Midnight in Suburbia

NaNoWriMo Day 6: Chapter 6 - Daniella: Candy Cane Memories

Chapter 6: Daniella Coffey
Candy Cane Memores

Daniella sit at the dining room table with her hands around a mug of hot chocolate. On the table, a yellow legal sized tablet with the words "Thursday, November 6, 2013 To Do List" at the top. A blue ball point pin rested on top of the tablet, while Daniella stared into the steaming cup of chocolate. She could not focus on tomorrow's schedule, instead visions of Christmases past played through her mind like a video tape on rewind.

"Dani," said Preston walking into the room and placing his briefcase on the table. "Are you cold?"

"No, Press," she smile as he kissed her on the cheek. "I'm in a nostaligic mood and hot chocolate seems to help."

"What brought this one?"

"Thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas," she picked up the pen and wrote down purchase three boxes of candy canes. "I'll miss Christmas in Oklahoma."

"You'll be there on Thanksgiving," his brown wrinkled. "I know it's not Christmas, but..."

"Christmas was always special," she wrote purchase stamps for Christmas cards on the list. "At Christmas, it was only Mama, Papa Larry, Ethan, and me. No of the other family came to interfere with our special traditions."

"Didn't your Uncle Rodger or Aunt Dolly drop by on Christmas Day?"

"No," she laughed, "Aunt Dolly always made Thanksgiving miserable, but on Christmas she stayed away. She was always too busy putting on her swanky Christmas party to bother with us." Daniella added pick out Merry Christmas card for Dolly with a Christmas Tree or Santa Clause on the front. "She always sent word that Papa Larry was invited, but would he please leave his family at home. Papa Larry always remained at home on Christmas because he said 'If my family isn't welcome, then I'm not welcome.'"

"Dolly Stupe-Cartwright sound like a bitch."

"She was and still is, at least she was a bitch last Thanksgiving and I doubt that she has changed."

"Then why are you sending her a Christmas card?"

"Because I promised Papa Larry I would continue his triditation of sending her a card every year."

"I still say you have a weird family."

"Press," she motioned for him to sit down in the chair next to her. "What would your mother like for Christmas?"

"Mom likes fruit cake," he sit down. "But not the type you purchase in the store."

"You mean she likes homemade fruit cake with liquor in it."

"No," he laughed. "Mom doesn't like the taste when there's allochal in it."

"Then I'll have to make her a special fruit cake when I get back from Oklahoma."

"What's with the tree boxes of candy canes?"

"There for the Christmas Tree we're having this year."

"Christmas Tree," he took the pin out of her hand and wrote purchase an angel for the top of the tree.

"You want an angel and not a star?"

"Yes," he handed her back the pin. "When I was growing up, we always had a Christmas angel on top of the tree."

"Does your Mom still have it?"

"Probably, but I think she gave it to my brother for their tree a couple of years ago."

"So we have to purchase our own. Should I go to an antique shop and see if I can get an angle or would one from Walmart do?"

"Not Walmart, but perhaps Sears or Wards."

"That sounds good to me." She laid the pin on top of the table and took a sip of her cold hot chocolate.

"Would you like me to warm that up in the microwave?"

"No, thank you, Press," she laughed. "I've never been able to drink my hot chocolate hot. I always get distracted and forget to take a sip until it's cold. Mom and Papa Larry always thought that was amusing."

"Why didn't I know this about you before?"

"Because you just moved into my house on October 1."

"I should have moved in a long time ago."

"That's true," she stared down at the list. "Is there anything else you want me to get for the Christmas tree?"

"No, but for desert on Christmas day I would like baked cherry pudding."

"Does your mother have a recipe or do you want the one I make."

"If you don't think I'm being a pig, I'd like to have both." He kissed her on the cheek, "I'll call Mom and have her e-mail me the recipe, so that you can try it before you leave for Oklahoma. You don't mind making two types of cherry pudding do you, Dani?"

"Press," she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "If it makes your mother happy, I'll make twenty kinds of cherry pudding."

"Dani," he squeezed her hand. "You don't have to worry about making Mom happy. She will like you and she'll like your sense of humor even more."

"Press, will your kids be coming for Christmas or will they spend it with their mother."

"My sons and their families will be in Las Vegas for Christmas, but I'm not sure about my daughter. She may be spending that holiday with her in-laws."

Preston got up and started to leave the room, but he turned back and stared at Daniella. He smile at the look on her fair. Perhaps, he though, I should have ask her to marry me years ago. I don't know why I waited so long.

Daniella smiled as she stared off into to space, the expression on her face suggested she was seeing a memory from the past. Preston smiled and then walked quickly down the hall to their bedroom.

Daniella her eyes focused on a point in front of her sit at the table. She picked up the pin and began to aimlessly doodle on the paper in front of her. She drew swirls and other random designs as she relived Christmas in Oklahoma.

In her mind, she saw her stepfather putting up a living Christmas tree in the living room. He sit the tree next to the window and fastened it into the metal tree stand. Then he poured some sugar water into the stand. Next he wrapped a blanket around the base of the tree. After he secured the blanket to the tree stand with a clothespin, he wrapped some white cottony material over the blanket and around the base. Then it was time to put on the Christmas orniments.

He opened a cardboard box marked "Christmas Orniments" in big red and green letters. Then he removed a tangle of lights from the box and took them to the couch. He sat down on the couch and began untangling the light. While he untangled the light, Amity handed Ethan and Daniella a box of candy canes. No one spoke as they began to decorate the Christmas tree. No one ever said a word until after the tree was decorated and the lights turned on.

Daniella smiled as she relived the family tradition. She always enjoyed putting the candy canes on the tree. Black Friday was the day the tree was decorated. Larry always went into town early on Friday and waited until the Christmas tree lot opened. Then he bought a tree looked green and full. When he returned home, he put the tree up in the living room and everyone in the family decorated the tree. Each person has his or her own job when it came to decorating the tree.

Ethan and Daniella put the candy canes on the tree, while Larry untangled the lights. Amity carefully removed the star for the top of the tree and placed it on the coffee table for Larry when he finished untangling the lights. Then she removed the round glass Christmas tree balls and began hanging them on the tree. She would take one color at a time and hang them on random limbs until she had all twenty ornaments on the tree. After she finished then Ethan and Dani would put the candy canes on the tree, each child taking one side of the tree.

By the time they finished putting on the candy canes, Larry had untangled the lights and was ready to put them on the tree. He carefully placed the string of light on the tree and pulled them in. Once he made sure all the lights were working, he unplugged them and placed the star on top of the tree. After the star was on top of the tree, then he would plug in the lights. Larry, Ethan, and Dani would then sit on the couch while Amity went into the kitchen to make hot chocolate. When the hot chocolate was finished, she poured it in four mugs and placed the mugs on a silver serving tray, which she carried into the living room. In the living room, she placed a mug in front of each person before she turned out the light. She then sit down next to Larry and the family sipped hot chocolate while they watched the lights blink on and off. When they finished their hot chocolate, they all sing Santa Claus is coming to town.

With a sigh, Daniella came back to the present. I wonder, she thought. If I should get two Christmas trees this year? She got up and walked into the living room. "Maybe I should purchase a living tree for this room and use the artificial tree in the dining room." She studied the room carefully, "Perhaps the other way around would be best."

"What would be best," ask Jesse as she came out of the hall that led to her bedroom.

"I'm thinking of having two trees this Christmas, Jesse?"

"Are you going to buy another artificial tree?"

"No," Daniella smiled. "I'm going to purchase a living tree this year, but I don't know if it would be best to put the artificial tree in the dining room or in this room. What do you think, Jesse?"

"I couldn't help you their, Miss Dani," she laughed. "My parents always had an artificial Christmas tree. I fact, I think they still have it." She smiled, "I suspect Mom still has every piece of wrapping paper she ever used for a Christmas or birthday present."

"You're mother sounds like mine," she smiled. "I think Mom kept everything and stored them in boxes either in the attic, the basement, or the garage."