Secrets 2: Looking Through Different Eyes - 36. Chapter 36 S2

Chapter 36 – A Family Christmas Eve

As Dad was driving us back to the house after we’d finished eating supper, my mom made a comment.

“Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. Three packages arrived for you at different times over the past week. I’ll get them for you when we get home.”

“They’re Devin’s Christmas presents. I couldn’t find what I wanted while we were shopping in the stores, so I ordered them online. I’ll show them to you as I’m opening the packages.”

“I’m sure they’ll be things that Devin will really like,” my mom stated without having seen those items yet.

We continued chatting as we ate, and then we talked some more when we got back to the house. That’s when I told my parents about our visit to the hospital and then I began showing them the photos and videos.

“You and Devin look cute in those outfits and Devin’s grandfather made a wonderful Santa Claus.”

“I thought we looked dorky dressed like that, but Devin’s grandfather made a great Santa.”

“Is that his own beard,” my dad asked.

“Yes, he grew it out especially to be Santa, but he’s eager to shave it off now. He says his wife doesn’t like it.”

“I don’t think I’d like it if your father grew a beard either.”

As soon as they had seen all of the photos and videos, my mom took my dad to help her retrieve the packages she’d told me about while we were at the restaurant. I opened the largest package first and showed them what was inside.

“I’m sure Devin will find it very useful,” my mom said when she saw the dark grey duffle bag.

“I’m sure he will, because when we went on the trips this past summer, we discovered the duffle bags we had were just too small, and these are larger. The other duffles are fine for going back and forth to spend time with each other, but we couldn’t take everything we wanted when we went to visit both of my grandparents and go to Disney World. The temperatures in Missouri were cooler than they were in Florida, so we had to take different types of clothes to wear, especially at night. These duffles will give us more room to take what we need. They have multiple pockets, a special shoe compartment, and they’re very durable, and look nice too.”

“Yes, they do,” my dad agreed, and then I opened one of the smaller packages and showed them the next item I’d ordered for Devin.

“You got him socks for a present?” my dad asked when he saw them.

“Yes, I bought him three pair of Bombas socks. Just feel them and you’ll find out why. I even bought three pair for myself.”

“They do feel wonderful,” my mom agreed.

“Barry wears by them and he told me they’re very comfortable. In fact, he said it feels like he’s walking on clouds when he wears them. And besides being comfortable, they also have a special arch support.”

“Then you should both enjoy them,” my dad agreed. “And since you bought the socks and duffle bag for yourself, I’d be willing to reimburse you for both of those items and they can be two more presents from your mom and me.”

“Wow! I didn’t expect that, because you must have bought other things for me as well, but if you want to do that, it’s fine with me.”

I then picked up the smallest box and began to open it. “Don’t worry, I didn’t buy one of these for myself,” and then I showed them what was in the box.

“That’s gorgeous and Devin should love it,” my mom said.

It was a sterling silver money clip with a one inch (2.5 cm) sterling silver US dollar sign that was one sixteenth of an inch (0.16 cm) thick, attached to the front.

“Yes, it’s very nice,” my dad agreed, “but are you sure that Devin will use something like this?”

“Yes. Right now he just folds the bills over and sticks them in his pocket and I’ve always worried that he would pull some of the bills out accidentally when he put his hands in his pocket. He sometimes keeps tissues in the same pocket and I’ve always thought he might pull out some bills when he’s reaching for those as well. This will make it so those things don’t happen.”

“Then it’s a very practical and good looking gift.”

“I had it engraved too. The company I was buying it from didn’t do engraving, so I made arrangements with a jeweler in Fort Collins to do that for me. I had it sent to him first, and after he engraved it he would repackage it and send it here.”

I turned the money clip over and showed them the opposite side, which read, ‘To Devin, with all my love, Mac.’ It was broken down into three lines.

“That’s really beautiful, Mickey,” my mom said after she read it. “I’m sure Devin will love it.”

“I certainly hope so. Will you wrap these things for me? I know you’ll do a much better job than I would.”

“That’s probably because I worked as a gift wrapper at a department store during each holiday season when I was in college. I’ll do it before the McCaskills get here. And I’m sure I have a smaller box I can put the duffle bag in, because the box that they both came in is too large for just one duffle bag and it would use up too much wrapping paper.”

“Whatever you think is best. Thanks, Mom.”

We talked for a while longer, and then my parents said goodnight and headed up to bed. After they went upstairs, I got the other presents that I’d purchased out of my old duffle bag and placed them under the tree with the other presents. Now, I was nearly ready for Devin and his parents to arrive here for the holiday.

When I woke up the next morning, my mom offered to fix breakfast for me, even though she and Dad had already eaten. It was comical watching her flutter around the kitchen as she prepared my meal, as well as when she was getting ready for the rest of the day. She was even singing along with the Christmas songs that were playing in the background. She was definitely in a great mood as she continued cleaning and preparing for the McCaskills visit, one week from today. She’d already wrapped Devin’s gifts for me as well.

“Thanks, Mom. They look great,” I said, and then I put them with the other presents under the tree.

It was actually nice to have my parents to myself on Saturday and Sunday, at least when they weren’t doing last minute Christmas shopping, buying groceries, or performing other tasks. We even went to church together on Sunday, which surprised me. We normally only go to church on the Sunday before Christmas and Easter Sunday, so either they are planning to stay home next Sunday or they’ll attend twice before Christmas this year. They might have also done this because they weren’t sure if the McCaskills will want to go to church next Sunday, and this way they’ll be prepared, regardless of their decision.

As expected, I was home alone during the week while my parents were at work, and since my mom had bought a lot of groceries, there was plenty for me to choose from when I fixed a meal each evening. Of course, my mom raved about whatever I’d prepared, although it was never anything fancy or special, but my dad always looked disappointed. That was due to the fact that I didn’t have a car and couldn’t go out and pick up something for dessert, although I think my mom was fine with that.

Pa called during the week to talk with my dad about how he wanted him, and father, and his uncle to pay for the New Year’s Eve packages.

“I’ve already put it on my credit card, so the rest of you can pay me for your package later.”

“Then I’ll pay you for all of us when we’re there for Christmas.”

“Ok, that will be fine.”

The McCaskills arrived just after noon on Saturday, and since I’d looked out the window when I heard their SUV pull in the driveway, I noticed they were carrying a bunch of different things. I quickly ran over to the front door and opened it so they could enter.

After greeting each of them, I heard Pa speak. “Fantastic! You’ve got the football games on already,” he said as soon as he walked into the living room.

“Yes and the first two games are just about over,” my dad replied.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Ma responded as Pa stopped to watch the game, and Ma turned to my mom and continued speaking. “I hope you don’t mind, but we picked up a few things for lunch on the way here. We’ve got three pizzas, each with different toppings, and we also have two containers each of macaroni salad, potato salad, and creamy coleslaw that I purchased at the grocery store. We also picked up a couple of bags of crinkle potato chips, crunchy Cheetos, and Tostitos, as well as a variety of dips. There’s also a bottle of green tea for each of us.”

“You certainly didn’t have to bring all those things,” Mom replied.

“I know, but we wanted to give you a break so you didn’t have to fix lunch for all of us, and we’d better sit down and start eating before the pizzas get cold. Devin, you can set the pizza boxes on the dining room table, and then I want you to go get the bags that your father is still holding, as he stands there watching the football game.”

Devin did as she told him, while Ma began taking some of the items out of the bags that she’d been carrying. After she set the multiple containers of salads on the dining room table next to the pizza boxes, she took the rest of the items out to the kitchen and set them on the counter. While she and Devin were doing those things, I got several plates out of the cupboard and placed them on the table next to the items the McCaskills had brought, while my mom got the silverware that we’d need. Now that those things had been taken care of, Mom and I went back out to the kitchen to get enough glasses for each of us to use, while Ma and Devin were taking off their coats and hanging them in the closet just off the foyer.

“We’re not going to wait for the game to end, so grab a plate and take the kind of pizza that you want,” Ma advised us when she returned, and then she enumerated the types of toppings on each pizza. “You may take a slice from more than one pizza, but don’t take more than one slice of any of them, so the rest of us can enjoy each pizza as well. You can take as much of the salads as you want, within reason of course, because there’s plenty of them. The men can help themselves when the game ends.”

Once we filled our plates, we took a bottle of green tea and sat down to eat. When our dads came out about fifteen minutes later, Ma told them the same things that she told us. “And if your pizza is cold, it’s your own fault for prioritizing the football game over eating.”

“You can always put your pizza in the microwave for thirty seconds to a minute, if you don’t want to eat it cold,” my mom advised them.

“That’s ok, I’m fine with it the way it is,” Pa responded, and it seemed that my dad agreed with him.

“This was very thoughtful of you, Doris and Aaron,” Dad said after he began eating.

“And if we eat quickly,” my dad said, “we’ll be able to watch the start of the next two games, because they’ll kickoff at 1:30. And there will be two more games after that, one at 5:00 and the other at 5:30, and there will be one more game at 8:30. That game is being played in Hawaii and it probably won’t end until around 11:00.”

“Good Lord,” Ma said as she rolled her eyes. “Cindy, it looks as if you and I are going to be football widows for today. It sounds like we’re not going to see our husbands again, except for possibly while they’re eating supper.”

“And of course we’ll be expected to have supper ready when it’s convenient for them,” Mom added sarcastically. “That might be at half time of the 5:30 game or it might not be until after that game ends and before the 8:30 game begins.”

“You can just plan on having supper at 8:15,” Pa offered. “The 5:30 game should be over by then, if it doesn’t go into overtime, and we don’t mind missing the start of the 8:30 game. We’re more interested in the 5:30 game.”

“How considerate of you,” Ma replied mockingly. “However, I’m glad that you’re at least giving us a time to go by, but if the game goes into overtime, then you two will be on your own.”

We thought that was the end of the discussion, but then Ma turned to face us. “Devin, are you and Mac going to watch the football games with your fathers?”

Devin and I quickly talked it over and then Devin replied. “We’ll have to see whose playing.”

“We’ll look up the different bowl games on my computer to find out what teams are playing, and then we’ll decide,” I quickly added. “We may watch some of the games with our dads, but it depends if there are any teams that we’re interested in watching.”

“Well, Cindy, we may have to keep each other company for the rest of the day,” Ma responded derisively.

“Yes, and I’m glad you’re here, because I’m usually left alone when the football games are on. Mike watches college games on Saturday and the NFL games on Sunday, and Mickey is at college.”

After hearing the tone of their last comments, Devin and I decided it was time for us to head up to my room, but when we reached the stairs, Devin made a comment.

“Let’s grab our coats first, and then you can help me carry everything that’s in the SUV in here before we check to see which teams are playing in the different bowl games.”

“Sure, I don’t mind missing the start of the 1:30 games, even if they turn out to have teams that we want to watch.”

When we reached the SUV, I discovered that not only did each of the McCaskills have a suitcase, but there were quite a few Christmas presents as well. We carried the presents inside first and placed them around the tree with the other presents, and then we took their suitcases upstairs and left them in the bedrooms they’d be using.

“Damn, I see that your family brought even more presents than last year.”

“I’m not sure about that, but I think our moms talked about what they were going to do when they went shopping together on Black Friday, so I’m sure your mom probably did the same thing.”

Now that we’d finished that discussion, I turned on my laptop to find out who would be playing in each of the bowl games today. It didn’t take long before we discovered that there were two teams from the Mountain West Conference that would be playing today. And even though we didn’t anticipate it, they’d both be playing at 1:30, although they wouldn’t be playing each other.

Since we’d seen both of those teams when they played against CSU this year, we wanted to watch the bowl games they’d be playing in to see how they make out. CSU had beaten one of those teams by a wide margin, but they’d lost to the other team. Seeing those were the only games we wanted to watch, we hoped it would make our moms happy.

When we made our way downstairs again, we told our moms that we only wanted to watch the 1:30 games and my mom made a comment.

“I’m glad you’re not going to be as bad as your father when it comes to watching football games, but at least you and Devin will be able to do it together. I don’t know about Doris, but I have absolutely no interest in football.”

“Would you have come to watch me, if I had played football?”

“Of course I would have, but you never showed much interest in sports back then. Doris, what about Devin? Did he play football or any other sports when he was younger?”

“He may have watched a few football games with his grandfather and great uncle, but he was never interested in playing any sports. He spent most of his time reading books or studying.”

“Michael did the same thing.”

“That’s probably why we were both valedictorians of our graduating classes,” Devin stated proudly.

Our dads had already gone in to watch the 1:30 games, so Devin and I went in to join them. I was hoping my dad would do like he always did when watching TV and use the remote to switch back and forth between the two games so we could keep track of which teams were winning. Then, if one team is way ahead in one game, I’d suggest that he leave it on the other game, and then he could check on the first game’s score during commercials.

When those games ended, Devin and I went out to see if we could help our moms. “Can we do anything for you?” I asked.

“No, Doris and I are just chatting at the moment,” my mom answered. “How did the teams do that you wanted to watch?”

“CSU had lost to both of those teams this year, and today one of the teams won and the other team got creamed.”

“Ah, I’m sorry to hear that one of those teams lost. So, you’re not going to watch the other games with your fathers?”

“Nah, we’re not interested in watching those games,” Devin replied.

“Then you two can stay in here and keep us company, unless you have something else you want to do.”

”Nope, we’ll hang here and keep you two company.”

We remained there and chatted with our moms until they decided it was time to start fixing supper. Devin and I asked if we could help, and when they told us there was nothing we could do, we set the table and then went up to my room. As soon as we got there, we began kissing, and we did that for a while, and then we decided to go join our dads and watch whatever game was on until supper was ready.

As we were coming down the stairs, we overheard our dads having a conversation, so we stopped and listened to what they were saying.

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot,” Pa was said, “here is the money to reimburse you for Doris and my New Year’s Eve package, along with the money for the packages for my father, uncle, and their wives. I also want you to take this extra money,” he added, as he handed my dad another stack of bills. “It’s to pay for the food we’ll be eating while we’re here, as well as for everything we ate while we were here at Thanksgiving. I didn’t have enough cash on me to give any money at the time, so I made certain I had enough cash before we came here today.”

“I’ll take the money for the New Year’s Eve packages, since I’ve paid for them already, but the extra money isn’t necessary. I thought we hashed this out last year and explained that we didn’t ask you and your family to join us for the holidays just to have you pay us for whatever you ate.”

“I realize that, but I also know you’re not as wealthy as Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk, so we don’t want to burden you by having to pay for our food as well. We truly appreciate that you’ve included us in these celebrations and we’re very thankful for everything you’ve done for us.”

“I’m glad you enjoy spending the holidays with us, because you’re our friends and we’ll soon be one big family. And by doing it this way, the boys won’t have to split their time between our two houses.”

“That’s very true,” Pa agreed, “but it doesn’t mean we can’t pay our own way.”

The game had started again and something big must have been happening, because we could hear the crowd cheering and the announcers were also very excited, so our dad’s stopped talking. Since they were now focused on the screen, we came down the last few stairs and sat down to watch the game with them.

The action ended a few minutes after 8:00, so we all got up and went out to see if supper was ready. Ma was just bringing out a dish of something and setting it on the table when we got there.

“You might as well sit down,” she said, “because we’ll be bringing the rest of the food out shortly.”

We did as she suggested, and Dad and Pa immediately started talking about the last game, so Devin and I got up and went out to see if we could help our moms.

“Ok, you two can take these things in and set them on the table,” my mom agreed. “And then you can sit down, because Doris and I can take care of everything else.

Before long, we were all sitting down to eat. We began passing around the various bowls and platters so we could fill our plates, and as we were eating, my mom made a comment to my dad.

“Are you enjoying the games?”

“Actually, only three of the games have even been close – the two that we were on when Aaron and his family arrived and the one that just ended. Two of the other games were complete routs.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Ma replied. “Maybe the next game will be more exciting.” Devin and I weren’t sure if she really meant it, but we gave her the benefit of doubt.

“And if you’re going to watch the 8:30 game,” my mom added while looking directly at my dad, “just remember that we’ll be going to church in the morning for the Christmas service.”

“They’re holding the Christmas service in the morning this year?”

“Yes, since tomorrow is Sunday they’ll be doing it during the normal Sunday service, although they might also have a second service later. If you want, we can go to the later service instead.”

“If I may add my two cents,” Pa interjected. “I’ve made a reservation to take us all out to eat tomorrow night, so it would probably be better if we go to the earlier service.”

“Does that mean you, Doris, and Devin will be joining us when we go to church?” Mom asked.

“Yes, I think that’s a good idea and we’ll be happy to go with you,” Ma agreed.

“And I do as well,” Pa added. “We haven’t been to church in a while and I think this is the perfect time to go again.”

“That’s good to hear,” Ma quipped. “I thought I might have to hogtie and carry you out to the SUV to get you to go.”

“Oh, come on, Ma. You wouldn’t be able to carry Pa,” I stated.

“I was counting on you and Devin to help me,” she replied mockingly.

After we all finished eating, Devin and I cleared off the table and did the dishes while our dads went to watch the last football game and our moms remained at the dining room table chatting. Devin and I weren’t interested in watching Coastal Carolina play San Jose State, so we sat down at the dining room table with our moms when we were done.

“You don’t have to stay here with us,” my mom said, “because I doubt you’ll be interested in what we’re discussing You can go watch the football game with your fathers or you can do whatever else you want.”

“In that case, we’ll go up to my bedroom.”

Since all of our parents were staying downstairs and Devin and I hadn’t been together for a week, we decided to make love. We took our time and explored every inch of each other’s body first, and then we made slow, passionate love. It was tender and loving as we took care of each other’s needs. It was wonderful.

Not only did absence make the heart grow fonder, but it made the sex better as well. It was even better than make-up sex, because neither of us had to feel guilty, since we hadn’t done or said anything wrong.

Now that we were sexually sated, we showered and got ready for bed, since we’d have to get up early to go to church. I also set the alarm on my phone before we turned in.

We were rudely awakened when the alarm on my phone went off, so we grudgingly got up and threw on something more presentable so we could head downstairs to see if our moms were fixing breakfast. They were, and this time we were having French toast, scrambled eggs, and bacon.

As soon as we’d filled our stomachs, we headed up to my room again so we could put on our suits, because our moms wanted all of us to dress up for this special service. It was also a good thing that we got there a little early, or else we would have had difficulty finding a pew where we could all sit together, since the church was packed.

It turned out to be a fairly typical Christmas service. After the minister welcomed all of us, he exclaimed what a wondrous day it was to be alive. After that, he led us in a traditional hymn, gave the opening prayer, and then he led us in singing Silent Night. As soon as that song ended, the minister began his sermon. He started off by reading the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 2 verses 1-7.

”Not only would everyone in the Roman Empire be taxed and a census would be taken,” he explained, “it had to take place in the city of their forefathers. Seeing Mary and Joseph were both part of the extended royal line of King David, they were required to journey from their home in Nazareth to Bethlehem, the city of King David.

“Mary and Joseph were married at the time, and of course she was pregnant with the Son of God. And as would have been typical for Jewish maidens at the time, Mary would probably have been between 13 and 19-years-old when they were married. Many scholars have determined that Mary was probably thirteen or fourteen at the time they made this journey.

“This would have been a fairly lengthy trip, and most likely Mary would have either ridden on a donkey or walked the entire way there. When they finally reached Bethlehem, they were told there was no room for them at the inn and the best they could do was to stay in a manger, where animals were normally kept. And it was there that Mary gave birth to the Christ child.”

At this point in the sermon, the congregation was then led in singing Away in the Manager, and then the minister read Luke 2: 8-12.

“And t hen the angel announced the glorious news of the birth of the Christ child to shepherds as they watched their flocks in the fields. That was followed by a host of other angels appearing as they sang ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men.’ The angels then directed the shepherds to spread word about the birth of the Savior, and they did so as they made their way to see him for themselves.”

At this point, the choir rose and sang Hark the Herald Angels Sing, and when they finished, the minister continued.

“After the commotion had died down about his birth, on the eighth day Jesus was circumcised, as was the custom for all Jewish males. It was also when it was officially proclaimed that his name would be Jesus.”

The choir rose again, and this time they sang His Name Shall Be and when the song ended, the minister continued again.

“It was very important that Jesus was born a human baby, in humble surroundings, and that he was to live a life that pleased God. After doing all of this, he would be ready to die on the cross and rise again so he could cleanse each of us who believed in him of our sins.”

As soon as the sermon ended, the choir sang Hosanna and Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee as the collection was being taken. Once that had been completed, the minister informed us that there would be another service tonight at 8:00. And then he reminded us about each of the activities and services that would be held during the upcoming week, along with making other announcements. Once this had been taken care of, he led us in singing O Come All Ye Faithful before offering the final benediction. We then sang Joy to the World before we began filing out of the church.

“I’m glad we came with you,” Ma said on the ride back to the house. “I enjoyed singing each of the Christmas songs.”

“And although we knew the Christmas story before we came today, I found the way the minister presented the information interesting. He even added a few lesser known tidbits to make it more interesting.”

“Yes, I wasn’t aware the Mary might have been as young as 13 or 14 when she gave birth to Jesus,” Dad responded.

“Yes, I suppose that was probably fairly common back then,” Mom offered, “but I always thought she was older than that at the time, more like 18 or 19 instead.”

When we reached the house, Devin, I, and our dads all changed out of our suits, while our moms changed out of their good dresses, and we put on some thing more comfortable and appropriate. Our moms immediately went out to the kitchen to start making lunch, while our dads settled in to watch the NFL pre-game show. Since Devin and I aren’t interested in pro football, we went out to see if we could assist our moms.

“Can we do anything to help?” I asked.

“You can set the table,” my mom answered.

“Is that all?” Devin followed.

“Yes, your mother and I can take care of everything else.”

So, after we set the table, Devin and I went back up to my bedroom until we were called down to eat. As soon as we were all sitting around the dining room table and had begun to eat lunch, my dad asked Pa a question. “Are we heading to your favorite restaurant later?”

“No, I’m not going cheap tonight. I’m taking all of us to the Four Flags Steak House.”

Are you sure, because we’re fine with going to our old hangout again?”

“I’m positive, and I’ve already made the reservation.”

That restaurant came as a surprise to each of us, except for Ma. We didn’t expect to be going there to eat, and it meant we would probably have to put on the same clothes that we wore to church, because the Four Flags was a very fancy restaurant. The wait staff wears faux tuxedoes, and the hostess and the cocktail waitresses wear very nice dresses, although not elegant, and the bussers all wear nice vests. I know this because one of my grandfathers took us there when I was in high school. It also explains why the McCaskills had the clothes with them that they wore to church earlier.

Later, after we’d all changed into the clothes that we’d worn to church earlier in the day, Pa drove us to our destination. My dad didn’t look as happy as the rest of us, because he was going to miss the start of the Dallas Cowboys – Miami Dolphins football game. His attitude quickly changed, though, after we walked inside the restaurant and had been seated at our table. And as we sat down, I asked Devin a question.

“Have you ever been here before?

“No, but I’m impressed. Have you?”

“Yes, Grandpa MacPherson took us here after I graduated from high school.”

I spent a few minutes listening to the piano player as he was playing Christmas songs when I heard Pa speak.

“Order whatever you want,” he urged. “This is a celebration.”

Devin and I began looking at the menu and quickly decided on what we were going to have – filet mignon.

“Are you sure you can afford this?” my dad asked after I announced what I going to order.

“Yes, so please order whatever sounds best to you, even surf and turf if you’d like.”

I’m not sure that my dad or mom followed his suggestion, but all of the entrees looked delicious.

During the meal, the conversation eventually turned to Devin and me. “I hope you and Devin aren’t planning on waking us up as early as when you were little?” my mom asked.

“Yes, sometimes Devin would wake us up as early as 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning because he was so eager to see what presents he got,” Ma added.

“You don’t have to worry about that this year,” Devin and I agreed.

“In fact, the four of you will probably wake up before us,” I added.

“Great! I’ll finally get my chance for revenge,” my dad stated, followed by an evil sounding laugh.

When we finished eating, Pa gave the waiter his credit card to pay the bill, and my dad was insisting that he be allowed to leave the tip.

“No, this was my treat and I’ll take care of that,” Pa countered.

“But I saw the bill and it was pretty high, so at least let me leave the tip,” Dad pressed.

“I’ve already added it to the bill when I gave the waiter my debit card,” Pa stated, ending the discussion.

Needless to say, we all had a wonderful meal, as well as a terrific time. The conversation was lively and everyone was in a great mood, so we were actually a little disappointed when it came to an end. In fact, we were more reserved and quiet as Pa drove us back to the house.

“Thank you for taking us out to eat,” my mom said once we were all seated in the living room. “I had a lovely time and an exquisite meal.”

“Yes, it was a fantastic evening,” my dad added, “but you didn’t have to spend so much money. You even made sure I couldn’t leave the tip, and I know you spent way too much money there.”

“Not when it comes to showing you how much we appreciate your friendship.”

“And we appreciate your friendship as well,” my dad replied, “but you don’t have to play Warren Buffet or Bill Gates and take us to the most expensive restaurant in town.”

“And you don’t have to be as gracious a host as Oprah Winfrey, but you’ve been rolling out the red carpet every time we’re here.”

“I don’t think that quite true. If I remember correctly, we’ve put your wife and son to work while they’re here.”

“No you didn’t,” Devin objected. “Mom and I both volunteered to do those things. We weren’t forced to help out.”

“Let’s just say we’re even now,” Pa suggested.

“But besides taking us out for a fantastic supper tonight, you also made me take a considerable amount of cash too,” Dad countered.

“And combined, those should equal what you’ve done for us.”

“I don’t think we’ve spent that much on you.”

“It’s not a contest about who is spending the most money. However, if you add in how much we saved when you provided us with a room to stay in while we’re here, then I still believe that you’ve given us more than we’ve given you.”

“Ok, I don’t want to haggle about this all night, so I’ll agree with you that we’re even now.”

“Thank you for that. Now, turn on the TV so we can watch what’s left of the football game.”

The rest of us were happy that this was settled, so while the men were watching the football game, the rest of us went out to the dining room to talk for a while longer before we turned in.