Merry Christmas (2)
The children who had toddled after Sister Marisa for warm milk came flocking back out behind her again like little chicks.
I had been wondering why they were all so thrilled over a single cup of milk—apparently “having milk” was just code for snack time.
“Thank you! Digging in!”
Maybe this was a carefully calculated strategy: train them that a good Mass earned them treats so they would stop treating church like a chore. It was a world apart from the terrifying nuns I had known as a child. More professional, somehow. Maybe it was simply easier these days to look up parenting tips online.
Whatever the reason, it was working out just fine.
I was watching the kids attack their Christmas-tree-frosted cupcakes with the single-minded focus of little squirrels when Luca stretched out a tiny hand and clamped onto my arm with surprising strength.
“Hmm? What’s wrong, Luca?”
I put on my most puzzled face. Luca calmly lifted a finger and pointed at the older kids.
“Yeah, the big kids are having a snack.”
“……Bwah! Cookie!”
I bit my lip hard to keep from laughing. There was simply no way to look at that world-class sense of injustice on a baby’s face and not smile.
But unlike grown-ups with rotten hearts, the clear-souled children immediately rallied to his cause.
“I think Luca wants a cookie too!”
“Want a bite of mine?”
The shadow that had hung over Jennyfer before Mass was gone; her bright eyes sparkled as she spoke. Tony held out the cupcake he had already taken a bite from toward Luca.
Come to think of it, the kids always stared at Luca with open curiosity whenever he visited once a week. Sitting together now, they seemed eager for a chance to talk to him.
Luca wanted that cupcake so badly he reached straight out—even though the big boy offering it was barely an acquaintance.
I stopped him at once.
“I’ll take the thought for the gift, Tony. Luca’s still too little for that much sugar.”
“Aw, well, can’t help it then!”
Tony’s face was a perfect mix of disappointment at not getting closer to Luca and relief at not having to share his snack. He took another enormous bite of cupcake.
“…….”
Suddenly left grasping at empty air, Luca’s lower lip jutted out in a magnificent pout.
Teasing him any further felt mean, so I reached under the stroller.
“Luca, Daddy’ll give you a cookie.”
By now he understood enough words that instead of crying or fussing he simply watched what I was doing and waited. I opened one of his favorite cookies, put it in his hand, and settled him on my lap.
Luca leaned quietly against me and went back to staring at the crackling fireplace while he munched.
I sat there gently patting him when Jennyfer asked,
“Uncle Jun, when does the baby go to sleep over?”
“Hmm?”
“Why doesn’t Luca ever stay the night? Reni has a room and sleeps over, but the baby always just leaves.”
“Ah…….”
Tony, who understood our situation a little better, shook his head beside her. Thankfully he didn’t scold Jennyfer.
I scrambled for a plausible excuse.
“Luca’s still a baby, so Uncle has to sleep with him. And there’s no place for Uncle to sleep here.”
“Ahh…….”
Jennyfer’s head drooped in disappointment, then shot back up.
“Then when the baby gets a little bigger he can stay over!”
“Yeah, that’ll work.”
Once the words were out I realized it really might. Weekends at the church with his brother, weekdays home and off to school……
I would miss them a little, but the thought of being able to pile work into the weekends rose at the same time. Hadn’t Cassandra once said how happy she felt once her kid started daycare? Maybe someday I would actually look forward to weekends for the free time. Right now it was unimaginable—yet somehow I felt certain it would happen.
I checked the time. It was still afternoon, but winter days were short. If we wanted to get home before dark, we should leave soon.
Just then someone knocked at the front door.
Sister Marisa opened it, and two pairs of parents, two little elementary-school girls, and one boy all tumbled in at once.
“Elena! Sarah! Timothy!”
Jennyfer reacted first. She ran to the two elementary-school girls in cute Santa hats with her arms wide open. Tony dusted cupcake crumbs off his hands and dashed over to high-five the boy named Timothy. Before Reni joined them he paused long enough to tell me these were the families who came every Saturday for the party.
The two kind-faced families pulled gifts for the children out of a huge red Santa sack. The cold wind that had rushed in with the open door was instantly scattered by the children’s bright laughter.
I was glad to see these new faces; even at a glance they clearly loved the kids.
The newly gifted children carried everything to the living-room table and started ripping open packages without waiting for anyone else. I stood and made room for the new visitors to sit.
“Well, I’d better be heading out. Merry Christmas, everyone.”
“Bye-bye, Uncle! Merry Christmas!”
“Goodbye!”
While the other children waved cheerfully, Reni abandoned his half-opened gift and scrambled over to grab my leg.
“Daaaddy, are you going home already?”
I hadn’t told him yet how long he would stay at the church this time; he must have thought he had to leave with us right now.
“Yeah. Daddy should get home before it gets dark. But how about you stay a few more days?”
“Mmm…….”
Wanting to play with his friends here and missing the Christmas-tree tent and unopened presents at home—both feelings were written all over his face. I felt a little sorry for him stuck between two good things.
I buckled Luca into the stroller, then knelt and beckoned Reni closer so I could whisper in his ear.
“Daddy will hide all the Christmas presents so Luca can’t open them. When you come home in a few days, we’ll open them together.”
Reni’s face lit up. He glanced at Luca, then leaned in to whisper back.
“But let Luca open one…… no, two! Two of them first.”
“Okay, I will.”
Reni planted a smacking kiss on my cheek and started back toward the presents—only to whirl around again and whisper once more.
“Not mine—two of Luca’s presents!”
“Got it. Don’t worry.”
We even linked pinkies on the promise, and I kissed his forehead.
Leaving Reni behind at the church didn’t feel too lonely; I knew he would have a happy time.
I buckled Luca into the car seat. Suddenly it was just the two of us, and he launched into an earnest stream of babble aimed at Daddy. We managed a surprisingly deep conversation.
“Lu-wa-dang-da. Ee-ei-ya.”
“Yeah, Daddy thinks warm vegetable soup sounds perfect for dinner too. Better keep the seasoning light, right?”
“Eung-ah.”
“Exactly. We’ve been eating everything too rich lately. Too many sweets, too.”
The drive home was just the right length. I parked on the sparkling street, gathered our things, and carried Luca upstairs.
After a quick wash and change of clothes we settled on the sofa together. I opened one gift box and played with him using the new toy; Luca answered with a series of delighted dolphin squeals.
Once the sun set and the sky darkened, I set Luca up as my audience and finely chopped every vegetable for a pot of warm vegetable soup. I ladled the steaming crimson soup into a fresh bowl two or three times until it was cool enough, then served it in his baby bowl.
Luca, now a splendid little spoon-wielder, polished off the entire serving by himself.
After dinner and bedtime prep we headed for the bed.
“Da-ra-da-ah, bba-ah.”
Whether he was calling for Daddy or something else, he raised both arms in some emphatic declaration. I gave his little nose a gentle pinch and let go.
“Tonight you’re sleeping in the big bed with Daddy. You want to sleep alone in the tent when big brother’s not here?”
“Yeah.”
“Nope. Sleep with Daddy in the bed.”
With that I moved the sturdy guard cushion that always held its post down to the foot of the mattress and we lay across the bed side by side. Being king-size, even lying the short way our feet barely stuck out.
I stretched my arms wide on either side of him and yawned.
Luca was sleeping in the corner against the wall, so there was no risk of him rolling off.
“Look how huge it is like this. Tonight let’s sleep all spread out with Daddy.”
“Yeah.”
Whatever the question, our Luca always answered first and thought later.
He peered around at the slightly different scenery, then smiled and rested his head on my open palm.
“Hee…….”
What on earth did this baby eat to turn out so ridiculously cute?
It was still a little early, but I wanted him asleep before he got fussy. Once Luca was out I could hide the living-room presents the way I had promised Reni. And while I was at it, I wanted to film the unboxing of my own Christmas gifts before the day ended.
So……
“……As long as Daddy doesn’t fall asleep first, right?”
“Yeah.”
Warm baby and soft blankets—it was the perfect recipe for drifting off. But I steeled my will to stay awake and kept gently patting his back while I talked.
“Luca, Daddy’s been thinking. It’s still way too early for sleep training. Let’s go back to sleeping in the big bed.”
“Yeah.”
“But when you’re with big brother the tent’s nice, right?”
“……Yeah.”
“Does our Luca like Daddy better, or the tent better?”
“Yeah…….”
“That’s how you fall asleep first. Rock-a-bye baby…… our little one sleeps so well…….”
I kept whispering sweet nonsense while I watched his soft, heavy eyelids flutter open and closed. Luca smiled faintly, let out a few quiet little laughs, and slipped under.
“……Merry Christmas, my baby.”
I stayed a little longer just looking at the adorable child, then carefully extricated myself from the blankets, eased the door shut, and stepped out.
The living room felt a bit chilly; I missed the warm bed for a second. But as I started stashing the mountain of presents one by one into kitchen cabinets and the like, the sleepiness and the cold both vanished.
Tomorrow if Luca demanded to know where the gift mountain had gone in pure babble, we’d be in trouble.
I poured half a new box of cookies into pretty wrapping, added a few more prettily wrapped snacks, and set them in the same spot. That way neither Luca nor Reni would feel left out.
I stood back, admired my hastily assembled replacement gifts, and gave myself a mental pat on the back.
The longer I was a dad, the craftier I got.
After checking that Luca was still sound asleep, I gathered the gifts I had received onto the island counter and sat down.
“…….”
Thinking about it, posting an unboxing video after Christmas was already over probably wouldn’t generate much excitement……
But the idea of just letting perfectly good content go to waste felt like such a waste that I had to admit it—I really had become a full-time YouTuber.
I hesitated a little longer, then checked the time.
It was only eight-thirty.
“…….”
……Maybe this was the moment.
I felt it in my bones: the live stream I had been putting off forever was finally ready to begin.