Authors Note: Hello everyone, since I believe that this will be the last chapter posted before the big day, I just wanted to wish all of my readers a very Merry Christmas. Thanks for reading, and I hope all of you that celebrate the holiday have a day well spent with friends and families.
Chapter 25
Sunday afternoon had come and gone, and dusk had set in over Rethink Avenue. Double Dee was currently making preparations for an evening with Marie. The couple had planned to spend Sunday evening together, watching a Christmas special about a certain red-nosed reindeer that happened to be airing that night. Accordingly Double Dee had prepared for the evening by preparing a large bowl of popcorn in the microwave, and vacuuming his den.
The characteristic calm of a typical Sunday afternoon was in complete contrast to the chaos of the previous night at Peach Creek Mall. In the aftermath of Eddy's stunt, he and Ed found themselves banned from stepping foot into Peach Creek Mall for the remainder of the holiday season; Eddy being banned for actually performing the stunt, while Ed was banned under the pretense that his visit to Santa Claus served as a "setup" to the prank. Ed was unable to prove without reasonable doubt that this was not the case, and while he was quite disheartened at the outcome, the lovable oaf quickly bounced back to his jolly happy self. He had decided to spend Sunday night with May, working on building and painting the set for Lee's performance. Eddy had, of course, committed his time to practice Lee's ballet routine in preparation for the talent show.
Double Dee had just placed the large, blue bowl of popcorn on the coffee table when the doorbell sounded. The intelligent adolescent made his way to the living room, stopping only to ensure that no lint was present on his shirt via the mirror, and opened the front door.
As expected, Marie was standing on the other side, smiling joyously. She was wearing her usual blue sweater, white colored blue jeans, and blue "ugg style" boots. On her shoulder, she carried a grey handbag, lent to her by Lee for the night.
"Ms. Kanker," said Double Dee playfully, "You are looking lovely as always, won't you please come in?"
Double Dee smiled as he stepped aside, bowed and waved his hand towards the interior of the house.
"Alright Mr. Smooth," said Marie, "Can it with the sweet talk and give me a kiss, I haven't seen you since Friday."
"As you wish Marie," said Double Dee as he leaned in and kissed Marie on the lips.
Marie smiled as she closed the door, after which she began making her way to the den with Double Dee following suit. The two teenagers entered the small room, after which Double Dee closed the French doors for privacy. Marie placed her handbag down on the coffee table, and proceeded to take a seat on the couch.
"It appears that the movie is not set to begin for at least another twenty minutes," said Double Dee, "Do you have any suggestions as to how we should pass the time?"
"As a matter of fact Double Dee, I do!" said Marie as she grabbed her handbag, "I was going through some old stuff this afternoon and found a bunch of pictures of me and my sisters when we were little at Christmas time. I thought they would be fun to share."
"I would thrilled for you to share those photographs Marie!" said Double Dee as he sat down next to Marie while folding his hands.
Marie unzipped the handbag, reached inside, and removed a few photographs secured together with a rubber band. She removed the rubber band from the pack of photographs, taking the topmost one in her hand, and set the remainder down on the coffee table.
"Check out these three little cuties," said Marie as she held the photograph out for Double Dee to view, giggling girlishly as she completed her sentence.
Double Dee took the 4x6" photograph in his hand, staring at it's contents with a loving smile. In the photograph, Santa Claus sat in what appeared to be a beat up arm chair. On his right leg sat a small, red-headed little girl; her curls silky smooth and dangling to the middle of her back. She wore a green dress with white leggings and maryjane shoes. Her face was radiating absolute happiness, and she was displaying a wide, toothy smile out of sheer excitement. Directly next to her, sat a smaller girl with black hair, currently tied into two ponytails hanging over her shoulders. She was wearing a pink dress, and white leggings, smiling exuberantly just as her sister was. On Santa's opposite knee sat a blonde haired little girl, her hair barely long enough to secure into two ponytails. Unlike her two sisters, her face was quite expressionless, as she was not yet old enough to fully grasp the excitement of Christmas. She was wearing red pajamas with green and gold highlights on the chest, and feet sewed into the bottom of the pant legs.
"Here's us on Christmas Eve," said Marie, "I think I was three years old here."
Marie paused briefly, after which she continued her story.
"This was taken before my mom and dad broke up the first time, back in our old house on Kingsessing Avenue." said Marie, "It was a tradition in our family to have a gathering on Christmas Eve. My Grandmom and my mom would make potato and pasta salads, and cook a turkey dinner. My Dads mom and dad, we call them Grampy and Nana, and my all my aunts, uncles and cousins from my Dads side would bring all kinds of side dishes. My dad is the second youngest of eight children, and each of them has at least three kids, so the house was packed. There'd be Christmas music playing, and everyone would be having so much fun. Then, once everyone was there my Poppy would dress up as Santa Claus, and knock on the door. All of the kids would run to the door in excitement, and he'd come in to take pictures, let everyone sit on his lap and give everybody gifts. Then he'd leave, get changed out of the costume and join the party, telling us he had to work late that night; we believed him every time!"
Marie giggled, after which an expression of sadness overtook her face.
"We stopped having these Christmas Eve gatherings when my mom and dad broke up." said Marie, "It was another one of the great things that disappeared from our lives around that time. My poppy used to still come to the apartment to play Santa for us every year, before he passed away."
Marie paused for a few moments, after which she suddenly perked up, glancing towards Double Dee with a smile.
"Well I guess now's the perfect time to tell you that my mom and dad decided to revive the tradition, now that they are back together and we have our own house again." said Marie.
"That's wonderful Marie!" said Double Dee, "I'm sure your family will be thrilled to partake in your Christmas Eve celebrations."
"Yep," said Marie, "The best part of all is you will get to experience it first-hand. And your mom, and your dad, Ed, Eddy, their parents and the rest of the cul-de-sac cause we are inviting everybody!"
Marie ran her fingers through her black hair, after which she continued speaking.
"We view everyone on Rethink Avenue as our family," said Marie, "Everyone welcomed us to the cul-de-sac with open arms, and treated us as if we had been residents our whole lives. So in return we decided to include everyone in our Christmas Eve celebration. I hope you can make it!"
Double Dee's eyes widened with excitement.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world Marie," said Double Dee as he took Marie's hand in his, "I'm sure mother and father will be thrilled to attend as well."
Thanks sweetie," said Marie, "It won't be the same without my Poppy, but my dad said he's going to play Santa for the kids this year. It should be fun."
"I'm sure it will!" said Double Dee.
Marie spent the next few minutes sharing the remainder of her photographs with Double Dee, including one of her and her sisters in their pajamas, opening presents on Christmas morning; and a photograph of the Kanker family, at a time when May was an infant, all dressed in Christmas sweaters. After viewing the final photograph, Double Dee was struck with an idea of his own.
"Thank you for sharing your wonderful memories Marie," said Double Dee, "Those photographs most certainly captured the holiday spirit in the Kanker-Lonergan household through the years. If you don't mind, may I share a photograph with you?"
"Don't be silly Oven Mitt," said Marie as she playfully slapped Double Dee in the arm, "Of course you can!"
"Very well," said Double Dee, "I shall return momentarily."
Double Dee rose up from the couch, and briskly made his way out of the den and up to his room. Not two minutes had gone by when he returned, holding an 8x10" picture frame in his hand. He once again closed the doors leading into the den, walked to the couch, and took a seat next to his girlfriend handing the framed photograph to her for viewing.
Marie clutched the photograph in her hand, the red of her fingernails prominently standing out against the ornate silver framing, as a melancholy expression appeared on her face. Santa Claus was once again the most prominent feature of the photograph, sitting front and center in a large red chair. He was smiling as held two small boys within his arms, each boy also smiling from ear-to-ear as they glanced towards the camera. Both boys wore red sweaters, and their thick black hair was cropped quite short, parted on the side. It was borderline impossible to tell the difference between the boys, as they shared every physical feature due to being identical twins. At the bottom of the photograph, the words, "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Jacy's" was spelt out in a festive font.
"A photograph of James and I with Santa Claus," said Double Dee, "As a matter of fact, this was the final Christmas we were able to spend together."
There were a few moments of silence, after which Marie decided to comment.
"You sure are cute little guys," said Marie, "You two look so excited to see Santa!"
"Yes, we certainly were," said Double Dee with a smile, "James and I would spend many a day perfecting letters to Santa Claus during the holiday season. We also assisted mother in baking Christmas cookies, and constructed custom ornaments to hang on the Christmas tree."
Double Dee paused.
"Words cannot describe how much I miss him Marie," said Double Dee, "Nothing will ever replace the hole that was left in my life when he passed, but I know that his spirit and selflessness will always live on during the holiday season."
Marie reached up and touched her hand to Double Dee's cheek; her eyes slightly teary. The couple shared a smile for a few moments, after which Double Dee decided to lighten the mood with a different story.
"I will say one thing," said Double Dee, "Our experience with this department store Santa was most certainly better than Eddy's at the mall last night."
Marie was slightly taken aback with surprise at Double Dee's statement.
"You guys were at the mall last night?" asked Marie, attempting to mask her distress. She did not realize her and her sisters could have been caught working at the Green Clover on their first night.
"Certainly," said Double Dee, "Due to you and your sisters going Christmas shopping with your parents, and Nazz having plans with Julia, Eddy suggested that Ed, Kevin, Rolf and myself join him at the mall for a night of fun amongst friends. The night, of course, ended in utter disaster, due to Eddy's tendency to partake in immature antics."
Marie giggled.
"Care to share?" asked Marie.
Double Dee spent the next few minutes sharing the story of Eddy's stunt with Marie. While Double Dee did not witness the incident, due to removing himself from the situation, he was shown the entire stunt including the aftermath via the recording Kevin took with his cell phone.
"Wow," said Marie, "Sounds like you guys had quite a night."
"Indeed, Marie," said Double Dee, "Furthermore, Eddy's prank resulted in he and Ed being blacklisted, Eddy being scrutinized for obvious reasons, while Ed had been placed on the list due to the belief that he had acted as a voluntary accomplice. As a result, neither Ed nor Eddy are permitted to step foot on the grounds of the mall for the remainder of the holiday season."
Marie breathed a sigh of relief in her thoughts upon hearing that the Eds were banned from the mall, as this would eliminate the possibility of them catching the sisters at the Green Clover. On the exterior, she maintained her cool, and decided to reply accordingly.
"That sucks for them," said Marie, "At least I know my little dream boat is going to be on Santa's good list this Christmas."
Marie pinched Double Dee's cheeks playfully, causing him to smile. She pulled away, then reached towards the coffee table to grab a can of soda Double Dee had offered her a few minutes prior.
Double Dee remained motionless, deep in thought for around five seconds, deciding whether or not to speak his mind. Ultimately, his moral conscious won the internal battle, and he decided to let Marie in on a secret.
"Marie," said Double Dee, "There's something I've been morally struggling with for the last few days that I need to get off of my chest, so to speak. Perhaps you could provide some advice as to how I should handle the situation?"
Marie lifted the can of soda towards her mouth to begin drinking.
"Sure cutie," said Marie, "You know you can tell me anything!"
"Very well," said Double Dee, "As you know, Lee's obsession with defeating Lindsay in the campaign for winter ball queen has lead her to take unprecedented actions to ensure her victory, such as changing her mind on attending the dance, and competing in the schools talent show. As a result, she has been putting a substantial amount of pressure on Eddy to assist with her expectations, and it seems that these pressures are driving Eddy to take drastic measures himself. Accordingly, Eddy has taken it upon himself to develop a foolish plan, involving Rolf and his sometimes overwhelming cultural oddities, in an attempt to cease Lindsay's provocation of Lee."
At that moment, Marie, currently taking a drink out of her soda can, developed an alarmed expression and pulled the can away from her face rapidly; spitting out the soda remaining in her mouth in a proverbial "spit take." She quickly turned towards Double Dee.
"Has he told Lee that he's planning on doing this?" asked Marie with a cackling intonation that Double Dee had not heard since before they had become a couple.
"No he hasn't." said Double Dee rather nervously, "He's been keeping it a secret. He plans to use Rolf's obsession with Lindsay to his advantage by tricking Rolf into thinking that Lindsay wishes to assimilate into his culture, when in fact she is repulsed by it. Eddy has been constructing disgusting gifts, and writing fake letters for Rolf to present to Lindsay in an attempt to disgust her and prevent her from antagonizing Lee out of fear of Rolf."
"Double Dee," said Marie in a serious tone, "You need to talk to Eddy and get him to stop immediately."
"Believe me," said Double Dee, "I have attempted on numerous occasions to convince Eddy to cease and desist from this plan from a moral standpoint. However, Eddy is convinced that this is the correct way to handle this situation, and my pleas have fallen on deaf ears."
Marie grabbed Double Dee's hand in hers, as she gazed into her boyfriends eyes with an expression of concern.
"Double Dee, you have to try harder," said Marie, "The last thing she would want is Eddy injecting himself into the fight. I said it before and I will say it again, Eddy has gained Lee's trust, something that nobody else outside of the Kanker family has. If Lee finds out that Eddy is attempting to go behind her back, that trust will be broken, along with their relationship. No matter what, we cannot let Lee find out that Eddy is doing this."
Marie paused for a moment as she returned her gaze to the television.
"Lee has a reason for going about this the way she is," said Marie, "Eddy has no idea that he is treading dangerous and sensitive water."
Double Dee placed his hand on Marie's shoulder.
"Marie," said Double Dee, "Pardon my asking, but would you perhaps be willing to further elaborate on this topic? I understand that you had referred to this information as 'dangerous' and 'sensitive', but perhaps with this knowledge I will be able to somehow convince Eddy to abstain from his efforts."
Marie stared at Double Dee for a few seconds, in what appeared to be a state of deep thought. Finally, she decided to reply; however, she had barely opened her mouth when the sound of Double Dee's doorbell chimes interrupted her thoughts.
"Now who could that possibly be?" asked Double Dee with a perplexed expression as he rose from the couch.
"It's probably the Christmas Carolers!" said Marie, "They were singing down in the business district today and I heard they were going door-to-door tonight."
"How wonderful!" said Double Dee, "A perfect display of unity and holiday cheer, delivered directly to the front door!"
"C'mon sweetie!" said Marie exuberantly as she rose from the couch and took Double Dee's hand, "Let's go listen!"
The couple ran excitedly towards the front of the house, holding hands the entire way, reaching the door in a matter of seconds. Double Dee placed his hand on the doorknob, and opened the door with a smile on his face expecting a joyful holiday melody to be waiting for him.
Double Dee and Marie were both surprised when they found themselves face-to-face with the doorbell ringers. Standing on Double Dee's stoop were Ed and May, both with nervous expressions on their faces. Strangely enough, the couple had arrived in a rather unique manner; Ed and May stood directly next to each other, so close in fact that their faces were pressed together. This was out of necessity rather than choice, as for whatever reason, the couple had decided to place an extra-large red hoodie over both of their bodies. The two lovable oafs shared the single neck hole, with the left sleeve being occupied by Ed's left arm, all four of their feet emerging out of the bottom. The right sleeve hung limp, as it was unoccupied by any body appendage.
All four teenagers stared at each other awkwardly for a few moments, at which point Double Dee decided to break the silence.
"Ed, May," said Double Dee, "What a surprise! I had thought that you two were spending the night working building the set for Lee's performance?"
Ed and May glanced at each other nervously, and then back towards Double Dee.
"Yeah we were," said Ed, "But then we had a little accident, and we knew you could help us."
"An accident," said Double Dee, "What kind of accident?"
"Umm..." said Ed as glanced towards the floor, his face blushing out of what seemed to be embarrassment. May decided to attempt an explanation upon seeing Ed fail at doing so.
"Uh...you see...eh," said May, struggling to get her words out as she too turned red with embarrassment.
At that point, Marie being the boisterous individual she was, decided to approach the couple.
"Jesus Christ May, just spit it out," said Marie, "You two obviously spilled paint or something on your clothes, judging by the sweater. It ain't no big deal you wuss, just let me see."
Marie reached for the bottom of the sweater, and grabbed a hold of the fringe in an attempt to yank it over the couples head.
"Wait, don't!" yelled May, pleading Marie not to remove the sweater. Her pleas however, were too little too late, as the large sweater was successfully yanked off and thrown onto Double Dee's red carpeted floor.
Double Dee and Marie's eyes widened at the now sweater-less couple, at which point the reason for them being so close together and their needing to cover themselves became apparent. Both teenagers were wearing their usual winter attire; however, while Ed's right hand hung towards the ground, his left hand and part of his left forearm was concealed by May's shirt, his hand clutched in the area of May's right breast.
Ed was not the only one caught in an embarrassing situation. May's right hand was currently stuffed down Ed's half unbuttoned jeans and well into his undergarments. Both teenagers stood in complete embarrassment as Double Dee and Marie gazed upon them with an appearance of shock.
"What the hell happened to youse?" asked Marie.
"Well," said May as she looked towards the ground, "We were working on the set. We just finished painting, and it was time to superglue the stockings we made to the top of the wood fireplace. We glued for a little while, but then we sort of...got distracted...and we accidentally superglued ourselves to...well, um...ourselves."
Marie, upon hearing May's story had to control herself from busting out in a fit of uncontrollable laughter. Double Dee, while also finding the story somewhat amusing, had a much easier time preventing his laughter from escaping.
Ed's lower lip began to tremble.
"Please Double Dee," said Ed, "Help us get unstuck. I can't let my mom find out what we were doing in the basement or May won't be allowed over anymore!"
"Yeah!" said May, "If Daddy finds out, he'll kill me!"
Double Dee and Marie briefly glanced at each other, after which Double Dee turned back towards Ed.
"Very well Ed," said Double Dee, "Please come in and wait in the living room, I have a solvent that will counteract the adhesive qualities of the glue in the garage. It should have you two separated in seconds. I shall return shortly."
Double Dee made his way out of the living room, on his way to retrieve the solvent for the glue. Ed and May glanced at each other and shared a sigh of relief. They then turned towards Marie, who stood in the center of the room with her arms folded and a sly grin. She began giggling ever so slightly.
"Shut up Marie!" yelled May, "Like you ain't ever had an embarrassing accident before!"
"I'm sorry," said Marie, "You two just seem so innocent, I couldn't imagine that you two actually get freaky more than just a peck on the lips!"
Marie laughed heavily as Ed and May once again blushed, at which point Double Dee returned to the room with the solvent.
"Here it is," said Double Dee as he placed the liquid filled tube into Ed's free hand, "Apply a small amount around the adhered areas, wait five minutes, then SLOWLY separate the affected appendages."
"Thanks Double Dee you're a pal," said Ed, his face still red out of embarrassment.
"Yeah," said May, "You're a lifesaver."
Double Dee and Marie assisted Ed and May in placing the hoodie back over their bodies for their trip back to Ed's house. They bid the lovable goofballs goodbye, after which they returned to the den in silence to begin viewing their holiday special. Distracted from their previous conversation, the two adolescents took a seat on the couch, at which point they glanced at each other and simultaneously let out the heavy laughter they had worked so hard to keep inside in front of their friends.
