“Darlin’ it’s me.” I say to the door.
I knock again and a door opens. Just not the right one.
“She left a little while ago, sunny.” Mrs. Williams pokes her head out into the hall to tell me.
“Appreciate it.” I tell her kindly, “Merry Christmas.”
Her reply is cut short by a raspy voice talking over her.
“Ethel, they’re dancing again! I thought you said this wasn’t a musical.”
Her door closes and the last thing I hear is, “I said it WAS a musical. You old fool.”
The heaviness that was holding me back dispels. She didn’t lie.
Even more important is the fact that she ain’t alone.
Heading to the elevator I type out a text to Gabriella. She might have plans but I still want her to have the option to join me if she changes her mind. I send her my parent’s address as I’m carried down to the lobby.
Gabriella
The driver pulls up to a nice neighborhood. Way too nice of a neighborhood for me to be wearing this ugly of a sweater. Bright green with actual tinsel attached forming a Christmas tree.
Her house looks like something out of a fairytale. A wide front porch leads up to a massive brick manor.
“Gabby!” Sandy shouts as soon as I knock.
I’m swallowed in a hug before I can say hello. Her perfume is subtle and warm and her embrace is just tight enough to be considered snug. Reminds me of my mother back in Michigan before I became the black sheep of the family.
“Merry Christmas Sandy.” I say, “Thank you for having me.”
She’s wearing a brown wool sweater with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer on it.
“No, thank you!” She replies, “Without you, we wouldn’t be having such a wonderful dinner.”
She ushers me into the foyer and offers to take my jacket.
The inside of her home is just as impressive as the outside. Lofty ceilings and large bay windows make the home feel warm and inviting. Like something I've seen on the house hunting TV shows I binge watch on the weekends. Sandy’s house was decorated in neutral tones with modern style furniture. I spotted a white faux fur rug that looked pristine.
When Sandy sees where I’m looking, she says, “Never could have nice things with the kids around. Now they’re out of my house and I can finally have the picture-perfect house I saw in magazines. Wouldn’t trade the mud stains and memories for what I have now though.” She quips.
Leading me through the house she brings me to the living room with a wide flat screen mounted on the wall across a large black leather sectional. Seated on the couch is a middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair neatly trimmed to flow into a tidy beard framing a friendly face.
“Roger, my husband.” She introduces.
“Love of her life, I reckon she forgot to mention.” Roger chimes in with a cheeky wink.
He stands to shake my hand and while he doesn’t loom over me, he is quite tall and broad shouldered.
His sweater is white and blue displaying a beloved snowman. Pinching the hem between his fingers he says, “I can see you got the memo.”
“Much better than a black-tie dress code if you ask me.” I say causing Roger to laugh.
“Penelope should be around here somewhere, but her brother is running late.” Sandy tells me, “You don’t mind if we wait for him do you?”
“Of course not!” I assure her.
“Good. He’s delightful just a bit out of sorts at the moment.” She replies.
