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“Son-of-a-bitch!”
“Damnit! You’re going to fucking kill me!” yelled Ghost. Trak smirked at them, nodding.
“I might be old, but I haven’t lost my skills. As I was saying, we can create love for them. We’re doing it through this. We’re creating love by showing love.”
The men all stared at Trak, waiting for him to continue. You always knew when he had a lot to say. He would get this big crease across his forehead, his eyes scanning their faces. Waiting for the perfect moment to speak, but with carefully chosen words and expression. He was deep in thought for a moment. Then he would purse his lips and release a long, slow breath, then begin speaking again.
“When I came here for the first time, all those years ago, your mother showed me motherly love that I didn’t know I needed or wanted. Do you know how?” The brothers all shook their heads, looking at one another. “It wasn’t by buying me things. It wasn’t by telling me she loved me, although she did. That damn woman told me a dozen times that she loved me before I started believing it. But she showed me.
“She made fry bread for me, cooked my favorite foods, gave me the cottage furthest from all the others so I could have my peace. Sometimes, I would be so lost; I would be so deep in thought in a dark place, and she would reach for my hand and squeeze it, smiling at me. That simple act, the simple touch of her hand seemed to right my world. It would bring me back to the present, not lost in the past.”
Gaspar smiled at Miller, nodding his head. The others did the same, knowing what Trak was saying.
“She would hug me. For no reason at all. I would be walking around the grounds or through the big house, and she’d yell at me, ‘Trak, baby, come on over here. I need a hug.’ She didn’t need the hug, I did. But no woman ever had hugged me without reason, and especially a woman that didn’t comment about the scars on my back. She knew they were there. She could feel them, but she said nothing.
“When we left, she hugged me so tightly, I thought she might break my back. Honestly. She whispered in my ear that I was loved. Deeply loved. She kissed my cheek, and then your father stepped forward. Big, strong, somewhat intimidating, even to me. He gripped my shoulders, kissed my forehead, and said, ‘you might be the finest warrior I know, and you are my son. Never forget that.’ That’s how I knew I was loved. And that’s how these children will know. We will show them.”
There was silence in the air. Nothing except the brisk November wind and the sounds of rustling leaves. A crane made a call to his mate while a brown pelican dove into the bayou for his mid-day meal. With a splash, he flew skyward with his daily catch, and they watched the majestic wings span out and take him back to his nest.
“You’ve never shared that before,” said Rafe.
“I never had reason to share it before. Old age is making me reminisce more. Between your parents, meeting Lauren, and all of you, my life changed. We can change the lives of these children,” he said thoughtfully.
“You’re a real puzzle some days, Trak,” smirked Miller.
“I try.”
“Alright, I’d say we begin Operation Père Noël,” said Nine. “But. Let’s keep it quiet from the women if we can. I want everyone to be surprised by this. Let’s spend more time than usual at the school and the orphanage, get a feel for what these boys and girls might truly need.”
“Hey, what if we could find homes for some of them? I mean, I know we have case workers always trying to pair them with families, but if we helped, it could be a holiday miracle,” said Luc.
“I love it,” smiled Gaspar. “Let’s just clear all of that through Calla, Bree, and Ashley. They’ll be handling all of that.”
“Where are we going to hide everything?” asked Ghost.
“The Sugar Lodge?” said Ian.
“No, we can’t. That’s where everyone hides their gifts for our kids. No, we need to find somewhere else. Any storage at the garage?” Nine asked Whiskey.
“Very little, and it would get grease and paint all over it. We could work on shit there but not store it.”
“Let’s just rent a storage unit or two,” said Code. “There’s a new storage facility just a mile or two up the road. I can rent it under the name of the café, and we’ll just load everything in there until Christmas Eve.”
“I do believe we have a plan,” nodded Ian with a wide smile.
“Now, y’all know it ain’t gonna be that easy,” laughed Tailor. “I love our wives, but they’re about as nosey as they come. And your mama, she knows everything. How are we gonna keep this a secret from her?”
“It’s not gonna be easy,” said Alec with a thoughtful expression. “In my experience, Mama knows when you’re lying. Just be as honest as you can be without giving it all away.”
“And the ghosts?” asked Teddy.
“Oh, shit. Right,” frowned Nine.
“Don’t you worry about us,” smiled Nathan, walking toward the men.Grip, Tony, Yori, and Franklinwere with him. “We’ll make sure Martha and Claudette say nothing. We’ll even help where we can.”
“How will you do that?” asked Gaspar. “Y’all learn to swing a hammer in ghost land?”
“Don’t be a smartass,” frowned Grip. “No. We can’t swing a hammer, but we can divert attention sometimes. Plant a thought that will distract them from what they were going to do.”
