Tate Family Holidays

by Hope Ford

  Surrounded by Ford and all his family reminds me of being with my gran. She was such a wonderful woman and always made sure we had great family holidays. Probably the only difference is that the Tates’ holiday get-together is so much louder. I look around the table at Janice and Mr. Tate, Jackson and Megan, and Brent and Abby. It’s evident how much love is in the room. Ford, as if sensing my thoughts, brings my hand that he’s been holding since we walked in the door up to his lips and kisses it.

  I smile at him and don’t even try to stop myself from leaning in and kissing him. He was so patient with me last night. He made me feel like I was the most beautiful woman he’s ever known.

  Mr. Tate bangs his spoon against his glass to get everyone’s attention. “Janice, honey, you’ve outdone yourself. Everything looks perfect.”

  Janice chimes in, “Oh, I had help this year. Ali made most of the pies.”

  Everyone turns to me and smiles and I know my face flushes at all the attention.

  Mr. Tate continues, “Everyone, bow your heads. Lord, we have so much to be thankful for this year. First and foremost, I want to thank you for allowing me another year with my beautiful wife. We thank you for bringing Megan into Jackson’s life and Brent into Abby’s and Ali into Ford’s. I couldn’t pick anyone better if I had done it myself. We thank you for bringing Ali to us today and I hope she feels the love from our family as her gran looks down on us from heaven. We thank you for keeping Cooper safe while he’s serving overseas and we hope and pray we will get to see him at Christmas. Please, bless this food. We give all praise to you. Amen.”

  “Amen,” I say before lifting my head.

  I grab my napkin and wipe a lone tear that rolls down my cheek.

  Ford leans over and kisses me and I can tell he wants to say something, but everyone starts passing around food.

  We enjoy dinner and then desserts. Janice made sure that I try every dessert and by the end of the night, I feel like I’m waddling. She has bragged on my baking skills all day and makes me promise to help her again at Christmas.

  We spend the rest of the evening playing some card games with everyone. Ford has his hand on me most of the day and even steals a few kisses. Once the evening wraps up, I help Janice clean everything and put stuff away. She packs me and Ford up a to-go plate, and before I know it, I’m back in Ford’s truck.

  He drives straight over to my grandma’s house and helps me inside. I have been quiet the whole way and I know that I have a decision to make.

  Today was perfect. I would give anything for this to be my life, my family. But it’s not. My family is all gone. And I know that the longer I spend with Ford, the more it’s going to hurt when I leave on Sunday. I can already feel my heart breaking in two.

  Ford

  Something has changed since we left my mom and dad’s house. She was quiet the whole way home and even now I can tell she’s lost in thought. She’s hardly said a word since we got here.

  I’m sitting on the couch, watching her walk around the room picking up items and dumping them into boxes. When she passes by me, I grab her hand to stop her. “Talk to me.”

  Hesitantly, she sits down, but she’s so far away I can’t even reach her.

  I put my elbows on my knees and lean forward. “What’s going on, Ali?”

  Her blue eyes look at me and then she quickly looks away. “I’m leaving Sunday.”

  I slide down the couch to her. “I know that. But it’s only an hour and a half away and then you’ll be graduating in a month.”

  She shrugs and then shakes her head. “Yeah, but I’m selling this place. Who knows where I’ll be after graduation? I’ll have no choice but to go wherever I get a job.”

  “Ali, I just found you. I’m not giving up on us. Just apply for jobs here. And let me take care of the house. There’s still a lot of work to do before you sell it. Let me take care of it. Let me do this for you,” I plead with her.

  In my heart, I know we are meant to be together. But she’s so independent, I know she’s not going to just let me take over.

  She starts to cry and that’s the last thing I want. “I can’t, Ford. I can’t. I’ve looked at every option. I can’t come back here, no matter how much I want to. I think it would be better if you went home tonight.”

  “But, Ali, I can’t leave you like this. I promise. If you let me help you, we can figure out something,” I beg.

  She stands up and walks to the door. “I just need some time by myself, Ford. Please just give me that.”

  I follow her and don’t stop until I’m right in front of her. I lean down and kiss her softly on the cheek. “This isn’t over, Ali. I know you’re going through a lot. I’m going to give you some time, but I’ll be back tomorrow. I don’t want to cause you more stress, but I can’t leave here without telling you. These last three days have been the best of my life. I’m falling in love with you, Ali. And I know you can’t see how this is going to work, but I can’t imagine not having you in my life now.”

  I lean down and kiss the top of her head before pulling the door open and walking outside. I rub my hand across my chest. I hate just leaving her.

  8

  Ali

  I lean my head up against the closed door and my body starts to tremble with sobs. I don’t know how much time passes before I hear the squealing of tires and a gunshot outside. Alarmed, I sling open the door and see a black car flying down the street. I run outside and Ford is lying on the ground next to his truck.

  I start screaming, running for him. “Oh my God, oh my God, Ford, talk to me, please be okay. Please tell me you’re okay.”

  He tries to move but he starts moaning and I use my hands to hold him still. I pull back and my hand is covered in blood. I apply pressure to his shoulder, pushing even harder when he moans in pain. I dig in his jeans pocket and pull out his phone. I dial 911 and give them my address and tell them that a police officer has been shot. As soon as I hang up, I lean down and kiss his lips.

  He jars awake. “Ali, go inside. In case they come back.”

  “No! No. I’m not leaving you. God, please Ford, be okay,” I plead with him.

  Only minutes pass by and my whole front yard is filled with multiple police cars and ambulances.

  The paramedics start working on Ford, forcing me to back away. One of them turns to me. “Are you okay, miss?”

  I look down at myself and I have Ford’s blood covering me. “It’s his blood.”

  They start to load him in the back of the ambulance and I climb in after them. “Ma’am, I’m Detective Bailey. I have some questions for you before you leave.”

  “Please, I have to go with him. Can you meet me at the hospital? I’m pretty sure it was his ex partner’s dad. It was the same car anyway,” I tell him hurriedly.

  The paramedic slams the door on the ambulance and I turn my attention back to Ford. He’s so lifeless laying there. I ask the man working on him, “Can he hear me?”

  The man shrugs, but doesn’t stop what he’s doing. “It’s worth a shot.”

  I grab on to Ford’s hand. “Ford, I need you to listen. I love you too. I was just scared, but nowhere near as scared as I am now. I can’t lose you now. Please, be okay,” I tell him. My head drops into my hand that is not holding his. I sit there listening to all the sounds around me, but I don’t take my eyes off Ford. I can’t.

  Once we get to the hospital, I pull Ford’s phone out of my pocket and call Janice and Abby to let them know what happened. They all assure me they’re on their way.

  A nurse takes pity on me and gives me a change of clothes.

  Almost as soon as we got here, they took Ford back for surgery. We wait for what seems like hours. All of his family is here and probably every cop in town. When the surgeon comes through the door, everyone jumps to their feet. But Janice pulls me to the front with her.

  “Mrs. Tate?” he asks me.

  His mother answers for me. “Yes, and I’m his mother. How is my son?”

  �
�Surgery went well. We were able to extract the bullet without any further damage. He will need to take it easy for awhile. But I expect him to make a full recovery.”

  The whole room starts cheering and I burst out crying. I can’t help it. I thought I had lost him. Through my tears, the doctor puts his hand on my shoulder. “Ali, he’s asking for you. If you want to go see him, I can take you now.”

  I look over at his mom questioningly. But she almost pushes me to the door. “Go on, honey, it’s okay. I think he needs you as much as you need him right now.”

  I follow the doctor down the long corridor. The light is blinding. Once we stop, he puts his hand on the door but before he opens it, he cautions me. “He’s pretty out of it. But if you talk to him, he may be able to hear you.”

  I nod my head and I’m scared to death to walk through it. Finally, I walk in and tread lightly to the side of the bed. He’s so pale. I lift up his hand and wrap mine around it.

  I hear the doctor shut the door behind him, but I don’t take my eyes off the steady rise and fall of Ford’s chest.

  “I, uh…” Ford starts to speak and clears his throat.

  I tighten my hand on his and he tries again. “I heard you.”

  I have to lean down in order to hear him. “Heard what?”

  His eyes flutter open, and his dark brown eyes are fixed on me. “I heard you say you loved me.”

  Tears start rolling down my face. I lean over and kiss his forehead and then touch his lips briefly. “I do, Ford. I love you so much. I’m so sorry. If I hadn’t asked you to leave…”

  “No. It’s not your fault. It doesn’t matter. All that matters now is you love me. We will fix everything else.”

  Epilogue

  Six Months Later

  Ford

  I pull into the front of Gran’s house, well I guess I should say our house. I barely get parked before Ali is jumping off the porch and running toward my truck. It’s been like this every day since she moved home after college.

  I was laid up in the hospital for a few days and Ali never left my side. Once they had arrested Peter’s dad and I knew it was safe, I had to force her to go back to school before she flunked out of college. On days she didn’t have classes, she made sure to come home and help take care of me.

  I ended up subleasing my apartment and moving into Gran’s. I used up some of my savings to update the house. Ali had tried to talk me out of spending the money, and I finally asked her, “Do you want to get rid of the house?”

  She gasped and exclaimed, “No.”

  “Well, then I’m making it livable for us and our future kids. Just go with it,” I told her before pecking her on the lips.

  Her mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for breath before she eventually just nodded her head and walked away.

  I finally went back to work a week ago and I have to get used to being away from Ali all day. I’ve grown accustomed to spending my days with her. She graduated from college with an accounting degree and she was able to find a job working from home. She absolutely loves it, and I have to admit, I love having her here.

  When I get out of the truck, I hold my arms open and she flies into them. She’s so excited, her giddiness is contagious.

  “What’s going on?” I ask her.

  “Well, we’re going to have to move up the wedding,” she tells me, all serious now.

  “Fine. I’ve tried talking you into it for months now. What changed your mind?” I tug her hand to stop her from walking up the steps. She gets to the second step and turns around. She’s my height now and I smile at her when she turns around.

  Her hands stroke the beard that I’ve started growing before she puts her arms around my neck. “Because you’re going to be a daddy.”

  I feel a jolt through my whole system. Overcome with emotion, I don’t know whether to cry or to laugh. I think I do a little bit of both. “Really?” I ask her.

  “Yes,” she cries excitedly.

  Stunned, I just stare back at her. Her smile disappears. “Are you not happy?”

  I grip her shoulders. “Baby, you’ve made me the happiest man alive.”

  Ali

  I walk toward the grave site and lay the flowers down next to my gran’s grave. I talk to her a little bit. Filling her in on everything that’s happened since the last time I was here.

  I still miss my gran. But Ford and his family have taken me in and made me one of their own. I rub my belly, thinking about bringing my son or daughter into this loving family.

  I would have given anything to spend one more day with my grandmother. But I know she’s looking down on us.

  “I’m having a baby, Gran. I just told Ford, but I had to come here and tell you too. I know that you would give anything to meet your great granddaughter or son. I’ll make sure that they know who you are. But the reason I came is because I need to tell you that you were right. All those times you told me that there’s someone out there that will make me feel like I’m the most beautiful woman in the world. A man that will put all my needs before his and love me like I’ve never been loved before. Well, you were right. I found him, Gran. You don’t have to worry about me anymore. I’m happy. I miss you. I’ll always miss you. But I need you to know that I’m happy.”

  I turn around and look at where Ford is leaning against the truck. When he sees me turn toward him, I smile and he walks over to me. “C’mon, honey, let’s get you home.” And we walk hand in hand toward our future.

  THE END

  Cooper

  1

  Cooper

  Christmas 2018

  I pick up the envelope on my desk and look around the room thinking surely this is a joke. I never receive mail, except for maybe once a month from my mom. Every now and then I get a letter from my little sister Abby, but this isn’t from her either. It does have my name on it though, ‘MSgt. Cooper Tate.’ The white envelope is thick and the cursive writing on the front is definitely written by a woman. I trace along the return name, Ivy Campbell, and read the return address, Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It makes me wonder if this woman knows me somehow. My hometown is only an hour away from there. I can’t stop myself from bringing it up to my nose and inhaling. I can only imagine what all this letter has been through, but it still has a sweet, feminine smell to it.

  I shake my head at myself. Damn, you would think that I hadn’t been around a woman in a while. Thinking about it, I guess the only women I am around are in uniform. I go to the curtain that is supposed to be a door and look outside and watch everyone walk to the mess hall. There’s a few in Santa costumes, people are laughing and talking. Some of them are carrying around stockings. I’m thankful that even though we are away from home and our families, everyone is making the best of it.

  Pulling the divider closed, I walk back to my desk and sit down. I look at the name one more time before I open it, take out the piece of paper and start reading.

  MSgt. Cooper Tate,

  Hello. My name is Ivy Campbell. I am a 7th grade English teacher. We recently were asked to participate in the pen pal program with the Army. We ran out of students and I couldn’t not send you a letter. So, in turn, MSgt. Tate, you are the unlucky one to get a letter from the teacher.

  First of all, I want to make something clear. I’m sure you get letters from Army groupies all the time. I promise that’s not what I’m about. As a matter of fact, I have a boyfriend, so you don’t have to worry about any uncomfortable letters where I’m trying to hit on you. Actually, if your wife would be unhappy or if it’s uncomfortable for you to get letters from a woman, please let me know. I can switch with someone from class.

  Ok, since we’ve got that out of the way, I also want to thank you for your service. You are amazing. Yes, I already know that even though I’ve never met you. The fact that you serve in the United States Army, that you have left your family behind, that you put yourself on the line to protect our rights and freedom, well, Master Sergeant, I thank you… for all you do.


  I would love to know more about you. How long have you served? What made you join? And anything else you would want to tell me.

  So, in closing, I thought it would be fun to tell you ten things about me. So, here we go:

  1 – I am twenty-seven years old.

  2 – This is my first year teaching. (It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do.)

  3 – My family is everything. My father passed away a few years ago and so now it’s just me, my mom and my brother.

  4 – I love country music. I mean it’s probably unhealthy how much I love it. I always have it playing.

  5 – My best friend, Jenny, is also my roommate. We have been friends since kindergarten. She still hasn’t figured out what she wants to do with her life so I let her move in with me last year until she figures it out.

  6 – I love to bake. Cakes, cookies, pies, whatever. Do you have a favorite cookie? I could send you some if you’d like.

  7 – I live in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. And every day I take five minutes to just sit and look at the mountains – to me, they are breathtaking.

  8 – My dream is to some day be a successful author.

  9 – My favorite food is Italian. Comfort food at its finest.

  10 – Let’s see, wow this ten things is harder than I thought. I guess I can tell you that I’m considered a pushover. I’ve been known to let people walk all over me, but it’s something I’m working on.

  So… there it is. Me in a nutshell. Well, I would love to hear about you. However, I can imagine how busy you must be. If you don’t want to or if you’re just really busy, please understand that you don’t have to respond. But I hope you do.

  Regardless, thank you again for your service, MSgt. Tate. Please take care of yourself.