Cracks in the Sidewalk(103)

“How could you think such a—”

“I know, I know, but I was a kid. A pretty miserable kid. And Dad—” David shook his head sorrowfully.

Claire crossed to him and wrapped her small arms around his broad shoulders. Without saying anything more, David laid his head against her bosom and cried.

“Don’t cry, Daddy,” Christine said in a tiny voice after a few minutes.

“Yeah, Daddy, don’t cry,” Christian echoed laughingly.

“I ain’t your daddy,” David said and playfully punched his brother.

When they began to chase one another around the room, Claire said, “You boys stop that!” and everyone broke into peals of laughter.

Stars sparkled across the black sky when they finally returned to the table.

“Oh dear,” Claire said. “The turkey is cold and dry now. I’ll just warm it a bit and make some fresh—”

“No, Grandma,” David said, putting the weight of his hands on her shoulders. “Everything is fine just as it is. Besides, I’m famished!”

After dinner they returned to the living room and continued opening the cards and gifts saved for so many years. Little Christine grew weary and fell asleep on the sofa but no one else noticed when the clock struck twelve, nor did they notice when that day crossed over into the next.

When they finished opening all the cards and gifts, Claire took out one last box.

“This isn’t from Grandpa and me,” she said. “Your mother died before she could give it to you.” She placed the box in her granddaughter’s hands.

Tears cascaded down Kimberly’s face. “Oh, Grandma, I can’t believe Mama got me the yellow-haired Cabbage Patch Baby.”

“You remember?”

Kimberly wiped her eyes and nodded. “More than remember. I can almost hear her voice saying it. I wanted this doll more than anything imaginable, but Dad wouldn’t buy me one. He said they were too ugly. Back then every kid in the world had a Cabbage Patch doll except me.”

“Your mother knew how much you wanted that doll,” Claire said, “and when she was so sick she couldn’t get out of bed, she called all the stores looking for one. She kept insisting that the doll had to have yellow hair, and eventually one of those stores got it for her.”

“She was such a loving person,” Kimberly said tearfully.

“Yes, she was.”

~

Eventually Meredith fell asleep in her chair, and Claudia curled up alongside her daughter at the end of the sofa. But Claire herself did not tire until near dawn. When finally the conversation turned to sleep, Claire insisted that everyone stay over, and once again the McDermott house was full to overflowing. For the first time in many years, Claire’s heart felt truly happy.

She ran from room to room turning down bed covers and plumping pillows. She put David and his family in the bedroom she had shared with Charlie. Christian and Meredith stretched out on the family room sofas, and Kimberly got her mother’s old room.

Once Kimberly had slipped herself into one of her grandmother’s night gowns, she came to say goodnight.

“It’s been the most wonderful reunion ever, Grandma,” she said. “I only wish Grandpa could have been here with us.”

“He was,” Claire replied tenderly. “He was.”