A Christmas Story - 2. Chapter 2

That evening as I lay in bed with Chad, “Do you remember what we were talking about the other day when it was snowing? I never in my wildest dreams did I think we’d be looking at a family and sharing Christmas. I thought that the snow held a promise of a better day, and I think that this is that promise.”

I snuggled into Chad and knew that our lovemaking tonight was going to be special. It always has been great, but tonight it was magical. Our love couldn’t be contained. It was 2 am when I finally fell into a deep sleep in the arms of Chad.

The next morning, I noticed the snow began to fall again. As I was fixing breakfast, Andrew came into the kitchen. “Good morning, son, how did you sleep?”

“Good morning. I slept very well. Can I help you with breakfast?”

“What does your dad normally eat for breakfast?”

“He generally doesn’t eat breakfast, just some juice when we have it.”

“Do you think he may like oatmeal or something else? I thought we’d have oatmeal with blueberries this morning.”

“I think he’d enjoy that. It sounds good. Can I help?”

“Sure, you can pour the orange juice and then ask your dad if he wants coffee or tea.”

“Chad, do you think Dave could make it to the table, or should we set up a tray for him in the living room. He said he liked sleeping in the Lazy Boy.”

“I asked Dad what he wanted to drink, and he asked if he could have tea.”

“Troy, Dave said if we helped him, he’d like to eat with us at the table.”

“Get the armchair out of the office, and then we can wheel him to the table. That would be easier than carrying him, and he might not be as embarrassed.”

As Andrew was pouring the orange juice and setting it on the table, Susan came into the kitchen and set the table. I always liked oatmeal and especially in the winter. I noticed Dave ate all of his, and when I asked him if he wanted more, he took a second helping. Andrew’s eyes got big when his dad took a second helping. I noticed Dave’s spirit had picked up a little. I think worrying about the children’s future was depressing his spirit, and now that it’s settled, he’s more relaxed, and his worries are gone. Andrew and Susan noticed the change and smiled at their dad. When they helped to clean up after everyone was finished eating, every time they passed their dad, they had to touch him lovingly.

It must have been hard on the family, not knowing what would happen after Dave died. Not that they didn’t feel relieved. The passing of Dave was on their mind all the time. But every time they saw a positive sign, they seemed to grab on to that with hope.

Father James arrived with a lawyer, and Dave signed the custodial agreement giving Chad and me custodial rights to the children. The lawyer informed us that once Dave left this world, we could apply for adoption, and being a gay family wouldn’t have any adverse effects.

“Dave, now that the papers are signed, we need to go back to your home and bring your and the children’s possessions here. I don’t know what you want to bring, but if you tell Andrew, I'll make sure we bring it. We should stop all mail services as well. You can have your mail sent here.”

Dave spoke to Andrew, who made a list of things to bring back. I stopped at the post office and had all of Dave’s mail forwarded to my address. I also took the time to check on the electricity to have it discontinued. At the house, I had several boxes and suitcases in the car for Andrew to fill with their clothes and other items of remembrance. As we were gathering everything up, a woman came by the house. Andrew explained that they were moving and were in the process of closing up the house. Andrew told me later she came to the house to check on his dad.

As we were packing up the clothes, I noticed that there wasn’t much and what there was showed a lot of wear. But they were clean and mended. I knew then what I’d ask Troy to help in buying them for Christmas. Besides games and books, there would be clothes as well. I thought of Dave and decided he needs some warm sweaters and a little heavier set of pants. Of course, there would be slippers and bathrobes. I was getting all excited about this Christmas, and I knew that Troy would be as well.

When we arrived home, I helped Andrew taking his and Susan’s clothes to their room. When I entered Andrew’s room, he had an old blanket and held it to his cheek. “Is that a special blanket?”

“Yes, my mother made it for me. When I hold it, I can smell her in it.”

“You can put it on your bed. This is your room, so you can do whatever you wish as long as you don’t blow it up.” He knew I was kidding about blowing it up by the smile on my face. As I was leaving, Andrew grabbed me and gave me a big hug. I noticed the tears in his eyes but didn’t say anything.

Later that evening, I told Troy about my plans on shopping for Andrew and Susan. I chuckled as Troy said he must be a part of the shopping trip. He was glowing like a little kid. He was happy, and I was happy. You could almost cut the love; it was so thick.

I bundled the kids in the car and headed to the mall. Several clothing stores catered to young people. I told Andrew and Susan we had to get clothes for church. I bought Andrew a smart blue suit, a pale blue shirt, and a tie to match. Susan picked out a pink dress with white flowers. The next stop was the shoe store where I bought them ‘Sunday go meeting’ shoes. When we had completed our shopping, we were ready to go home but not before we had a slice of pizza. I was pleased with how they behaved in the mall. Their parents had taught them well.

When we got home, they had to show their dad what they had and mentioned that this was their Sunday go meeting clothes. Dave looked at them, smiling, “They are very nice. Did you thank Troy for them?” Two heads bobbed up and down.

Chad pulled me aside, and I gave him the tags from the clothes and shoes I had just bought. “Dinner will be at six, and don’t forget stocking stuffers.” I wanted to go with him, but I knew he wanted to do this.

While he was gone, I fixed lunch for Dave. With Andrew’s help, we got him into the desk chair and wheeled him into the kitchen, where I had a hot bowl of chicken noodle soup ready for him. I noticed the children looking at the soup, so I dished out two more bowls. It didn’t take them long to know the food was for them. While they ate, I made tea for Dave and hot chocolate for Andrew and Susan. Again when Dave finished, I gave him another bowl, which he promptly tucked into. When he was finished, he asked us to help him get back into his chair as he wanted to take a nap. I couldn’t help notice that Dave was feeling better and his appetite was picking up. Sometimes the worst disease is worry.

The rest of the afternoon, the children found some books in the study that they liked. And so the afternoon was spent reading in front of the fire. It wasn’t long before a couple of sleepy children climbed onto the sofa and were fast asleep.

I started dinner with the idea we would eat at six. Just as I was putting the finishing touches to the roast before putting it into the oven, Chad came home. He was loaded down with packages all wrapped in Christmas wrapping. I helped him carry them upstairs to our room, putting them in the closet. One of the bags had stocking stuffers and a special gift for the children. He had a watch for Andrew and a beautiful necklace for Susan. I smiled when he said there were oranges, chocolates, and candy canes in the car. I gave him a kiss that curled his toes.

On Christmas eve, we all dressed up to go to church. We decided that I would go with the children on Christmas Eve, and Chad would go on Christmas day. That way, one of us would always be with Dave.

When we returned home, Andrew and Susan told their dad all about the service. Susan began to sing one of the hymns. I looked at Chad as he looked at me. Susan had a fantastic voice. Dave later told me that she has her mother’s voice. I told the children since it was late, they should get ready for bed. “Chad and I will be up to tuck you in after you say good night to your dad.”

While the children were getting ready for bed, Chad got their stockings and stuffed them with candy, orange, and a gift. He showed each one to Dave, and by the time he was done, Dave had tears in his eyes and a big smile on his face. “I know my children will be happy, and I can see you love them already. You cannot imagine the relief I feel with you two looking out for my children.”

Chad and I hugged Dave and thanked him for giving us the opportunity of looking after his children. “We better get upstairs to tuck them in before they decided to come down.” We went into Andrew’s room, and he was tucked into bed under his mother’s blanket. He had a smile on his face, “Sweet dreams, love.” We each kissed him on the forehead and headed to Susan’s room. She also was tucked in with a rag doll.

“My mother made this for me. I always sleep with it. It’s like she is here with me.”

“I’m sure she is looking down upon you and smiling on what a beautiful person you are. Sweet dreams, love.” Chad and I kissed her on the forehead as we left the room.

We sat and had a hot chocolate with Dave as we reminisce about our past Christmases. Dave told us about how he spent Christmas with his wife and family before she left. There were tears in his eyes as he told us about Christmases past. We felt sorry that this might be the last Christmas Dave will share with his family. Right there, I decided this will be a great Christmas that Dave will be able to tell his wife when he meets her.

“I think we need to bring the other gifts down and put them under the tree before we fall asleep.” When we were done, the room looked liked Santa left his whole bag there. I’ll give Chad his gift later. Heading to bed, we said good night to Dave after making sure he was comfortable.

That night in bed, I gave Chad his Christmas gift and a diamond ring with our initials engraved inside. When we got married, we couldn’t afford a ring, but now with me working as a CPA and Chad starting his own business, we were doing fine. Chad had a present for me as well. We must have been a perfect match for each other, as I also received an engraved ring—singular gold band, engraved with the words, always, and Chad’s initial. There was a special love shared that night. I’m not sure, but I think I saw an angel wink at us through the window.