An Advent Calendar - 7. Door#7 - Elixir

Elixir

“Adam, what’s eating you?”

Adam looked up from his cup of coffee and tried to smile at his grandmother. It felt half-hearted and he could see his sad attempt reflected in her eyes.

“Everything’s fine. I swear.”

Rose shook her head and patted his hand. “What you need is a nice sugar cookie. They always turn your frown upside down.”

Adam rolled his eyes at his grandma’s goofy cliché. He didn’t want her to worry. She loved Wade and he wanted to keep it that way.

“Sometimes the holidays get me a little down,” he finally said. Grandma Rose was digging though her cupboards, all of them stuffed to the limit with things. The woman was a packrat extraordinaire, almost a hoarder. However, she kept her tiny apartment sparkling clean and neat. It was the drawers and closets which held her secret shame.

Her chocolate brown ponytail bobbed and swung as she pulled out a dusty piñata, a broken feather duster, and a bundle of wire hangers. “I know I have a fresh box of cookies in here somewhere.”

“Never mind, Grandma. I don’t need cookies.”

She continued to dig though. Now she turned with a rack of hair curlers in her left hand and a gray box with the picture of a Santa Claus in the other. There was a small cobweb hanging from a lock of her hair. Adam wondered how a spider had room to spin a web in there. “Found them.”

Adam got out of his chair and took the box from her. She then started replacing the items into the closet. The cookie container wasn’t actually gray. It had a fine coat of dust covering it and when he wiped it, the smiling, jolly face of Kris Kringle was resplendent on a snow white background.

“When did you buy these?” he asked.

“Last year after the holiday. There are always such good deals after New Year’s.”

Adam didn’t exactly want to eat something that old nor did he want to embarrass the sweet lady. “I really shouldn’t eat too many sweets.”

“Nonsense,” she said brushing the cobweb from her hair. As she sat back down with a huff, he could see underneath the dark brown color, her hair was light gray at her scalp. Obviously, she needed an appointment with her hair stylist. “These cookies are sugar-free and guilt-free.”

Adam pulled open the side and peeked in. Rows of glistening sugar cookies with bright red and green sparkles glistened in the bright kitchen light. He took one out, nibbled, and was greeted by a cloying vanilla sweetness that sucked the moisture from his mouth.

Rose took one and munched on it happily. “See, they’re delicious.”

“Uh, huh,” Adam answered looking down again. He could feel his depression again washed through him.

“Tell me what’s going on,” Rose said, after a moment of silence. Adam heard the front door swing open and his cheery sister came in like a hurricane.

“Sorry I’m late,” Tracy said. “Aren’t we going to lunch?” She slipped off her winter coat and hung it on the back of the chair. She sat down with a plop. Her face was flush with the cold and there were little flakes of snow in her hair.

“Adam’s upset about something.” Rose said, taking another of the vile cookies. “He’s afraid I can’t handle it.”

Tracy reached over, grabbed a cookie, and popped it into her mouth. She smiled as she chewed. “Is he still moping that Wade didn’t give him a ring for his birthday?”

Adam grimaced at his sister. “Why do I tell you anything?”

“Because you know I’ll understand.”

Adam glared at his sister some more, but she didn’t seem affected by his cold stare.

“Why don’t you get Wade a ring?” Rose asked after a moment. “Have you discussed getting hitched?”

Adam chewed his lower lip and hesitated before he answered, “We’ve talked about it, but he’s somewhat non-committal at times.”

“Which Adam then dramatized into this scene where Wade pretends to be indifferent only to spring a proposal on his birthday.” Adam’s sister was smirking in delight and added, “He’s been watching too many Hallmark movies.”

“Shut up, Trace. Just because you are as romantic as a toothache doesn’t mean the rest of us are so jaded.”

“Poor Adam. His boyfriend of two years is afraid to commit.”

“We’re committed. We’re just not sure about the ‘whole marriage thing’,” Adam retorted, arching his eyebrow.

“You mean Wade isn’t sure about ‘the whole marriage thing’, Tracy said, producing elongated air quotes with her fingers.

“Hush, Tracy,” Rose said, interrupting their banter. “Some people have a harder time making up their minds, that’s all.” She ate another cookie and continued. “For example, my sister was lucky. Your great uncle Darren had a ring on her finger and was ready to ring the wedding bells after six months of dating. I wasn’t quite so lucky. Your grandfather wasn’t sure we should even get married. He thought we could just live together and that would be enough for me.”

“Lots of people do that,” Tracy said, pushing the cookie box away from her. “I don’t think I’ll ever get married.”

Adam turned toward his grandmother and asked, “What finally convinced grandpa to marry you?”

Rose didn’t answer at first. She sat in her chair and thoughtfully drummed her fingers.

Adam felt his chest expand as he watched his grandmother’s face change. She was at first pensive. Then her mouth shifted and relaxed. Her eyes opened, wide, and a kind of light opened up. She moved forward in her chair, the shining silver of her scalp and white hair gleamed. “Give me a minute.”

Adam half expected a dash to one of her trusty closets or drawers. They were filled with her treasures, and yet, Rose ran for the refrigerator and whipped open her freezer door. “There it is,” she exclaimed, pulling a small plastic container from the compartment. “This is what changed your grandfather’s mind.”

Without a pause, Adam’s grandmother marched the three steps from the refrigerator to the kitchen table. She plunked the container down and its contents sloshed around.

“What is this?” Adam asked, lifting the cold rectangular vessel and looking at her confused.

Rose looked at him, triumphant and nodded as she said, “The answer to your question. This is how you convince Wade to marry you.”

Adam looked down at the thing, still puzzled. The plastic container was covered in the kind of frost you get when removing something from the freezer. It was cold, yet melting and stingy to the fingertips. The container had taken on a life of its own. The liquid looked oily, potent and seemed a bit ominous.

“What is this?” he asked again. His grandmother smirked.

“It’s aquavit. This comes from a special recipe. It’s magical.”

Adam wasn’t sure how to handle such a thing. He poked at it. The container was small, not too heavy, and fit in his palm. “What’s this supposed to do?”

Rose almost laughed, but withheld her mirth. “It’s a traditional Norwegian drink.”

“How does this save my relationship?” Adam ignored how it had changed from a proposal to the end of Adam and Wade. He knew if a relationship doesn’t go forward, it dies. That was an unfortunate given of life.

“I served this to your grandpa and he proposed to me within a month. It’s something very special.”

Adam saw Rose was beaming. She believed in it, in this ‘aquavit’. However, the fact his grandmother cared this much and was willing to do this, spoke volumes. It changed everything. The earth tilted.

“I will try it.” His grandmother’s expression made him happy. Regardless of the outcome, he was at peace.

***

Wade pulled the box out of his pocket. He opened it, looked at it again, and placed it back in the box. For the past five months, he’d carried it around waiting for the right time. He’d planned on giving it to Adam on his birthday, but then a bunch of their friends showed up and had a surprise party for him. They’d brought food and drink and completely screwed up their special night.

“Hi honey, I’m home.” Wade heard Adam call from the kitchen. There was a rustling of bags and the thud and tinkle of groceries being put away.

“I’ve already made dinner,” Wade called back. “Come and get it.”

Adam appeared in the doorway, his face radiant, and shock lit his eyes. “You made a lasagna for me?”

“I did. Come eat while it’s still hot,” Wade answered, his throat dry and scratchy.

“Okay.” Adam disappeared back into the kitchen. “Just a minute. I’ve got something special for us to share.”

“Oh yeah,” Wade said, slipping the box back into his jacket pocket. He shifted in his chair and cleared his throat.

Adam came back into the room, almost bouncing with excitement. He had two small sherry glasses in his hands with a clear liquid in them. Wade repressed his grin. He took the glass handed to him.

“I want to make a toast to you, the love of my life,” Adam said. He lifted the glass, clinked it against Wade’s, and drank. He watched as his boyfriend raised his glass.

“To the man of my dreams,” Wade said, drinking the liquid down. It was licorice flavored, ice cold, and burned like fire as it slid down his throat. In his stomach, it continued raging and filled his torso with deep, hearty warmth.

“You went to so much work,” Adam said, sitting down and unfurling his napkin. “Let’s eat.”

***

After dinner, Adam slipped out of the room. He pulled out his phone and called a number. He whispered, “It worked,” and then hit end before the person could answer.

Wade opened his phone when Adam left. He hummed and smiled as he looked at his call list. He quickly texted a message to the number and hit send. The message was simple. It said, “Thanks for the heads up. He said yes!”

Wade looked over at the empty box lying next to Adam’s empty plate. His heart was glad and the ring fit perfectly.