A Quarantine Christmas
Yeah, so The Muse decides to stop working on other stories and throw this one into the mix. Rather typical of it, really. So, here's its latest story that it won't let me get out of my head. Present day, so a little melancholy. Set in the universe where Tony and Angela have a son named Robert.
Merry Christmas!
December 23, 2020
It looked like Christmas at the Bower-Micelli household, the living room was decorated with tree, stockings, garland, and of course, mistletoe; it sounded like Christmas at the Bower-Micelli household as Sinatra sang "Adeste Fideles" with an assist from Tony in the kitchen; it even smelled like Christmas in the Bower-Micelli household as the scent of peppermint chocolate cookies wafted into the living room; but it didn't feel like Christmas in the Bower-Micelli household. There were no grandchildren clamoring down the stairs, there were no secrets about presents, there were no neighbors dropping by; there was just emptiness, an almost white noise of experience.
Angela took a deep breath and forced a smile as she surveyed the living room. A fire burned in the fireplace, offering Angela warmth that she didn't really feel. Presents were wrapped with care and under the tree; waiting, waiting, waiting for a moment of gaiety. She looked away as she knew the gifts were going to be dropped off to Samantha and her daughters on Christmas Eve instead of being opened here, of course they would be able to watch the girls tear off the paper on Zoom, but it wasn't the same as them being here. Angela's attention was drawn to one of the ornaments on the tree and at that point she gave up on even trying to fake cheer. She touched the house shaped dark red lacquer frame ornament. It was old, containing a photo of the family from before the time Robert was born. This elicited a sigh from Angela that she didn't even know she let out.
Tony's perfect timing as he swung through the door carrying cookies and hot chocolate showed him that refreshments were not uppermost in Angela's mind at the moment, as unbelievable as that was. He put the goodies down on the coffee table and snuggled up behind his wife putting one arm around her. "I miss them, too," he said.
Angela still held on to the ornament, but she leaned into her husband. "Everything feels so...off. Festive, but empty." She let go of the ornament and turned toward him, "are we covering the loneliness by going over the top?"
"Ay oh, what am I, chopped liver?"
She smiled at him, "Of course not."
He looked around the room, "we aren't over the top, this is normal for us."
"Normal is just a concept right now."
"It's getting better, Angela; next year, we'll have double holidays to make up for everything we missed this year. Two Fourths of July, two Christmases..."
"But not double birthdays."
He chuckled and pulled her closer. His embrace always brought her comfort, and that, combined with the vibration of his laugh that she could feel through her made some of her sadness dissipate.
"We've been through worse, Angela."
She looked up at him and nodded, then her eyes turned toward the mantle. A picture of Tony's dad along with one of her parents stood out among the garland. She leaned her head against Tony's and thought about how difficult the season must have been for him and Samantha the year before they met. She cuddled closer and held him more tightly.
He looked at the stockings hanging above the fire. Angela had insisted they put up one for each family member because she thought having only two there would look pathetic. He agreed with her, even though he wasn't quite sure about hanging a stocking for Mona, but Angela had stated that since no one else was going to be here, that she might as well have one, too. Tony had refrained from pointing out that Mona wasn't going to be forgotten even though she wasn't there; it would be hypocritical as he knew too well that people sometimes cling to things they should let go of, be they stocking or apartment. They both silently thanked Mona and whatever force brought them together.
"Hey, how about some hot chocolate?' he asked, to lighten up the moment.
"Does it have schnapps in it?"
He laughed, "do you want it to?"
"I do."
"Peppermint or strawberry?" he asked as they walked toward the couch.
"Better be the peppermint to go with the cookies." They exchanged a quick kiss and Angela flopped down on the couch, Tony soon followed after retrieving the bottle. He poured some in each mug, then handed one to Angela. He picked his up, "to what shall we toast?"
"To Christmas 2021!"
"Fine Angela, to Christmas 2021," they clinked mugs and drank. Tony may have toasted to 2021, but that didn't mean that he wasn't going to do his best to make this Christmas as good as it could be for Angela. Even though all the kids wouldn't be here, he still had some surprises up his sleeve.
Angela savored the hot chocolate and took a bite of a cookie, "delicious as always, Tony, thank you."
Nothing made Tony happier than seeing a contented Angela, "you're welcome." And thinking of contentment Tony moved closer to Angela and whispered in her ear, "since we'll be alone on Christmas maybe we'll just stay in our robes all day and exchange gifts."
Angela almost spit out the hot chocolate in her giggling, only pride in not wasting chocolate kept it in her mouth. She looked away from him because she knew if she looked into his eyes right now, she'd be lost. If there was one thing to be said for this year, at least they'd used it to make up for all the time they'd lost in what she termed, 'The Early Years'. Finally gaining control, she turned back to him, and yes, those eyes of his almost melted her, in fact, they almost melted all the snow outside that Mother Nature had dumped on them last week. If nothing else, at least it would be a white Christmas.
"Anthony Morton Micelli,.."
"Uh oh, it's the full name, I'm in trouble."
There was no anger behind the name, Angela just wanted his full attention, although times when she did not hold his attention were rare to non-existent. Angela laughed and the joy of the sound was better than any silver bell ringing to Tony, she was coming out of the melancholy and he hoped she would continue to focus on the positives; they had their health, their house, and food; all in all, they were doing well.
She stared down those eyes and said, "why wait to start exchanging gifts?"
"Oh, I can't believe you said something so trite."
She shrugged, "trite works, it sells, trust me, I know."
"Oh, I do," he agreed. He led his gaze lower, but lost none of the intensity.
The doorbell rang, startling both of them. Tony had to laugh at himself because he'd invited the doorbell ringers, so this shouldn't have been a surprise.
"I'd almost forgotten what the bell sounded like," Angela said.
"It's kind of amazing it still works," Tony answered.
"Who could it possibly be? A gift delivery from Jonathan or Robert maybe?" That propelled Angela to the front door. Tony followed her, smiling, for though he knew that that was not what was behind the door, he was certain she'd be just as happy.
Angela peered through the peep hole and gasped. She grabbed the door and pulled it open. There stood three ladies, properly dressed for the cold and masked. It was Samantha and her twin teenaged daughters. Angela wanted to run outside and hug all of them but knew she couldn't, so instead she kept herself properly distanced, clasped her hands together and touched them to her lips. Tony stood at her side and put an arm around her.
The ladies started singing, "we wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you a merry Christmas and a happier 2021!"
Angela unclasped and started clapping, practically jumping up and down. Tony grabbed a couple of masks from the side table and he and Angela donned them.
"Ready for song two?" Tony asked. The trio nodded.
"Song two?" Angela inquired, "there's more? I can't believe you did this!" She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, which was awkward through the masks, but neither cared. Nor did they care about the heating bill as they let the warmth escape.
Tony started singing, "stock the halls with masks and hand wipes..."
The ladies sang, "fa la la la la, la la la la"
Then they all sang, "'tis the season to be healthy...
fa la la la la, la la la la
Don we now our Zoom created backgrounds
fa la la, la la la, la la la
Trolls are modern Yuletide Grinches
fa la la la la, la la la la"
Angela applauded some more and the ladies took bows.
"And thus concludes our Corona Christmas Concert," Tony announced. The ladies curtseyed and Angela beamed, "thank you, thank you so much! It's so good to see you. Even with all the times you've driven by and waved from the car, it's still not enough. I want to hug all of you and never let go."
"Soon, Angela, the vaccine is here and we'll be over here so often you'll be sick of us," Sam said.
"Never, honey. I could never be sick of any of you."
Grace, the slightly younger of the daughters said, "I smell cookies."
Her sister, Estelle rolled her eyes, "you always smell cookies."
"It's Grandpa's house, how can there not be cookies!"
There was no arguing that point.
As always, Grandpa was prepared, "don't worry, I packed some up for you to take with you, hermetically sealed, of course." No one needed to see a whole face to note how Grace's eyes lit up with joy. Tony headed to the kitchen for cookie rescue.
Sam watched him go and said, "dad's the best, somehow he's even topped that by adding grandpa to his facets."
"Husband is another wonderful facet," Angela said as she looked wistfully at the kitchen door.
Sam put her hands over her daughters' ears in mock outrage. "Angela!"
Angela turned around to see this silly tableau, the girls squirmed out of their mother's hands. Angela played along, "I'm just saying that Tony has always taken good care of me."
"Yeah, I am sure that's what you meant, Grandma," Estelle said as she laughed
"Your mother and Uncle Jonathan would have jumped for joy had your grandfather and I been married when they were your age."
"No where near as much as Mona would have." Sam said, then almost wished she hadn't, with everything else this year, a mention of Mona might just bring up Angela's sense of loss even more. Angela's resilience came through instead, she laughed, "you're right, she would have."
"Did it really take you and Grandpa eight years to get married, Grandma?" Estelle asked.
"Well, we weren't dating for most of that time, so yes."
"Seems crazy, Grandma," Grace added.
"From the point of view of now, yes; but then it made sense."
"That's not what Mom and Uncle Jonathan say..."
"Oh look, here's Grandpa with the cookies!" Sam jumped in as Angela gave her a, 'just how often do you discuss this' look, which was complicated by the mask, but Angela managed to convey it nonetheless.
Angela let it go and went to the tree, figuring she might as well give the girls their presents now. They were conveniently placed in festive bags. As she returned to the door she saw that the ladies had produced festive bags of presents for them too. They set all the bags on the door jamb to "exchange" them. Tony placed the package of cookies into one of the bags and picked up the bags for Angela and himself. The ladies picked up their bags.
"Well, I guess we should be going, it is getting a little chilly and as far as I know, neither of you still don't have a cousin in Con Ed. We'll call you on Christmas," Sam said.
Angela nodded, the phone call would be wonderful, of course, but she'd still miss them. Sam and the girls turned to leave.
"I can't stand it," Angela said, "we've been keeping quarantine well and I know you have, too, I have to hug you." And before anyone could say or do anything, Angela pulled all three of them together and hugged them tightly. Tony wasn't going to let this moment go by, he also joined in the hug. The five of them stood there and the Bower-Micelli vestibule added another cherished moment to its lore.
They broke away and a chorus of, "I miss you" came from every direction. Tony and Angela watched as the ladies went back to the car and pulled away, they and their granddaughters waved at each other until the car was out of sight.
They shut the door and threw away the masks. Angela tried to keep her spirits up, she really did, but she couldn't help but feel a little sadness now that the girls were gone. Tony felt the loss, too.
"More schnapps? Chocolate? Watch tv and criticize all the commercials? What do you want, Angela?"
That elicited a smile, a loving gaze and another kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, hon, I don't want anything. Can you just hold me, at least that feels normal."
"If something feels normal, I'm glad to know I'm it," he said as he led her to the couch. They sat down and he did indeed hold her. They stayed snuggled that way long past the fire burning down in the fireplace and the hot chocolate turning to ice cold chocolate. If they pretended hard enough they could imagine that all the kids were upstairs fast asleep.
December 24, 2020
Today was going to be spent in the kitchen baking items that would freeze well, as Tony and Angela didn't need any more baked goods, they just needed the distraction. Activity paired with music kept them going. Tony had curated a Christmas carol playlist, heavy on the World War II era recordings. He was hoping to draw strength from their strength. While they mixed, chopped, and frosted Bing sang about having a white Christmas in the background. A memory dropped into Tony's mind. "Hey Angela, remember that time we met that couple at a club?"
"Which time, Tony? The ones who made passes at us?"
He laughed, "no, not them, the couple who met each other in World War II and married almost instantaneously."
She smiled, "yes, I remember them."
"At the time I was amazed that they were able to make it work. Now I can understand a little more about how they were able to. They needed to depend on each other to get through. There was so much pain in the world. They knew that the key to a better world was to acknowledge the pain, but create love and joy where they could. Music, Angela. The Hollywood Canteen, the USO, all the movies; they knew that music connects and soothes people in a way nothing else can." Wallowing wouldn't help; action would, he looked at her, "want to dance? Glenn Miller recorded Christmas tunes, but we made 'In the Mood' our own Christmas song." He held out his hand to her.
She hesitated, "I don't know, Tony, it would remind me too much of that first Christmas together and I don't want to think about all we've lost since then."
"That Christmas wasn't exactly without its own angst if you remember." She did and she looked at him with compassion. She tentatively held out her hand.
"It's not about what we've lost, it's about moving through it, and celebrating those who will always be in our hearts," Tony said, then changed his focus, "hey Siri, play "In the Mood." Siri started playing and Angela grasped Tony's hand firmly. They danced and this strange feeling, Angela wasn't sure, but it might have been joy, permeated her. Tony was smiling, she was smiling; for this moment all seemed right with the world.
The phone rang, and it wasn't either of their cells, it was the red wall phone. They'd kept it because the girls took to it at a young age. It had only taken Sam telling them once about how much time she spent on it as a teen for them to pretend to be mommy whenever they were there. They loved playing with it and even though they grew out of the game quickly, the phone stayed. They ran to the phone to answer it together. It was a good bet it would be Robert as he knew they liked to lean their heads together so they could talk to him at the same time and speaker phone didn't afford them the same opportunity for togetherness, so he'd often oblige his parents' charming quirk (or over the top schmaltz depending on one's point of view) when calling.
"Hello," they said in unison.
"Hi Mom, hi Dad, Merry Christmas!"
"Hey Robert, how are you?" Again, in unison.
"I'm good, I don't have long, of course, but I wanted to say thanks for the cookies, Dad, everyone on staff loves them."
That solved one mystery for Angela.
"You're welcome, kiddo," his dad answered. They could hear the sounds of the hospital in the background.
"It's good to hear your voice, Robert," his mom said.
"It's good to hear you, too."
It was quiet, they all knew they wished he could be there with them, but as with so many who attend college in Boston, Robert stayed, especially since the need for doctors was so great.
"Your Dad surprised me by having the girls show up last night and sing for me, they stayed outside and masked, of course."
"That sounds like something Dad would do."
"Indeed it is," Dad said with pride.
"He's also promised double holidays next year, so keep that in mind."
Robert chuckled, "yeah, that sounds like Dad, too."
Tony laughed.
"How many spoons did mom get to lick?"
"Ha," Tony barked.
"Not as many as you would think, Robert, even I have my limits."
"Soooo, ten?" But he never had time for an answer, "sorry, Mom, Dad; I gotta go. Talk when I can, love you, bye."
He had to hang up before they could even tell him to stay safe and that they loved him. They looked at the phone a little sadly and then placed it back on the receiver. Tony went to pull a batch of cookies out of the oven. Angela kept telling herself that Robert had been vaccinated, so some of her anxiety about him abated, just some though, she was, after all, still his mother. She decided on talking about the solved mystery instead.
Tony was removing cookies from the sheet and placing them onto the cooling rack. "So that's where the packages went," she said, "you're very sneaky."
"You have no idea."
She laughed. They had few secrets from each other this Christmas season, but Tony insisted upon one. Yesterday morning he'd left the house with two packages. Angela didn't know what was in them or where they were going. She quelled her curiosity and only reminded him to be safe and masked in the Outer World, which he didn't need to be reminded of, but he let her say it because he knew it would help her feel better.
"Cookies for Robert, nice thought."
"Thank you."
"Were both packages for him?"
"Maybe, maybe not."
"I see. Fine, I'll let you have your secret," Angela said with a smile. Then she kissed him and they went back to baking. By the time they were finished not only did they have enough for this Christmas, they had enough for the two Christmases they'd be celebrating next year.
December 25, 2020
Angela woke up to pale sunlight streaming into the room. "It's Christmas," she thought, yet felt no excitement about the day. She felt no desire to jump out of bed and run downstairs to open gifts. Of course, there was rarely a time she felt like jumping out of bed with Tony in it with her, but Christmas should be different. She should be hearing impatient kids outside the bedroom door, but there was only silence. She cuddled up to Tony for comfort. He was also apparently awake as he kissed the top of her head.
"Merry Christmas, darling," he said as he stroked her back.
"Merry Christmas."
"How about chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast?"
"You do know your way to my heart."
"Oh, I know a lot of ways."
Angela gathered the covers up to her shoulders and sat up, "are you flirting with me?"
"Ay oh, if I were flirting with you, I'd want you to know; and you would."
Angela laughed full out. Seeing that he'd accomplished drawing Angela away from melancholy, he threw what was left of the covers off himself, got up, and put on a robe. Angela followed, also donning a robe. Deciding to make the best of things, the held hands going downstairs. Tony turned on the tree lights and they stood there together for a while gazing at the tree.
"You know I did get you actual gifts to open," Tony pointed out.
"I know, I got you gifts, too, I'd just rather wait and open them later at the appointed time with the girls."
Tony nodded in agreement as that was his preferred option as well, "breakfast it is, then," he said as they walked into the kitchen. Breakfast preparations were enhanced by the return of the carols. Both Tony and Angela sang along and found that they were able to create some joy by doing so. Everything was fine until they sat down to eat and Bing started singing, "I'll be home for Christmas..."
Angela stopped mid-bite.
"I'll shut it off, Angela."
"No Tony, don't. This one really hits...home this year, but it's giving me strength too. I know everyone wants to be home, and that's what's important. I'm counting our blessings, Tony. We're healthy and safe; fed and clothed. So many people don't even have that. It's so overwhelming. I always wonder if there is more that I can do."
"You've donated, Angela, and as much as I know you want to, you can't alleviate the suffering of the whole world." He kissed her hand, "but it's wonderful of you to try."
"Thanks, it's wonderful for you to try, too."
"So I guess we've found our Christmas spirit."
"I guess we have."
"Let's eat!"
Angela agreed, and suddenly found that she actually did have an appetite, or maybe it was just because the music had taken an upbeat post war turn with Brenda Lee rocking around that Christmas tree.
Angela insisted on cleaning up the breakfast dishes so Tony could get dressed. She knew she would be essentially banished from the kitchen soon enough while Tony prepared dinner. He was going just as overboard as ever even though it was just the two of them. If arguing with him over that even thought about crossing her mind, she dismissed it as pointless. Angela set the dining room table for two, all the while trying not to remember all the laughter that had graced the room. She continually reminded herself to focus on next year and all the new memories they would create here. Running out of things to do, she went to get dressed herself.
By the time she returned to the kitchen Tony was cooking up a storm. Her partial banishment meant she could be in the room, but no touching of anything was allowed. That included the food, the utensils, and most importantly, the cook as he didn't want to be distracted. So Angela provided conversation; wondering when Jonathan would call; if Robert would get a chance to call, when the next snowstorm might be, just chit chat. The red phone rang and Angela jumped to it as it might be Robert.
"Hello," she practically yelled, "oh hi, Mrs. Rossini, how's Florida?" she managed without sounding too disappointed that her son was not on the line. Tony wiped his hands and joined the call finding out that Florida was actually cold...for Florida. They chatted for a few minutes and got caught up on all the news of her great grandchildren, her cats, and the bane of golf carts. Tony had to return to his cooking, so they exchanged their Christmas greetings and said goodbye.
Tony and Angela now had a topic of conversation for the next hour, at least.
Finally, dinner was ready. Tony wouldn't even let her carry the food into the dining room, which was wise of him because when they entered the room Angela was surprised. "Tony, why are there three more places set...and a laptop?"
His grin told her that she was not getting an answer to that just yet.
"Does this have something to do with the other box you sent out?"
"Maybe, maybe not," was his enigmatic answer.
Exasperated with him, she commanded, "just open the wine."
"Of course."
He completed the task and went back to the kitchen for more food. Angela poured the wine still wondering about this odd seating plan. The table was set, the guests were here, she was hungry, it was time to eat. Tony pulled out her chair and she sat down. He sat at the head of the table, near the door.
"Oh wait, I forgot something," he said, jumping out of his chair. Angela was bewildered, she looked around the table and saw no missing food, just empty plates...and a laptop. The door to the living room swung open and Angela's jaw dropped, and not just from the unexpected entrance.
"Surprise!" Samantha, Grace, and Estelle said together.
Angela couldn't move from her seat in shock. Tony reappeared through the kitchen door. "Oh look, Angela, it's the girls. How convenient that we have places set for them."
"But you're supposed to call later for present opening," Angela got out, still trying to wrap her head around this.
"Oh, don't worry, we brought all the presents back to open here," Grace supplied.
"Wait, why even come over yesterday if you were surprising me today?"
"It was a feint," Tony preened.
"Sneak."
He snapped his fingers, congratulating himself, then went back to what he was doing, fiddling with the laptop.
"But how is this safe?" Angela asked.
"Don't worry, school's online. We've been quarantining for weeks, and we know you and Dad haven't gone anywhere either. Merry Christmas, Angela." Sam moved forward to hug Angela as best she could, which was a little awkward as she was still stuck to the seat in shock. The girls followed suit and suddenly the shock wore off and Angela and the girls were in animated conversation.
Tony was thrilled that his plan was working so well, now all he had to do was add the final touch. He stopped what he was doing and nodded at the laptop.
"Hi Mom!"
It's a good thing Angela wasn't holding any utensils, or her wine glass because if she was shocked before, it was nothing compared to hearing Jonathan's voice. She turned to him in disbelief.
"Merry Christmas!" he said as he waved to her.
"Merry Christmas," she managed to whisper in return.
"Thought I'd join you for dinner."
"Cross country eating, it's the new craze," Tony said.
Angela smiled, "what a wonderful idea, but what will you eat?"
Knowing this was a question asked out of motherly concern, Jonathan tread carefully, "well, we do have some food in California," he held up a plate, "but I didn't have to bother as Tony sent me dinner...and cookies, too."
And there was box number two solved. Angela was overwhelmed. She looked at Tony with gratitude. Then she beckoned him to lean down and she put her hands on cheeks and kissed him like there was no tomorrow. It was awkward, but Angela got her point across.
Sam and Jonathan looked at each other and shook their heads, even after all this time they were still amazed whenever their parents were so openly affectionate. To Grace and Estelle this was nothing out of the ordinary so they spent the time with their noses in their phones.
Angela broke the kiss and said, "thank you."
"Thank you, Angela," he said as he walked to his seat and sat down.
"I mean it, I don't know what I did to deserve you."
"Ay oh, right back at you."
Angela smiled, and Tony pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and placed it next to her on the table. He answered Angela's questioning look by saying, "I told Robert that if he had the chance to call today, to call this phone." This brought an even greater smile to Angela's face. The girls put their phones away as they knew it was taboo to have them at the table.
"Hi Unky Jonathan!" the girls said in tandem.
"Hi Gracie, hi Stel, how are you?"
"Ok, but we miss you."
"I miss you two, too."
"Yeah, but at least you have all that Los Angeles sunshine."
He shrugged, it wasn't his fault the world went on hiatus while he was out visiting his father, "someday you'll get here," he offered by way of apology.
"Don't give them any ideas," Sam laid down the law.
"You can come too, Sam."
"Well, in that case..."
"Something to look forward to," Tony said as he raised a glass. "Merry Christmas everyone, and to a happier and healthier 2021!" Everyone clinked, and then they ate...and ate. Later, they ripped open presents. Jonathan could partake in that too as Tony had thrown one for him in the Fedex package as well.
They even managed to continue one of Angela's favorite traditions, the annual viewing of "Meet Me in St. Louis." The girls pretended to roll their eyes when Grandpa cued it up for playing, but it was all for show. The corn was popped and the family huddled up on the couch with the girls on the floor and Jonathan perched on the table.
As always, Tony prefaced the movie with his annual quip, "great movie Angela, but I'll never quite understand your over the top affection for, 'The Trolley Song'."
As always, Angela answered, "it's happy, fun, peppy; and Judy's man shows up, what's not to like?"
They kissed quickly and the movie started. Viewing was going along fine until Judy started singing, "have yourself a merry little Christmas, let your heart be light..."
Tony felt Angela tense up next to him. He held her closer and wondered how this song hadn't come up in the past couple of days. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a box of tissues being handed to him by Sam. He nodded in thanks and placed the box on Angela's lap. She pulled a tissue out immediately.
The song was affecting everyone deeply. A stillness came over them. As Judy sang she weaved a connection to all those who had lived through difficult times previously.
"...someday soon we all will be together if the fates allow, until then we'll have to muddle through somehow..."
Empathy for all those currently afflicted filled their hearts.
The movie finished on a happy note, but everyone was still processing the song. No one moved. The room was quiet, the world was quiet.
Angela finally spoke, barely above a whisper, "we're going to get through this. Humanity has been in worse predicaments; wars, pandemics, depressions, we muddled through before and we'll muddle through now. We have their guidance if we'll only listen. I don't want to let them down."
"Who?" Tony asked gently.
"Our ancestors; the ones who sacrificed for us."
"Grandma's right," Grace said and her sister nodded in agreement.
Resilience, perseverance, and fortitude had manifested in the family's psyche. They'd lived through this year with all its challenges and found they were not broken, changed perhaps, but not for the worse. There was work to be done and their turn to take on the mantle had come.
But first, "who's ready for post-movie hot chocolate and whipped cream?" Tony asked.
Answers of, "me" came from every direction. Everyone dragged themselves up from the couch or floor, Tony and the granddaughters went to make hot chocolate while Angela, Sam, and Jonathan packed up presents. Jonathan supervised.
Hot chocolate was enjoyed in the dining room as the celebration of Christmas wound down. The ladies took their leave, and their presents, Jonathan signed off. Tony and Angela walked around the house, locking up and turning off lights. Tony saw his best gift of the day in Angela's eyes, she was ebullient.
Angela clicked off the table lamp, leaving only the Christmas tree lights for illumination. She meandered toward Tony who was meandering toward her. "Today was a good day, Tony, thank you. You brought the joy of Christmas to the family."
"The family brought the joy of Christmas to the family; everyone contributed."
"Thanks for coordinating the contributions."
"There's light at the end of the tunnel, Angela, and it isn't a trolley coming at us."
She smiled, they were close enough to clasp hands now and if it just so happened that they had both meandered toward the mistletoe, it would shock no one.
Joy was sealed with a kiss...or two...or twenty.