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So, celebrate Mary and Rebecca did, and after William served them some cranberry cider, they raised their goblets to Christmas present, and they did so with the rest of the community, as Jacob himself, proposed the toast.
Thoughtfully he said, “Christmas brings many thoughts, memories and sentiments, and in its wake, if we look for it, Christmas leaves us hope. So as we gather together here in our private world with those we love and those who love us in return, let us always remember to be kind to one another and spread good cheer where ever we may tread.”
As Jacob cleared his voice of emotion, he raised his own cup, and conveyed his affection for everyone there by saying, “Have a Happy, Healthy, and Merry Christmas everyone.”
Gaily the Christmas Eve gala began, and it continued on through the evening, filled with joyful tête-à-tête, tasty fare, and fine harmony. Yes, the helpers and tunnel dwellers alike, were full of so much joy, all chatting about the wondrous events of late, Devin being home, John Pater’s surprise tapestries to the community, and of course Lin and Henry’s baby news.
And so as Devin, Jacob, and Mouse, stood talking to Dr. Wong, Lin and Henry, talk about the new baby progressed to speculation of who the baby would look like. And so it was then, that Dr. Wong proudly brought out a baby picture of Lin, and said how attractive and sweet his grand-daughter was as an infant.
Just then, Henry redirected his conversation to a fellow topsider, who stopped to say hello.
And because Henry walked a short distance to converse, Dr. Wong privately expressed to Devin, Jacob and Mouse, how much he hoped the baby took after Lin, more so over Henry!
Upon hearing her Grandfather say these unkind words, Lin scolded, "Grandfather! If Henry would have heard you, your comment would have hurt his feelings."
To which Dr. Wong helplessly explained, "I only mean you were such a good looking baby, that's all Grand-daughter."
As Devin's curiosity piqued, wanting to see Lin's baby photo, he asked to look at Little Tiger Lilly’s baby picture too, and then said, “Ahhhh, I see what you mean Dr. Wong.”
And then Devin teased Lin by saying “You were a looker even back then.”
And so playfully, Lin peaked over Devin's shoulder to glance at her own picture, and said to Devin, “I was cute wasn’t I?”
Lin then teasingly questioned, “I wonder what you looked like as a baby. I bet you were cute too!”
And then looking to Jacob, Lin asked, "Was he Father?"
Well as luck would have it, because Jacob had just found Devin’s baby journal, he was able to say, "As a matter of fact..."
Jacob then asked, "Mouse if you wouldn’t mind going to my chamber and get the album on my desk, I believe I can show Lin what a handsome baby Devin was.”
Happy to help, Mouse said he would gladly go and get the album, and was back quite quickly with two, explaining, “There were two on your desk, so I brought them both.”
Kindly, Jacob thanked him and then laughed as he noticed the other photo album was his own, from when he was a child.
But meantime, Jacob shuffled through Devin's Journal, and when he came to the photo page, he said, "See here, Devin was quite a handsome babe!"
And so Lin was first to comment, saying, "Awe Devin, look at you! You are so right Father, Devin was a cutey face!"
As Henry rejoined the bunch, he asked, "What have you there Lin?"
To which Lin explained, "Devin's baby photos! Look how sweet he was Henry! Oh, and here is mine too! Looking at these baby pictures, is making me feel very anxious for our own baby!"
With a loving smile, Henry softly agreed with his beaming wife.
Meanwhile, because Devin was almost positive, he had never looked at his own journal before, let alone know of its existence, he looked up at Jacob, and with disbelief, he asked, "You kept all this?"
To which Jacob declared, "Of course, it was quite fashionable keeping track of a child's development back then..."
As Devin with emotion leafed through, reading a few exerts, and glancing at a few photos, he with disbelief sighed, "Uh...how do ya like that?"
Upon seeing how touched his son was, Jacob told him, "As your Mother and I awaited your birth, we planned certain things, and this journal was one of them. We were so eager to watch you grow, and swore we were not going to miss not one single milestone in your development...and so I tried to fulfill this plan...well the best I could..."
With a smile for his Pop, Devin read, another notation, and feeling really taken aback, could only say, "What do ya know..."
Meanwhile, as Devin's pictures were being passed about, well Dr. Wong was at it again, as he teasingly noted that Devin luckily took after his mother, not his father.
Again Lin scolded her Grandfather for his comment which was this time aimed at Jacob!
For a moment, Jacob pretended to be annoyed by Dr. Wong’s joke too, but then really, how could he be, as he looked at the baby picture of Devin, Jacob thought of his late young wife once more.
And so with love, Jacob looked at Devin, and told his son, “In truth, you do take after your mother, yes, I dare say, she was so very beautiful.”
Since Jacob found it difficult to ever speak about Devin's Mother when Devin was young, this mention of her now was a gift, a true gift that lifted Devin’s heart.
And so with great emotion and gratitude, Devin said, “Thank you father.”
To which Jacob warmly replied with a nod, and then shared, "When you were young, and well, I suppose you might say I was as well, looking back was difficult for me to do...and I am so sorry for not sharing more of your lineage from your Mother's side..."
With compassion, Devin replied, "You did...when I would ask, but it was hard for me to talk about Mother...I knew it made you sad, and it made me sad too. But as you share all this with me now...I don't know, it doesn't make me feel sad at all...so maybe we weren't ready to talk about my Mother till now."
With a thankful nod, Jacob contemplated what Devin had said, and then in agreement, said, "Perhaps you are right, because now, on this night, looking back brings me joy."
Jacob then added, "You must remind me to show you the album I have hosting pictures of your Mother as well...perhaps in a day or two..."
In reply, Devin smiled as he said, "I would love that Father..."
And so, meanwhile, as they all stood looking through the photos, the talk shifted back to Lin and Henry’s plans for naming their baby, and as they mentioned a few ideas, they all agreed it may be too early to decide, because sometimes it is best to name the baby after you meet them.
Meanwhile in another part of the Hall, appeals began to roll in for some Christmas Carols, and so William, who had planned a bit of a repertoire for this night under Rolley's direction, fulfilled the requests, and burst into song.
William's voice filtered throughout the Great Hall as he sang The Holly and the
Ivy, causing Jacob to stop in mid sentence, to look William's way. And because of the look in his eyes, Devin asked, "Father...is everything all right?"
With a slight nod, and a lowering of his eyes, he thoughtfully told Devin, "Yes, yes I am fine...it's just this song, it was my Mother's favorite, and upon hearing the rich timbre in William's voice as he sang it...well, it took me back to another time...another time when I was a lad back home..."
Wanting to hear more about his Father's boyhood, Devin asked, "Can we put another thing on our bucket list Father? I'd love to hear about your life as a kid and about Grandmother..."
With a pat on his son's back, Jacob warmly replied, "Indeed...in fact I should think we had better rename our bucket list to a barrel list as it is getting quite expansive!"
The two shared an emotional chuckle, as they went back to listening to William. And oh yes, William's voice had never sounded finer, and after everyone clapped, and applauded his talents, he humbly bowed, and then asked the children to come up and join him. So William along with the children sang together once more, and of course Lukey wanted to be included, so Samantha happily held him as they sang.
Everyone listened and were spell bound as they listened to them sing the Christmas Carols. How beauteous they sounded together, William’s mature voice, blended so lovely with the angelic sounding children, well clearly their few days of rehearsal paid off, as their resonance brought everyone even more pause, than they had the other night. And when the concert was completed, happily the choir accepted the accolades, and promised to sing more later on.
And then as the food filled the tables, everyone snacked, nibbled, and enjoyed the delicious cuisine William and various helpers had prepared.
Catherine’s cookies also graced the table, and she was pleased to hear from Jamie, Laura, and Brooke how delicious they were, and then they told Catherine, her cookies were almost gone!
Surprisingly Catherine asked, “They are?” And then speculated, “Maybe I better get one for Vincent. He hasn’t eaten yet.”
And so Catherine excused herself from the girls, went over to the buffet, and put the very last cookie on a plate!
Catherine then glanced around the hall looking for Vincent, when finally she caught sight of him talking to Kanin, Olivia, and little Lukey.
So, just as Catherine stepped up to offer Vincent the coveted cookie, well, Vincent assumed she was brining it for Lukey! And so Vincent took the cookie from the plate, and kindly said, “Look Lukey! Catherine has brought you a treat.”
And so Catherine looked up at Vincent, wide eyed and speechless, because he just gave away his own cookie!
But because the events were out of her control, Catherine simply heaved a sigh, smiled and said, “Enjoy Lukey.”
So being the ever instructing mom, Olivia told Lukey, “Luke, Say thank you to Catherine for bringing you the cookie.”
Well as the cookie crumbs flew, and drool flowed, Lukey eeked out a thank you of sorts as he excitedly reached out for Catherine.
Loving the fact he wanted to come to her, Catherine happily reached out in return to receive Lukey, causing Olivia to again worriedly caution, “OH Catherine, every time he wants you to hold him, he is so messy! You must think I never bathe Lukey!"
Being not the least bit concerned, Catherine took him into her arms, and laughed as she said, “Its fine Olivia, you worry too much! I love holding Lukey no matter how messy he is. And I know you bathe him! Some things just can't be helped, like getting cookie crumbs on ourselves when we eat a cookie, uh Lukey?”
Catherine then spoke directly to Lukey, and asked, “So tell me, how do you like the cookie?”
With that Lukey offered Catherine a bite, and it pleased him so, when she pretended to take a nibble from the cookie he presented. This little game of feeding Catherine lasted for only a few more repetitions, until Lukey proceeded to gobble the cookie up for him self!
As the four of them got a boot out of observing the little fella, they began to speculate and analyze Lukey’s behavior. Humorously they soon deducted, that Lukey realized the cookie was too good to share.
To which proud papa Kanin, decided to give credence to their theory by asking his son for a bite. And so as he leaned in with his mouth open, Lukey looked at him, took another bite for him self, and then put it out for his Daddy to taste. This caused them all to laugh and then say, Lukey does have a giving heart after all.
Thinking the cookie looked pretty delicious, Vincent turned to Catherine and suggested, “I must say, Lukey is making me hungry watching him enjoy the cookie you brought him, shall we go and get one from the buffet?”
In response, Catherine nodded, and then handed Lukey back to his parents, telling him that she would see him later on.
And so as the two headed for the buffet table, Catherine waited until they were out of earshot of the little family, before saying, “Vincent, I believe you just gave Lukey the last cookie! I was actually bringing that cookie over for you!”
With a raised brow, Vincent looked at Catherine, and after he replayed the scene in his head, he tipped his head back and with a silent laugh, said, “It appears I will have no one to blame but myself, for the fact I will not be sampling your baking tonight.”
Sweetly, Catherine slipped her arm through his, and kindly said, “Tonight” being the operative word. I promise to bake you a batch of your very own.”
And so as they filled a plate with other goodies from the table, Vincent then offered Catherine a seat in a quieter corner of the table. He then with joy, mentioned, “I am so pleased you will be back to spend Christmas day with us Catherine..."
To which Catherine expressed, "I am too, and I cannot wait to watch the children open presents."
Vincent then thoughtfully asked, "Yes, it should be a time...tell me Catherine about what you called you and your Dad's Christmas morning tradition..."
As a smile came to her lips, she bent her head as she relayed her and her Father's Christmas morning tradition. And so softly, Catherine shared, “Well, let’s see, first things first, we attend early Service, and when we return, we put on the coffee, and open our gifts to each other, and after we open all the presents, we whip up a breakfast. Usually scrambled eggs, pancakes, and kielbasa.”
Catherine then added, “Its pretty much a quiet day after that, where we either fiddle with our new electronic gifts, watch one of our favorite old movies, or watch a new one. And for Christmas Dinner..."
Catherine giggled a bit as she revealed, "...we get Chinese Takeout! It's kind of became our traditon...no cooking or fussing too much, Dad loves to say that after a month or so of running around, it’s a great day to take it easy and decompress...”
Catherine then caringly added, “…but this Christmas, we have something more to look forward to, being here with you, your family and friends.”
Thoughtfully, Vincent with heart, said, “Yes...”
The two sat and continued to speak about other traditions, both hers and his, and as they talked, the Christmas Eve party partied on, and all the while, Catherine kept tabs on her Dad. She was so glad, but not surprised of how easily he mixed in with everyone.
There he was talking with tunnel folk and helpers alike. How pleased she was her Dad was having such a wonderful time.
As Catherine and Vincent got up to make their rounds, and visit with others, they also stopped to look at the tapestries, and it was when they were looking at the new nativity tapestries, that Peter and Charles approached them.
Disappointedly, Peter said, “Hey you two, I just got a page from my service that a patient of mine was taken to the E.R, and I hafta say goodnight.”
Peter then added, “I feel like a rat Charles has to leave too, but I need a ride.”
Charles patted his pal on the back, and said, "I keep telling him that though I've had more fun than I can say, I'm ready to go."
And then Charles asked Catherine, "What about you kiddo?"
With concern, Catherine said, "Just get Peter to the hospital, don't worry about me, I'll go home through the building's basement."
To which Charles hugged his daughter goodnight, as he replied, "Sounds good honey see ya in the morning."
Peter then waved good bye, and said, “Merry Christmas everyone, see ya tomorrow.”
It was then Charles also wished everyone a Merry Christmas, and because of the private moment he and Vincent shared earlier, he turned to him to warmly say, “Merry Christmas Vincent.”
In response, Vincent nodded an acknowledgment, and from the bottom of his heart replied, “Merry Christmas Charles.”
And though they did not embrace, Catherine noticed something new between her Dad and Vincent, a connection, or a familiarity that wasn’t there before. And as she watched their warm exchange, she thought of how thankful she was for their deepening friendship.
So as the two men turned to leave, Charles looked back once more, and asked, “Vincent, see my daughter gets home safely, won't you?”
With a gallant nod, Vincent replied, “I shall.”
To which in response Charles nodded, as if to say, “Of course you will.”
And then he turned to join his friend to leave the celebration and the tunnels.
Catherine watched them as they left, and just like clock work every Christmas, a dreaded thought would dawn within her, and that was, what if this is her last Christmas together with her Dad. As tears filled her eyes, she tried to hide them from Vincent, but of course he sensed her heavy heart, and instead of asking what was wrong, he simply hugged her, and said, “The circle of life Catherine, it is out of our control, it can not be changed or broken.”
Looking up at Vincent Catherine said, “I know.”
With a secure embrace, he let her know she would never be alone, and then with a touch of humor, he uncharacteristically asked her, “Hmm, now that your Dad has left the party, shall we get inebriated on William’s cider?”
With tears still clouding her eyes, she burst out laughing, and tearfully said, “I don’t believe you are serious.”
With a smile in his eyes, he said, “I merely wanted to bring you up from your sadness. Come; let’s have perhaps just a small glass, I see Devin and the others there by the vat celebrating.”
To be continued
Chapter Twenty-Eight
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| Destiny of my Heart! By Sharon Holtz Chapter Twenty-Seven ______________________________________ |