I couldn’t help but watch the elders and how they dealt with each other. All of us had long since gotten used to this post-divorce world we lived in. Though everyone had moved on, I expected Winterfest to be very weird. Me seeing Dwayne with Mama or Dad hearing about him from me was one thing, but having them in the same room was another. Dad made a lot of progress, but was he ready for that? I had prepared to be a buffer or make an excuse for him, but he looked surprisingly comfortable. Dwayne was the one who was hesitant. He had always been reserved and comfortable in the background, however, so he could have been okay. Mama was all smiles, of course. Heh, this was probably the best day of her year with her kids and both lovers at home. I watched them all with pride despite feeling like it was all very weird. It took a LOT for all of them to get to that place. I honestly doubted Dad would ever get there, but he walked around Mama’s house grinning up a storm and peacefully sharing a space with the man who took away his soulmate. Winterfest miracles did exist.
After dinner, Rosie found me, and I gave her some holiday love.
“Happy Winterfest, Ro! You’ve been a very good girl. You think Father Winter will bring you a nice treat?”
Alessia stood there watching us, and I hoped she would do better with our dogs than she did with Tofu.
“Did you meet your auntie yet?”
“Ehhhhh…hi,” Alessia said stiffly.
I laughed.
“She’s not gonna bite you, Less. Just put your hand out slowly and let her smell you. If she thinks you’re okay, she’ll let you touch her.”
“Okaaaaay.” She bent over slowly and cautiously. “I’m coming down…don’t be weird…”
Rosie stepped toward her equally as cautious, sniffed her hand, and then sat in front of her.
“See? She likes you. Give her a pat on the head so she knows you’re friendly.”
“That was really cool. She’s cute.”
She never gave Tofu a chance. Maybe Rosie and Kooper will win her over.
Mama came in with the dirty dishes and caught Less and I having seconds.
“Hey! Don’t fill up on that. There’s dessert, you know.”
Dwayne left shortly after dinner. He said wanted us to enjoy our family time. I could see the disappointment in Mama’s eyes and imagined her saying something like, “but you’re my family too.” Dwayne was a realist, and I appreciated that because Mama’s fantasy land was gonna get someone’s feelings hurt eventually.
It was time for presents, and I caught a glimpse of Less and Sophia dancing in the living room as I passed by. Whether they had bonded or it was just coincidence, I was glad to see them together, not in conflict.
“Luca,” Mama sang, “I’ve got something extra special for you!”
Alessia rolled her eyes.
“Here she goes with the special gifts just for Luca.”
“It’s not a special gift! It belongs to him.”
She handed me a box, and I took it hesitantly. What did she have of mine? And why make a big deal out of it on Winterfest? She wasn’t the re-gifting type.
“Uhh…thanks,” I said.
I took the box and opened it slowly. Inside, I saw a painting I’d seen my entire life. It hung in my room when I was little. And then when we moved to Newcrest, Mama put it in the kitchen. I seemed to recall one time Mama said Gammy painted some things for my nursery before I was born. This had to be one of them!
“Gammy’s painting?? You’re gonna let me have it?!!”
“She painted it for you. The one with the dogs too, but I want to hold on to that one.”
“Yeah, of course! Wow! Thanks, Mama. This is so cool!”
I thought about our frigid meeting in the cemetery often. I loved that I now had evidence of our past relationship and would hang it in a place of honor in our new house.
After presents, we gathered around the tree and sang songs. And as always, Less acted like she was too cool for school. That only made us turn up and be even sillier. At least she was in a good mood, though. At the end of the night, she sat on the rocking chair doing belly laughs. It was very contagious, so I joined in. Mama came in and told us a story about how Father Winter came to their house in Sulani while she was doing belly laughs. He thought it was adorable and gave her some tips! And just like how it happened in her story, Father Winter walked in on her doing a belly laugh demo for us.
“I remember you,” he said. “You still go it.”
“Thank you, Father Winter! This is my son, Luca! He’s getting married soon!”
“Yes,” he said, “I’ve been watching him. He’s been very good this year. This is one of my extra special gifts.”
I didn’t know what to think. An extra special gift from Mama, and another from The Man himself? And I was getting married in three days to the kindest, sweetest, funniest woman in the world? It was all too much. I thought about everything I’d gone through and how burdened and confused I was. All of that was a test. I held on and did the best I could, and now I was being rewarded. Not with a gift from Father Winter, but in love, success, favor, and friendship. I had already reckoned with my problems, but at that moment, I felt like the struggle was officially over.
