Unforgettable Christmas Dreams: Gifts of Joy

by Rebecca York

  “We thought we were invincible. The training had set us up for a fall. Young boys, hardly men, we were going to end this war, rid the world of communism, come home heroes. The fight had gone on too long. Kids were burning their draft cards, rebelling in schools all over the country, fleeing to anyplace that would have them. But not us. We were tough American marines, no weak half-starved Congs living off rice. We would die for our country proudly, or come back having finished what had been started, decades and many presidents before. This much hated war would be ended by us brave soldiers, or so we thought.

  The day we arrived in Laos and stepped out on the tarmac, the hot wind whirled up red dust and burned my face. I remember it brought tears to my eyes. I thought it was horrible then, but I knew nothing. Horror waited secretly behind every tree, coming out of the sky, from all directions, weapons and men who would happily eat us alive.

  Our first operation was Hickory Hill, an abandoned US Military Base where a great number of important weapons had been buried, and our job was to enter the base and recover the equipment. The base had been bombed by B52s many times and had suffered from air strikes, but the day our fleet of helicopters came in we were met with heavy artillery from VP outposts that had evaded the bombers. One of our helicopters was hit, but the marines and crew survived and the enemy was overpowered quickly. We never did find the buried weapons, it was likely they’d been destroyed earlier by one of the bomb attacks.

  Sarah closed her father’s journal and put it away. She felt flushed, as if she were sitting there with her dad, while he told her the story. How brave he must have been. And how afraid, too. Did he know her mother then, or had they met after the war?

  So many secrets yet to uncover. But she’d learn about them one day at a time.

  She showered, feeling sweaty and unclean as she thought about her father and his mission. She wished she had her parents love and support now. They would know what she should do. Her breasts were tender but her stomach was still flat. Her secret was safe for now, but for how long?

  Sarah changed into a pair of khakis and a long-sleeved navy striped tee, then went into the kitchen eager to help out by getting dinner ready. She washed, peeled and sliced potatoes, then placed them into a pot to boil. She found some broccoli and cut the florets to microwave with oil and garlic cloves.

  She removed the wrapping from the thinly sliced chicken breasts that she’d bought earlier and laid them flat on a carving board. Taking out a meat tenderizer from one of the drawers, she pounded the breasts to make garlic chicken, always a favorite when she and Meghan had been growing up. It was her dad’s special dish.

  The front door opened and she heard Meghan carrying on a conversation with Liam. One-sided as always, but it never failed to be upbeat, like every good caring mother in the world, she was asking him about school and what he’d done for the day.

  Meghan tossed Liam’s books on the corner counter and sniffed the air. “Something smells awfully good. Garlic. And what is that?” She peeked at the thin breasts lying next to a bowl of breadcrumbs and shredded cheese, and a smaller dish with whipped egg and lemon. “No way! Garlic chicken. Haven’t had that in years.”

  “Figured it was the least I could do after you both worked all day.” Sarah smiled at Liam. “How was your day, sweetie? Did you get to go outside and play at lunch time?” It was a chilly December day, but kids never seemed to mind. Getting outdoors invigorated them enough to stay awake for the afternoon class.

  She hadn’t expected an answer and didn’t get one, because Liam was sitting on the floor with Keats licking his face, having a love fest.

  “Do you mind if we have it early?” Meghan asked. “Byron normally comes home for an hour or so, then he goes back and works until 8:30 or 9:00.”

  “Sure. It’s nice that your home is close enough for him to do that. Do you two only have your big dinners together on Sundays?”

  “When I’m tired from work or just want to see him, Liam and I will go to Nick’s and have dinner at the bar. Byron likes it, and it gives me the night off from cooking.” Meg poured juice for Liam, and put some apple slices and carrot sticks on a plate. “Liam, go wash up first, then you can have a snack.”

  Although he was reluctant to talk, Liam did comprehend what he was being told, and got off the floor, went to the bathroom and washed up as directed. Keats followed his footsteps and afterward ended up under the kitchen table, next to his chair.

  “Byron still brings leftovers from the restaurant a few nights a week, so we eat very well.” Meghan had kicked off her shoes and hung up her coat, and had a bottle of water in her hand. “I’ll change out of my work clothes, then join you. I’m dying to hear about your day.”

  Sarah watched her leave, and hid her smile. She’d had quite a day too. First, the ride this morning with Mick, her meltdown, and his strange offer. Of course he hadn’t meant it when he said she could marry him—it had been a joke that had not come off very well. Then she’d made herself feel better by the shopping spree, and followed it up by reading Dad’s journal. She couldn’t wait to read what adventure happened next. Knowing he’d made it back safe and sound, made the telling of the story much easier to bear.

  She wished she could tell Meghan about it, but unless her sister showed interest in their dad’s history, Sarah wouldn’t push it.

  Chapter Twelve

  Byron returned home for a whirlwind visit. Before taking his coat off, he took Liam and Keats outside, and they walked down the street to look at the bright lights and Christmas decorations.

  “Liam loves this,” Meghan told Sarah, as they both watched father and son from the front picture window. “He gets so excited to see his dad, and this is a special few minutes in his day. He enjoys the lights of course, but I think it’s having his dad alone that puts that big smile on his face.”

  “Liam looks like he’s skipping,” Sarah laughed. “That’s so cool.”

  Once they hit the end of the street, the pair turned around. When they reached the front yard, Byron showed Liam how to toss a snowball. They did this for a while, as Keats jumped in excitement, barking and wagging his tail, chasing the man and boy.

  When they all trudged inside, Byron was greeted with a loving kiss from his wife.

  “Something smells delicious in the kitchen. What are you girls having tonight?” he asked, his cheeks ruddy from the cold.

  “I’m making garlic chicken,” Sarah told him. “We hoped you could eat with us?”

  He walked over to the pan on the stove. “It looks mighty fine. But it will have to be quick.”

  “No problem. Potatoes are nearly ready, and the rest only takes minutes.” Sarah had prepared the food while Meghan changed. The sliced chicken had been dipped into the egg mixture, then the bread crumbs, and were browned in the pan with olive oil and garlic cloves.

  While Byron lit the fire and conversed with Meghan and Liam, Sarah turned her attention on the dinner. Within minutes she had four small pieces sizzling in oil. She put the broccoli in the microwave and then mashed the potatoes, covering them with a lid.

  She hummed to herself, listening to the crackling of the fireplace, at home with her sister’s family as they listened to Christmas music and laughed. For the first time in the past week, she felt almost happy herself.

  “Two minutes,” she yelled. The microwave beeped, and Sarah took the Corning Ware dish of broccoli out and slid it onto a side plate. She squeezed lemon on top of the broccoli and the chicken, then removed the frying pan from the hot burner.

  Meghan had already set the table, and as they took their seats Sarah divided the food onto four plates and served them up.

  “Dad’s favorite meal,” Meg said. “I’m glad you thought of it.” She cut the chicken up for Liam, who was seated next to her.

  “This was nice of you,” Byron said, biting into the chicken. “And very delicious.”

  “Thank you. It’s easy once you’ve done the prep.” She tasted it, enjoying the garlic and lemon
flavors, and the juicy bites of chicken. “Mmm. Not something I’d make for myself so this is a treat for me too.”

  “Did you book your vacation to Hawaii?” Meghan asked between bites.

  “Not yet, but I did see a special on flights this afternoon. You know how when you’re researching something, ads start popping up on your computer?” She shrugged. “Sounded too good to be true, but if the price is real, the seats will probably sell out in a hurry. I’ll check later.”

  “How about your friends? Would they go with you?”

  “Not sure if they can get off work, but I did speak with Carrie. She and Kate are my best friends. I told her what I’m up to, because it all happened so fast that I never called to let them know. We were all in nursing training together, and we’ve remained close over the years. Other than you, they are the only people in the world I can really talk to.”

  “And? What do they think? That you’re crazy to quit your job and leave the city because of a failed relationship?” Meg sent her a worried glance. “I hope they didn’t try to talk you out of staying in Heaven.”

  Byron glanced up. His plate was wiped clean. “I hope not. Meg would really miss you.”

  “No, don’t worry about that. I did ask Carrie if she and Kate could take a few days off and come to Hawaii with me. But getting away from the hospital during the holidays is not easy.”

  “I think it’s a great plan if you can arrange it,” Meghan said, sipping on a glass of ice water.

  “It would be amazing.”

  “You looked happy about something when I came home. Happier than I’ve seen you the past few days.” Meghan got up and started clearing the plates. “What’s going on if not Hawaii? New job? New apartment? New boyfriend?” she quipped.

  “Heaven’s no! And I haven’t applied for a new job yet. I’m looking online but nothing has caught my interest. It’ll happen, but I don’t want to jump too soon, and regret it later. I think January would be the perfect time to start fresh.”

  Byron helped Meghan rinse the dishes and put them away.

  “We still have some apple pie left from the other night,” Sarah called out to them.

  “Not for me,” Byron answered. “You girls enjoy it. Dinner was great. Thanks again.”

  Twenty minutes from the time they sat down, Byron was back in his coat and boots, kissing his family as he headed off to work. Meghan walked him to the door, and put her hands on his cheeks as she said good-bye. The door shut softly behind him.

  Looking bemused, her sister walked back into the kitchen. “I love that man.”

  “And so you should. He’s great, Meg, and you’re a lucky woman.”

  “Hmm, I am. Okay, now back to you. What put that gleam in your eye?”

  “There’s no gleam, not sure when I’ll see that again. But, let’s see. I drove Mick to work today, and we had a long talk.”

  “What? How did that happen? Thought you two rubbed each other the wrong way?”

  “Well, I’m sure we do, but I was heading toward the mall, and saw him nearing the train station. I had driven past, then backed up and convinced him to get into the car. I know it sounds strange, but I just figured that if he goes to all that trouble to work as a volunteer, he must have a good heart. Or just be plain stupid. I wanted to know which.” Meghan laughed. “He’s an intelligent man. Don’t you think?”

  “Yes. I was wrong about him. I’ve been wrong about a few things lately.”

  “Can’t be right about everything, now can we?”

  Her sister was always her champion. “After I dropped him off, I finished up my Christmas shopping, and put everything under the tree.”

  Meghan glanced over. “I thought I saw more presents there. Figured Byron was spoiling us again.”

  “Just me,” Sarah answered with a grin. Then she couldn’t hold it back any longer. “I looked at Dad’s journal today. Oh, Meg, it was so exciting. I saw some old photos, and just knowing that he was there and made it back, well, it’s pretty darn amazing and I’m so proud of him.”

  “So that is what sparked a light in you.” She was silent for a moment, then a little smile crept over her face. “Maybe after dinner I can look at the photos too.”

  “I’d love that, Meg. I really would.”

  After Meghan bathed Liam and put him to bed, the sisters sat in front of the fire and Meghan looked at her father’s photos.

  “See that young guy, second on the left. Doesn’t he remind you of someone?”

  Sarah squinted. “Maybe, I’m not sure. Who do you think he is?”

  “That’s Uncle Will. He came to dinner one night, don’t you remember him? We might have been about eight and ten at the time.”

  “Not really.”

  “I do. Mom was kind of quiet, but Dad was really animated, spoke more than he ever did. That was the only time I remember him at the house. But Dad would speak with him on the phone from time to time, and the reason I seem to remember it was because he acted different when he heard from him.”

  “What do you mean, different?” Sarah asked.

  “You know how laid-back Dad was all the time. Mom did most of the talking, the planning. Dad went to work, came home, had a scotch before dinner, then while we all ate, he’d ask us about our day at school, and we’d do all the talking and he’d do the listening.” Meghan took a sip from her iced tea, then replaced it on the coffee table.

  “Okay. What does that have to do with Uncle Will? He wasn’t really an uncle, right?”

  “No. But Dad rarely talked about himself and that didn’t bother us then, but now, knowing about this, it just makes more sense.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “He might have been afraid that the guy would talk about ‘Nam in front of us. I’m sure he warned him, but it might have slipped.”

  “I suppose.” Sarah pointed her finger at one of the old photos. “That might be him. Driving that tank. It’s only a profile, though, so it is too hard to tell.”

  “Another thing.” Meg jumped up. “The next morning Mom got us out of bed, gave us a quick breakfast rather than walk us to the bus stop. I noticed that she looked sad, and I asked her if she’d been crying, and she just laughed and said all women cried once in a while. Said it was an emotional time of the month, and I wasn’t sure what she meant by that, but I didn’t believe her.” Meghan bent to stir the fire, making flames leap up. “She had no reason to lie, but I remember wondering if it had anything to do with Uncle Will.”

  “I don’t remember any of that. I wish I did.” Sarah traced the journal with her finger. “I only read the first few pages. It was interesting, but nothing secretive. Read it if you want. I still need to call Kate, then I’m going to dig into this a little more tomorrow.”

  Meghan took the journal. “I’ll take a peek while you’re on the phone, then you can have it again. I’d prefer for you to keep it in your room. It might bring me to tears.”

  “That’s because you’re in the emotional time of the month,” Sarah said with a giggle.

  “Well, pregnancy can do that to a woman. My hormones are jumping around like fleas on a dog.”

  “Sorry to hear that.” Sarah’s cheeks flushed, thinking of her own hormones. “Take your time browsing through the pages. I’ll probably be on the phone a half hour, or so.”

  “Okay, good luck with the Hawaiian thing. Just don’t agree to go back to Philly.”

  “Not to worry. I have no wish to return.”

  She meandered slowly to her bedroom, pulled out her phone and hit her friend’s number.

  “Hello?”

  “Kate. It’s me.”

  “Me who? I don’t know any Sarah Shaunnessys. They left without saying goodbye.”

  “Oh, Kate, you have a right to be mad at me, but I’ve been going through so much crap lately.”

  “And what do friends do? They go to other friends for help when life kicks them in the teeth. But what did Sarah Shaunnessy do? Ignored our calls, let us find out what happened to h
er by the hospital grapevine, and hear all the snide, gossipy shit from bitches.” Her voice cracked. “We couldn’t even defend you! Ouch, my heart hurts,” she said on a moan.

  “Stop with the dramatics.” Sarah chuckled, although none of it was funny. “I bet some of the nurses had a field day with it. They hated me going out with Rick, and I never understood why until too late. He’d told me it was over with his wife, how many times? Every time he left her and came back to me. So imagine my surprise when he tells me she’s pregnant? And guess what? My period’s late too.”

  The phone must have slid out of Kate’s hand, because Sarah heard a clunk and then a curse. “No! You can’t be!” Kate wailed.

  “Tell that to the choir.” Sarah lowered her voice, not wanting her sister to hear. “I’m calling you to see if you could get a few days off before Christmas. I was thinking about going to Hawaii but it’s expensive this time of the year. Maybe we could go away, the three of us, to Vermont. Have a little ski weekend. I might have a fall, and oops, my problem could be solved.”

  “Not funny. So not funny.”

  “I know. But can you check with Carrie and see if you can co-ordinate a few days to get away?”

  “Can’t promise you anything. But I’ll check and call you back tomorrow.”

  “Thanks, Kate. Sorry I didn’t call and tell you before.”

  “It’s okay. If I were in your shoes, I probably wouldn’t have either.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Mick had an idea. Probably not his best, but not his worst either. He had the day off work and was in the mood to do something different, adventurous. And he wanted to see Sarah and get her mind off things. She was definitely troubled by her predicament, and there really was no easy answer.

  He felt sorry for her, and it had been a long time since he’d felt sorry for anyone but himself. She wasn’t perfect, not by a long shot, but he figured her heart was in the right place. It shouldn’t matter if her sister was having a baby and she was too, but it did matter to her--a lot. She didn’t want to ruin this special time for Meghan by making this about her.