And as the hour approached, both the party planners, Edie and Linda, grew more and more anxious!
And so finally, as the timer went off, the two girls did a high five, because NOW they were officially off the "Party Planning Hook" until next Christmas!
And so as the timer signaled the hour had come to the rest of the office too, all of the 8th floor employees gaily emerged from either their office, corner cubical, or assigned desk, to gather in the lobby, to p-a-r-t-y.
And so like magic, the typical doldrum day, evolved into an afternoon filled with cheerful holiday excitement! For a few of the employees, this was the only celebration they would have, but for most of them, this was a fun beginning, segueing into their busy Christmas Holiday agendas.
For eats, Edie and Linda set out catered meat/cheese and relish trays, along with delicious sides, with the dessert category subject to potluck. And although alcohol wasn’t permitted on the premise, the committee served a punch, which proved to be a nice vehicle for anyone’s secret D.A.D.T. (Don't Ask Don't Tell ) stash!
As Edie got everyone’s attention, she announced the gift exchange numbers were to be called momentarily, and she warned everyone to listen up, cause this year was going to be different! This year she would not be repeating them over and over again, just because people weren’t paying attention!
And then Edie instructed, "And wait till everyone gets a present before ya open, cuz last year Laraine from Research didn't get nothin', and I wanna make sure if you brought...ya get! Ya got it?"
And so as the Gift Exchange process began, Edie announced the first number, and it was Catherine's!
And so quickly, Catherine stepped up to claim her gift, privately hoping to have impressed Edie by being expedient, just as Edie had instructed.
Edie however caught Catherine off guard when she gave her a stern sideways look, and mockingly said, “Look at the new kid hustle up here!”
But then Edie changed her demeanor, and smiled as she teasingly praised Catherine by saying, “…NOW that’s how to get it done! Good job Cathy! And here’s your gift girlfriend.”
Feeling relieved to have received Edie's smile, Catherine laughed, and then she thought of how she really got a boot out of this Edie’s style.
And then going back to sit by Paul, Catherine sat watching her new group of co-workers, who she knew were all there at the D.A., because like her, they wanted to make an impact on society, and be stewards of their fair city. And today, they were allowed to let go of their legal eagle facades, and were having a blast! Yes this day they were entitled to celebrate, and have a little fun.
And so Catherine continued to watch and listen to the antics between Edie and each recipient of the gift exchange, and when the doling out was done, Edie gave the go ahead to open!
And so excitedly, Catherine un-wrapped a beautiful scarf from its tissue paper.
Meantime, Paul, who was eagerly watching for her reaction, asked, “Well what do you think? Is that something you like?”
As Catherine wrapped it around her neck, she declared, “Are you kidding? I love it!”
Informatively, Paul noted, “You know its reversible too…err, at least that’s what the tag says.”
Suspiciously, Catherine looked at Paul, and asked, “Is this the gift you brought in for the exchange Paul?”
Sheepishly, Paul looked around as he hummed, "Dum dum dum dum ditty..."
And then with a smile, he admitted, "All right all right, since you like your scarf I'll admit it...guilty as charged...err, oh boy, I guess I do say that!"
Catherine sweetly giggled, as Paul continued, "Well since the cat is out of the bag, here, let me show you something..."
And so happily, Paul showed Catherine how to turn the scarf inside out for the alternate color.
To which Catherine expressed, “Wow, very nice! Paul, you did a great job choosing a gift for our party!”
Warmly smiling at his dear friend, Paul softly said, "Well, I got one for my Ma, and thought it was kinda cool, so I got another one to give for my exchange gift too."
With heart, Catherine then expressed, "Well I really do love it, and am so glad I was the one who got it!"
Feeling pretty proud that he chose a good gift, Paul said, "Well good...Merry Christmas Cathy.”
After giving him a hug, Catherine then noticed Paul had not opened his gift yet. And so she urged, “Come on and open! Let’s see what you got for the exchange.”
With a raised brow, Paul laughed as he said, “Yes, well I was trying to get up the nerve to look! Last year, I got some red and green striped socks with little gold jingle bells on the toes!”
Paul then took a deep breath, as he said, “I guess it can't get any worse, and there is no where to go but up uh? Well here goes!”
And so Paul ripped off the festive paper, and unveiled a pair of boxer shorts, which featured “THE GRINCH” on them!
But being the sweetie he was, Paul tried not to look disappointed, as per chance the person who brought them to the exchange was watching!
So under his breath, he discreetly told Cathy, “Well how do you like that, it could get worse!”
Just then Edie walked up rubbing her wrists, and because she looked to be in pain, with concern, Catherine asked, "What's wrong Edie?"
And so under her breath, Edie told Catherine and Paul, “I got this huge bottle of perfume, called, “Ode to the night”! The label says you will smell like a Midnight Goddess, but it sure as #%$#@ doesn't say anything about causing a burning sensation!”
The two started to laugh at Edie's delivery, and then Paul suggested, maybe she better wash it off STAT!
Upon saying she would do that, Edie then noticed Paul’s gift, and happily noted, “Oh so you got the “GRINCHY” shorts! Don’t you just love to get Holiday underwear, socks, and t-shirts? They are soooooo fun and kooky!”
It was then that Catherine subtly looked at Paul, and they shared a stunned look, as they both at once realized, that Edie was most likely "The guilty bad gift giver" last year too!
But as not to hurt Edie's feelings, Paul stood up to give Edie a hug, and said, "Thanks for the gift Edie.”
Sincerely Edie replied, “You're welcome Paul, wear them in good health!”
Edie then saw her co-hostess Linda was ready to give Joe his gift, and was motioning for Edie to come help.
And so Edie excitedly said, "Oh, I gotta go!"
And so as Edie and Linda stood in the middle, they called for Joe to come over too. And when he walked up, Joe said, "Yea? What's up?"
With huge smiles, both Edie and Linda presented Joe with his gift, and Edie said, "We all chipped in, and on behalf of all of us, Joe, Merry Christmas."
Humbly Joe looked around, and said, "Awe you guys..."
Joe then walked over to the nearest desk to open the box, and as he ripped off the paper, he pulled out a Yankee's Jacket, and with great surprise said, "Hey, this is great! Let's see how it fits!"
And then Joe stood, with his perfectly fitting new Jacket on, and finally said, "You guys this is too much! I mean you didn't hafta..."
As Joe wiped his eyes, he lightened the mood as she said, "...glad you did...but you didn't hafta get me anything! I know dough is tight and all..."
All at once, everyone chimed in they wanted to, because he was the best boss, and they just wanted to show their appreciation to him.
Well needless to say, Joe wore his jacket for the rest of the party, and as it began to wind down, Joe made a small speech saying in essence to be careful over the Holiday, cuz he needed each and everyone back in tact to take care of business!
Joe then looked over his good-hearted bunch of employees, and with a softened tone, he warmly said, "Seriously though, Merry Christmas everyone, you are all the best!"
Catherine watched for a moment, as Joe mingled, and with his good natured smile, he either shook a hand, or gave an appropriate type friendly hug, as he wished his employees a very Merry Christmas!
Yes it warmed Catherine's heart, as she witnessed Joe sharing a bit of himself that day.
And so everyone enjoyed the rest of the day, partying, and sharing stories, some wearing their newly acquired Christmas exchange gifts, of which was a colorful array of knitted scarfs, fuzzy mittens, silly hats and Holiday ties!
Then, it was time to go, and as Catherine gathered her empty dish from the dessert table, along with her new scarf, she wished a personal Merry Christmas to Paul, Edie and a few other new friends as she told them she was leaving, and then she went up to Joe, and motioning over to her desk, she asked, "Do you have a minute Joe?"
To which he said, "Sure Radcliff...err..."
And because she knew she would always be Radcliffe to him, she responded, "That's okay Joe...Radcliffe is kinda growing on me..."
And so he followed her over to her desk, and discreetly she gave him a personal gift from herself.
As Joe looked down at the gift with a bow on it, he quizzically asked, “What’s this?”
In reply Catherine said, “It’s your Christmas present.”
With a knitted brow, Joe motioned to his jacket, and noted, "But you went in on this!"
To which Catherine humbly said, "I know, but I had already gotten you something before Edie included me with the office gift, and besides, you’re the boss, and we lowly employees are supposed to suck up, especially the new ones! You know how it goes!”
And although Joe said she didn't have to give him anything more, he was eager to see just what Catherine would have chosen for him.
And so Joe hesitantly opened the gift box, and brought out a nice pair of leather gloves, and with a tip of his head, he said, "Hey thanks, these are really nice!"
To which Catherine said, "You are most welcome Joe."
And now because Catherine still had the Springsteen Tickets to give Joe from her Dad, she tried to downplay the presentation by acting like they were an after thought.
And so as Catherine brought out the ticket envelope, she said, “Oh Joe, I almost forgot, these are from my Dad. But now before you open, Dad wanted you to know he didn’t actually buy these, but he said he didn't know anyone else who would appreciate them like he thought you would, and so he wanted to give them to you. Ok, now with that said, you can open.”
In his anxious manner, Joe opened the envelope as he repeated, “From you Dad uh? What in the world could this be?”
As he took the contents out of the envelope, he couldn’t believe his eyes, and when he found his voice, he acknowledged, “Springsteen tickets! They were sold out! How in the "#@%%" err, I mean pardon my French, but how in the "HECK" did your Dad get these? I stood in line for hours, and still didn’t get to buy any!”
With a smile, Catherine explained, “My Dad handles his legal affairs, and so he gets tickets from time to time from his Agent. And since he noticed Springsteen memorabilia in your office the other day, well, he knew you were a fan...”
To which Joe broke in saying, “A fan? That’s an under statement! OH man, there’s enough here to take my whole fam! Thanks Radcliffe...Chand…err... thanks Cathy! Hey, tell your Dad thanks! Wait maybe I should call him, and thank him myself, do you think I could?”
As Catherine wrote down her dad’s phone number, she said, “Dad would love that, he really likes you Joe, and appreciates everything you...well, you know.”
As she slipped on her coat, Catherine then said, “Well, I better get a move on, its getting late.”
As Joe looked at his tickets once more, he shook his head in disbelief, and warmly said, “Hey, I really mean this, thanks, and Merry Christmas Cathy.”
Smiling kindly back at him, Catherine replied,“Merry Christmas Joe."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, below in the tunnels, everything was finally ready in The Great hall for the tunnel Christmas Eve gathering! And after receiving Mary's pardon, there was a mass exodus from The Great Hall, to each resident's individual chamber to get ready for the celebration.
And although Vincent needed to get ready too, he first wanted to stop in at his Father’s chamber, to search once more for his coveted snow globe.
And so as Vincent anxiously looked about, he became a bit agitated as his Father kept telling him not to worry, that his snow globe would turn up.
As Vincent turned over maps, looked under books, and checked out any object which could be concealing it from view, he explained, “But it was here Father, remember the other night when Mouse and I brought it here to show everyone? And then yesterday, you were about to hand it to me when Peter came in, and we got off track!”
With assurance, Jacob replied, “Of course I recall, I am merely attempting to ease your mind by saying, I am sure it will turn up.”
Looking at his Father, Vincent suspiciously asked, “Father has something happened to it? Do you know something and you cannot bear to tell me the bad news?”
Unsure what to do or say, Jacob stood dumb-foundedly, silent as he shrugged his shoulders in wonderment!
Prodding a bit further, Vincent asked, “Father? You know something...”
Expelling a troubled breath, Jacob pleaded, “If I admit to knowing something, can you let it go at that? Without further explanation?”
As his eyes searched his Father’s face, a slow smile came to him, as Vincent realized this must have something to do with a surprise of sorts.
And so with a nod, Vincent replied, “Yes I can Father, and I shall.”
Upon heaving a relieved breath, Jacob calmly suggested to his son, “Now go ready yourself; the time is nearing for the Christmas Eve assembly.”
Warmly Jacob then added, “We have much to be thankful for this year, do we not? Devin is home, and we have wonderful new friends in Charles and Catherine to share our world with this Christmas season.”
Giving his father an introspective nod, Vincent with a subtle spirit agreed with him about their blessings, but deep in his heart, he felt an angst hovering about!
And when Vincent searched his heart, he realized, it was because of the disruptive feelings he sensed in the Great hall. Yes, Vincent and Pascal were both certain someone had been there, but who? And for what?
Keeping his concerns to himself, Vincent with a loving embrace, managed a smile, and in accordance he replied, “Yes Father, very much to be thankful for.”
As Vincent entered his chamber, he found Devin sitting on the bed, leafing through a book.
Looking up at Vincent, Devin smiled as he expounded, “I remember when Father assigned this book to us, making us not only read it, but we had to write a report about it to boot! I gotta tell ya Vincent, it just about drove me nuts to sit and read back then...I always felt so restless.”
Devin then smiled and admitted, “If it wasn’t for you studying with me, I don’t think I would have survived my childhood!”
Looking down at his handsome older brother, Vincent nodded remembering those days as well, and loved knowing Devin remembered too.
And so humbly Vincent replied, “It made me feel good helping my big brother with something; it was normally you guiding and advising me.”
Devin smiled as he owned, “Yeah, well, I DID have a few good pointers for ya...”
Sizing up his unique brother, Devin continued, “...for instance, the longer hair is really working for ya."
Devin then recalled, "Oh man, Father sure got mad when he heard it was me who advised you to boycott Lou's routine hair cuts!”
Vincent reciprocated with a smile, and raised brow, saying, “I remember.”
After a moment of fond recollection, Vincent changed the subject as he realized it was time to head onward to the hot springs chamber. And so he asked Devin, “It is time to ready ourselves. Are you coming?”
To which Devin replied, “Yeah, yeah, just give me a minute; I kinda wanted to give you something before everything got too crazy around here.”
And so with an excited humbleness, Devin reached into his satchel, and brought out a crudely wrapped bundle, and continued to say, “I thought it might be something you may wanna wear tonight, or maybe tomorrow, or whenever! I don’t know, just check it out. See if you like it.”
As Vincent unrolled a gothic looking garment from its wrapping, he held it up, and looking over at Devin, with his voice full of emotion, said, “You remembered…”
To which Devin replied, “Damn straight I remember! I will never forget when we passed through our “Viking" stage, how we swore we needed a real doublet so we could properly fence! Well when I saw this at the Stratford Warehouse in Ontario, I had to get it for you. Does it fit? Do you like it?”
Slipping it on Vincent flexed his shoulders a bit, and since it felt just right, he happily said, “It does, and I do. I like it very much, thank you brother. And you know, I believe I shall wear it this evening.”
Happy to know Vincent liked his gift, Devin replied, “Really? Cool! Hey ya know the sleeves are removable.”
Devin then assisted Vincent, and when the sleeves were off, he said, “Yeah, I like it without the sleeves better I think!”
Looking downward at his doublet, Vincent concurred, saying, “I do as well. Again, thank you...”
And then in a low key joking, Vincent asked, "Did you say the "Viking" stage was only supposed to be a passing phase?"
As Devin laughed, he then admitted, "Ya know your question is a valid one, maybe we are still Vikings...at heart anyway..."
With a nod, Vincent thoughtfully replied, "Maybe so...maybe so..."
Knowing he had something special for Devin as well, Vincent thought it was the perfect time to give him his gift now too. And so he subtly said, “I appreciate your idea of exchanging gifts between us now.”
So opening up his trunk, Vincent brought out Devin’s gift, and as he gave it to him, he said, “I hope you like it. For me it represents your worldly travels, your adventurous spirit, and your restless heart.”
Devin smiled, and with a hint of tearful emotion in his eyes, he un-wrapped his gift, and when he saw the stained glass globe, he asked “Did you make this?”
To which Vincent nodded, saying, “I did, with Mouse's help.”
After rolling the globe in his hands, he said, “It’s magnificent!”
Devin then softly said, “I want you to know Vincent, where ever I went; I went there for us, you were in my heart and mind with every destination.”
With a tip of his head, Vincent revealed, “Somehow...I knew this."
Optimistically, Devin replied, “I hope so.”
To lighten the mood with a hint of humor, Devin put his arm around Vincent, and began to chant their old mantra, “Brothers forever...”
And then in unison, Vincent joined in, “…Brothers to the end.”
They both laughed, and then agreed they better head to the hot springs chamber to get ready for the Christmas Eve party.
And as they walked through the tunnels arm in arm, they were true brothers, once more.
To be continued
Chapter Twenty-Four
: }
And so finally, as the timer went off, the two girls did a high five, because NOW they were officially off the "Party Planning Hook" until next Christmas!
And so as the timer signaled the hour had come to the rest of the office too, all of the 8th floor employees gaily emerged from either their office, corner cubical, or assigned desk, to gather in the lobby, to p-a-r-t-y.
And so like magic, the typical doldrum day, evolved into an afternoon filled with cheerful holiday excitement! For a few of the employees, this was the only celebration they would have, but for most of them, this was a fun beginning, segueing into their busy Christmas Holiday agendas.
For eats, Edie and Linda set out catered meat/cheese and relish trays, along with delicious sides, with the dessert category subject to potluck. And although alcohol wasn’t permitted on the premise, the committee served a punch, which proved to be a nice vehicle for anyone’s secret D.A.D.T. (Don't Ask Don't Tell ) stash!
As Edie got everyone’s attention, she announced the gift exchange numbers were to be called momentarily, and she warned everyone to listen up, cause this year was going to be different! This year she would not be repeating them over and over again, just because people weren’t paying attention!
And then Edie instructed, "And wait till everyone gets a present before ya open, cuz last year Laraine from Research didn't get nothin', and I wanna make sure if you brought...ya get! Ya got it?"
And so as the Gift Exchange process began, Edie announced the first number, and it was Catherine's!
And so quickly, Catherine stepped up to claim her gift, privately hoping to have impressed Edie by being expedient, just as Edie had instructed.
Edie however caught Catherine off guard when she gave her a stern sideways look, and mockingly said, “Look at the new kid hustle up here!”
But then Edie changed her demeanor, and smiled as she teasingly praised Catherine by saying, “…NOW that’s how to get it done! Good job Cathy! And here’s your gift girlfriend.”
Feeling relieved to have received Edie's smile, Catherine laughed, and then she thought of how she really got a boot out of this Edie’s style.
And then going back to sit by Paul, Catherine sat watching her new group of co-workers, who she knew were all there at the D.A., because like her, they wanted to make an impact on society, and be stewards of their fair city. And today, they were allowed to let go of their legal eagle facades, and were having a blast! Yes this day they were entitled to celebrate, and have a little fun.
And so Catherine continued to watch and listen to the antics between Edie and each recipient of the gift exchange, and when the doling out was done, Edie gave the go ahead to open!
And so excitedly, Catherine un-wrapped a beautiful scarf from its tissue paper.
Meantime, Paul, who was eagerly watching for her reaction, asked, “Well what do you think? Is that something you like?”
As Catherine wrapped it around her neck, she declared, “Are you kidding? I love it!”
Informatively, Paul noted, “You know its reversible too…err, at least that’s what the tag says.”
Suspiciously, Catherine looked at Paul, and asked, “Is this the gift you brought in for the exchange Paul?”
Sheepishly, Paul looked around as he hummed, "Dum dum dum dum ditty..."
And then with a smile, he admitted, "All right all right, since you like your scarf I'll admit it...guilty as charged...err, oh boy, I guess I do say that!"
Catherine sweetly giggled, as Paul continued, "Well since the cat is out of the bag, here, let me show you something..."
And so happily, Paul showed Catherine how to turn the scarf inside out for the alternate color.
To which Catherine expressed, “Wow, very nice! Paul, you did a great job choosing a gift for our party!”
Warmly smiling at his dear friend, Paul softly said, "Well, I got one for my Ma, and thought it was kinda cool, so I got another one to give for my exchange gift too."
With heart, Catherine then expressed, "Well I really do love it, and am so glad I was the one who got it!"
Feeling pretty proud that he chose a good gift, Paul said, "Well good...Merry Christmas Cathy.”
After giving him a hug, Catherine then noticed Paul had not opened his gift yet. And so she urged, “Come on and open! Let’s see what you got for the exchange.”
With a raised brow, Paul laughed as he said, “Yes, well I was trying to get up the nerve to look! Last year, I got some red and green striped socks with little gold jingle bells on the toes!”
Paul then took a deep breath, as he said, “I guess it can't get any worse, and there is no where to go but up uh? Well here goes!”
And so Paul ripped off the festive paper, and unveiled a pair of boxer shorts, which featured “THE GRINCH” on them!
But being the sweetie he was, Paul tried not to look disappointed, as per chance the person who brought them to the exchange was watching!
So under his breath, he discreetly told Cathy, “Well how do you like that, it could get worse!”
Just then Edie walked up rubbing her wrists, and because she looked to be in pain, with concern, Catherine asked, "What's wrong Edie?"
And so under her breath, Edie told Catherine and Paul, “I got this huge bottle of perfume, called, “Ode to the night”! The label says you will smell like a Midnight Goddess, but it sure as #%$#@ doesn't say anything about causing a burning sensation!”
The two started to laugh at Edie's delivery, and then Paul suggested, maybe she better wash it off STAT!
Upon saying she would do that, Edie then noticed Paul’s gift, and happily noted, “Oh so you got the “GRINCHY” shorts! Don’t you just love to get Holiday underwear, socks, and t-shirts? They are soooooo fun and kooky!”
It was then that Catherine subtly looked at Paul, and they shared a stunned look, as they both at once realized, that Edie was most likely "The guilty bad gift giver" last year too!
But as not to hurt Edie's feelings, Paul stood up to give Edie a hug, and said, "Thanks for the gift Edie.”
Sincerely Edie replied, “You're welcome Paul, wear them in good health!”
Edie then saw her co-hostess Linda was ready to give Joe his gift, and was motioning for Edie to come help.
And so Edie excitedly said, "Oh, I gotta go!"
And so as Edie and Linda stood in the middle, they called for Joe to come over too. And when he walked up, Joe said, "Yea? What's up?"
With huge smiles, both Edie and Linda presented Joe with his gift, and Edie said, "We all chipped in, and on behalf of all of us, Joe, Merry Christmas."
Humbly Joe looked around, and said, "Awe you guys..."
Joe then walked over to the nearest desk to open the box, and as he ripped off the paper, he pulled out a Yankee's Jacket, and with great surprise said, "Hey, this is great! Let's see how it fits!"
And then Joe stood, with his perfectly fitting new Jacket on, and finally said, "You guys this is too much! I mean you didn't hafta..."
As Joe wiped his eyes, he lightened the mood as she said, "...glad you did...but you didn't hafta get me anything! I know dough is tight and all..."
All at once, everyone chimed in they wanted to, because he was the best boss, and they just wanted to show their appreciation to him.
Well needless to say, Joe wore his jacket for the rest of the party, and as it began to wind down, Joe made a small speech saying in essence to be careful over the Holiday, cuz he needed each and everyone back in tact to take care of business!
Joe then looked over his good-hearted bunch of employees, and with a softened tone, he warmly said, "Seriously though, Merry Christmas everyone, you are all the best!"
Catherine watched for a moment, as Joe mingled, and with his good natured smile, he either shook a hand, or gave an appropriate type friendly hug, as he wished his employees a very Merry Christmas!
Yes it warmed Catherine's heart, as she witnessed Joe sharing a bit of himself that day.
And so everyone enjoyed the rest of the day, partying, and sharing stories, some wearing their newly acquired Christmas exchange gifts, of which was a colorful array of knitted scarfs, fuzzy mittens, silly hats and Holiday ties!
Then, it was time to go, and as Catherine gathered her empty dish from the dessert table, along with her new scarf, she wished a personal Merry Christmas to Paul, Edie and a few other new friends as she told them she was leaving, and then she went up to Joe, and motioning over to her desk, she asked, "Do you have a minute Joe?"
To which he said, "Sure Radcliff...err..."
And because she knew she would always be Radcliffe to him, she responded, "That's okay Joe...Radcliffe is kinda growing on me..."
And so he followed her over to her desk, and discreetly she gave him a personal gift from herself.
As Joe looked down at the gift with a bow on it, he quizzically asked, “What’s this?”
In reply Catherine said, “It’s your Christmas present.”
With a knitted brow, Joe motioned to his jacket, and noted, "But you went in on this!"
To which Catherine humbly said, "I know, but I had already gotten you something before Edie included me with the office gift, and besides, you’re the boss, and we lowly employees are supposed to suck up, especially the new ones! You know how it goes!”
And although Joe said she didn't have to give him anything more, he was eager to see just what Catherine would have chosen for him.
And so Joe hesitantly opened the gift box, and brought out a nice pair of leather gloves, and with a tip of his head, he said, "Hey thanks, these are really nice!"
To which Catherine said, "You are most welcome Joe."
And now because Catherine still had the Springsteen Tickets to give Joe from her Dad, she tried to downplay the presentation by acting like they were an after thought.
And so as Catherine brought out the ticket envelope, she said, “Oh Joe, I almost forgot, these are from my Dad. But now before you open, Dad wanted you to know he didn’t actually buy these, but he said he didn't know anyone else who would appreciate them like he thought you would, and so he wanted to give them to you. Ok, now with that said, you can open.”
In his anxious manner, Joe opened the envelope as he repeated, “From you Dad uh? What in the world could this be?”
As he took the contents out of the envelope, he couldn’t believe his eyes, and when he found his voice, he acknowledged, “Springsteen tickets! They were sold out! How in the "#@%%" err, I mean pardon my French, but how in the "HECK" did your Dad get these? I stood in line for hours, and still didn’t get to buy any!”
With a smile, Catherine explained, “My Dad handles his legal affairs, and so he gets tickets from time to time from his Agent. And since he noticed Springsteen memorabilia in your office the other day, well, he knew you were a fan...”
To which Joe broke in saying, “A fan? That’s an under statement! OH man, there’s enough here to take my whole fam! Thanks Radcliffe...Chand…err... thanks Cathy! Hey, tell your Dad thanks! Wait maybe I should call him, and thank him myself, do you think I could?”
As Catherine wrote down her dad’s phone number, she said, “Dad would love that, he really likes you Joe, and appreciates everything you...well, you know.”
As she slipped on her coat, Catherine then said, “Well, I better get a move on, its getting late.”
As Joe looked at his tickets once more, he shook his head in disbelief, and warmly said, “Hey, I really mean this, thanks, and Merry Christmas Cathy.”
Smiling kindly back at him, Catherine replied,“Merry Christmas Joe."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, below in the tunnels, everything was finally ready in The Great hall for the tunnel Christmas Eve gathering! And after receiving Mary's pardon, there was a mass exodus from The Great Hall, to each resident's individual chamber to get ready for the celebration.
And although Vincent needed to get ready too, he first wanted to stop in at his Father’s chamber, to search once more for his coveted snow globe.
And so as Vincent anxiously looked about, he became a bit agitated as his Father kept telling him not to worry, that his snow globe would turn up.
As Vincent turned over maps, looked under books, and checked out any object which could be concealing it from view, he explained, “But it was here Father, remember the other night when Mouse and I brought it here to show everyone? And then yesterday, you were about to hand it to me when Peter came in, and we got off track!”
With assurance, Jacob replied, “Of course I recall, I am merely attempting to ease your mind by saying, I am sure it will turn up.”
Looking at his Father, Vincent suspiciously asked, “Father has something happened to it? Do you know something and you cannot bear to tell me the bad news?”
Unsure what to do or say, Jacob stood dumb-foundedly, silent as he shrugged his shoulders in wonderment!
Prodding a bit further, Vincent asked, “Father? You know something...”
Expelling a troubled breath, Jacob pleaded, “If I admit to knowing something, can you let it go at that? Without further explanation?”
As his eyes searched his Father’s face, a slow smile came to him, as Vincent realized this must have something to do with a surprise of sorts.
And so with a nod, Vincent replied, “Yes I can Father, and I shall.”
Upon heaving a relieved breath, Jacob calmly suggested to his son, “Now go ready yourself; the time is nearing for the Christmas Eve assembly.”
Warmly Jacob then added, “We have much to be thankful for this year, do we not? Devin is home, and we have wonderful new friends in Charles and Catherine to share our world with this Christmas season.”
Giving his father an introspective nod, Vincent with a subtle spirit agreed with him about their blessings, but deep in his heart, he felt an angst hovering about!
And when Vincent searched his heart, he realized, it was because of the disruptive feelings he sensed in the Great hall. Yes, Vincent and Pascal were both certain someone had been there, but who? And for what?
Keeping his concerns to himself, Vincent with a loving embrace, managed a smile, and in accordance he replied, “Yes Father, very much to be thankful for.”
As Vincent entered his chamber, he found Devin sitting on the bed, leafing through a book.
Looking up at Vincent, Devin smiled as he expounded, “I remember when Father assigned this book to us, making us not only read it, but we had to write a report about it to boot! I gotta tell ya Vincent, it just about drove me nuts to sit and read back then...I always felt so restless.”
Devin then smiled and admitted, “If it wasn’t for you studying with me, I don’t think I would have survived my childhood!”
Looking down at his handsome older brother, Vincent nodded remembering those days as well, and loved knowing Devin remembered too.
And so humbly Vincent replied, “It made me feel good helping my big brother with something; it was normally you guiding and advising me.”
Devin smiled as he owned, “Yeah, well, I DID have a few good pointers for ya...”
Sizing up his unique brother, Devin continued, “...for instance, the longer hair is really working for ya."
Devin then recalled, "Oh man, Father sure got mad when he heard it was me who advised you to boycott Lou's routine hair cuts!”
Vincent reciprocated with a smile, and raised brow, saying, “I remember.”
After a moment of fond recollection, Vincent changed the subject as he realized it was time to head onward to the hot springs chamber. And so he asked Devin, “It is time to ready ourselves. Are you coming?”
To which Devin replied, “Yeah, yeah, just give me a minute; I kinda wanted to give you something before everything got too crazy around here.”
And so with an excited humbleness, Devin reached into his satchel, and brought out a crudely wrapped bundle, and continued to say, “I thought it might be something you may wanna wear tonight, or maybe tomorrow, or whenever! I don’t know, just check it out. See if you like it.”
As Vincent unrolled a gothic looking garment from its wrapping, he held it up, and looking over at Devin, with his voice full of emotion, said, “You remembered…”
To which Devin replied, “Damn straight I remember! I will never forget when we passed through our “Viking" stage, how we swore we needed a real doublet so we could properly fence! Well when I saw this at the Stratford Warehouse in Ontario, I had to get it for you. Does it fit? Do you like it?”
Slipping it on Vincent flexed his shoulders a bit, and since it felt just right, he happily said, “It does, and I do. I like it very much, thank you brother. And you know, I believe I shall wear it this evening.”
Happy to know Vincent liked his gift, Devin replied, “Really? Cool! Hey ya know the sleeves are removable.”
Devin then assisted Vincent, and when the sleeves were off, he said, “Yeah, I like it without the sleeves better I think!”
Looking downward at his doublet, Vincent concurred, saying, “I do as well. Again, thank you...”
And then in a low key joking, Vincent asked, "Did you say the "Viking" stage was only supposed to be a passing phase?"
As Devin laughed, he then admitted, "Ya know your question is a valid one, maybe we are still Vikings...at heart anyway..."
With a nod, Vincent thoughtfully replied, "Maybe so...maybe so..."
Knowing he had something special for Devin as well, Vincent thought it was the perfect time to give him his gift now too. And so he subtly said, “I appreciate your idea of exchanging gifts between us now.”
So opening up his trunk, Vincent brought out Devin’s gift, and as he gave it to him, he said, “I hope you like it. For me it represents your worldly travels, your adventurous spirit, and your restless heart.”
Devin smiled, and with a hint of tearful emotion in his eyes, he un-wrapped his gift, and when he saw the stained glass globe, he asked “Did you make this?”
To which Vincent nodded, saying, “I did, with Mouse's help.”
After rolling the globe in his hands, he said, “It’s magnificent!”
Devin then softly said, “I want you to know Vincent, where ever I went; I went there for us, you were in my heart and mind with every destination.”
With a tip of his head, Vincent revealed, “Somehow...I knew this."
Optimistically, Devin replied, “I hope so.”
To lighten the mood with a hint of humor, Devin put his arm around Vincent, and began to chant their old mantra, “Brothers forever...”
And then in unison, Vincent joined in, “…Brothers to the end.”
They both laughed, and then agreed they better head to the hot springs chamber to get ready for the Christmas Eve party.
And as they walked through the tunnels arm in arm, they were true brothers, once more.
To be continued
Chapter Twenty-Four
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| Destiny of my Heart! By Sharon Holtz Chapter Twenty-Three ________________________________________ |
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| REVERSIBLE |
