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Chapter Two: Grandfather
The first Christmas after his dad went away – and didn't come back – was almost completely different than the one after his mom died.
In the five years since that first Christmas without his mom, his dad began allowing a little bit of Christmas back into their lives year by year. Not much overall – a small table-top tree, fruit in his stocking, and a couple of presents – but just enough that Angus no longer felt like he was completely missing out.
That first year without his dad, his grandfather didn't ignore Christmas, but instead encouraged it to be celebrated, though not to the degree his mother had done things up. No one did Christmas like his mom.
His grandfather wasn't really one to decorate, but he did help in making a popcorn string to decorate their little tree. For the topper, Angus put the star he'd made with a paperclip and the help of the Swiss Army knife his grandfather gave him. He also made a few other shapes for the ornaments; it began the tradition to hang his paperclip creations on their Christmas tree.
They hung up their stockings as well as any Christmas cards they received, which weren't very many by this point. His mom's friends had forgotten about him, and his dad never liked the idea of greeting cards in the first place. The few cards they did receive were from friends of his grandfather, and his new friend, Bozer, had given him one too.
It wasn't much more than previous years, but at least it still felt like Christmas. He didn't have to hide anything Christmas related from his grandfather, and he didn't have to be the only kid who didn't bring anything to his classroom's Christmas party, something his father had deemed a waste of time better spent learning things.
Not wanting to be different than the kids who still had a mom, Angus asked his grandfather if they could bake something for the classroom party instead of buying something at the grocery store or at a bakery. His grandfather had hemmed and hawed at first, not wanting to make a mess of the kitchen, but in the end had agreed to bake something "simple."
That year Angus learned baking is a science as well as an art, something that appealed to his love of chemistry. He learned how important sodium bicarbonate, also known as baking soda, was to the process of baking when he accidentally forgot to include it in his first attempt at making cookies. Apparently, sodium bicarbonate plus heat creates carbon dioxide which helps to make the dough rise. Without it, or any other leavening ingredients, the end result was not worth mentioning and not good enough to bring to his class party.
It took a couple of tries, but Angus and his grandfather managed to make a pretty decent batch of walnut chocolate chip cookies. His classmates actually ate the cookies which made him happy, though he still missed the cookies his mom used to make.
That first year with his grandfather, he received a couple of presents which dwarfed the tiny tree. The majority of his gifts all seemed of the type his father would get him, ones that focused on learning scientific principles, making him think for a couple of days that his dad might come home. He tried not to be disappointed when his dad stayed away.
He was grateful for his gifts, especially the fact he had a couple more than what was usual for the past several years when it was just him and his dad, but Angus had been hoping for something which had no other purpose but to be fun. His grandfather had loved his gift; Angus had repaired the man's old turntable with some spare parts he'd found in the garage, and they played the few Christmas records they had several times that day.
Angus missed his father a lot, and didn't understand why his dad had left, often wondering if it was his fault and trying to figure out what he'd done to make him leave. He had written to Santa – just in case the old guy really did exist – asking for his dad to come home, but apparently his letter had gotten lost along the way.
He didn't hear from his dad at all that first Christmas – or any of the Christmases after that.
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Next time: Chapter Three: Jack
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A/N: To those who celebrate: Merry Christmas! To all: I hope you have a blessed day and enjoy the time spent with friends and family.
Many thanks to Celticgal1041 for proofing! Any remaining mistakes are the fault of the Grinch!
Thanks for reading!