Author's Note: I apologize for not getting a chapter released in this story yesterday. To put it simply, Olaughlinhunter's birthday only comes once a year, thus, his birthday party story took priority, and by the time I had concluded that story, with a small break to have the fire department replace the smoke detectors in my apartment, I was plumb exhausted. I also was still suffering from a little bit of writer's block, but I believe I have this chapter and the next two chapters figured out, so may go on ahead and get three chapters up today, since tomorrow I'm gonna be busy with my nephew, thus, getting me ahead of the gang a little bit. Without further adue, let's get started.
Chapter 17, Christmas on The Red Line
Over the past year, Zack and Kimi did graduate from high school, and as planned, back in September, they both started college in Boston. Kimi attended Boston College, going for a degree in Nursing, while Zack attended his dream college of M.I.T. getting a degree in Robotics and Computer Programming. And while they were attending separate colleges, they got an apartment together in Brookline, being able to see one another before and after classes. However, while they enjoyed being in the Boston area and going to school, they did miss their families out in California, so as soon as their first semester ended and final exams were completed, they bought plane tickets to fly home for the holidays, returning shortly after the new year to get ready for their second semester of school. Unfortunately, the only flights that had any seats available were on Christmas eve, getting them home just barely for Christmas.
On the morning of Christmas eve, bright and early, Zack and Kimi left their apartment and borded the Red Line T line, which would take them to Logan Airport, where they would soon be on the plane to California. They hopped on the T and found two empty seats, as it pulled out of the station.
"This is going to be such a great Christmas Zachary. Even Chuckie will be home from Penbrook, and last I checked his Facebook wall, he was very lonely up at school." Said Kimi, as she snuggled up close to Zack to get warm, as it was particularly cold, a mear twenty degrees fairenheight that morning, and being from California, she wasn't use to the below freezing temperatures.
"I know right? I've never been away from my aunt for so long! She's looking forward to seeing me, as I am looking forward to seeing her. And yes, it will be great to see all of our friends again, and catch up on how everybody's been doing at college. We never even got a chance to go visit Tommy at MCLA, and he was only three hours away from us." Zack said, as the T continued to speed down the track, making stops at other places on the way to the airport.
They only had two more stops to go, when they started hearing funny noises coming from the train.
"What's that noise?" Kimi asked upon hearing some funny mechanical sounds.
"I don't know Kimi." Zack replied.
The two of them sat there in silence, concerned if the train was all right, as the normally fast moving train, slowed down to a snail's pace, until it stopped completely, in the middle of the track. Soon, it was an erie silence, and it was dark outside of all of the windows, as they were under ground, in between two stops.
"We apologize for the interruption people, but we're experiencing some technical difficulties. Please hang tight, we hope to have these resolved shortly." Said the conductor over a loud speaker.
Hearing this news, Kimi started to panic.
"Now Kimi, don't panic. We still have another hour to make it to the airport and board our airplane." Said Zack reassuringly, hoping to calm his girlfriend down.
"But what if we don't make it? My family will be so disappointed!" Kimi cried.
"Don't say that Kimi. We're gonna make our flight, and everything's going to be ok." Said Zack, as he put an arm around Kimi's shoulders, and brought her in for a hug.
Kimi forced a small smile, as she took some deep breaths, and tried to relax. They looked around, and saw the car they were sitting in was deserted, as there weren't too many passengers on board early that Christmas eve day. Curious if there were any other passengers on board, Zack and Kimi got up and walked through the cars. They found an old man reading a newspaper carrying a saxophone case, along with a couple with two twin babies. Feeling lonely in their deserted car, they found an empty seat near the couple with kids, so Zack and Kimi decided to relocate. The father looked up to see the two young college students before him.
"Heading home for the holidays?" The man asked.
"Yes sir." Kimi replied.
"Please, call me earl." Said the man, who was dressed in a long gray trenchcoat, and had red hair and a beard.
"Nice to meet you Earl. My name's Kimi, and this is my boyfriend Zack. We're on our way to Logan Airport, heading home to California to see our families for Christmas." Kimi replied, shaking the man's hand.
"Oh. What brings you out to this neck of the woods?" Earl asked.
"School. I'm attending Boston College, studying to get a degree in nursing." Kimi replied.
"And I'm attending M.I.T. studying robotics." Zack replied.
"Wow! I went to M.I.T. Have a degree in computer programming." Said Earl.
"Really? Neat!" Said Zack excitedly.
Just then, the woman sitting next to Earl, with long brown hair, wearing a blue coat and carrying two tiny babies in her arms, looked up from her breast feeding to see who her husband was talking to.
"Oh, hi honey. Meet Zack and Kimi. Two young college students in the area, trying to get home to California for Christmas." Earl said to his wife.
"Oh, hi there. My name's Francine, and these are our babies, twin boys, Charles and Robert." Said Francine, as she held up her twin boys.
"Awe, they're so cute!" Exclaimed Kimi.
"Thank you." Francine replied.
"How old are they?" Zack asked.
"Three-months-old. We're taking them to visit their grandmother for the holidays. Normally, I wouldn't take my babies out in public at such a young age, but my mother doesn't have much longer to live, and she's been dying to see the little ones. So Earl and I thought bringing them up to her home for Christmas, would be the perfect gift this year." Said Francine.
"She doesn't live in a nursing home?" Kimi asked out of curiosity.
Francine shook her head.
"My mother-in-law has a nurse that comes to the house to take care of her." Earl replied.
"Oh, fascinating!" Said Kimi.
"May we hold the babies?" Zack asked.
"Sure!" Francine said with a smile, as she handed her little bundles of joy to Kimi and Zack.
Zack held Charles in his arms, who was bald and wearing a pair of blue footsy pajamas, while Kimi held Robert, who was also bald, and wearing a pair of green footsy pajamas.
"Awe, they're adorable!" Kimi cried, as she smiled down at the little baby in her arms.
"Hey little guy." Said Zack, as he giggled and cradled the tiny baby in his arms.
They had so much fun with the little babies, making conversation with their parents, that they had hardly noticed how much time had passed. The man with the saxophone looked up from his newspaper, to see what all of the commotion was all about.
"Excuse me, but I couldn't help but wonder, what's going on?" The elderly man asked, dressed in a suit and tie.
"The train stopped due to technical difficulties, and so far, we're still sitting here." Kimi replied, as she took a glance at her wrist watch, to see that an hour had passed.
Seeing this, her happy smile turned to a frown of disappointment.
"Something wrong?" The man asked.
"Oh no!" Kimi cried, as tears came to her eyes.
"What is it Kimi?" Zack asked, as he and Kimi handed the babies back to their mother, and they excused themselves back to their car where they were previously to talk privately.
"Zack, we just missed our flight." Said Kimi.
He looked at his phone, as he wasn't wearing a wrist watch, and saw that an hour had passed, making it nearly impossible for them to get to the airport in time to catch their flight.
"Now now, don't worry Kimi." Said Zack.
"But Zachary, that was our only chance to get home!" Kimi cried.
"Maybe there's another flight. We might not get there until sometime tomorrow on Christmas, but let's not give up hope yet." Said Zack.
Kimi took a deep breath, and tried to calm down again, for the second time that day.
Another two hours passed, as the two of them started to grow hungry, wondering if they would ever get the train fixed, as the babies in the next car were starting to get fussy, and the elderly man with his saxophone was also starting to get impatient.
"Look! I'm missing my office's annual Christmas party! I've been asked to play Christmas carols there. So, can we please, get this train on the track?" Screamed the elderly man, scaring the babies, only making Charles and Robert's cries louder.
"I can't take it anymore!" Kimi screamed in frustration, as she was out of patience at this point.
"Hey! What's the matter with you people. So who cares if we're stuck in this subway on Christmas eve." Zack started to explain, before the elderly man cut him off.
"It's a T." The elderly man snapped.
"Whatever. Anyway, like I was trying to say, many years ago the first Christmas was in a stable in a manger. If they could have Christmas in the middle of nowhere, then so can we. Even in this T. Because outside the snow is falling, and friends are calling you who." Said Zack, as he started to sing Sleigh Ride.
Soon, everybody on the T joined in singing, and the elderly man pulled out his saxophone and started playing along. Before they knew it, the train started up again, and Zack and Kimi made it to their final destination, Logan Airport. Upon getting off the train, as they were walking the block from the T station to the airport, Kimi smiled at her boyfriend.
"Thank you Zack for cheering me up. You made me remember just what this holiday is all about." Said Kimi with a smile.
"You're welcome sweetheart." Zack replied with a friendly smile, as they entered the airport.
Unfortunately, their friendly smiles faded, when they found out there were not going to be anymore flights to California until new years eve, because of a possible snow storm that was headed for Massachusetts, that may be causing flights to be grounded until further notice. Disappointed, the couple left the airport and went to a nearby Starbucks, before making the treck back home to their apartment in Brookline, where they texted their families and gave them the sad news that they wouldn't be home for Christmas. After Zack texted his aunt, she wrote back reminding him that there's in actuality, twelve days of Christmas, so even if they couldn't get home until new years, it would still technically be Christmas for a few more days.
Receiving this news enlightened Zack's spirits a bit, as he was starting to feel bummed that he wouldn't see his aunt this Christmas. Once he and Kimi were satisfied with their coffee and doughnuts at Starbucks, they headed back out into the cold, where snow flurries were coming down.
"Oh Zachary, it is so beautiful out here!" Kimi exclaimed, taking in the sight of the snow flurries, casting a beautiful view on the buildings surrounding them.
Zack looked around, taking in the beautiful sight, as he turned to his girlfriend and smiled.
"You're right Kimi, it's like being in a snow globe." Zack commented, as they made their way back to the subway terminal.
They caught the next Red Line train for Brookline, as they headed for home, thankful that this one didn't break down, allowing them to get home just as the sun was starting to set. Once they were inside, unbundled, and sitting on the couch in their small living room, Kimi looked over at Zack and smiled.
"Aren't you sad that we didn't make it home for Christmas?" Kimi asked.
"Nah, my aunt understood what happened, and she reminded me that there are twelve days of Christmas. So even if we head home for new years, it will still technically be Christmas." Zack explained.
Realizing this fact, the two of them broke into chorus, singing The Twelve Days of Christmas. Once they were done, they bumped heads and giggled, as they leaned in and shared a kiss.
"You know what Zack?" Kimi asked.
"No, what?" Zack replied.
"So maybe we didn't make it home for Christmas this year, thanks to a malfunctioning T, but at least we got to be together for Christmas." Said Kimi.
Zack nodded in agreement, as he leaned in and shared another kiss with his sweetheart.
"You're right Kimi, but do you know what would make this Christmas even more special since we're all alone?" Zack asked.
"What?" Kimi asked.
Without saying a word, he led his girlfriend to their small bedroom, threw her down on the bed, and helped her get undressed. Then, undressing himself and putting on some protection, he joined her, and the two of them got engaged in an activity that they could only do together by themselves, away from their families.
And this, ends chapter 17. How will their future Christmases in college go? Will they ever make it home to visit their families? Find out next time.
Author's Note: Part of the speech that Zack gave while on the broken down T, and having them grounded, was inspired by another Christmas episode of Full House, from season 2, when the Tanner family ends up spending Christmas in an airport. Part of the speech that Zack gave, was similar to the one that Jessie gave to lift everybody's spirits.