Epilogue
TAE
Christmas at the Cabins
“Look at all the prezzies, Daddy.” The back of the truck was full of boxes filled with presents. With my giant kitty carrier in the backseat there was barely enough room for Momma back there.
“Someone’s getting spoiled,” I giggled but Momma was right, Daddy spoiled me. “Got the old lady crammed in the backseat like a sardine with these furballs.”
“I’ll switch seats with you, Momma.” I’d already tried to take it, but she said no and now I know why. She may complain about the lack of space, but she kept sticking her fingers inside the carrier, playing with our babies.
“Tae, leave the prezzies under the tree alone. I know how you are and picking them open then taping them back up lands you on the naughty list.”
“I’ll be a good boy, Daddy.” At least he didn’t see my eye roll or notice that my fingers were crossed.
He was right.
I had no self-control when it came to prezzies.
“Did all the stuff we ordered for Trey come?”
“It did and you and Momma can wrap it for him tonight. I’ll make you hot chocolate to drink while you do.”
“Yay!” I cheered while Momma asked for peppermint schnapps for hers.
“Yes, Momma, I brought that too,” but I saw naughty Daddy roll his eyes at his Momma.
“Thank you for inviting me to your cabin for Christmas. It’ll be a nice change,” Momma said. We had the biggest of big surprises waiting for her there.
“It’s not Christmas without you, Momma,” Daddy said which was true.
“Will all the boys be there?”
“Me, Daddy, Oscar, Trey and Samian,” I ran through the list. Did she think my friends were coming? That’s an idea for next year for sure.
“Sounds wonderful. All my boys together to celebrate.” Momma loved all of us like we were her own. Guess we kinda were now.
Oscar, Trey and Samian came up a couple days ago to put the finishing touches on Momma’s big surprise. Samian was out of school for the holidays and was excited to get away. We planned to go to the tree lot tomorrow to get our tree, then come home to the cabin and sing carols while decorating it.
We stopped at the store in town and picked up the groceries we’d need. Well, Daddy and Momma did while I stayed in the truck with my babies. I hoped it would snow, then we could make snowmen and snow angels again.
This was so exciting!
“Daddy, did you get carrots for the snowmen?” I asked as soon as he got inside the truck.
“We did and there should be plenty of rocks around to use for the eyes.”
“Yes!”
I stayed in the backseat for the rest of the drive to play with my babies and so Momma could have a better view of her prezzie.
“Oh my, I thought you were only building one cabin, Chuck. What are you gonna do with three?”
“Well,” Daddy turned and parked in front of our cabin. “This one is mine and Tae’s, the far one that isn’t finished yet is for Oscar, Trey, and Samian.”
“And the one in the middle with the pretty red bow?”
“Merry Christmas, Momma.”
“What?” Before she could say anything else, Oscar, Trey, and Samian came out of her cabin smiling and waving.
“Come on, Momma, let’s go see.” I hopped out and opened her door for her.
“I just-I just.” Was she happy or upset? I couldn’t tell.
Daddy took the kitties inside then joined us. “Let’s go see your new getaway place, Momma.”
We followed her up the steps and she stopped just before the door and ran her fingers over the red bow.
“Merry Christmas, Momma,” Daddy said. “Open the door.”
My brothers had even started a fire in the fireplace for her. It smelled so woodsy and was nice and toasty warm.
“Yours is just a one bedroom. You have a kitchen and bathroom. We’re completely off grid here and all the cabins have wi-fi too.” Daddy bought her a little couch, recliner, and end table with a lamp and had a TV mounted above the fireplace. All she had to do was put her own touch on the space.
“Oh, Chuck, I can’t believe you did all this for me.”
“Momma, you’re important to us and we like having you around. What better way to do that than to have a cabin next to ours?”
She turned, tears ran down her face, and I hoped they were happy ones.
“All you boys are wonderful,” Momma said to the five of us.
“I can’t believe you did all this for me.
Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
” We each hugged her then helped her bring her suitcase in.
“I think I’ll do a bit of shopping in town tomorrow when we get the tree. ”
“Ha-ha,” Daddy laughed. “Sounds like fun. Lunch is on Tae and me for everyone.”
“Whoop whoop!” Wait, why was I cheering when we were paying?
Inside our cabin was toasty warm too. My brothers were staying with us since their place wasn’t done yet.
I was super excited. It had been forever since I woke up on Christmas morning with them.
Granted, Christmas wasn’t much when we were younger, but once I moved in with Daddy, they’d come over later in the afternoon on Christmas day to open presents with us, well after Daddy and I had already been awake and done our own.
This was like the first real family Christmas where we got to do it all together.
“Tae, why don’t you go upstairs and get the kittens set up in our room,” Daddy said. “I’ll bring the rest of our stuff in.”
“Okay Daddy.”
I loved the set-up of our cabin. Our bedroom and bathroom were upstairs, then downstairs there were two more that shared a bathroom, plus the kitchen and living room.
Just off the kitchen was a mud room and laundry room combo with a door to the outside.
Daddy said that’s where we need to come in and out of after playing in the snow, so we can leave all our wet stuff in there to dry.
“Oreo, Twinkle, Simba, you can come out and play.” We’d set up there climby tree thing in our room a couple visits back, and Daddy found the perfect spot in our bathroom for their cat box.
He said once they get bigger, we could let them run around the house, but for now they require more supervision.
Our room was pretty big, so Daddy installed a small wood-burning fireplace in it to keep us warm. My babies already had their beds and food dishes here and Daddy and I had clothes in the closet too, so there wasn’t much to get unpacked. Just my kitties, really.
Well, and all the online stuff we just bought.
Daddy came in and Oreo ran right up to him. It was funny to see my big Daddy holding a tiny kitten. Oreo fit right in his palm. “Sweetheart, let’s hang the stockings on the fireplace.”
“Yay!” The kitties were off chasing their ball around and were entertained for the time being.
Daddy put up the hooks, and I placed the stockings we made for everyone, including my kitties, on them. “Daddy, Tae, Momma, Oscar, Trey, Samian and my kitties. That’s everyone, Daddy.”
He kissed the top of my head. “Yes, my thoughtful boy, you remembered them all.”
“What’s for dinner?” Momma announced as she came inside, and Daddy laughed.
“Ah, looks like the neighbor is here, Tae.”
Momma glanced around. “Wow, this is something else, Chuck. I wish your Dad could see it.”
“I can feel him, Momma, and I believe he has.” Daddy hugged Momma, then gave her a tour of our home away from home.
The fireplace that Daddy built to match the one in the cabin we had rented was so big it nearly took up an entire wall.
I grabbed my toys off the shelf and sat at the pretty kitchen table Oscar made and started coloring.
We’d been bringing stuff up here every time we visited.
While Daddy helped with the cabins, I worked on the art.
In our cabin we had the before and after pictures I painted.
Old cabin and the new one, plus the one I made of my kitties when they were babies.
In Momma’s cabin we hung one I’d made of the cute deer that visited early one morning. It was foggy outside that day, but they came right up to the porch and ate out of the feeder Daddy helped me make for them.
“Tae, Chuck told me you painted that beautiful picture of the deer in my cabin?” Momma made a cup of coffee and joined me at the table.
“I did. I have a couple more drawn up that I want to paint for you too.” They had pretty flowers and her cabin on it. It was too cold to plant them now, but I knew come spring that Momma and I would make lots of hanging flowerpots.
“You have no idea how much that means to me. I’ve always preferred gifts made from the heart, and you did just that. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Momma. I’m glad you like it.” Daddy was right, I did enjoy painting on canvas as much as on walls.
Oscar, Trey and Samian came in a while later. Trey and Samian sat at the table and colored with me while Momma, Daddy and Oscar made dinner. This was our first family vacation, and it couldn’t be more perfect.
“Daddy, can we get this tree?” It was the biggest, prettiest one on the lot. “We have super high ceilings, so it’ll fit.”
“Will it now?” Daddy questioned. “And who’s putting the star on the top?”
“You can pick me up and put me on your shoulders then I’ll stretch all the way up and do it. It’ll be teamwork.” Daddy liked teamwork, and people working together, so it was a win-win, as he’d call it.
Daddy walked around the tree, then shook it to see if any needles fell off, which wasn’t many. “Alright, let me get the lot attendant.”
We’d dropped Momma and my brothers off in town since they had more shopping to do. Daddy and I brought the lights and ornaments up with us since we had ordered them online and they came to our other house.
After we paid for the tree, and loaded it up, we met the others at the diner in town and ran into Judy there.
“Judy!” I shouted and ran over to hug her.
“Come meet my whole family.” She laughed and joined us.
“This is Judy, the cat lady who took care of my babies.” I introduced her to everyone, and she took a seat beside Momma.
It was so nice, everyone was chatting. Oscar and Trey talked to Judy about adopting a cat and so did Momma.