Secrets 2: Looking Through Different Eyes - 35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35 – Santa’s Visit to the Hospital

Seeing we had such a large breakfast before we left for Fort Collins, we skipped stopping to eat at the diner on the way there and merely grabbed a snack when we reached the house. After we did that, we started working on our projects and papers again, because we had to finish them by a week from Friday, and then the week after that is finals week.

In fact, it’s going to be a busy couple of weeks until finals, because there are a lot of other things we have to take care of that aren’t related to our majors. We have to go shopping for our families before we return home, since we don’t want to leave that task until the last minute and then find only a limited selection of gifts that others hadn’t purchased still remaining in the stores. For that reason, we plan on getting everything done as early as we can and then take the presents with us when we return home.

We’ll also be making the trip to the children’s ward of the hospital before we head home for the holidays in an effort to bring a little Christmas cheer to those poor unfortunate children that will be spending their Christmas there. This means that every Friday we’ll be going over to the campus newspaper office to see how much money they have that’s been donated during the previous week, and then we’ll take that money and buy more toys over the weekend. During our first visit to the newspaper office after we arrived back on campus, the editor-in-chief shared some information with us.

“There have been quite a few toys donated so far and most of them were given to us by the sororities. I also have a considerable amount of cash that has been contributed by various other groups, so do you want to take everything with you now?”

“No. If you don’t mind we’ll just take the money now so we can buy more toys, but we’ll leave the toys that have been donated with you until the day before we intend on going to the hospital. We feel the toys are more secure here than at the house where we are living, which is off campus. We’ll drop off the toys we purchase over the weekend on either Monday or Tuesday, if that’s acceptable with you.”

“Yes, that will be fine and I’m happy to allow the toys to remain here until you’re ready for them.”

“Thank you. We appreciate your help.”

I slipped the money he gave me into my pocket, along with the list of the amounts that each group had donated. After that, Devin and I walked over to the dining hall to have supper before we returned to the house. As soon as we finished eating and arrived back at the house, we talked about when we were going to go shopping for toys.

“Let’s do it tomorrow afternoon,” Devin suggested, “and then we’ll drop those items off at the newspaper office after we finish up at the dog park on Monday.”

“Then when do you want to do the shopping for our families?”

“I think we should do that on Saturday night or Sunday, because I don’t want to wait until everything is gone.”

“Ok, and then next Friday we can see how much more money they have at the newspaper office, and if there’s enough we’ll go shopping for more toys after we eat supper. Then, we can do our personal shopping on Saturday, and if necessary we can do even more shopping on Sunday, after we get back from the hunting camp. We can do the same thing the follow weekend as well, if we still need to buy more gifts, but hopefully we won’t need to do that and can use the time to study for finals.”

“Ok, that’s fine with me.”

Since we were thinking about how much we still had to do, Devin and I agreed that we wouldn’t have time to go to the dog park each morning. It was the right thing for us to do, but it meant I’d have to explain to Preston about why we weren’t going to be there for a while. I decided to call his office and leave a message, but to my surprise, Preston answered the phone. After exchanging greetings, I explained that Bear and I wouldn’t be at the dog park for a while, since I had so much to do before finals and then I’d be going home for Christmas break. He said he understood, but it wasn’t going to be easy to explain it to Bailey.

Not only wouldn’t we be going to the dog park each morning, but when we returned to the house each evening, we’d do any assignments that were due the following day first. Once that was taken care of, we’d either work on our projects and papers that were coming due, or we’d study for finals. As I said, it was a very busy time.

During the week before finals, Devin made a surprise announcement. “I just found out that I’m only going to have to take two finals this semester. I’ll take one of them during my last regular class and before finals week and the other one on the Tuesday during finals week.”

“Why do you only have to take two finals?”

“I have the same professor for two of the courses I’m taking this semester and he told our classes back in August that he would exempt the three students with the highest grades at the end of the semester from having to take the final exam. He just announced which students were going to be exempt, and I have the highest grade in one of those classes and the second highest grade in the other class, so I don’t have to take either of those final exams.”

“Damn, I wish my professors would exempt the top three students from taking the final exam, because then I might not have to take any finals this semester. What about your other classes?”

“I have another class where 80% of my grade will be based on a project I’ve been working on for most of the semester. My project is a computer program that will continually monitor various essential components on a spaceship during a lengthy flight. The other 20% of my grade will be based on the exams we’ve taken during the semester, so there won’t be a final exam for anyone in that class.”

“But how will your professor know if your program actually works?”

“He has a simulated spaceship programmed into a desktop computer in the lab that he’ll run my program on. I’ll be graded on how many of the systems on that spacecraft that I’m actually able to monitor.”

“You’re lucky he had that simulation set up already.”

“I knew that before I decided what I wanted to do for my project.”

“Oh, ok, I understand now.”

“And I’ll be taking one of my finals during my last regular class before finals, rather than during finals week, because the professor is flying out of Denver that night so he can visit his mother in the hospital. He said his sister had called a few days ago and explained that the doctor had told her that their mother was terminally ill and would not survive for more than a couple of weeks at most. Knowing this, he got permission from the administration to give us our final early, and then he’ll be taking our exams with him to grade before he returns from Christmas break.”

“That sucks for him, but you seem to be ok with your final being moved up.”

“Yeah, because now I can put all of my attention into studying for that final first, and then I’ll have an entire weekend to prepare for my other final.”

“Damn, you’re really lucky, because after my first final I’ll only have the night before the next final to prepare for it.”

After we finished this discussion, we went back to working on our projects and papers after we did any other assignments that were due the following day. Then, after shopping for more toys on Friday, we took time to do our personal shopping on Saturday and Sunday. We split up for most of that time so we could buy gifts for each other as well, and by the time we finished shopping we had all of the gifts that we needed for our families and each other.

When we made our purchases, we’d have them wrapped at the store. Not only did they do a much better job than we would have done, but it also kept us from having to buy wrapping paper, tape, and gift tags. It also prevented each of us from discovering what had been bought.

After Devin took the first final, which he took during his last class before finals’ week, he seemed very upbeat about how he’d done. “Since I was able to focus entire on this final for several days, I’m sure I aced it.”

“I’m sure you did and I wish I had the same opportunity.”

We then spent the weekend studying, but I was studying for all of my exams on Friday and Saturday, and then I spend Sunday concentrating on the exam that I had on Monday. Each day after my exam ended, I’d start studying for the exam I had the following day, while Devin was able to spend Friday through Monday studying for the exam he’d be taking on Tuesday.

I’ll admit that I was jealous of him, because on Saturday night he stopped studying for a while and met up with a classmate who was also exempt from taking one of the finals. When Devin returned home that evening, he brought his classmate with him, and they annoyed me because they were making a lot of noise while I was trying to study.

“Will you two quiet down? I’m trying to study. Unlike you, I have several finals to prepare for.”

“I’m sorry,” Devin replied. “Jeff not only gets out of one of the same finals that I do, but he’s also in my class that took the final already, as well as the class where our grade is based mostly on a project.”

“That’s nice for you guys, but I’m not so lucky, so if you can’t quiet down, why don’t you go somewhere else for a while.”

“Ok, we’ll do that,” Devin replied, and then they left.

This allowed me to concentrate on what I was doing, but I began to worry when Devin hadn’t returned by the time I went upstairs to get ready for bed. He still hadn’t returned by the time I finished my nightly ritual, so I went to bed alone. I don’t know how long I’d been asleep before I heard a noise downstairs, and it sounded as if someone was trying to maneuver in the dark and was stumbling into and tripping over things. I got up and grabbed the baseball bat that Gramps and Pops kept upstairs for protection, and then I headed down to see who or what was there. I was hoping it was Devin, but I didn’t know for sure.

When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I turned on the light, and there was Devin nearly falling backward in surprise. “Why didn’t you just turn on the light, rather than making so much noise?”

“I didn’ turn on the lighties cuz I didn’ wants to wake yous up,” he slurred.

“Well, you failed miserably then, and my guess after listening to you is that you’ve been drinking.”

“Yep, Jeff convin… *hic* talked an older dude into purch… buying it for us.”

“It sounds as if you drank too much, so let me get you a pillow and blanket so you can sleep down here on the couch. I don’t want to take the chance that you’ll barf in bed or thrash around all night and keep me awake. Here, sit down on this chair so you don’t fall over and hurt yourself.”

“Okie dokies,” he said as he plopped down on the dining room chair. He basically just fell backward onto it and I was afraid the chair might either tip over or break under the sudden impact, but it held up and remained upright.

I hurried upstairs and returned with a pillow, sheet, and a blanket and used them to prepare his bed on the couch, and then, I helped him stand up and make his way over and lay down. Once he was settled, I wasn’t sure if he fell asleep or merely passed out, but I went up to the bedroom and tried to go back to sleep.

On Sunday, Devin didn’t wake up until it was nearly noon. I didn’t baby him and went to the dining hall alone for breakfast. When I returned, I studied for a while first, while ignoring his snoring, and I was just about to make another trip to the dining hall to have lunch when Devin woke up. I was just about ready to ask if he wanted to join me, but he spoke first.

“Get out of the way,” he shouted while racing past me. “My bladder is about ready to burst.”

He disappeared into the downstairs bathroom for quite a few minutes, and when he returned he asked a question.

“Did I wake you up last night or did I dream that?”

“You woke me up, and that’s why you were sleeping down here.”

“Oh, I’m sorry about that, and when Jeff and I bothered you earlier.”

“I was actually glad when you to left, at least until you returned home later.”

“Yeah, I shouldn’t have talk Jeff into asking one of the older guys to buy beer for us. I only did it because I’d be walking back here, not driving, and I drank a little too much.”

“That was obvious,” I replied sarcastically. “Just don’t pull that stunt tonight, because I have a final exam tomorrow.”

“I won’t. Uhhh, why do you have your coat on?”

“I was getting ready to go to the dining hall for lunch.”

“Lunch?”

“Yes, you slept through breakfast, so I went without you.”

“Oh, then let me get my coat and I’ll go with you to have lunch.”

“You’d better shower and change first, if you want to go with me! And hurry, because I don’t want the dining hall to stop serving before we get there.”

“Ok, I will.”

He raced upstairs, showered and changed, and then came flying back down the stairs and grabbed his coat. As we were walking to the dining hall, he turned toward me and spoke.

“I’ll study for a while when we get back, but Jeff asked me to come to his Residence Hall and watch TV for a while after supper.”

“Ok, but please make sure you don’t bother me when you return. And no beer this time and make sure you come back here before I go to sleep. I don’t want you waking me up again.”

“Ok, I can do that.”

He was true to his word this time and returned around 10:00. He also went upstairs with me to get ready, but when we got in bed he started to get frisky.

“I’m not making love with you tonight. I want to get a good night’s sleep so I’m wide awake and alert when I go to take my final in the morning.”

I could tell he wasn’t happy as I turned my back to him, but after a lengthy hesitation, he finally spooned up behind me, wrapped his arm over my side, and we fell asleep.

He was still in bed when I headed out to the dining hall the next morning, and after I ate I headed over to the room where I’d be taking my final and studied for a little while longer. When I finished taking the exam, I headed back to the house, and this time we both had to study for the final we’d be taking the next day.

After we woke up on Tuesday, we walked to the dining hall to have breakfast first, and then we split up to go take our exams. I don’t know where Devin went after he finished taking his exam, but I went back to the house and studied in peace for my next exam. This time he returned shortly before 11:00, and then we went upstairs to get ready for bed. I was glad that this time he didn’t try to initiate sex, and he merely cuddled up behind me again as we fell asleep.

He disappeared after supper on Wednesday night as well, once again leaving me in peace and quiet so I could study. He returned around 11:00 and we got ready for bed, and this time I spooned up behind him as we fell asleep.

After I took my final on Thursday, I met Devin at the dining hall so we could have lunch together. After we ate, we went back to the house, got the SUV, and then Devin drove over to the campus newspaper office so we could pick up all of the toys. The editor-in-chief handed us an envelope with the final donations inside, and then he and a couple of others that were there helped us carry the toys out to the SUV, so we could take everything back to the house.

While Devin was carrying the smaller boxes of toys into the house, I called the hospital to confirm our visit for the following afternoon. As soon as that had been taken care of, I contacted the reporter who was going to write the article about our visit to the hospital.

“If you want to follow us around as we make our way around the children’s ward, then you should meet us in the main lobby of the hospital at 3:00 tomorrow. That will give us enough time to finish our last finals, eat, dress in our outfits, and load all of the toys into the SUV before we leave to meet you.”

“That time works for me, because I’ll have finished my final by then as well.”

As soon as that call ended, I joined Devin so I could help him carry the larger boxes of toys inside. Once that was taken care of, I left Devin to sort out the toys as I began studying for my last final.

It was about three hours later when Devin announced that a strange car had pulled into the driveway. We couldn’t see who was driving the car at first, due to the tinted windows, but as soon as he opened the door, we realized it was Gramps. He had already transitioned into Mac’s alleged grandfather.

“Man, it’s nice to see you,” I greeted him. “We really appreciate that you’re doing this for us again.”

“I’m glad you feel that way, but to tell you the truth, I’m looking forward to doing this again as well.”

“That’s great, but I don’t remember if you’d already transitioned when you arrived here last year,” I continued, “but you look incredible.”

“Yes, this is how I looked when I arrived last year as well, but last year I arrived earlier and was in the house when you boys got back after taking your exams. I transitioned before I arrived because you mentioned that you’d told your friends, as well as a few others, that it was your grandfather. I didn’t want to show up in the same SUV that Devin’s grandfather drives, and then later they saw Mac’s grandfather driving around in the same SUV. So, like last year, I also rented a car to drive here, so no one would see my SUV in the driveway.”

“Ah, that makes sense. And I hope you and Pops didn’t feel slighted that my parents weren’t able to invite both of you and your wives to join us for Thanksgiving and Christmas? We just don’t have enough room to host such a large gathering.”

“No, we didn’t feel slighted at all and both of us understood. In fact, it worked out very well on Thanksgiving and our wives were thrilled that my dad and I were able to spend the holiday with just them this year. They even worked together as they honed up on their turkey cooking skills, because Doris had always prepared the turkey when we celebrated the holidays with them at the cabin.”

“I hope the turkey turned out ok then, and I’m glad to hear that none of you were upset, because I didn’t want to hurt any of your feelings.”

“You certainly don’t have to worry about doing that. Oh, and by the way, my dad wanted me to pass a message along to you. He said that our return trip to Missouri is all set and the private jet is reserved for us to leave on Saturday, June 1^st. I hope that won’t be a problem for you?”

“No, it won’t, because when we were at my house for Thanksgiving, we told my parents that we’d be going to Missouri with you again, and now I can tell them when we’ll be leaving. It will also work out great, since I’ll be returning home on either May 10^th or 11^th, depending on when our last finals are next semester. That should allow us to spend two weeks with my parents, and still have six to eight days at the cabin, depending if my parents allow us to leave on Saturday morning, rather than Sunday afternoon.

“I’m glad you found a way to let your parents know that you’ll be going with us again without arousing suspicion about what we’ll actually be doing.”

“Yeah, we are too. But what shall we tell them about when we’ll be back?”

“Tell them we should return before the Fourth of July, because we’ve arranged our return flight for July 2^nd. We wanted to make it for July 1^st, but the crew had another flight scheduled for that day. If we get done earlier or later than that, I’ll just have to make a call and see if we can make new arrangements for them to pick us up, and then you can call home to inform your parents about our change of plans.”

“Ok, that’s fine. It’s just that I wanted to know what to tell my parents, because I know they’re going to ask. We should be fine, though, as long as we’re back before August 1^st, because my dad is planning on taking us on vacation the first two weeks of August.”

“Don’t worry, because I’m sure we’ll be home well before then. And if you haven’t eaten yet, I’d like to take you out for supper.”

“That would be great!

Gramps took us to a restaurant that we didn’t go to very often, since he was supposed to be my grandfather this time. Once again, he was the center of attention and received numerous comments about how he’d be perfect to play Santa.

“Thank you and I’m glad you think so, because I’ll be playing Santa tomorrow at the hospital,” he replied, much to their delight.

And during the meal, we reminded him about how the visit to the hospital was going to proceed and what we needed to do when we got back to the house.

“You and Devin will have to sort the toys into the sacks for the various age groups when we get back to the house. You don’t have to do it all tonight, because Devin doesn’t have any more finals and will be staying home with you tomorrow. Just have it completed by the time I arrive home, and then we can grab a quick lunch before we put on our outfits.”

“Do you know how many children are going to be there?”

“Yes, I called to confirm they were expecting us, and when I spoke with their representative, he told me how many children would be there and their ages. I made a list so you’ll have an idea as to how many toys to put in each sack. I’ll hurry home after I finish taking my exam, and then I’ll help you finish up before we grab something to eat.”

“Ok, but don’t bother stopping at the dining hall before you return to the house, because I’ll take you boys out for lunch before we change into our outfits.”

“Ok, that sounds good. I told the reporter that we’ll meet her at the hospital at 3:00, so that should give us plenty of time to get dressed and load all of the toys into the SUV, unless Devin takes a long time getting dressed this year.”

“I didn’t take a long time last year!” Devin protested.

“If you think about it you’ll realize that you spent a lot of time primping in front of the bathroom mirror before you said you were ready.”

“Hey, I just wanted to make sure that I didn’t look like a dork.”

“You could spend the entire day in front of the mirror and it wouldn’t change a thing,” I shot back.

“Damn and I thought you loved me,” he replied, feigning a pout.

“You’re lucky that I still do! So, after we finish eating tonight, we just have to make a quick stop at one of the stores so we can use the last of the donation money to buy more toys. Gramps, do you want to go in with us when we do that, or would you prefer to go to the house first, and then we can take Devin’s SUV to do the shopping?”

“No, I’ll be happy to go in with you. I haven’t purchased any gifts for young people in quite a few years. In fact, the last time would have been when Devin was little.”

After we finished eating supper and had made a quick stop at the store to buy more toys, we returned to the house. I immediately grabbed my things and went into the living room to study, while Devin and Gramps went upstairs to continue sorting the toys into the various sacks. We all agreed to turn in around 11:00, because I wanted to get a good night’s sleep before taking my last exam.

When we woke up, Gramps took us out for a quick breakfast first, and when we got back I said goodbye to both of them before grabbing the items I’d need to do a little last minute brushing up for my final. I would do that in the room where the final would be given, and when everyone else started showing up, I put those items away as I prepared to take the exam.

As soon as I’d finished the exam, I walked back to the house and found Devin and Gramps loading the last of the boxes with the extra toys into Devin’s SUV. The boxes and sacks of toys not only filled up the back, but much of the backseat as well. It left barely enough room for me to sit. It’s a good thing I could slim myself down to fit into that space.

Once that had been completed, Devin pulled the SUV into the garage and then shut the door. We then hopped into Gramp’s rental car and he drove us to an out of the way diner where we could grab a bite to eat.

During the meal, I filled Devin and Gramps in about my final, and then we returned to the house to change. Once we were ready, Gramps drove us to the hospital, with Devin sitting in the passenger seat beside him.

Anna, the reporter from the campus newspaper, met us in the main lobby when we arrived there, and she had a huge grin plastered on her face.

“This is so neat!” she squealed. “You guys are already causing quite a commotion and you haven’t even gone to visit the children yet.”

“Yes, Santa always draws a great deal of attention from the adults as well,” we agreed.

Anna followed us as we squeezed ourselves and the bags of toys into the elevator and pressed the button for the children’s ward. Once the doors opened, she stayed behind us as we prepared to go from room to room and hand out presents.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d actually believe that Mac’s grandfather was the real Santa Claus,” she gasped as she watched him hand out the first of the toys. “Not only does he look like Santa, but he sounds like Santa as well, at least what I’ve always imagined Santa would sound like. He’s very jolly and his signature ho-ho-ho laugh is infectious.”

“Yes, he’s what makes this so special for the kids,” I agreed. “They really believe he IS Santa Claus. I’ve even seen children tug on his beard and hair to see if they were real, and I’ve also seen other kids poke his belly to see if it’s stuffed with pillows.”

“How does he react when they do those things?”

“He releases a big ho-ho-ho laugh, because he thought it was funny that the children were checking him out.”

“That’s hilarious.”

As expected, the children did many of the same things today that I’d just mentioned to Anna. We even overheard one of the children whisper something to one of the other children.

“He really is Santa Claus. He’s not like those other guys playing Santa that wear fake beards and have their suits stuffed with pillows to make them look fat. He’s the real Santa.”

We even saw one of the little girls that wasn’t confined to a hospital bed go over and hug Santa’s leg. In fact, she didn’t want to let go of it when we were ready to leave the room, so one of the nurses had to help get the little girl to release her grip so we could go to the next room. But when we got to the doorway, Santa turned and spoke.

“Ho, ho, ho, I want each of you to have a very merry Christmas.”

When we finished handing out presents to each of the children at the hospital, the reporter noticed there were still quite a few toys left in our sacks.

“What are you going to do with those toys?” she asked.

“We’re going to take what’s left, along with the boxes of toys that are in the SUV, and drive over to the Toys for Tots donation center and drop them off so they can give them to other needy children. You can follow us over there to see how it works, if you’d like.”

“Yes, I want to see that too. Do you ever run into other children when you’re doing this?”

“Oh, yes, and they usually ask Santa why he’s leaving the toys there instead of giving them out himself.”

“And what does Santa tell them?”

“He has a pat answer that the Toys for Tots people serve as his helpers and find the children who have moved since last year or are homeless, so he can spend his time taking care of the other children.”

“Oh, I like that,” she added as she watched us move the rest of the toys from the boxes and put them into our sacks. Then, she got into her car so she could follow us to our next destination.

When we arrived there, we actually encountered several children on the way to Toys for Tots donation area. And just as I’d told her, they not only wanted to hang out with Santa, but they also asked him why he wasn’t just delivering the toys himself. And of course, Santa gave them his standard reply.

“I’m glad I came to see this as well,” she stated as we walked back to our vehicles. “Being with you guys will help me write a very touching and personal account of what you actually did today.”

We thanked her for getting involved so she could write the article, and then we told her that we looked forward to reading it when we returned to Fort Collins after the holidays. We also wished her a Merry Christmas before she left, and then we returned to the house to change.

“I’m really glad that I did this with you boys again this year,” Gramps said. “It makes me realize that we should all be doing more for the people that are less fortunate, such as those in hospitals and nursing homes, as well as those that are disabled or homeless. You boys are setting a great example for us to follow.”

“Thank you and you know we’ll be doing this next year as well, if you’re interested.”

“You can definitely count me in. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

After we’d taken off our outfits and put them away, we dressed in our regular clothes again. That’s when Gramps told us something that we weren’t aware of.

“You know, last year I had to shop at the Thrift Store so I’d have clothes that would fit ‘your Grandfather’s’ large girth. I put them away when I got home so I could use them again this year.”

“That’s neat, but I want you to know that neither of my grandfathers is as large as that. They may be a little portly, but they’re not nearly as big as you are now.”

“I wasn’t implying that they are.”

“I know, but I just wanted to clarify that point.”

“It will be dark soon, so we’re going to wait until morning before we leave,” Devin informed Gramps.

“That will probably be best,” Gramps agreed, “so I’ll take you out for supper.”

When we got back to the house after we finished eating, we talked about how the visit at the hospital had gone, and while we were doing that I checked my phone to see if I’d received any photos or videos yet. There were several of each that had been sent by either the hospital staff or the handful of parents that had been there visiting their children. That was because as we were going through the children’s ward, I gave the nurses my phone number and asked them to give it to anyone they saw taking photos or videos. That way, we’d be able to see them as well.

“These are great!” Gramps stated as he looked at them. “Are you going to send any of these to the local newspaper?”

“I suspect that one of the nurses or parents did it last year, so I’m counting on them doing it again this year as well. However, I will forward these to Anna, the campus reporter that was with us today, since she’d given me her phone number previously.”

Once I’d taken care of doing that, we all agreed to turn in early so we could get a good night’s sleep before the drive home, but that didn’t stop Devin and I from making love first. We were still on a really big high from the visit to the hospital and thought making love would help us calm down enough so we could fall asleep.

It must have worked, because we slept really well and woke up later than usual the next morning. “Good morning, sleepyheads,” Gramps greeted us. “Was it the hospital visit or your making love last night that tired you out?”

“I don’t believe it was either,” I replied. “I assume our bodies were merely making up for all the late nights that we’d spent studying for our finals.”

“Ok, that makes sense, but now we need to get in my car so I can take you out for breakfast.”

After we locked up the house, Gramps took us to a restaurant that served breakfast 24/7, and when we finished up there, Gramps drove us back to the house so we could grab the duffle bags we’d packed previously for the trip. Then Devin and I put them into Devin’s SUV, since we and Gramps would both be driving back. While we were still at the house, we clarified a few points with Gramps before we got ready to drive away.

“Are you going to transition before we leave?” I asked Gramps.

“No! If people have already seen me and believe I’m Mac’s grandfather, then it would be best that they see the same person leaving later. I’ll transition during the drive back, once we’re away from here and on a desolate stretch of the highway”

“But isn’t that kind of dangerous?”

“No, I’ve transitioned while driving many times before and it’s not a problem. If you remember, I did the same thing last year as well.”

“That’s right! We stopped at the diner on the way home to eat, and you weren’t Santa any longer.”

“No, I wasn’t ‘your grandfather’ any longer, because I‘d transitioned into myself during the drive there. I just had to tighten my belt to hold up my pants, since I don’t have as large of a waist as your grandfather.” He kind of snorted after saying that.

“Oh, ok, so are you going to follow us back to my house, or are you just going straight home?”

“I’ll follow you to your place so Devin isn’t driving back to the cabin alone. I realize we’ll be in separate vehicles, but that way if either of our vehicles breaks down or we have an accident, like hitting a deer, we’ll be there to help one another.”

“Ok, so are we going to stop and eat on the way back?”

“We can stop for a light snack, but we don’t need a large meal, seeing it wasn’t that long ago that we finished eating breakfast. I also want to make sure that you’ll be hungry enough that you’ll be able to eat supper with your parents when they arrive home.”

“Ok, that sounds fine with me.”

Gramps followed us as we started out for home, and as usual it was a long and fairly boring drive there. However, it didn’t seem quite as long or boring this time, since Devin and I were still in a good mood after our visit to the hospital. In fact, at one point we started singing Christmas carols and other Christmas songs, and I’m sure Gramps must have thought we were losing it, if he noticed what we were doing.

We made a brief stop at the same diner we sometimes stopped at on the way home, but we only had a hamburger, fries, and a side order of green beans, since that was their vegetable de jour. When we eventually reached my house, I invited Devin and Gramps in for a drink. My parents weren’t there yet and Devin and Gramps finished their drinks and resumed their journey before my parents arrived home from work. It’s not that they didn’t want to say hello to my mom and dad, but they wanted to get home as early as possible.

“Oh, before you leave, did anyone tell you about our plans for New Year’s Eve?”

“Yes, Aaron told my dad and me about it and then we told our wives. They are very excited that we’ll be taking them out this year. We usually just have a quiet celebration at the cabin before returning home.”

“I’m glad you’re all going with us, because it should be a blast.”

“Don’t worry. I know our wives will enjoy it, no matter if they have the worst band or DJ that you could imagine, as long as we’re taking them out for the New Year’s Eve celebration this year.”

I said goodbye to Gramps after that and thanked him again for driving to Fort Collins so he could play Santa for us, and then I gave Devin a much more affectionate sendoff. I also told him that I’d see him and his parents when they arrived to celebrate Christmas with us, and then I watched as they drove away before I went back inside the house.