garage.
“Hey. How’s it going?” Her smile didn’t reach her eyes, and tension had returned to the set of her shoulders. I assumed she’d gotten into it with her mom about something.
“Your dad was showing me what he’s been working on ,” I said. “A birdhouse.”
“Oh my God, Dad, that’s gorgeous.” She crossed to the workbench and examined the multi -tiered, gingerbread-trimmed house. “You and Mom are getting into all sorts of new things.”
“Swinging too. You know us retirees, always looking for the next thrill.”
I blinked. Did I really hear that? Then both father and daughter were laughing together. So, Stan had a sense of humor. Who knew?
After a few moments of excla iming over her father’s project, Anna caught my eye. “Want to take Baby on a walk?”
I got the leash and hooked it onto the dog’s collar, but we barely got out of the garage before two cars pulled into the driveway. Cousin Chloe’s family and the aunt and uncle whose names I couldn’t remember were back already.
Haynes and Gulliver popped out of one car and raced toward us. “Can we play with Baby? Are you taking her on a walk? Can we go too?”
A s Anna hugged her aunt and uncle and everyone spoke loudly about different things, I stepped back from the noise. The gist of it all was that Holiday Wonderland had been a bust. The lines were too long. Anna’s aunt complained the flight from Florida had been terrible, and there’d been some sort of trouble getting the rental car. The uncle groused about how awful holiday traffic was, while Haynes and Gulliver continued to clamor that they really, really wanted to walk Baby.
Anna grabbed my hand, pulled me forward to introduce me and Baby to her relatives. I shook hands, said. “Pleased to meet you,” but inside I was withdrawing from the situation, sort of watching from a distance. Sometimes, when there’s too much happening, that’s the only way I can deal with it.
I offered to take the dog on a walk while Anna spent time with her family. I needed a breather and was grateful when Chloe refused her boys’ request to go with me.
“You two need to go inside now. Maybe you can play with the dog later .”
Anna’s mom and dad had come out of the house , and the greetings resumed. I inched away from the group. Baby pulled at the leash in my hand. She wanted to leave too.
Anna came over to me and touched my arm. “I want to talk to you when I get a chance, but right now I need to…” She gestured at the chattering family group.
“That’s okay. You go ahead,” I said. “Later.”
She nodded. “Later.” And her small smile seemed like a promise.
It felt good to crunch down the snow-covered sidewalk and breathe in fresh air. I was finished with people for a while. Baby didn’t expect anything from me but a nice, long walk and some dog chow afterward.
I walked past hedges and fences trimmed with holly and lights. All the houses were set far back from the road, but I caught glimpses of beautifully decorated homes. I turned at the first left and strolled past a lawn filled with a child’s fantasy of Santa’s workshop, another with a life-size nativity.
Baby pulled to the right, trying to get at a squirrel that shot up a tree. I gave her some slack, allowing her to lead me the direction she wanted to go. Poor girl had been cooped up too much over the past few days.
I walked facing a sharp breeze , and soon my cheeks and nose were numb. Time to start back , I decided. Rather than return the way I’d come, I decided to circle the block and approach from another direction. But what should’ve been the next right turn was a left only, and after that there was a three-way split. I took the path on the right. Hadn’t I been making right turns all along? Another one should eventually get me back where I started.
The wind blew harder, driving behind me now so at least my face was somewhat protected. My fingers and toes were getting cold despite my gloves
“Hey. How’s it going?” Her smile didn’t reach her eyes, and tension had returned to the set of her shoulders. I assumed she’d gotten into it with her mom about something.
“Your dad was showing me what he’s been working on ,” I said. “A birdhouse.”
“Oh my God, Dad, that’s gorgeous.” She crossed to the workbench and examined the multi -tiered, gingerbread-trimmed house. “You and Mom are getting into all sorts of new things.”
“Swinging too. You know us retirees, always looking for the next thrill.”
I blinked. Did I really hear that? Then both father and daughter were laughing together. So, Stan had a sense of humor. Who knew?
After a few moments of excla iming over her father’s project, Anna caught my eye. “Want to take Baby on a walk?”
I got the leash and hooked it onto the dog’s collar, but we barely got out of the garage before two cars pulled into the driveway. Cousin Chloe’s family and the aunt and uncle whose names I couldn’t remember were back already.
Haynes and Gulliver popped out of one car and raced toward us. “Can we play with Baby? Are you taking her on a walk? Can we go too?”
A s Anna hugged her aunt and uncle and everyone spoke loudly about different things, I stepped back from the noise. The gist of it all was that Holiday Wonderland had been a bust. The lines were too long. Anna’s aunt complained the flight from Florida had been terrible, and there’d been some sort of trouble getting the rental car. The uncle groused about how awful holiday traffic was, while Haynes and Gulliver continued to clamor that they really, really wanted to walk Baby.
Anna grabbed my hand, pulled me forward to introduce me and Baby to her relatives. I shook hands, said. “Pleased to meet you,” but inside I was withdrawing from the situation, sort of watching from a distance. Sometimes, when there’s too much happening, that’s the only way I can deal with it.
I offered to take the dog on a walk while Anna spent time with her family. I needed a breather and was grateful when Chloe refused her boys’ request to go with me.
“You two need to go inside now. Maybe you can play with the dog later .”
Anna’s mom and dad had come out of the house , and the greetings resumed. I inched away from the group. Baby pulled at the leash in my hand. She wanted to leave too.
Anna came over to me and touched my arm. “I want to talk to you when I get a chance, but right now I need to…” She gestured at the chattering family group.
“That’s okay. You go ahead,” I said. “Later.”
She nodded. “Later.” And her small smile seemed like a promise.
It felt good to crunch down the snow-covered sidewalk and breathe in fresh air. I was finished with people for a while. Baby didn’t expect anything from me but a nice, long walk and some dog chow afterward.
I walked past hedges and fences trimmed with holly and lights. All the houses were set far back from the road, but I caught glimpses of beautifully decorated homes. I turned at the first left and strolled past a lawn filled with a child’s fantasy of Santa’s workshop, another with a life-size nativity.
Baby pulled to the right, trying to get at a squirrel that shot up a tree. I gave her some slack, allowing her to lead me the direction she wanted to go. Poor girl had been cooped up too much over the past few days.
I walked facing a sharp breeze , and soon my cheeks and nose were numb. Time to start back , I decided. Rather than return the way I’d come, I decided to circle the block and approach from another direction. But what should’ve been the next right turn was a left only, and after that there was a three-way split. I took the path on the right. Hadn’t I been making right turns all along? Another one should eventually get me back where I started.
The wind blew harder, driving behind me now so at least my face was somewhat protected. My fingers and toes were getting cold despite my gloves
Similar Books
