Lawfully Festive
Page 2
“I’m a member of the Los Angeles SWAT team. We respond to high risk situations, like a drug raid, or suspected terrorist activities, or anyone who is a threat to the people around.” Riley looked at him with awe.
“Oh my god, look at me whining about my stupid job. You’re doing something much more intense and high pressure. You must be so brave.” Her face shone with admiration for the lawkeeper.
Jerry looked outside the window. Riley frowned. He didn’t seem to want to talk about his job. She understood and decided to change the topic.
“Completely random topic.” She picked up a french fry and pointed the fry at him. “Do you—believe in outer space? I mean we like the same intergalactic cartoon show. Do you really think there’s a world out there, filled with aliens?”
“Hmm, I do. I really do. We don’t really know the size of the universe, even with the advancements we make in astrophysics. Galaxies and stars are created and destroyed every single day, and we simply don’t know about it. Aliens definitely exist. Now—” He pointed his finger at her, an animated expression on his face. “Whether we will end up communicating with them is an entirely different matter. I honestly don’t think they’ll develop the technology in our lifetime at least.” Riley nodded.
“I agree with you. But I wish they could. Could you imagine the adventures we would have if we could travel across space within a matter of a few minutes? Oh, how I wish we could live in a world like that.” Her face looked dreamy. Both of them ate in silence.
“So,” She said, picking up another french fry. Jerry’s attention snapped to her and then to his fries.
“Hey, put down that fry!” He ordered. Riley grinned and kept it back. Jerry caught her eye and they both chuckled.
“You were saying…” Jerry picked up the fry Riley tried to flick and took a bite. She nodded.
“Yeah, so I was saying, I didn’t really place you as someone from Northampton. I thought I knew the people in the town. Did you go to the school there? Where did you stay?” she said.
“No, no, I’m not from Northampton. I’m visiting for Christmas and the holidays. That’s as much vacation as I got. I have to report back on the second.” He shrugged.
“Oh? Tell me who you’re visiting. I can help you find their place. I think I still know my way around home.” She said. Jerry pulled out his mobile phone and searched for an address.
“I—am—visiting Edward Poole on 222 Hillside Road. Have you heard of him?” He quizzed. Riley’s mouth formed a perfect ‘O’. Jerry narrowed his eyes
“Do you know him? Why do you look so surprised?” He asked.
“I am Riley Poole. Edward Poole is my father. You’re visiting my folks for Christmas,” she said.
Chapter 3
“What?” Shock flitted on Jerry’s face. His eyes widened and he shook his head in disbelief.
“How is that possible? Edward told me he wasn’t expecting his family home for Christmas.”
A shard pierced Riley’s heart when she heard that. It was true, she hadn’t been home to see her family in years. In college, she stayed with her then boyfriend, until he finally broke up with her in her senior year. She had kept slaving away at odd jobs, ashamed that her degree wasn’t bringing her better paying opportunities and trying desperately to pay off her student loan. Over time, it had become a habit to work doubly hard for Christmas, trying out one hustle or the other. No wonder her father had invited someone over. However, nobody had mentioned anything when she called to tell them she was coming over.
She excused herself and dialed her father. He picked up on the first ring.
“Hey sweetheart. What time can we expect you here?” Her father sounded cheerful. Riley controlled her temper. She couldn’t understand why her father failed to mention this when she’d informed them about her decision to spend the holidays with them.
“Dad, can you tell me why and how you invited someone over for Christmas and didn’t mention it to me when I called you before” she asked him outright.
“Darling, I—I,” her dad stammered. “How did you know?” He asked.
“My car happened to break down outside Boston, and Jerry helped me out. It’s only now that I realized he’s visiting you. I wondered where he was going in Northampton because he didn’t look familiar.” Riley said sarcastically.
“Honey, we had no idea you were coming when we invited him. You remember Uncle Charlie? He was with me in the Army. Jerry is Uncle Charlie’s son. Uncle Charlie died a few months back. I didn’t want him to spend Christmas alone, so I invited him over. I’m really sorry we didn’t tell you, but your mother and I figured we could once you got here.”
“Uncle Charlie died? When did that happen?” Riley was shocked. She had met Charlie Winters several times and he had been very nice to her every time. Her anger vanished.
Edward sighed. “A few months ago. One of his neighbors informed me. I couldn’t make it in time for the funeral.” His voice choked up.
“Oh, Dad. I’m so sorry. I know how hard that must have been for you. I—” she looked back to see Jerry finishing up. “I’ll talk to you later. We’ve stopped to get something to eat, and we’ll be there soon. Save us some dinner. Bye.”
“Yes sweetheart, I’ll tell Mom. Safe travels. Bye.” Riley stared at her phone and bit her lip. She had to do her bit to make this a good holiday for Jerry. She stared at him. He was checking their table for anything they had left behind. She walked up to him.
“So, it turns out we’re spending more time with each other, you’re coming home for Christmas,” she said, trying to sound upbeat.
“I don’t want to intrude, really. Let me just stay over tonight, and then I’ll leave. I can’t be spoiling your family’s Christmas, especially since you’re going home after a long time. You said so yourself.”
“Oh no, not at all.” Riley reached out for his hand. “Nobody should be alone for Christmas. You’re very welcome at our place. And I have to warn you, my mom makes the best dinner on Christmas Eve. It’s difficult to control yourself. And the feast pretty much continues till the New Year. Her stuffed puddings, biscuits, and different roast meats are heavenly. I’m afraid you’re going to have to hit the gym quite hard after your vacation.” She smiled at him. Jerry looked confused. Riley squeezed his hand.
“You’ve been so good to me, let me return the favor. Come celebrate Christmas with us.” Jerry looked at her, nodded and smiled.
“I’ll stay for the holidays. Only if I get all those goodies you promised.” He gave her an evil grin.
“You got it. Now let’s go. We have almost two hours to go, at the very least, and dad said he’d keep the food warm for us.” She walked with him to the car.
Truth was, she couldn’t even imagine how it would feel to not have her parents around. She wasn’t in touch with them, regularly, but it was comforting to know they were only a phone call away. Christmas in her house was a celebration that stretched it as far as her family could. Riley gulped as she flashed back to all those memories of her helping her mother make puddings and cakes ahead of Christmas. Her mouth watered thinking about her mother’s honey roasted ham, the one she marinated one day before Christmas. Yes, Jerry deserved to get some TLC from her family. It was hard dealing with the loss of a parent, but to be alone, truly alone when everyone else was celebrating would have been torture. She thanked the Lord her parents had the foresight to invite him home.
She stopped him as they left Wendy’s.
“Jerry, my dad told me about your father. I’m really sorry for your loss.” Jerry’s jaw hardened. Riley gave him a small smile. “I met Uncle Charlie a few times, and we really had fun. He was a good man. I’m really sorry.” Jerry nodded, his face pale.
“I really miss him, even though it’s been years since I saw him.” His eyes had a faraway look. “I got my criminal justice degree from Cal State and then jumped straight into police work in LA. When the opportunity opened up for the SWAT, I jumped into it. He was so proud wh
en I told him about joining the SWAT.” He smiled.
“I kept telling myself I’d go home, I’d go visit him and we’d talk about his army days and what he did. But emergency after emergency kept coming up, and every time I called home, he’d always be happy. If only he’d asked, I’d have dropped everything to go see him one more time.” Jerry said quietly.
Riley squeezed his arm. He swallowed. They got into the car and she buckled her seatbelt. Jerry started the car and looked at her.
“So? What are we talking about next?” Riley smiled.
Chapter 4
In precisely one hour forty five minutes, they pulled up in front of the Poole house. Jerry whistled when he saw the decorations. There were lights all over the house and a huge wreath nailed to the door. Riley felt a lump in her throat as she looked at the house. Home. It was her home. Jerry unbuckled his seatbelt and noticed her tearing up.
“Hey, what happened?” He put a hand on her shoulder. Riley’s lip trembled and when she replied, and her voice was shaky.
“I can’t believe I stayed away for so many years. This is home.” She looked at him with tears in her eyes. “All those reasons I gave myself, work, life, love,” she scoffed. “It’s nothing compared to how safe and secure I feel coming back home.” A tear escaped, and then another. Jerry inched closer and pulled her into an embrace. She buried her head in his chest.
“It’s okay. That’s all in the past. You’re here now. That’s what matters.” He held her. Riley nodded her head and broke the hug. She wiped her tears and smiled at him.
“Well, you’ve seen the worst sides of me this trip. I wonder why you’re still here,” she said weakly. Jerry laughed.
“Excuse me, Miss. I’m here for the food. I didn’t even notice you.” She lightly pushed him away.
They had developed an easy camaraderie over the drive, talking about many different topics. She got out of the car and looked at the house. A sigh of relief escaped her. It felt good coming back home, it really did.
The door opened before she could walk up to the house and her parents came out. Her mother ran towards her to envelop her in a big hug.
“Riley! You’re home. My baby is home.” Her mother teared up. “Oh my love, I’ve missed having you around. Baking was just not the same without you here to help me.” She hugged her again. Riley squeezed her tight.
Her father walked over to Jerry and shook hands with him. Jerry, on his part, saluted. His father returned the salute. He hugged Riley first, and then welcomed Jerry inside the house.
“Sweetheart, I’ve missed you. You should come home often. You really should.” Riley felt like a small child in her father’s arms.
“I’m home now, Dad.” He kissed her forehead and they walked inside the house. Her mother was already in the kitchen heating dinner for all of them. Riley walked in with her father. She stopped and sniffed.
“Mom, you made roast ham already? Something smells divine.” Riley said as she took a seat at the table.
“That does smell great, Mrs. Poole,” Jerry said. He looked around. A fire gave the room a very cozy feel. Jerry instantly felt relaxed. His eyes hovered to the brightly lit Christmas tree in the room. It was filled with decorations and lights.
“It’s Martha dear. Call me Martha,” she said, as she walked in from the kitchen with a plate of roast ham in her hand. Riley rubbed her hands with excitement as her mother set the dish on the table. Her mother and father sat down and they all joined their hands to say grace. Jerry was surprised. He didn’t take the family to be very religious. Martha started.
“Dear Lord, thank you for the food before us, the family beside us and the love between us. Amen.”
“Amen.” Edward and Riley said in unison.
“Amen,” Jerry added. This simple and humble prayer touched him. They were small and simple things that often went unnoticed—food, family, and love. And yet, the act of saying grace had grounded him, had humbled him.
“Alright,” Edward said as he picked up the roast and passed it to Jerry. “You’re our guest. Please help yourself. There’s some vegetables and mash to go along with it as well. Martha has made an excellent dessert so please save some space.”
Jerry nodded as he took the plate and carved the ham. He helped himself and was surprised when Edward took the plate from his hand and added a good deal more. He deftly carved the rest of the ham out to the others. There was no sound for a while as everyone enjoyed their dinner. The ham just melted in Jerry’s mouth.
“This is the best meal I’ve ever eaten,” Jerry declared as he ate the last bite of ham and vegetables on his plate. He sat back and rubbed his stomach. “And I’ve eaten too much.” He looked so satisfied, Riley laughed.
“I warned you about her food didn’t I? Did I do it justice?” She wiggled her finger at him. Jerry groaned and shook his head.
“It’s so much better. And I’m so full right now.” Jerry rubbed his stomach. Riley chuckled. Both of them stood up to start clearing the dishes.
“Kids, let the dishes be. We’ll clear it up. You must be tired. You rest,” Edward protested. Both Jerry and Riley ignored his protests and cleared the empty dishes and took them to the kitchen. Martha was hard at work getting dessert ready.
“Wow, Martha. Whatever it is, it looks amazing.” Jerry said, looking at the white pastry with pink cream. Martha beamed.
“It’s sponge cake with a mixed berry cream. I hope you don’t mind the flavors, it’s Riley’s favorite.” Martha looked at Riley with love.
Riley’s eyes sparkled. She cut herself a second piece and loaded it on her plate. Edward shooed everyone out of the kitchen while he got the plates to the table. Praises flew fast for the delicious sponge cake.
“Jerry, I can’t thank you enough for coming all the way here.” Edward said, looking at Martha. “Your father and I were very close. I could always count on him to have my back. Our time in Bolivia in the eighties was particularly harsh, and he helped me get through that.” Edward had a faraway look on his face.
“Was it a very brutal war, Dad?” Riley questioned. Edward didn’t really open up to her about his time in the army, so this was completely new for her.
“We didn’t face a lot of violence honey. Resistance, yes. We were destroying their crops. But mostly, we trained the Bolivian forces. It was a short operation. But Charlie and I became friends for life there.” He looked across the table to Jerry. Jerry’s face looked pinched. He squared his shoulders and nodded.
“His death affected us all, Mr. Poole. He was a good man.” Jerry’s voice was strained. Martha squeezed Jerry’s hand and gave him a smile. They sat in silence for a while, remembering Charlie.
“What are your plans for tomorrow?” Martha addressed the question to both Jerry and Riley. They looked at each other and shrugged.
“I hadn’t really given much thought to it. Some relaxation is definitely on the cards. And Midnight Mass, of course.” Riley said.
“I’d like to explore the town, but a relaxed day doing nothing sounds great too. Do you all go for Midnight Mass?” he asked. Everyone else nodded.
“Oh, don’t worry. Our Pastor is what you kids call ‘very hip’. His sermons are very engaging. I hope you do attend, although there’s no compulsion.” Martha said. Jerry looked doubtful.
“It’s perfectly alright, don’t think you’re offending us by not coming.”
“Thank you.” Jerry looked relieved.
Edward stood up.
“Riley, you know where your room is. Can you set up the guest room for Jerry? You know where the blankets and pillows are.” Riley nodded. He looked at Jerry. “We’re going to turn in for the night. We’ll see you for breakfast tomorrow.” Riley and Jerry nodded.
“So, let me get you set up in the guest room.” Riley walked to the closet and picked out a comforter and two large pillows. The guest room was on the ground floor near the kitchen. Riley switched on the light and walked in the room. Jerry followed with his baggage.
“There’s a bathroom right here.” She opened the door and switched on the light. “We just passed the kitchen, so you know where it is. Just in case you need something.” She gave him a small smile.
Jerry nodded. “Thanks a lot, Riley. This evening was a lot of fun. Your parents are a lot of fun,” he said.
She gave him a warm smile. “Good night, Jerry.”
Chapter 5
Jerry heard a noise and walked out to see the Poole family getting ready for midnight mass. It had been a very relaxed day for him and he had enjoyed indulging in delicious food and catching up on some much needed rest. He didn’t realize how exhausted he was, because the minute his head touched the pillow, he fell asleep.
“Leaving for church already? It’s only 10:00pm” He asked Riley. She wore a grey jacket with a bright red full sleeved top underneath. She looked stunning.
“Well, the choir starts early, and then the Pastor has his sermon before midnight. There’s a lot of people we manage to catch up with before the program starts. I never realize where time flies,” Riley said. Jerry listened and wondered whether he should join them.Riley stared at him.
“Are you sure you’ll be alright at home? We’ll be there for a while.” Jerry looked conflicted. He had spent the day resting and had hardly seen Riley. Seeing her now reminded him how much he wanted to be around her. But he wasn’t very religious. He looked up to see Martha descending the stairs.
“Jerry, are you joining us?” She asked. She wore a red dress like her daughter. It was easy for Jerry to see where Riley got her good looks from. He decided then.
“Could you give me five minutes? I’ll just change and come,” Jerry said. He would spend Christmas Eve with Riley.
“Of course. Take your time. We’re always early anyway.” Martha started putting on her jacket.