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Christmas draws nearer
Chapter 4
Traditions Part One
Georgie was drying the last plate. She turned to see Elvis' current progress in the lounge. She leaned against the doorway and watched him. At this point he had the manger under the tree and the figurines lined up in a column. As he was placing each one in its designated spot he studied it, turning it this way and that to see each angle and detail. Georgie put her hand up to stifle a laugh. He was so methodical yet so impulsive at times. He sensed her standing there and spun his head around. "Georgie!" He said. "Look at these!" Georgie tossed the dish towel on the kitchen table and moved toward him. Elvis was sitting on the floor with his knees tucked beneath him. Georgie sat down the same way beside him. He handed her a figurine. It was Mary. Georgie held her up and examined her. "Look at the detail," Elvis said admiringly. Georgie had to admit it was stunning. "Elvis, she's lovely." Georgie moved to where he had the others lined up. She scanned them with her eyes then looked at Elvis, who she knew was hoping she was just as enthralled as he was. Elvis said, "My grandmother had a similar set. My sister acquired it when she married." Georgie smiled. She always liked Elvis' sister. They had some rather lively conversations about "the little brother." Elvis frowned, "the only thing is, baby Jesus is missing. I rummaged all through the wrappings and He's not here." Georgie grinned, "Well I suppose that's why I got a certain letter from your mum." "From my mum?" Elvis said surprised. Georgie stood up then and went to her purse. She pulled out a letter, scanned the words, cleared her throat and then proceeded to read aloud: "Let Elvis know the baby will be there for Christmas." She looked up at him and smiled. "Hmmmmmm." Elvis hummed. He looked at Georgie expectantly, nodding his head toward the paper. "What else did my mum say?" Georgie's brows lifted, "well, not too much more. Female stuff, you know, yea?" She looked at him with mischief in her eyes. Elvis pressed his lips together and said, "Yea? Well I don't believe it." Georgie shrugged and playfully folded the letter, creasing the folds with relish. "Yea! Neither do I," She answered lightly then spun on her heel and tucked the letter back into her purse.
Elvis laughed and shook his head. He knew when two women were plotting something he was outnumbered. But he would never admit that. When Georgie returned to his side she patted him on the back. Elvis said, "would you like to help me?" "Yea," she answered happily. So they both began to place the characters and creatures. When Georgie placed the crib inside the manger Elvis said, "It's an Italian tradition that baby Jesus is not placed until December 24th." Georgie was intrigued. They had never celebrated Christmas together and there were so many layers to their backgrounds. She remembered the first time he told her about his immigrant grandparents and how important family was to him. "Well, we'll have to wait then yea?" Georgie said. "Guess so." Elvis replied. She watched him sideways. He was happy. It was nice to share this with him. Every once in a while he would look at her and smile. Since being together again she never once doubted how much he loved her.
The manger scene was finally completed. Georgie sat back on the couch. Elvis lit the tree and of course the light in the manger shown as well. "Beautiful!" Georgie said. Elvis was slowly walking backward as he studied their work. He was nodding his head. "Yes. Yes it is." He said. He turned and sat down next to Georgie kissing her on the temple. She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair tousling it. Elvis leaned back and Georgie leaned against him as he wrapped his arm around her. He leaned his head back further against the cushion completely relaxed. "I'll be off to pick up Laura tomorrow" Elvis said softly. Georgie smiled and squeezed his forearm saying, "I can't wait to see her." She was actually looking forward to them being together as a "family." Elvis had never spent Christmas with Laura because for the past two years he had been deployed to some classified location. It would be an adventure this year for all three of them. Fortunately Debbie was OK with Elvis having Laura for Christmas, even if that meant in Hereford and not London. He made arrangements to travel by train to cut the distance time down. It was also a nice way to spend time with Laura and not split his attention between her and driving. He had wanted Georgie to go along as well but she thought it better for him to have that time to bond. She would pick them up at the station. In the meantime she would wrap the gifts and have them under the tree for when Laura arrived. Georgie was actually excited. Elvis could not be happier. He was grateful Georgie and Laura enjoyed each other's company. He could not wait until Christmas. For all the danger, death and destruction that was such a huge part of his life, he still believed in love.