outside the rink at the Rockefellar Center as it grew dark. It seemed like half the world was there. New York City is a wonder to behold during the holiday season.

"I wish we'd brought our skates," Alma told us.

"Me too," I nodded. It was clear, blustery, and very cold, perfect for ice-skating. "Maybe we could come back here when the others come over the vacation and bring our skates." Just then, the huge tree was lit, then the menorah and everyone sighed with a "Woooogh..."

"Happy holidays," I whispered, hugging my family close. No, things wouldn't be the same without Owen, but we'd still be a family...always.

Stacey:

Syrie and I noticed how flat our artificial tree seemed. We'd been putting up decorations, even though we were going to spend the actual Christmas day at Mary Anne's place in New York. The holidays would always have a void without my son, Larry, but Syrie and I had grown closer since his death.

"Think we'll ever be the same?" Syrie asked.

"No..." I shook my head and put an arm around her.

"Let's do something different this year," Syrie suggested. "Like...go out and get a real tree."

"That's an idea," I nodded. "We won't be the same. Our family's changed, but we'll celebrate this year in a different way. Don't forget we're also going over to Mary Anne's for Christmas. Come on, let's look for the tree..." We grabbed our jackets and went.

Mary Anne:

"YEEAAAH!" We all whooped as we cheered the Blasters on at the women's hockey tournament. They came closer...then won by two points! All of us went nuts, jumping around and backslapping. I'm not into sports, but Alma is and it's great to see her laughing again.

"Gut vin!" Greta crowed in her thick German accent.

She and Wyser kissed. It's funny, but half of the crowd was so eager to leave afterward that they stuffed themselves through the exit. We sat on the bleachers and talked.

Tamara had been great at her holiday performance earlier in the week and was still glowing from that. School had just let out for winter vacation and Stacey and Syrie had arrived just a few hours ago. Dawn and her twins were coming the day after tomorrow.

"It's been so long since I just let loose like this," Stacey sighed. Syrie was nodding off in her lap.

"Me too." I stroked Syrie's hair, which is the same honey color as her mother's. "It's so good that my girls are getting on with their lives." I felt a slight catch in my throat. "I'll always miss Owen. If only he could have been there for Tam's play this week." Just then, we heard plucking down below and saw some of the players goofing around with a puck.

"Gogogo...GO!" Mona, Alma, and Greta screamed.

Someone scored and they whooped, "YEEEAH!" By then the stands were just about empty, so we headed out and on the way home, stopped for pizza.

By the time we got home, it was ten. Alma had fallen asleep in my arms and Syrie was asleep in Stacey's.

Zara, Tamara, and Vitra were still awake and felt like playing dominoes. So they played on the living room floor while us adults headed to the kitchen and had tea and Greta had a beer.

I was feeling lighter than I had in a long time. It was good to see that Stacey and our kids seemed to be feeling better these days too. I realized that I was laughing along with the others at the jokes. I hadn't laughed in so long...I think since the plane crash. When you lose someone you love during the year, the holidays don't feel the same...but you can still enjoy them and make the most of time with family and friends.

"Good night, Owen..." I whispered later that night around one in the morning when the kids had fallen asleep and I was getting ready for bed. "Thanks...for the kids and for being there while you were alive."

I was lucky to have had such a dear husband, I thought as I gave his picture a kiss, then got into bed. I saw a light snow starting to fall outside as I drifted off into sleep.

Storyline Copyright 2001 by CNJ