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“Love you, too.”
I hung up and realized I would not be getting any sleep that night. Besides the fact that I now had to worry about making my own flight, I also had to call Luke back, and make sure my parents found their passports. At least I didn’t have to worry about Sierra for once in my life.
I knew all of the stress and chaos would be worth it if we could just get everyone to Switzerland in one piece. It wasn’t going to be easy, but I was going to make damn sure it was the best vacation we had ever had.
2
OWEN
“Girls,” I called from the bottom of the stairs, “where are my ski goggles?”
I heard giggling from around the corner, and started marching up the steps to see what all the commotion was about. I rounded the corner, and my two darling daughters were in fits of laughter wearing all of my ski gear. Helmet, goggles, gloves, and more were spread up and down the hallway as they tried to escape my grasp.
“Hey! Get back here!”
More giggles, which made it difficult for them to run. Laila looked back at me over her shoulder, her curly red hair bouncing as she ran.
“Run, Cora! He’s going to catch us!”
Cora glanced back at me, but then tripped over her own feet and went flying to the floor. I paused for a moment, waiting for the inevitable tears, but they never came. Instead, she started laughing and laughing, and Laila and I couldn’t help but join in.
I scooped my little 3-year-old into my arms and hugged her close.
“That was a big fall. Are you okay?”
She nodded her head and tried to free herself from my arms, but I carried her down the length of the hallway and into the girls’ bedroom. Despite having plenty of extra space and spare bedrooms, the girls insisted on sharing a room.
“Alright, girls, we’re leaving for our trip tomorrow. Let’s make sure we have everything packed.”
“Daddy,” Cora’s little voice called from her bed where I placed her, “can I bring Mr. Flopsy?”
She clutched her stuffed bunny to her chest and stared at me with big, green eyes. She had eyes exactly like her mother’s, and I wouldn’t dare say no to such an innocent request.
“Of course you can. We can’t go on a family vacation without Mr. Flopsy.”
“If she brings Mr. Flopsy, I want to bring Dee Dee!” Laila argued as she held her stuffed lion above her head, jumping up and down.
“Alright Laila, you can bring Dee Dee.”
“Daddy?” the girls both asked in unison.
“One stuffed animal each. Pick your favorite one. But no more than that, okay?”
They grumbled their agreement and started searching through all of their choices. While they debated, I searched their suitcases to ensure they had everything they needed. Our wonderful nanny, Beth, had been slowly packing for them over the last week, and I trusted her completely to make sure they were ready to go, but it still made me feel better to take a look for myself.
I walked over to each of the girls’ beds and placed a kiss on the top of their heads. I read them a story, and then turned the lights out as I left the room.
I walked down the long hallway to my bedroom and flicked on the light. Unfortunately, I didn’t have anyone to pack for me, and my suitcase sat empty in a corner, just a few pairs of socks tossed inside it. I flopped down onto the bed and closed my eyes.
This was our fourth year in a row of going on a Christmas vacation, ever since Cora was just 9 months old, and I feared it would never get any easier, but staying home wasn’t an option, either.
Before my wife’s passing,she loved Christmas. It was her favorite holiday, and she always went all out with decorating, baking, and gift-giving. She was a phenomenal person whose essence was Christmas.
She’d start decorating the week before Thanksgiving, and it seemed overnight, our apartment turned from a normal home into something you’d see in a Christmas catalog or a Hallmark movie. I wasn’t sure how she did it, and she wouldn’t ever let me help her.
“This is like therapy for me,” she’d say. “I love doing it, and I like to see your face when you wake up in the morning and see it all done.”
I learned early on in our relationship not to argue with her. But the truth of the matter was she was usually right. Okay, she was pretty much always right. It was easier if I just went along with what she told me to do.
