A Child's Haven - 82. Chapter 82

Christmas eve, the kids were excited, and dinner was exceptional. We had Santa Claus mashed potatoes, grilled chicken, and green beans sprinkled with fried onion rings. The kids were happy, particularly when they saw the dessert. I took one look at it and knew that Adam had made the dessert. When it was time for the dessert, Mario turned off the lights. I could barely see as Adam poured something over the ice cream, and then he lit it. Baked Alaska was for dessert. The kid’s eyes almost popped out when they saw the flaming dessert. The gang of four came running to me, “Dad, what is that?”

I was laughing, “It’s a dessert called baked Alaska. The ice cream is baked in a shell, and the flame is from the liquor that Adam poured over it. But don’t worry, there’ll be no alcohol left when you eat it. You’ll go back for more.” They looked at me as if I was kidding.

I watched as they went to get their dessert. Pat looked over at me. I smiled and nodded my head yes. He didn’t even wait until he sat down until he took a bite. The smile told me everything. All of the kids had to have seconds; Adam just smiled as he served the dessert.

After the kids went to bed, Tony, Aaron, Diane, and I stuffed their stockings. The kids had placed their gifts under the tree before going to bed. I put a wristwatch in each stocking as the staff placed their presents under the tree. I couldn’t wait until morning. Tony took a picture of everything. I think he was putting together a scrapbook of some sort.

I woke early, getting dressed and then knocking on the doors of the occupied rooms. Tony was ready, and so were the others. Mario had a fresh pot of coffee ready, knowing that we’d be down early. He had some Italian cookies as well. I asked him not to give them to the kids until they had their breakfast. We sat at a table so we could see the kids enter the room. Bubba was the first up as he had to take Sandy out for his morning walk. When he came back in, he had a bone to give to Sandy. He must have stopped at the cook shack.

He came over and sat beside me, “Merry Christmas, Dad.” I gave him a hug and a kiss on the head. Bubba was anxious to open his gifts, but I had a feeling he was more anxious to see his friends open their gifts. “Nick said that they don’t have a Santa Claus but a Father Christmas. Why don’t they have a Santa Claus?”

“Various nations have a different name for Santa, but it’s the same idea.”

“But there isn’t a real person called Santa Claus. It’s the parents who give the gifts that they say are from Santa.”

“Yes, that’s true, but you missed the importance of the name. It doesn’t refer to a man but a spirit of love and giving. How do you show someone you love them, a kiss as Mario and Marie do, a hug as I do, or a special gift celebrating a special time, that’s the true Santa Claus, but it’s a nice story to tell little kids.”

This time I got the hug and the kiss on the cheek. “You better go and get your breakfast, and then you can open your gifts or stocking.”

“Which one should I do first?” “Stocking”

All of the kids looked at the presents under the tree. Tony was taking pictures. I didn’t expect to see the Murrays and O’Shea’s this morning, but I welcomed them and wished them a Merry Christmas. We sat and watched the kids getting breakfast. Mrs. Chester and the teachers showed up along with Mrs. Jenkins, their mates, Corky, and his mother. Everyone wanted to see the kids on this day. I was really surprised when Mom and Dad entered, followed by the Board and their significant others. As soon as the kids were fed, the adults started toward the line, after I insisted they had to do it. I was surprised as they didn’t sit at one table but sat wherever there was an empty seat. I was glad that the dining hall could seat 400 easily. I had to invite them all to join us on the ship for the rest of the week. I knew Adam and Mario were stocking the ship for the cruise. I had bought a watch for Corky as well, and he was surprised to see a stocking with his name on it. I watched him as he sat down at a different table than his mother. It appeared that Corky was making friends.

Once breakfast was over, we watched as the kids open their stockings. I think they were surprised to find the watches; of course, the adults had to put them on, adjusting the straps and setting the right time. Just as they were about to tackle the tree, Santa Claus showed up. It was the Captain in a Santa suit. He handed a gift to each kid. It took over an hour before all the gifts were disbursed. Mario brought in hot chocolate and cookies. I knew that lunch would be late today. The smiles on the kids’ faces as they opened their gifts warmed the hearts of every adult there. Dad patted me on the back, “You did good.”

That was a big morale boost for me. I got a hug and a kiss from Mom. Christmas was beyond my expectation. Tony handed out the Christmas bonus to the staff that didn’t have theirs. They were surprised, and you could see it in their eyes. Tony collected the keys from the Board, and I knew they would find a case of wine in their car. Christmas lunch was served 2 hours after the usual time. Mario, Adam, and Janet brought in a rib roast with all the trimmings. There was a soup that had multi-colored pasta in it. Mario told them that they were white until one of Santa’s elves came and sprinkled Christmas stardust in the soup. The kids knew he was joking, but I was surprised when each of the kids took a cup of soup.

I found out later that the soup was delicious, the roast was perfect. I saw Bubba talking to Mario. Mario smiled and said, ok. He gave Bubba a bone from the roast, I watched as he took it to his room, and I knew Sandy was in for a treat. Everyone complimented the chefs on the fine meal. I even saw Murray and O’Shea go back for seconds. Their wives just shook their heads. On Abe’s direction, Beth went and marked the new lockers with the kid’s name and cocoon number. The key was left in the locker.

Abe told the kids that the lockers were theirs and that they were marked. As the kids gathered up their gifts, they headed to the lockers. I saw some come back and figured they would bring items from their cocoons for the lockers. The guests began to leave with dinner over, not all at once, but they had other stops to make. Tony and I got a lot of handshakes and hugs as they left. Grace introduced us to her husband, Tim. He was another government worker and said he enjoyed being here. “Grace has commented many times about this place, I’m glad I had the opportunity to see it firsthand. It’s unbelievable what you and your staff have accomplished.”

I thanked him for his comments and said it would have been impossible without my friends and family’s support.

That evening’s dinner was leftovers. The kids didn’t mind, and neither did the staff. I think if we skipped dinner, it would have been ok. Before the kid’s left to go to their cocoons, I reminded them that we would be leaving for the ship right after breakfast. “Be sure to bring your suitcases with you when you come down for breakfast.”

I slept well that night.

I waved to my Mom and Dad as they came down to breakfast. They stayed the night in one of the bedrooms.

The kids lined up at the buses with their suitcases. Pat and the gang of four loaded them into the luggage compartment of the buses. Dad drove the 5th bus so that we had enough drivers between Tony, Aaron, and Murray. The trip to the ship was always exciting. The kids couldn’t wait to Board, and truth be known, neither could I.

Once aboard and everything stowed away, the kids gathered on the deck to watch the dock move away as we set sail for deeper waters. The Captain headed to a spot about a mile from shore. The kids took the opportunity to fish. Any fish caught was praised by everyone, including the older folks, as the kids referred to us. I laughed when I think to them we’re old and to my parents were still young.

We sat around and chatted, watching the kids, when all of a sudden we heard a yell. Running over to where the kids were fishing, I saw Steve grab the rod and started to reel in the fish. He was having a difficult time. Soon the Captain joined him, and with the two of them, they landed one of the biggest fish I had ever seen. It was a Marlin. The Captain said we need to have it mounted. I agreed. One of the mates took the motorized lifeboat with the fish and headed inland. He came back 1 hour later with a smile, “The fish will be ready in about one month. They’ll notify us.”

The hero of the day was little Jimmy Bob. The fish would have dragged him into the sea if the mate wasn’t there to help him reel the fish in. We had to celebrate that night at dinner.