be expensive, but she could dip into her newly acquired savings to fund the trip. Whatever gifts he sent, she would take with her. She could just take all of Maddie’s presents from Santa too. She wondered vaguely if she would be able to find a tree to put in his room. Did he share a room or have one to himself? Tara dropped her head to the table and realized that she’d already made her mind up.
Tara picked her head up and rubbed her eyes. “Madelynn!” She called her daughter, who was playing with her dolls in her room. “Come here a second honey!”
Madelynn came running into the kitchen. “Yes, Mommy?”
“Do you remember my friend? I told you he was sick and very lonely?” Tara pulled Madelynn onto her lap.
“Yes, ma’am. He was on the phone answerer on Thanksgiving.” Madelynn looked up at Tara curiously.
“Well, he’s going to be all alone at Christmas. Would you like to take a special trip this Christmas and go see him? We can tell Santa where you’ll be so he can deliver all your presents, and we will make my friend very, very happy.” Tara couldn’t do this if Madelynn wasn’t on board.
Madelynn looked thoughtfully at Tara with wide eyes. “We’re going to go see your friend so he won’t be lonely anymore?”
“Only if you want to. That means we wouldn’t go to Grandma’s for Christmas.” Tara wanted to make sure Maddie could make an informed decision, even for a five-year-old.
Madelynn looked down thoughtfully. “I want to go see your friend so he’s not lonely anymore. But I like going to Grandma’s for Christmas.” She paused, working it out in her head. “But Aunt Tina and Baby Kayla will be there too, so Grandma and Grandpa won’t be lonely.” She finally looked up at Tara, a fierce and determined light in her eyes that looked so much like Michael. “I don’t want your friend to be lonely, Mommy.”
Tara’s heart squeezed. “Okay, honey. I think he will be very happy that he doesn’t have to be alone.” Eyes watering, she put Madelynn down and went to reserve a hotel room for them.
* * * *
“You’re going where? ” Rebecca stared at Tara incredulously.
Sara and Callie stared at her too, their mouths opening and closing in shock. Tara had known she’d get a reaction out of them. She reached into the bowl of popcorn and popped a few kernels in her mouth. Girls’ night this week was popcorn and the Twilight movies.
“I said that Madelynn and I are going to go see Michael for Christmas. We’re skipping out on everyone else and going to share it with him instead.” She slurped her margarita and paused the movie.
Sara blinked twice and then said, “You’re going to spend Christmas with him? Last month you weren’t even going to cash the check, and now you’re spending Christmas with him?”
Tara eyed their nearly empty margarita glasses and determined it was time for a new pitcher. Motioning for her friends to follow, she got up and went to the kitchen. “He’s alone, and it’s Christmas. He’s trying so hard, and he’s having a lot of trouble right now with PTSD. I just want to be on level playing ground, you know? It’s not fair if he’s trapped in the psychiatric ward with a shrink for company. Besides, it’s the least I can do after all he’s done. Do you realize that it’s because of him that Maddie and I are going to have so many gifts this year? Things have been so tight for the past few years that we’ve just had to make do with what we have. It’s nice to splurge.”
“I see you didn’t splurge on curtains yet,” Callie muttered, pulling strawberries out of the refrigerator.
“I will have you know,” Tara said, liberally dumping tequila into the blender, “that I have the curtains. I just haven’t hung them up yet.”
Sara paused in the process of pulling ice out of the freezer. “Then where the hell are they? Rebecca and I will hang them while you and Callie finish making the drinks.”
Tara took the ice from her and
Tara picked her head up and rubbed her eyes. “Madelynn!” She called her daughter, who was playing with her dolls in her room. “Come here a second honey!”
Madelynn came running into the kitchen. “Yes, Mommy?”
“Do you remember my friend? I told you he was sick and very lonely?” Tara pulled Madelynn onto her lap.
“Yes, ma’am. He was on the phone answerer on Thanksgiving.” Madelynn looked up at Tara curiously.
“Well, he’s going to be all alone at Christmas. Would you like to take a special trip this Christmas and go see him? We can tell Santa where you’ll be so he can deliver all your presents, and we will make my friend very, very happy.” Tara couldn’t do this if Madelynn wasn’t on board.
Madelynn looked thoughtfully at Tara with wide eyes. “We’re going to go see your friend so he won’t be lonely anymore?”
“Only if you want to. That means we wouldn’t go to Grandma’s for Christmas.” Tara wanted to make sure Maddie could make an informed decision, even for a five-year-old.
Madelynn looked down thoughtfully. “I want to go see your friend so he’s not lonely anymore. But I like going to Grandma’s for Christmas.” She paused, working it out in her head. “But Aunt Tina and Baby Kayla will be there too, so Grandma and Grandpa won’t be lonely.” She finally looked up at Tara, a fierce and determined light in her eyes that looked so much like Michael. “I don’t want your friend to be lonely, Mommy.”
Tara’s heart squeezed. “Okay, honey. I think he will be very happy that he doesn’t have to be alone.” Eyes watering, she put Madelynn down and went to reserve a hotel room for them.
* * * *
“You’re going where? ” Rebecca stared at Tara incredulously.
Sara and Callie stared at her too, their mouths opening and closing in shock. Tara had known she’d get a reaction out of them. She reached into the bowl of popcorn and popped a few kernels in her mouth. Girls’ night this week was popcorn and the Twilight movies.
“I said that Madelynn and I are going to go see Michael for Christmas. We’re skipping out on everyone else and going to share it with him instead.” She slurped her margarita and paused the movie.
Sara blinked twice and then said, “You’re going to spend Christmas with him? Last month you weren’t even going to cash the check, and now you’re spending Christmas with him?”
Tara eyed their nearly empty margarita glasses and determined it was time for a new pitcher. Motioning for her friends to follow, she got up and went to the kitchen. “He’s alone, and it’s Christmas. He’s trying so hard, and he’s having a lot of trouble right now with PTSD. I just want to be on level playing ground, you know? It’s not fair if he’s trapped in the psychiatric ward with a shrink for company. Besides, it’s the least I can do after all he’s done. Do you realize that it’s because of him that Maddie and I are going to have so many gifts this year? Things have been so tight for the past few years that we’ve just had to make do with what we have. It’s nice to splurge.”
“I see you didn’t splurge on curtains yet,” Callie muttered, pulling strawberries out of the refrigerator.
“I will have you know,” Tara said, liberally dumping tequila into the blender, “that I have the curtains. I just haven’t hung them up yet.”
Sara paused in the process of pulling ice out of the freezer. “Then where the hell are they? Rebecca and I will hang them while you and Callie finish making the drinks.”
Tara took the ice from her and
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