| Subject: Priority Mail 211 |
Author:
Nikita507
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Date Posted: Sunday, April 03, 05:51:26pm
In reply to:
Nikita507
's message, "Priority Mail 211+" on Sunday, April 03, 05:47:08pm
Nikita pushed her gloved hands into her pockets of the very heavy ski jacket and walked outside. It was Christmas Eve and they had lasagna for dinner together with Mick, Davenport and Ellie. Rhoda and Nat had stopped by for dessert and had left about thirty minutes ago to go to Christmas Eve Mass.
Nikita had been invited, but declined as she had to start moving gifts downstairs once Adam went to bed. If he went to bed.
She had explained to everyone inside that she needed some air as the house was pretty stuffy from the lasagna and some of the food that Walter started to cook earlier for tomorrow’s dinner. It was a pretty night outside and the snow was almost two inches deep as it continued to lightly fall.
She walked to the chair and pushed the snow that had covered it. It probably should have been taken inside, but Nikita was happy that it was left out on the porch. It only had a slight dusting of snow on it since it was under the cover of the porch and her coat was so long that it touched the back of her knees. Nikita wasn’t going to get wet from sitting on the chair.
From where she was, she could see across the street to another house with their tree brightly in the large windows. The family there had two small children, Nikita vaguely could remember that the boy was eighteen months and the girl was three years old. Right now, just when Nikita thought that they should be heading off to bed, they were dancing near the window in matching pajamas.
Nikita knew that Christmas meant so much more than gifts and food. It meant more than cookies and sweets. But she rubbed her arms and watched that family and knew that they knew what that meaning felt like.
She wasn’t sure if she would feel that.
She watched as the mother picked the boy up and kissed him with much production as the lights were dimmed, leaving only the lights of the tree illuminating the room, but she knew that they were all still in that room. She wondered if the parents were reading them a Christmas story or if they were sharing one gift before bed. She wondered if maybe they were singing Christmas carols or maybe they were going over the meaning of Christmas that Rhoda and Nat believed.
She didn’t know what to expect when she went back into the house. Did Michael have some sort of tradition with Adam before he went to bed? Would they expect her to sing Christmas carols?
Did she know any Christmas carols?
Walter had mentioned that he was going to watch ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ and Nikita didn’t know what that movie was about and why everyone seemed to be in love with that movie. Nikita rubbed her hands together as she tilted her head. She would have almost missed the sound of Michael stepping out onto the porch with her if she had not been expecting it.
Nikita turned her head as Michael pushed his gloves over his hands. “Kind of cold out here.”
Nikita nodded her head up and down. Michael got to the other chair and swept it off. “What are you doing?”
“Watching the family over there?”
“The Dillards?” Michael asked as he looked towards the house. “They always have a beautiful tree.”
Nikita nodded her head and looked at Michael. She reached out for his gloved hand and squeezed it. “I bought a gift for her.”
Michael knew who Nikita was talking about. It wasn’t a surprise to him. “Kita…”
“I had to… You just don’t understand… I saw something and I don’t know if she will ever get it… but I just had to buy it… it was just one thing… one stupid doll…” Nikita interrupted as she shook her head from side to side.
“I did the same thing,” Michael admitted as he looked at Nikita. “But that isn’t the only reason you are out here.”
Nikita looked across to the house and sighed. “They are so happy…”
“They are different,” Michael shrugged his shoulders lightly as he stood up and pulled Nikita to her feet. “Walk with me.”
Nikita followed Michael as he walked down into the yard and then started to circle it. He stopped and pointed to the window that their tree was seen thru. “We have a tree… and we have a different sort of family. You would be bored with their family.”
“Michael, my mind just is having problems translating… Christmas… and what it should mean…”
“That’s because Rhoda wanted you to go to mass…. But that isn’t our speed, Kita,” Michael explained as he stroked Nikita’s face. “We will make our own holiday traditions this year… and next year… and the year after… and they will morph as Adam grows older… we grow older together… We’ll make our own.”
Nikita looked at Michael and leaned her head down on Michael’s shoulder. “I think Rhoda was disappointed…”
“She just wanted to help you… find solace tonight. I don’t think you would have found it in church. I know that I wouldn’t have found it there,” Michael stated with a shrug of his shoulders. Nikita nodded her head as she felt Michael wrap his arms around her. He started to walk and they got to the backyard. Michael looked up at the sky and looked at Nikita. “Look at all of those stars.”
Nikita looked up and Michael could feel the tension that had been in her body for what he could tell from early afternoon on, eased away. He held her as he looked up at the sky and felt the peace of looking up into the sky. “We spent so many nights out… and we never got to have a view like this.”
Nikita laughed. “I think we would have had a lot of problems if we had spent time looking up at the stars.”
“Yeah,” Michael agreed. “Do you remember the mission that Madeline thought that you had stopped to pick flowers?”
“Oh yeah,” Nikita retorted with a roll of her eyes. “She was about to have my head on a platter until she saw me.”
“I think the manure cleared up what had happened,” Michael chuckled and Nikita turned in Michael’s arms. “It wasn’t that funny.”
“It was,” Michael nodded his head up and down. Nikita took exception and pushed at Michael. He pushed back and soon they tumbled into the snow. Nikita rolled Michael onto his back and threw snow in his face. “It wasn’t funny at all! Do you know how long I had to sit in that van like that?”
Michael rolled Nikita over and laughed. “Yeah… it was awful then… but funny now.”
Nikita started to throw snow at Michael and he grabbed snow and threw it at her face. “You’ll regret this, Kita… I’ll put shirt down your coat.”
“You will not!” Nikita declared as she slipped out from Michael’s grasp and then started to run. She laughed as Michael slipped behind her, tossing snow at her as he went. Nikita got a tentative position behind a small bush and started to form some snowballs as Michael approached.
“Hey… what are you doing out here?” Adam called out as he came around the corner from the front of the house, bundled up but left wide open for a snow ball attack. Nikita glanced at Michael in the moonlight yard and nodded her head slightly as both of them turned their snowballs at Adam.
Adam was stunned and screamed as the snowballs pelted his jacket. But soon he was returning fire as they all got louder with their shouting. It caused Davenport and Ellie to walk out onto the back porch. “It’s Christmas Eve…. What is this?”
“A snowball war,” Nikita declared as she eyed Davenport. “ You aren’t wearing a coat.”
“I think it’s time to come inside…” Davenport commented even while Ellie stepped away and grabbed her coat on. He turned to look at Ellie. “What are you doing?”
“Joining them,” Ellie declared as she jumped into boots and ran into the yard. “Are you afraid, Davenport?”
“NO!”
“You should be!” Adam hollered as he volleyed the first snowball at Davenport, hitting him in the chest. Davenport tilted his head. “Really?”
“Yes,” Michael spoke as he allowed one of his snowballs land on the same spot that Adam had hit. “Really.”
“We don’t play fair, Davenport,” Nikita stated as she stood and moved slightly, everyone ready for Nikita to hit Davenport with some more snowballs. Instead, Nikita ran and launched herself at Michael, bringing him down into the snow and crushing his snowballs.
The free for all went out at that point, everyone playing in the snow on this Christmas Eve.
About twenty minutes later, Davenport and Ellie ushered Adam back inside and said that they would make some hot chocolate before Adam went to bed. Nikita leaned back in the snow beside Michael, exhausted, but feeling alive. Nikita looked at Michael and laughed. “Is this going to be our Christmas tradition?”
“Maybe,” Michael nodded his head as he leaned over and kissed Nikita. Nikita laughed as she felt him pull her close. “We won’t make love in the snow.”
“Never,” Michael declared as he kissed Nikita’s lips again. Nikita moaned and kissed him deeply back. “But later… I have plans.”
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