JL-
*****
Dec 19th
The day went by in a flurry for both Max and
Tony. Max worked diligently on his
articles; the work feeling more enjoyable than usual because his manager had
passed along the positive comments readers had posted on the Eyes of
Christmas articles that had run so far.
At lunchtime he went into the newspaper
office. The staff was having a Christmas
luncheon and he was highly encouraged to be there. The meal was good, but Max only stayed
as long as was appropriate.
Tony’s day was taken up with a ten-hour shift at
the store. He clocked out at six, and by
seven he, Max, and several friends bundled up in heavy sweaters and coats—Tony,
as always, insisting on hats as well—and went out Christmas Caroling.
It was an activity Tony had introduced Max to, and
while it felt a bit awkward initially, the joy of it would soon take over. They had a schedule of places they went to,
and delivered cookies to each home that they stopped and sung at. They also had a large collection of candy
canes that were handed out at a nursing home and to any children they passed on
the street.
By the time the singing was done, their whole
group was a bit hoarse, and everyone was cold.
By mutual agreement, they hastened toward a well-lit coffee house, the
call of hot drinks and a heated establishment being too strong to ignore.
The place was a bit fuller than they expected, so
half the group went to claim a couple tables, and the others got in line with
drink orders.
Max went with the half to claim a table, and as he
was putting his coat over the back of a chair, he saw a newly familiar face, Professor
Gil. Again thinking of his resolution to
offer friendship, he approached the man who was sitting by himself.
“Professor?
Remember me?” he asked as he drew near.
The older man looked up and a grin lit his still-handsome
face. “Max! Of course I do. It’s only been a couple days. How are you?
You’re looking a bit chilled.”
“I admit, I am.
My partner and I have been out caroling with some friends and we’re
finished the night here trying to get some feeling back into our fingers.”
The man chuckled.
“You’re a brave group to be out in this cold.”
“Some would say more foolish than brave,” Max
replied with humor. “I don’t know if you’re
with or waiting for someone, but would you like to join us? I’d like my partner, Tony, to meet you, and
no one will mind a new face with us.”
The professor hesitated for just a moment, but
then agreed with a sweet smile that lit his eyes. “Thank you.
I’d like that.”
Professor Gil was quickly welcomed by everyone,
and since their group of carolers had a wide range of ages, he didn’t have the
discomfort of being the oldest one there. One couple had a couple years on him, and
another gentleman was only three years younger, and he and the professor
discovered they shared the same birthday.
Over the course of a couple hours, their group
talked, laughed, and slowly dissipated to head to their homes. By the end of the night, Max, Tony and
Professor Gil were the only ones left.
They chatted for another half hour before a jaw-cracking yawn
interrupted Max mid-sentence.
“Oh my, I think I’ve bored you, Max,” Gil teased.
Max shook his head. “Not at all.
It’s just been a busy day.”
“It’s a busy time of year,” Tony added.
“That it is,” Gil agreed, although it’s not so bad
for me once school lets out for the holiday.”
“Do you miss it, or do you enjoy the break?” Tony
asked.
“Both. I enjoy
my classes and students, although they seem to get younger every year. It must be that, because I know I haven’t
gotten any older,” he joked. They all
laughed and Gil then reached for his scarf.
“I think it’s time we all call it a night. Thank you for including me. I enjoyed myself with your friends.”
“I hope you’ll count them and us as your
friends now too,” Max expressed. “We’ll
have to meet up for coffee or dinner again.”
“I’d like that.
You have my business card. Call
me when you might be available.”
Both men promised to do just that, and all said
good-night with happy hearts.
Dec 22nd
Dec 20th
Max had finally decided on a gift for Tony. Whether it was the perfect gift or not would
completely depend on Tony’s reaction to it.
At the very least, the gift would be unexpected, but after all his
shopping and online searching, Max felt a happy peace on his final
decision. The gift also wouldn’t be
ready until Christmas Eve, which was cutting things very close, but he was sure
he could pull it off. In the meantime,
he had some phone calls to make and more articles to write. The first five had been run, the six and seventh
were written, and the eighth, Christmas Through the Eyes of a Foreigner,
just needed one more rewriting before he submitted it to his supervisor.
This one had been a bit difficult to write. A lot of countries celebrated Christmas in
some way, and the people he’d interviewed admitted the struggle it sometimes
was to be in America over Christmas. Most
of the people he’d interviewed had been high school and college exchange
students, as well as a few individuals who had worked to obtain US citizenship.
Many had similar reflections. They missed their home traditions and far
away family. Many felt that American
greed was depressing, and that both children and adults appeared very spoiled
and ungrateful in their eyes.
However, several also told them how they’d been ‘adopted’
into friends’ families, and that they loved the joy of seeing people find and
give gifts to loved ones.
The interviews made Max wonder how he would handle
Christmas in another country, and he rather hoped he never had to. The thought of being away from his family,
even with their chaotic get-togethers and nosiness, was not a pleasant one.
His mind drifted again to Professor Gil and Tara. He wondered what the two of them were doing
on Christmas. He and Tony were spending most
of the day just the two of them, but they were joining Max’s parents for dinner
on Christmas night.
On a whim, Max grabbed his cell and called his
parents house. His father’s familiar
voice answered his call.
“Hi, Dad?
How would you and Mom feel about having two more people for dinner on Christmas?”
Dec 21st
“Rockin’ around the Christmas tree, have a happy
holiday!”
Max sand and danced around the kitchen. He really was ridiculously happy and full of
the Christmas spirit right now. Today
had been a full-on productive day, with the only downside being Tony at
work. Since this was the last Saturday
before Christmas, he was working a fourteen-hour shift. Max kept a good attitude about it though. Tony had Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off,
and they’d be heading to California just after the new year to spend time with
Tony’s family. Having a positive attitude
about Tony’s work schedule made things much easier to deal with.
Today, with the house to himself, he wrote the
first draft of his ninth article. The Christmas
Eve and Christmas Day articles would go hand-in-hand with each other. They were Christmas Through the Eyes of a
Parent and Christmas Through the Eyes of a Child. He was excited about these final two, and
thrilled with how well all the previous ones had been received. This series had felt like a highlight in his
career so far.
After writing the rough draft, he went into
full-on Christmas mode. Braving the crowds
at the grocery store, he went out and got groceries for the week, including
some special goodies. Once back at home,
he’d wrapped all their presents while watching a cheesy Hallmark Christmas movie,
and then moved his activities into the kitchen.
With Christmas music playing in the background, he’d
made two more batches of cookies to be shared with others, six mini-loaves of
banana bread that were going to their neighbors as gifts, and another batch of
the doughnuts Tony had loved so much the week before.
The house smelled wonderful and it looked
incredibly festive with their lit-up tree and pretty packages now sitting
underneath it.
Another highpoint of the day was his phone calls
to Professor Gil and Tara. He’d invited
both individuals to Christmas dinner at his parents’ home, and was happy when
both invitations were accepted. The
professor seemed uncertain at first, but it didn’t take much to convince him
once Max asked him to bring a Christmas dish that was special to him to the
meal.
Tara had plans with friends earlier in the day,
but happily said she’d join them that evening.
When asked if she could bring anything, he’d told her the same thing he’d
told Gil…bring a dish that was special to her.
Pleased with the way his Christmas season was
going, Max arranged a plate of treats to greet Tony with when he came home, and
continued to sing as he worked.
“Everyone dancin’ merrily in the new old-fashioned
way!”
Dec 22nd
“I still can’t believe the store let this
happen!” Max huffed angrily as he applied arnica ointment to Tony’s cheek.
“They couldn’t do anymore than they did,
babe. No one could have guessed the
customer would fly off the handle like he did.
Plus,” he added, “the incident is giving me a couple extra days at home
with full pay and with you. Maybe it’s a
Christmas blessing.”
The incident he referred to was a confrontation
with a customer the day before. While
Max had been happily indulging in the Christmas spirit, Tony was getting
assaulted by a drunken customer.
“You said you didn’t have the energy to get into
it when you got home last night,” Max reminded.
“Can you tell me the full story now?”
Tony very lightly touched his bruised cheekbone as
he nodded. “Yeah, but can we at least
enjoy your doughnuts and coffee while I tell you?”
Max’s eyes softened. “Of course.”
He set two doughnuts out for each of them, and doctored up a cup of coffee
just the way Tony liked it before making his own cup. “Now, what exactly happened?”
Tony sighed, but began his story. “The store was crazy, like it always is the
weekend before Christmas. Everyone in my
department was busy with customers at the register, in the dressing room, or at
the racks. I had just finished helping a
woman get the right size sport jacket for her husband when a man came into the
department. He was walking a bit erratically
and when I approached him I could tell he’d been drinking. He started going to several racks, pulling
shirts and ties off them and throwing them on the floor.”
“Jerk,” Max stated.
Tony didn’t disagree, but he kept going with his
story. “I told Camden to call security
if it looked necessary while I approached the man. When I asked him if I could help him find
something, he said I could go find him a drink and a hooker if I had any in the
back room.”
“Sheesh, he had no boundaries.”
“Drunk people usually don’t, Max. Anyway, I told him that I thought he would be
best if he’d leave since we didn’t serve either of those things and he got
angry.”
“And he hit you!”
“He took a swing at me,” Tony confirmed, “but he
was wobbly and practically cross-eyed. He
only managed a glancing blow instead of a straight-on punch.”
Max huffed.
“He still connected and left you bruised.”
“I know, but Camden and I got him restrained until
security got there. The police came then
and took our statements, and store upper management gave me the full week of Christmas
off on top of the time I’m taking for our trip in a couple weeks. I’m not seriously hurt, so it’s all good.”
Max stuffed his last bite of doughnut in his mouth,
and then stood, rounding the table and pulled Tony into a tight hug. “I love you, you know that? And I’m half-tempted to ask you to quit.”
Tony hugged him back. “My job is rarely dangerous, babe, and I love
you too.” He angled his head to kiss Max
within their embrace. “I wouldn’t mind
showing you how much I love you too if you’re willing to go back to bed with
me.”
That brought a grin to Max’s lips. “Are you sure you’re up for it?”
“Oh, I’m definitely up. It was my cheek that got punched, not my….”
“Tony!”
Tony guffawed.
“Come on, handsome. Let me show
you how good I feel right now.”
Dec 23rd
“People are going to think I hit you!” Max
insisted.
Tony’s injured cheek had blossomed into a mix of
blue and purple over the last 24 hours.
It wasn’t as bad as it could be, but it was still very noticeable.
“I promise I’ll set things straight if anyone
looks suspiciously at you, but I’m really looking forward to Chinese
tonight. Besides, the restaurant is
always relatively dark. The bruise
shouldn’t be as noticeable.”
Max was still doubtful, but he was hungry and
looking forward to the food too. He gave
in and the two of them headed to their favorite Chinese restaurant. Tony had first taken Max here last year, and
now the two of them tended to get dinner here at least once a month. The hosts and serving staff all recognized
them now, and it was always a pleasant experience.
The meal itself was a pleasant experience. They each got one of their favorite
meals. The atmosphere was dark enough
that Tony’s bruise was less noticeable, and the restaurant had a Christmas game
going on where you could spin a wheel and potentially win a prize. Max ended up winning a free appetizer and
Tony got a half-price dessert, both of which they split.
It was later that night that the unpleasantness
happened. Max was driving since Tony’s
cheek was mildly swollen and they thought it safer for Max to be behind the
wheel. They were talking and laughing on
the way home, Tony regaling Max with a family anecdote from a childhood Christmas. It made Max laugh and completely miss the
stop sign at a four-way. Thankfully, the
one other car at the intersection was paying attention and squealed to a stop.
Both men gasped at the near miss, and the car was
quiet for several moments before Tony moved a hand to grip Max’s knee. “Are you okay?”
Max nodded, “Yeah.”
“I’m sorry I distracted you. I’ll finish the story when we get home.”
Max nodded again and they were quiet for several minutes,
just letting the radio play softly around them.
However, they started conversing again as the
drive continued. They were about five
minutes from home, with Max telling of some of the positive reviews his
articles had been getting, when he decided to let Tony see some of them. His phone was in his pants pocket, but his
coat was getting in the way of retrieving it.
In the struggle of trying to get it out and driving with one hand, he
missed the traffic light turning red.
“Max!” Tony yelled.
The fierce tone jerked both Max’s hands back to
the steering wheel, and he flushed hotly when he realized that he’d now run a red
light as well as a stop sign. Thankfully
no cars had been at that intersection.
“Are you safe to drive the rest of the way?” Tony
asked seriously.
Max felt his face grow even hotter. They were less than five minutes from home,
and he nodded shame-facedly. “Yes.”
Tony didn’t say anything else until they were
parked and getting out of the vehicle. “I
want you to go to the corner when we get inside,” he said shortly.
Max’s head dropped. Tony rarely sent him to the corner, but he
didn’t argue, knowing it would get him nowhere.
He silently hung up his coat when they got inside, slipped off his
shoes, and then went to the corner between the wall and living room bookcase.
“I want you to think about what it means to be a safe
driver, Max,” Tony said as he followed him in, his voice just as serious as it
had been in the car.
“Yes sir,” Max replied.
He didn’t know how long he stood there. He wasn’t a good judge of time in the corner. It always felt much longer than it was.
It had gotten to the point where he was really struggling
not to fidget when Tony finally told him to turn around. However, he rather wished to go right back to
the corner when he saw Tony sitting on their couch with a heavy wooden spoon in
his hands.
“Tony…please,” he couldn’t help pleading. He’d only felt that spoon two other times. Tony usually just used his hand to spank him,
so for Max the spoon represented severity and distinct disappointment on Tony’s
part.
“Please nothing, Max. I’ll admit that I was partly at fault for distracting
you from the stop sign, but that should have made you even more aware the rest
of the way. Plus, you know how I feel
about going for your phone in the car, even if it was to give it to me. Just trying to get it out distracted you to
the point of running a red light. That’s
not going to happen again.”
Max shook his head. “No sir.”
“Come here.”
He couldn’t help the slight whimper that came out,
but he obeyed. Tony did the job of
undoing and taking down his pants before putting him across his knees.
“You pay attention when you’re driving at all
times,” Tony scolded. “You will not run
the risk of hurting yourself or someone else.”
Max didn’t have a chance to respond before the first
lick of the spoon fell. Instead his
breath left him in a whoosh. It came
back quickly enough though. Tony was
flicking the rounded head down much faster than he usually did, making Max
squirm, whimper, and then cry much sooner and harder than he usually did. His ankles crossed and uncrossed, and Tony
had to catch his hand when he inadvertently threw it back, instinctively trying
to protect his uncovered bottom.
His tears were flowing freely and he was sobbing
into the cushion when the swats finally stopped. Tony’s warm hand began rubbing up and down his
back, his voice making soft soothing sounds as Max slowly went from bawling to lighter
tears to hiccupped breaths.
“I’m…sorry,” he finally managed to gasp out.
“I know, babe.
I’m sorry we had to do that too.”
That statement wasn’t unusual. Max knew Tony took no enjoyment in spanking
him. He shifted enough to turn himself
upright on Tony’s lap and put his arms around his lover. Tony hugged him back in strong arms.
“I love you, babe,” Max heard whispered against
his hair.
“I love you too,” he offered back.
Dec 24th
Of all the family get-togethers, the one on
Christmas Eve at his parents’ house was Max’s favorite. If that was the only holiday party they had,
he would be perfectly happy.
Like the previous year when he’d first introduced
Tony to his family, the two of them chose to arrive early and have an hour just
with Max’s parents, Judy and Don. Judy,
always excitable but especially so during the holidays, welcomed them with her
typically enthusiastic hug.
“Come in!
Come in! It’s frigid out there.”
Both young men entered with chuckles over her
enthusiasm. “Here, Mom. I brought the sugar cookies you requested,
and this container is just for you and Dad.”
“Oh, what is it?” Judy asked even as she tried to
open the lid.
Tony answered for Max. “They’re doughnuts. Max has been making them and they’re
wonderful. I admit, I’m kind of upset
Max is giving you those. I don’t really
want to share them.”
That made Judy’s eyes brighten even more and she
laughed as she lightly smacked Tony’s arm.
“Greedy boy. I know my son keeps
you well-fed, and we’ve got plenty of food here tonight. You can take any leftovers you want.”
The three of them moved further into the house and
joined Max’s dad in the living room.
Tony had been carrying the gifts they’d brought for the family and he
placed them under the tree as Max settled on the couch near his father’s chair.
It was a peaceful hour for all of them, with both
couples talking of their post-holiday plans.
It didn’t last long though.
Eventually the rest of Max’s family arrived: brothers, sisters, nieces,
nephews. Tony got pulled into a game of
Hungry Hungry Hippos with the little boys while Max’s niece, Trini, climbed
onto his lap.
“Santa is coming tonight,” she told him seriously.
“Is he?
What if he forgets to come?” Max asked her with exaggerated tones.
“Ms’s Claus reminds him,” she stated.
“Oh, what if he gets lost?”
She shook her head. “ ‘udolph nose glows.”
“And that keeps him from getting lost?”
She nodded seriously.
“But what if he forgets the presents?!”
She shook her head adamantly. “Elves has them for him.”
“Oh, well that’s very good then.”
She grinned adorably at him, and then ate a cookie
from his plate. He laughed, so shocked
at her quick little hands that he couldn’t help it. “Hey, that was mine!”
“I get more,” she said, and slid off his knees and
headed to the kitchen.
Next to him, Max’s father smiled knowingly. “You know your mother is going to start
hinting at you and Tony having kids someday.”
“Dad...” Max whine slightly. “We’re not there yet.”
“I know, but the future is a blank book just
waiting to be filled with stories. You
and Tony have started writing yours.”
Max like that analogy and nodded
thoughtfully. It made him content to
think of filling a make-believe book with stories he and Tony would create
together.
****
****
“Hey, handsome.”
Tony’s arms wrapped around Max from behind. They’d just gotten home and turned on their
tree lights, which gave the room a warm, cozy glow. “Happy anniversary.”
Max knew exactly what anniversary Tony referred to
this time. They’d spent their first
intimate night together a year ago on Christmas Eve. “Happy anniversary,” he replied softly. “How should we celebrate?”
Tony’s deep chuckle tickled his ear. “Oh, I have plans....”
Dec 25th
It was much earlier than Max liked to be
out of bed. Sleeping in was a great joy
in life, but last-minute necessities had to be done to give Tony his Christmas
gift. He slipped quietly out of bed,
used the bathroom, and then wrote a note to leave on his pillow for Tony to
see.
His Christmas morning plans involved a short trip
to pick up Tony’s gift from where it had been hidden, and then sneaking it as
quietly as possible into the house.
When that was done successfully, he breathed a
sigh of relief and looked toward the ceiling.
No noise could be heard, so either Tony was still asleep or he was
obediently remaining in bed.
Just then he heard a creak and the flush of the toilet,
alerting him that Tony had woken. Well, Max
crossed his fingers and prayed Tony would stay upstairs. Then, working quickly, he warmed some of his
homemade doughnuts while scrambling eggs with cheese and filling two mugs with creamy
hot chocolate. Plating everything carefully and on a tray, he carefully tread
up the stairs and nudged the bedroom door open.
Tony was awake, sitting up in bed, shirtless, and with
a book in his hands. A book he
immediately put aside as Max entered. “Hey,
what’s this?” he asked.
“Breakfast in bed,” Max announced. “I thought it would be a pleasant start to
Christmas.”
“It definitely is!
Thank you!”
Max settled the tray over Tony’s legs and then
settled in next to him. “Merry Christmas.”
Tony leaned over and placed a lingering kiss to
Max’s lips. Merry Christmas to you too,
love.”
They ate slowly, enjoying the relaxing start to
the day, but when the food was gone, Tony’s eyes gleamed expectantly. “Time for presents?”
Max laughed.
“Sure! I plugged the tree in when
I was downstairs, so it’s ready for us.”
Tony took his hand and they walked together to
their living room. However, when Tony
took a seat on the floor near the tree and wrapped gifts, Max slipped his hand out
of his grip.
“Um, my gift for you isn’t under the tree, and I’d
really like to give it to you right away, so I need to go get it, okay?”
Confused, Tony looked at the gifts that were there
and then back to his boyfriend. “Okay…”
With a quick nod, Max hurried from the room and
into their small laundry closet where he’d quickly placed the gift. Picking it up carefully, he walked more
slowly back to the tree, truly hoping Tony would love this gift as much as Max
already did. As he stepped into the
room, he saw Tony’s eyes go wide.
“Merry Christmas,” Max offered
as he handed the small, white dog in his arms to Tony. The sleepy pup’s tail wagged and he gave Tony’s
cheek a nuzzle and a lick before immediately going to sleep in his arms.
“It’s a puppy!” Tony whispered in awe.
“He’s actually about a year old,” Max
corrected. “He’s a Havanese and his name
is Bailey.”
“Bailey,” Tony repeated. “He’s adorable, Max!”
Quietly, Max told Tony of seeing the dog at Tara’s,
his heart immediately going out to him, and of the pup’s special needs.
“I know he’s a commitment and some extra work than
some other dogs, but he just seemed so special, and you’re the most special
person to me, Tony, so it just seemed right to gift him to you on Christmas.”
Tony’s eyes actually grew damp and he hugged Max
as best he could with the pup sleeping on his lap. “I love him, Max! He’s perfect!
But what are all these other gifts?”
Max’s face flushed a little. “Um, it’s actually all dog stuff. Food and water bowls, toys, a leash and collar,
a doggy bed….”
Tony laughed.
“That’s great! Which one is the
doggy bed? As much as I hate to put him
down, I need Bailey out of my arms to give you your gift.”
Max quickly found the right package, tore off the paper,
and set the bed next to Tony.
Reluctantly, the other man settled the bundle of white fur onto the soft
bed. Bailey snuffled a little at the
move, but went quickly back to sleep.
Tony then plucked a small, silver-wrapped box from
under the tree and faced Max. His eyes
full of love, he reached for Max’s hands and held them. “Max, you are also the most special person in
my life. It took me a while to find
exactly what I wanted to give you this year, but I did, and I hope you love it
as much as I love Bailey.”
He handed Max the box. Carefully, Max undid the paper and saw a
rather nondescript black box under it. It
had a latch keeping it closed, and when Max released the latch and opened it, a
gorgeous ring, both delicate and masculine, sat on a bed of velvet inside. His eyes widened and he looked with surprise
and tears in his eyes to Tony.
Tony had somehow shifted
to one knee and he took the ring in one hand and one of Max’s hands in his
other. “I love you so much, Max. Will you marry me?”
I THINK WE ALL KNOW WHAT MAX’S ANSWER WAS.
I THINK WE ALL KNOW WHAT MAX’S ANSWER WAS.
MERRY CHRISTMAS
EVERYONE!
