Wishing for a White Christmas (4.09)
(Inside the car, as they were waiting for the Praegers)
"Ok, that was fun," Natalie sarcastically commented after guessing Monk's answer to 20 Questions. Maybe it wasn't a great idea. Refusing to give up, Natalie continued, "Mr. Monk, your turn. Now you have 20 questions to guess what I'm thinking."
Monk looked at her as if she had asked for a Christmas bonus (which was raised, but definitely not a great idea). Seeing nothing else to do but wait, he relented.
"Ok, is it Mitch?"
"No. I don't think I'll make it as easy for you, detective," Natalie replied with some laughter.
Monk groaned. Why couldn't everyone think the same thing? That way, there would be no need for 20 Questions. There would be just one, single, orderly question and answer.
"Julie?"
"Try again. That's two questions."
"Fine. Animal, mineral or vegetable?"
"Wow, you actually are going to go through with this? Ok, you're so on. It's a vegetable," Natalie responded with surprise.
Monk groaned again. He thought, why did have to be nature? "Is it something in your house?"
"No."
"My house?"
"No."
"Is it alive?"
"Well, yeah. It's a vegetable, so technically it has to be, right?" Natalie asked.
"Not necessarily. Don't get me into that. Is it green?"
"No."
Monk was glad with that response. That narrowed it down a lot. It shouldn't be hard this time. "Is it eaten by humans?"
"No."
Monk was a bit perplexed. That eliminated everything he could think of. Either Natalie was mistaken in categorizing her response or he overlooked something. He continued with a broader question, "Have I seen it before?"
"Now, that's not a valid question. I cannot know what you have seen or not seen before," Natalie interrupted.
"Yes, you do. You know a lot about me, and I've seen everything that most ordinary people have seen. That's how I assembled my list of 312 phobias," Monk responded.
"Ok, you win. Yes, you have seen it before."
"Is it on this property that we are parked?"
"Yes," Natalie answered sheepishly, knowing that he was very close.
"Is it the snowman's nose?" Monk asked as if he solved a major homicide.
"Yes. How did you know so quickly?"
"Well, you were peeking at it three times, which I actually counted. Julie also mentioned how she never had a white Christmas, and wanted to build her own snowman," Monk replied. "By the way, you lied on two of the questions. The carrot is not alive but is eaten by humans. You got that wrong, Teeger."
"Actually, Monk, it is alive. The object I'm thinking of is a snowman's nose, which technically is breathing. Plus, the carrot is still alive in some form. I read about it in some biology book. And a snowman's nose isn't eaten by humans – it's thrown away. At least you wouldn't eat it, right? It has germs all over."
Monk was surprised by her counterargument. Even though her claims were moot, she impressed him by her reasoning. Natalie certainly was smarter than she had advertised, and Monk felt heartened by having a smart assistant. He could only smile in mild agreement.
"Plus, that was eleven questions, not ten. Sorry, detective."
(In the Teegers' house, at the end of the episode)
Monk was still holding onto Trudy's gift. Natalie observed him with the gift in hand and wonder in his eyes. She wished she had a similar devotion to Mitch. Then again, it was reasonable to open the present and see what it contained.
"Adrian, don't you think what is inside might be important?" She asked.
"Of course it's important. It's from Trudy. I just cannot bear to open it yet," Monk said.
Natalie realized that the gift was the one thing that still held him back from going forth or leaving Trudy's memory behind. She wished she could help him in some way. The fish would make a welcome distraction, but it would not love him like Trudy could. She too started wondering what the gift contained.
Julie suddenly came downstairs and interrupted their thoughts. Natalie and Monk went outside and marveled at the snow. Dancing in joy, mother and daughter hugged each other and ran inside to get their coats. Before doing so, Natalie gave Monk a warm kiss on the cheeks. Thinking about wiping it off, Monk decided not to. Her kiss was as heartening as the sight of Trudy's gift, and Monk allowed it to stay there this one time. Germs were the last thing on his mind as he descended the steps.
Natalie and Julie eventually appeared in their coats. They rushed downstairs with joy. Monk was especially happy to see Julie enjoying the snow. She deserved the white Christmas and time with her mother. He remembered his first white Christmas, and how Ambrose and he made a snowman from snowflakes before they hit the ground. It was one of the few happy experiences in his childhood.
"Adrian, come on, let's dance," Natalie asked and extended her hand.
Monk allowed her to drag him into a dance position. He felt her warmth as she started swaying with him. They did a few simple moves and twirls in the snow. He was tempted to remove random flecks of snow from her hair and cheeks, but she silently told him no. In the background, Julie took a picture and gave a thumbs-up to her mom.
"Natalie, thanks for that. I don't know what is going on to me. I just seem so different."
"Adrian, you're feeling. And you're happy. It's a good thing. I'm sure Trudy would want you to be happy. Maybe that's her gift for you, at least in spirit."
Monk thought about Trudy briefly. Would she approve of his enjoying time at the hands of another woman, nonetheless his assistant? What would she say about Christmas and finding joy? Back when they were married, they hardly celebrated the holiday besides dinner with Dwight and Martha. Dancing in the snow with Natalie could be something different, yet wonderful.
"Aww, what a lovely family. Wish you a happy Christmas!" A couple of passerbys commented.
Their comment broke Natalie and Monk's trance. They smiled sheepishly, and Natalie responded, "Oh, we'll not married. But thanks for your compliments, and the same wishes to you."
The couple gave a greeting and continued on. Monk and Natalie glanced at each other briefly but any awkward feelings were dispelled as they proceeded to hug Julie and play with the snow. Monk had to decline sitting in the snow but opted to teach Julie some tricks.
"Hey, let's build a snowman," Natalie suggested and with a glance at Monk, continued, "and that'll settle which of us is right."
Monk nodded in agreement. Julie, meanwhile, had no clue what the adults were talking about. They definitely were hiding something, but it's probably something private that only they shared. She wished that they would open up to each other more and share more things, but with Monk, it took time. Deciding not to get ahead of herself, she joined in the fun.
