by Katz, Avery
“Oh, Gregory!” Mother flung her arms around me and started to cry. “I was so worried about you.” She quickly scanned my body for injuries with one hand over her heart. “Is anything broken? Do you need an operation? Our family physician told us to fly you out to Raplen as soon as possible.”
Rupert, Danny, and Nathan surrounded the bed along with my father who looked visibly worried. Quin came back from the cafeteria to find them all fussing over me. He offered to buy them coffee, but Nathan and Danny insisted on going down there and fetching coffee for everyone. My husband sat down next to me and filled them in on what really happened. His voice filled with both pride and heartbreak when he told them about my failed attempts at stopping the Lexus. He also jokingly complained about my terrible culinary skills. I was so thrilled to have him here beside me. I even grabbed him and kissed him in full view of everyone. Aunt Edith mumbled her disapproval in the background, but they all turned around and told her to shut up. It was fucking hilarious.
Nathan and Danny brought in chairs from the waiting room so everyone could sit and drink their coffee. My parents exchanged funny tales about us growing up. It was fun listening to them talk about something other than state affairs and politics for a change. There was so much love in the room. I felt blessed to have such a wonderful family. Danny ruffled my hair and called me a doofus for putting myself in harm’s way. Rupert pinched my cheeks until our mother yelled at him to stop. “How about we take a picture to commemorate this historical visit to the United States?” He proposed. “Sorry, brother. I know you’re injured, but we really are witnessing a once-in-a-lifetime event here. We’re in a hospital in San Francisco of all places!”
“True. Go ahead. We need to make new memories starting now.”
“Yes, we do.” Quin smiled and kissed my cheek.
“Okay, people! Say cheese!”
Epilogue
QUIN
Christmas in Raplen was the icing on the cake for us. Greg and I were more than happy to ditch California and its warm weather in favor of winter wonderland at my husband’s home country. After successfully launching two apps and an interactive game for children, I decided to take a long vacation to celebrate my achievements. I deserved a break after years of sleepless nights and stressful weekends. I had to sacrifice family time and plenty of other recreational activities in order to start my business. Now, with a steady stream of clients and a stable income, I was able to lie back and relax. Adley was already in preschool, so Greg and I decided to invest in her future by starting a college fund. We wanted our baby to grow up without having to worry about student loans. I knew plenty of friends who were still paying off their university loans. It prevented them from traveling, buying new cars or even sending their kids to private school.
Greg was too protective of our daughter. She was almost three with the spirit of a five-year-old. She was smart for her age and incredibly perceptive. She loved nature and was kind to animals. A few months ago, we took her to a cat shelter where she fell in love with an orange tabby. He was a fluffy little thing with pink paws and eyes the color of topaz. We ended up taking him home with us. Adley had so much compassion for the little guy. She named him Garfield. He was so naughty, so we bought him a bunch of toys to keep him busy. Greg also built him a cat tree with sisal branches so he’d stop scratching the furniture. Garfield had him wrapped around his pink paws. My husband moved his real estate business to San Francisco. He made new friends and connections in the city, so he was able to build a brand-new client base. Working in real estate granted him the opportunity to find a permanent home for us. Somewhere other than the penthouse on Sea Cliff.
Luckily, we found a charming English Tudor house in Presidio Heights. It had such a unique location, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city center. It stretched over an area of twelve thousand square feet and had bay windows that overlooked a garden of oak, cypress and Monterey pine trees. It was the perfect spot for us to relax and unwind after a long day at work. It felt like our very own miniature castle with nine bedrooms and a large terrace where we could have our morning coffee. We decided to purchase a large estate in order to accommodate Greg’s family. His mom and dad enjoyed their time in the city, so they promised to come visit us on a yearly basis. His brothers and my twin sisters were also on board with spending Easter with us. I personally loved having them around. They got along with Hannah and made my mother laugh. The old biddy, like Greg used to say, was more affectionate towards him now.
We moved to our new house right before Thanksgiving. The moving process was a nightmare. We had to go furniture shopping after work which was very hectic. We also hired an interior decorator to help us with the second floor. The previous owner had horrible taste in everything, from wallpaper to floor tiles. The house felt like it was stuck in the eighties. It needed a major upgrade. Mom offered to help with the kitchen, so we gave her the green light to choose the theme, color palette, and kitchen appliances. We kept our expectations low. Little did we know that she was going to blow our minds with her choice of decor. The kitchen turned out to be modern chic with French-style cabinets, snowflake chandeliers and a beautiful island made of Italian marble. She blew it out of the park. Greg and I took her out to dinner in celebration. It took us three weeks to remodel different sections of the house. She saved us plenty of time by handling the kitchen herself.
There were times when I thought about Wendy. She would have loved our new Tudor home. Adley would sometimes ask about her. She saw the kids at preschool with their own mothers, so it was natural for her to ask about her mommy. I wished things could have taken a nontragic turn. Maybe my ex-wife and I would have found a way to co-parent with Greg acting as a buffer between us. I certainly did not wish her dead. The last thing I wanted was for Addy to grow up without a mom. Hannah, Leah, and Louisa did their best to fill that empty motherhood chair.
Speaking of my sisters, Greg surprised me with a trip to Florida on my birthday. It was one of the best weekends ever. It was even better than the time I won a PlayStation on the radio and they flew me over to Forest City to take a tour of the Sony PlayStation headquarters. Greg handed me the keys to our new beach house, which was two streets away from my sisters. We celebrated by jumping into the pool with our clothes on and drinking beer on the deck.
Making new memories with my hubby was my favorite pastime. We were able to squeeze in one more getaway weekend in Florida before Christmas. December was my favorite month because unlike other companies, our business year ended in January. I took my well-earned vacation the second we launched our client’s app. My team promised to keep tabs on the software and its user interface while I did my Christmas shopping. I jotted down a list of gifts to buy. It was a very extensive list. The longest I had ever written. It included silver charms and tennis bracelets for my sisters, a Louis Vuitton bag for Mom, an assortment of Chanel scarves for Queen Emmeline, and vintage cufflinks for Rupert and Danny.
Greg was also on a shopping excursion in another mall. He wanted us to do our shopping at different locations in order to keep his gifts under wraps. He was so good at this shopping thing. He finished buying his presents in two days. I was so jealous of his efficiency. I bought my very last gift while we were at the airport. It was so last minute. Greg teased me about it when we boarded the plane. We spent the twelve-hour flight watching movies, listening to podcasts, and chatting about Aunt Edith. We got her an inflatable sex toy as a joke. Greg was so excited about showing it to his homophobic, stuffy aunt.
We arrived in Raplen just in time to witness the first snowfall.
The valleys and hills were coated in a layer of white icing. The entire city looked like a gingerbread masterpiece. The houses were tastefully decorated with Christmas lights. Even Lockridge Palace had its fair share of festive spirit. The statues were illuminated in red and green, and the alabaster walls were draped in intricate fairy lights that resembled snowflakes. The cheerful vibe extended all the way to the interior of the palace. Ther
e were Christmas trees sprinkled here, there, and everywhere. Greg laughed and admitted that his grandmother was not only obsessed with tulips but had an equal obsession with Christmas decorations. The staterooms, bedrooms, and library were all furnished with cherry-red carpets, crimson candles, and poinsettia.
Everyone greeted us upon our arrival. The whole family was home for the holidays. The palace was bustling with staff who served eggnog, mulled wine, and this amazing Raplen drink called Snowball. It consisted of tequila, vanilla, cinnamon, milk, and a secret ingredient only the royal chef knew about. Queen Emmeline sat in the middle of the drawing room and entertained her guests. Some of Greg’s distant cousins were also invited to the palace. Their kids were busy decorating the Christmas tree in the corner of the room. My mother in law carried Adley in her arms while she hung a glittery angel on one of the branches. Greg squeezed my hand and took pictures of our daughter with his phone. His gallery had more than a hundred videos of our kid.
The room smelled like cinnamon sticks and cookie dough. My stomach growled embarrassingly loud at the thought of tender turkey, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce. I loved cranberry sauce. I was looking forward to my first Christmas dinner in Raplen. The four-course meal was supposed to be the definition of foodgasm.
“Hello. Would you care for some sustainable hot cocoa?” Danny offered us the temptingly hot drinks with a smile. “Yes, Quin. We’re trying to go green around here.”
“Fantastic.” My husband grinned. “See? You’ve been rubbing off on the whole family.”
“Great. I told the Queen earlier about installing LED lights in the hallways. Embracing environmentally sound practices is really important for the monarchy.”
“True. Just don’t ask her to cut back on the tulips, or she’ll execute you.”
We chatted for a while about Danny’s horse kingdom. The last time we were at his estate, I tried to ride one of his elegant palominos. Needless to say, I fell off the horse like an idiot, so he offered me a Shetland pony to ride instead. It was all so embarrassing.
“So, where the hell is Tommy? I need to ask him about his latest masterpiece. Everyone’s been telling me that he painted my magnificent self jumping on a pogo stick. As if I would ever touch a fucking pogo stick.” Greg said.
“Yeah. He included most of us in his latest painting. I smacked him upside the head the last time I saw him. He painted a portrait of me somewhere in the Sahara, riding a unicorn,” Danny said. “As for his current whereabouts. Well, that, my dear brother, is a long story.”
“So what? Nights like this are made for long stories. Am I right?” He nudged my side with his elbow. “Hey, hubbs. Stop fantasizing about dinner, or you’ll end up with a boner.”
“Right.” I cleared my throat. “Go ahead, Danny. We’re all ears.”
“Well, grandmother Emmeline offered her luxury cabin in the alps to Evan Spencer who Tommy despises. The artists wanted to paint the landscape during winter. Tommy boy is on his way up there to kick him out of the property despite it being offered to him by our lovely Queen.”
“Oh, is this the same guy I saw Tommy kissing in the study?” I asked.
“What?! You saw them kissing?” They both said at the same time, their eyes wider than saucers.
“Uhm. I believe so.”
“Hmm...there’s more to those two than meets the eye,” Danny mused.
“Yeah. This is strange indeed. I guess there is a thin line between love and hate after all.” Greg chuckled.
Adley, who was sitting by the tree, suddenly got up and walked over to us. She flung her arms around Greg and asked him about Santa. He laughed and told her Santa was going to surprise her early tomorrow with gifts and season’s greetings.
I wrapped my arm around the love of my life and kissed his cheek.
“Dinner is served, Your Highness.” The butler bowed to Queen Emmeline and opened the doors to the lavish dining room. We got up and followed her into said room. Meanwhile, the nanny gathered all the kids and escorted them to the nursery.
I drooled at the sight of the carved turkey and cranberry sauce. The staff first served us a bowl of butternut squash soup followed by a light smoked salmon salad. I rubbed my hands together in excitement when it was time for the main course. The turkey was perfection. I never wanted my meal to end. Greg shook his head in amusement and watched me eat with a tender look in his eyes.
After dinner, we returned to the drawing room with full bellies. I could hardly move.
“In an effort to add a touch of family fun to this party, I have decided to invite you all on a scavenger hunt. You will do all the work while I sit here and drink more mulled wine.”
“Yay!” Lizzie clapped her hands together. “I love treasure hunts.”
The Queen sat in her chair and smoothed down the taffeta fabric of her dress. “Most of you know that the palace has a recently renovated museum. It contains prized antiques and ancient artifacts, some of which were shipped all the way from Africa, Asia, and the Far East. I want you to divide yourselves into two groups and take the following list...” She motioned for the butler to distribute the papers he was carrying in his hands. “And grab a Polaroid camera from the hall of mirrors. You will use your cameras to document your findings. The first group that locates and photographs all the items on the list will be rewarded.”
“Excellent.” Danny grinned. “So, who wants to be in my group?”
Greg and I joined forces with Lizzie, her husband, and Freddy. Rupert, Danny, Nathan, and their distant cousin, Eleanor, formed our rival group. We went over the list and then grabbed our camera from the hall of mirrors. The older royals chose to sit back and relax. Lady Edith warned us not to stare at the painting in the gallery. She said it was haunted.
“Sorry to burst your bubble, dear Aunt, but the whole palace is haunted. I used to see a shadowy figure in the Tapestry Room every Thursday at midnight. True story,” Rupert said.
“Could you please stop bringing up all this creepy nonsense?” Lizzie sighed. “Ghosts are not real, Santa does not exist, and the third floor is not haunted by Napoleon.”
“He did, however, visit Lockridge Palace once,” Queen Emmeline said.
“Wow. Really?”
“Yes.” She nodded. “But that is a tale for another day. Now go before your time runs out. You have an hour to locate all thirty items. Good luck.”
We moved down the hallway like we were on a mission. It took us around ten minutes to reach the gallery. It was unbelievably big, with glass cases, dark grey walls, and a spooky vibe. The first item on the list was a bronze statue that once belonged to a Chinese emperor. Greg quickly took an instant picture of the dragon before moving on to the next item.
As a man of technology, I was fascinated by the many tools and weapons we found at the museum. People from all over the world used their creativity and imagination to craft things like hammers, spoons, goblets, and spears to aid them in their daily chores. The deeper we ventured into the gallery, the more we lost track of time. “Shit. Is that a mummy? Do we have a fucking mummy in the palace?” Greg said, sounding a tad bit freaked out.
“Relax. It’s just a replica of Ramses the Second’s mummy,” Lizzie told him.
“Gee. Since when did you become Lara Croft?” Fred teased his sister.
“It says so on the display case. Duh.”
We rounded the corner and found twelve display cases. Each case had a different name on it.
“What the hell?”
It turned out that the treasure hunt was fake. The rest of the items did not exist. The Queen simply wanted to surprise us all with individual Christmas gifts. I walked over to my display case and found the new iPhone waiting for me. I quickly grabbed the box and opened it to find a custom made cover with my initials on it.
“Yes!” Danny exclaimed. “Guess what?”
“What?”
“Grandmother is sending me off to the royal horse training center in Switzerland!”
Lizzie r
eceived a Birkin Bag. She happily carried it out of the gallery with a pep in her step. All of the gifts were amazing and thoughtful. Greg showed me his brand new silver Rolex and congratulated me on my new iPhone. I didn’t realize that it was encrusted with real diamonds until we made it back to the drawing room. The phone literally sparkled in the light. It was a subtle kind of sparkling. Not too flashy yet enough to catch anyone’s attention.
I thanked Queen Emmeline for her wonderful gift and showed it to Lizzie. She and I bonded over our love for New York and deep-fried pizza. She was interested in creating an app for her new boutique, so I invited her over to San Francisco to do some brainstorming over cookies and cocoa tea. The kids later joined us and sang a collection of Christmas carols. Adley looked so adorable in her unicorn onesie. Greg took more pictures of her, this time with the Polaroid camera. She did a little twirl to show off her new costume and blew him a kiss.
“Great. My daughter is on the path to becoming an Instagram model.” I laughed.
Later that night, the kids put out cookies and milk for Santa. They had no idea that Greg was planning on dressing up as the old bearded man from the North Pole to surprise them in the morning. We kissed everyone goodnight and retired to our bedroom at midnight. I changed out of my striped suit and watched Greg practice his Santa voice in the mirror. It was hilarious.
“What’s so funny?” He raised an eyebrow and stroked his fake beard.
“Nothing.” I chuckled. “You forgot to ask me if I was naughty or nice this year.”
“Ah. Yes. Maybe I should spank you either way. How does that sound?”
“Sounds like a plan, Mr. Claus.”
