Ben woke up on Christmas morning earlier than he would have liked to. He had been restless for about an hour because he was having a hard time keeping warm. Still a little groggy, he reached out from under the blanket, hoping to find his comforter to pull up. His attempt was unsuccessful, of course, because his comforter was in his room. He rolled over on his stomach, hoping that his body heat in the bed would help warm the other side of him. He buried his head down in the pillow and, suddenly smelled something sweet which made him forget about how cold he was. Christmas morning breakfast, he thought. He lay still, trying to figure out what heavenly breakfast his mother could be making that would give off such an enchanting aroma.
He was about to drift back into a groggy coma when suddenly it came to him—Vera Wang Princess, the pink blanket, Brooklyn’s bed. He opened one eye, trying to peer through his shaggy brown hair over the pillow that was smothering his face. His lone eyeball scanned to the right, hoping to catch a glimpse of what happened last night. Technically, nothing had happened. It was completely innocent. Would his mom see it that way? Brooklyn had a bad night and he had stayed with her so she could fall asleep. He had fallen asleep as well and spent the entire night on her bed.
He looked over, and thankfully Brooklyn was still asleep. She was in the same position as she had fallen asleep in, still clutching her bear. He wondered if she had moved all night. He inched his way off of the down comforter, and quietly moved toward the doorway. He paused and listened for any noises that would indicate that someone was in the hallway. He was relieved that he could hear no sound.
He moved toward the doorway and peered out into the hall. His parents’ room was at the end of the hall, and the door was still closed. Good, he thought. He closed Brooklyn’s door behind him and strolled down the hall toward the spare bedroom, trying to be silent. As he got closer to the room, he began to relax a little. He was beginning to think that he had just dodged a bullet when Gabe’s bedroom door opened and the two brothers stood facing each other. Ben froze.
“What are you doing?” Gabe asked, rubbing his eyes.
“Bathroom,” he quickly answered.
“Me too,” Gabe said. He turned around and looked toward the bathroom. “But the bathroom is behind me. Why are you coming from the hall?”
Think quickly, Ben thought. “I was checking to see if anyone else was up?”
“Oh. Are you going back to bed?”
“Are you? I don’t even know what time it is.”
“It’s 7:45. Want to play video games until everyone else gets up?”
“I guess, but don’t you think we’ll get new games?”
“Yeah,” answered Gabe. “That’s why we need to play the old ones, because this will probably be the last time we do for a long time.”
Ben yawned. “Play now, nap later.”
The video games didn’t last long, but he was happy for the cover they provided. Within an hour, the family was exchanging presents in the living room. Santa Claus had come, just as Ben predicted. Brooklyn received a digital camera as her major present, but her excitement was quickly squelched by Greg.
“Brooklyn, you need to understand that I was concerned about giving you this gift. Sure, I think that you will have great fun with it, but it would not be wise for you to be posting pictures of yourself online. I know that I am the worrier in the family but, for now, just take pictures of everyone else.”
Everyone loved their presents from her, and she was happy to have the weekly allowance money available from the trust so that she could be generous when she wanted to be. The boys were thrilled to have the new video games and tore through the packing to get to the instructions and software as quickly as possible.
Greg tried on the golf jacket and stated that the size, style and color were just what he would have picked out for himself. Mary was speechless when she unwrapped the crystal candle holder. She had gotten Brooklyn some silver jewelry from Tiffany and Co., which was a pure coincidence because they had never spoken about their fondness for the store. Mary felt a sense of maternal satisfaction that she had given a gift that the girl would really enjoy.
Brooklyn received movies and books from Ben and Gabe, and lots of clothes from Mary and Greg. A big breakfast followed the opening of the presents, and the whole family spent several hours in the basement competing against Ben and Gabe with their new video games.
The Thompsons had decided to change their tradition this Christmas and spend the day at home. They didn’t have immediate family located close to them, so they usually went over to an extended family’s home late in the afternoon for Christmas dinner. They were concerned about Brooklyn’s emotions and thought it best that she not have to deal with many people on this Christmas Day. Mary had prepared a feast, which resembled more of a traditional Thanksgiving menu. Brooklyn tried to help out whenever possible, but was more qualified to make an old-fashioned box of macaroni and cheese than a gourmet meal.
After dinner, the family watched two new movies and played a new board game Mary had bought. The game involved purchasing shares of stock in companies that were formed by the strategic placement of tiles on a square grid. They all laughed as they tried to cut under-the-table deals with one another to gain an advantage. Brooklyn loved the game but found it hard to concentrate because of how quickly the transactions were being completed.
There were times throughout the day when she was depressed. She would retreat upstairs, gather her thoughts, and then come back to rejoin the family. She was thankful that the Thompsons’ traditions were so different from what her family used to do, and she was especially thankful that it was just the five of them All in all, considering that her favorite time of year was now the time she dreaded, Brooklyn thought the day turned out better than expected.
CHAPTER 19
Her Hidden Past Page 26
