CHRISTMAS MORNING
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Christmas Morning
Simone woke up uncharacteristically early. She got to do something she hadn't been able to do before; see Gunny sleeping. His mouth was turned up as if he were dreaming something extremely pleasant. She couldn't resist. Leaning down, she touched her lips lightly to his. Simone turned to get out of bed and go make coffee when suddenly Gunny grabbed her and pulled her back under the covers.
"Where do you think you're going?" Gunny asked.
"I thought you were sleeping and I actually woke up before you did" Simone said with a slight pout.
"You did, but as soon as you moved, I felt it and woke up. I sleep lightly due to my years of training" Gunny replied kissing her nose.
Simone drew Gunny down close to her and kissed him deeply. "In that case, good morning my wonderful husband"
Gunny pulled her into his arms. When she said "husband" his heart skipped a beat. He felt so blessed at that moment. They lay in bed cuddling for a short while but then looked at the clock and knew it was time to get up. Their families would be arriving soon. Gunny headed off to the shower while Simone made coffee. She was happy she didn't have to cook this morning. Her mom was making breakfast. She walked out into the living room with several garbage bags. There were a mountain of presents and she knew what a disaster area the living room would be in a few hours. As soon as she heard the water go off, she walked back into the bedroom to pull out some clothes. Gunny walked out of the shower dressed only in a towel and Simone just stared at him in wonder.
He asked her in a worried tone "What's wrong?"
She laughed and replied, "Nothing. Sometimes I forget how amazingly sexy you are."
He grinned at her, swatted her on the bottom, kissed her soundly and sent her off to the shower.
About half an hour later they were both dressed and ready to greet their families. Gunny was dressed in sweats, a USMC sweatshirt and white socks. Simone appeared in the kitchen wearing sweats, her ASU College of Education t-shirt and her favorite Oscar the Grouch slippers.
"Nice shoes honey. Do you have those because you hate mornings?" Gunny asked laughing.
"Very funny. I only hate some mornings", Simone sniffed.
Gunny looked at her with a mischievous twinkle in his eye and asked, "What makes some mornings better than others?"
Simone sauntered over and snaked her arms around his neck. "Let me show you just what makes them so good."
They stood locked in that embrace until the doorbell rang. Gunny looked down at her, "Do we have to let them in?"
"Yes, because we kicked them out yesterday. We'll have tonight" Simone replied and grinned at him.
Gunny went to open the door and it was Simone's mom. "Hi, mija, she said hugging Simone. She turned to Gunny and asked, "Victor, could you please go out to the car and bring in the dishes for me?" He nodded and headed out the door.
Simone's mom eyed her and asked, "Is there anything you want to tell me?"
Simone laughed and said, "No, mom. I just love Christmas morning."
Gunny came back in with boxes of food and asked Simone's mom, "Will YOU marry me? This smells amazing!"
Simone cocked an eyebrow and threw a dishtowel at him. Everyone started to laugh as the Galindez family came in the open door. After a round of hugs and kisses everyone grabbed a cup of coffee or hot cocoa and headed to the living room to open presents. Everyone was thrilled with their presents. Valerie practically squealed with delight when she saw her gift certificate to Macy's. Maria loved the beautiful sweater Simone picked out. Claudia received a first edition of Gone With the Wind. She and Simone shared a love of the Civil War era. For Carina, they bought tickets to the Producers, a play she was dying to see on Broadway. For Gunny's parents, Simone made a scrapbook of the Galindez family. There were pages devoted to each child. Mrs. Galindez looked at Simone and asked, "How on earth were you able to do all of this? This is beautiful!"
Simone replied, "I spent a lot of time on the phone with Claudia. She sent me a big box of pictures which Victor helped me go through and put in order."
Mrs. Galindez said, "But there are no pictures of you in here. This is one of the most significant times in Victor's life."
Simone smiled warmly at her future mother-in-law, "Well, if you'll notice, the album is not quite full. I was hoping we could add a few more pages with wedding pictures and eventually pictures of grandchildren."
Gunny's mom was overcome with emotion but managed to get out, "I would love that." She reached out and hugged Simone.
For Simone's mother they found a carousel complete with horses. They were her favorite. Mom was thrilled. Then she said, "We've all opened presents and you two haven't opened a thing."
Simone said, "We were having too much fun watching you all open things." Gunny selected a gift from under the tree. It was the comforter from their register. They continued opening gifts. Everyone had chosen something they needed.
At last Maria said, "I didn't get you something from your registry. I found this in a shop and somehow I knew you had to have it." She handed the box to Simone. She tore the paper off carefully because the box was heavy. Inside she found a signed DeGrazia painting of children dancing around a piƱata.
Simone gasped, "How did you know?"
Maria asked, "Know what?"
Simone told her, "I have a small one of these hanging in the bedroom. It was my nana's and it's one of my favorites."
Maria shrugged and hugged Simone, winking at Victor over her shoulder. They all opened the various small gifts and as Simone predicted, the living room looked like a tornado had gone through.
Simone's mom asked in a loud voice, "Who's hungry? We have chorizo con huevos or frijoles if you prefer. I also made bacon and I brought the ingredients for pancakes." She was answered with a chorus of, "We're starved!" They made quick work of cleaning the living room and setting the table. Breakfast was a noisy affair and Simone loved every minute of it. She sat back and mused, "It's going to be a great wedding."
