Jeff just waved half-heartedly over his shoulder, and entered the boys’ bedroom without looking at her.
“Jeffrey? Jeffrey, did you hear me?”
Jeff shut the door behind him without answering.
Grandmother Tanner humphed and “well I never”-ed for a second or two more, but elected not to follow him. That was just asking for more shenanigans from David. Plus, it was a little boy’s room, with two living inside. She could imagine the horrors within.
***
It was messy, truth be told, but it wasn’t especially dirty. All the laundry got tossed in the hall closet clothes hamper, and there was no food allowed upstairs, so what was left was mostly piles of Brian’s drawings and Davey’s beat-up toys. Jeff waded through them over to the bunk bed.
Brian, in the lower bunk, was still drawing by a flashlight he held in one hand. Jeff ruffled his hair and kissed his forehead. “Don’t stay up too late, okay?”
Brian nodded, and smiled.
Jeff stood up and looked in the top bunk. Wonder of wonders, Davey was already in bed and under the covers. And he was grinning like the cat who ate the canary.
Jeff sighed. “You’re really loud, you know that?”
“Sorry, Dad.”
“So…what did you win.”
“A wish. I can’t tell you, or it won’t come true.”
“Considering how much you yelled, I hope it was a good one.”
“Ohhhhh, it was.”
Jeff smiled, then kissed Davey’s cheek. When he spoke, he addressed both boys. “Good night, guys. Go to sleep so Santa can come.”
Jeff walked to the door, then paused. “Davey?”
“Yeah?”
“Remember our rule for Christmas?”
“There has to be light outside before I can get anybody up.”
“What kind of light?”
Davey rolled his eyes in exasperation. “The sun, the sun.”
“Good.” Jeff had added in that clause the year before, after Davey had pointed to the street lights atop the telephone poles outside. “And Davey?”
“Yeah?”
“When you go to get the first person up…make sure it’s Grandmother Tanner, okay?”
Davey’s smiling face popped up over his sheets. “Okay.”
“Goodnight, guys.”
Jeff walked out of the room and closed the door gently behind him.
***
He walked in the hallway bathroom and snapped on the light. Turned on the cold water faucet, splashed some water on his face. He had a long night ahead of him…and he was tired, very tired.
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Copyright © 2008 Darren Pillsbury. All rights reserved.
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