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Mom watches as Pops stands up and walks over to the Christmas tree. He bends down and picks up a box and carries it back to Mom.
"What's this?" she asks as he sits back down at the dining room table.
"It's a Christmas gift," he tells her.
"For me?"
He grins. "Yeah. Of course, I didn't know Silas was coming, so now you might not like the gift at all. I thought it was going to be a quiet Christmas here, just your Mom and me," he says to me.
I shake my head. "I'm not trying to ruin your plans."
"Oh, you're not, sweetheart," Mom says, clasping my hand. She unties the bow of the box and unwraps the paper that is bright red. It's a small, slim box, the size of a bracelet box or something like that. But when she opens the lid, there's no jewelry. Instead, there's a piece of paper folded in thirds. "What's this?" she asks, looking at my pops.
He can't help but grin. "I got us tickets. That honeymoon we never had. We fly out in the morning, 6:00 a.m., which means I was planning on us leaving right after midnight mass so we can make it over the mountains and to the airport in time."
Mom presses a hand to her heart. "Oh my goodness, really?"
My eyes are wide as I take in the scene. It's awfully romantic. My parents have never had a real vacation, and I know Mom over the years has always talked about wanting to go to the big island. She loves her coffee and wants to tour all those coffee roasters, go to the black sand beach, and walk across a volcano. I know she's thinking all of this, taking it all in as she reads the paper out loud. "Ten nights on Kona," she says, looking at my pops. "Hank, how can we afford this? How?"
“I've been saving," he tells her. "I wanted to surprise you. And..." He looks over at me. "Sorry, Son. I really didn't think you were going to be here, but..."
"No," I say, "this is literally Mom's dream come true." Pops’ cheeks are red as if he's embarrassed to be bringing the girl he loves so much joy. Mom stands up from the table and walks over to her husband, wrapping her arms around him and giving him a gentle kiss. I watch in awe, knowing one day I want that kind of love. Love that lasts forever.
And sure, I may be some hard-knock kid in the Navy, but when I see them right now, I know what they have is something special.
"The honeymoon we never had," she says.
"I hope it's not too late," Pops says back.
She shakes her head. "There's no such thing as too late, not when we have right now."
I think maybe my mom's on to something. I also have right now.
I have tonight, and I have a feeling I'm going to find my miracle, too.
4
MIRACLE
Getting out of the house is nearly impossible. Four girls, all wanting to look their best, and a dad who's standing at the door saying, "We're going to be late." Everyone's in a tizzy. And I'm focused on getting the food from dinner into the refrigerator before we leave for church.
“Seriously, Miracle,” Sparkle says, "the food could get put away in an hour. We don't want to be late. Come on."
"Okay,” I say, knowing she's right, and setting down the Tupperware on the counter. She has my red wool coat in her hands and offers it to me. "Thanks, sis,” I say.
I slide it on and reach for the gloves in my pockets. And then just like that, the four Lane girls are walking out the door with our dad. It's a small town, which means the light pollution is low, and there are stars twinkling in the sky. The houses all along the street are lit up with Christmas lights, and there's a feeling of hope in the air. I look over at Dad as I walk.
He asks me to stay back, and he links his arm through mine. "I know you've had a big month," he tells me, "making the big choices you did."
"You swear you're not disappointed in me?" I ask. “I’ve been talking about being a nun since I was a little girl, and then I only lasted a few years.”
"Disappointed?" He pats my hand. "That's not even remotely possible. How could I be disappointed in my daughter following her heart? I think that's the one thing every dad wants for their kid."
As we cross the street, my boots sink into the snow with each step we take, even though these sidewalks have been cleared over and over again. The church is at the end of the street all lit up, and there are other families walking toward the building.
"I have a confession," Dad says.
I smile. "Maybe you should leave that for the priest."
