"Mommy, I am so glad we went to see Santa today.
He is a nice man."
"I am glad you had fun sweetie." Iz replied
as she finished putting on Rafe's pajama's "We need a nickname for you
little one," she told the boy as he reached up for her. Picking him up
she placed him in the crib, and then crossed to Jimmy's bed.
"Under the covers now, Jimmy."
"Guess what Mommy!" Jimmy said as he climbed under
the covers. Not waiting for a response he continued. "I asked Santa for
only one big gift and that wasn't even for me." With that statement he
pulled Iz's face down and gave her a kiss. "Night Mommy."
She stood there for a few moments wondering what
he had asked for. She turned around and went downstairs to find Rafe, knowing
he had the answer.
Downstairs
"Are you happy Iz?" Rafe asked from his seat.
"What?" she asked coming into the living room.
"Are you hap--"
"I heard it," she interrupted as he began to
repeat his question. Sitting down across from him she brushed her hair
out of her face. "What brought this on?"
"Jimmy told Santa that he wanted his daddy back
so you would be happy. Was he right?"
Iz stood and walked over to the window looking out
at the black night sky. "I am not always unhappy Rafe," she started. "I
am so glad to be back here with you and Danny and Evelyn. It is just that
I miss David. I am tired of being the only parent they know. I am tired
of all the old women in the town looking at my babies the same way they
looked at Danny and I growing up, And I want my church wedding." By the
time she finished talking she was sobbing.
Rafe moved over and pulled her into his arms. His heart was breaking for her as he listened to her cry. After a few minutes all of what she had said soaked in. "You never had a church wedding?" he asked. "You always wanted one. You made my dad promise to marry you off when you were five," he continued with a hint of wistfulness in his voice.
"We were married by a justice of the peace. We didn't have time for anything else he was being shipped out two days later. We were going to have one when he got back, I wanted you to give me away." She took a step away from him, "why didn't you tell me what Jimmy really asked Santa for?"
"I didn't want to tell you at Sears, I was
going to talk to you about it tonight," he explained pacing around the
room. "Are you going to say anything to him?" he finally asked.
"I don't know if I let him think that in his Daddy
will be here at Christmas he will be heartbroken, if it tell him otherwise…"
she let her voice trail off as she looked up at Rafe. "Do you remember
when you stopped believing in Santa?"
Rafe nodded letting his mind already going
back to that Christmas.
