Gabrielle's First Christmas

(An excerpt from Falling Roses)

AT THE BEACH HOUSE, John, and Gabrielle sat on the floor in the den, in front of the fireplace, talking about their beautiful holiday tree. They had picked out the ornaments together. The lights were new. Nina had sent the star.

The telephone rang.

“Hi Mick,” Gabrielle said. “We were looking at our Christmas tree. The star was leaning to the right.”

“I’m heading this way,” John told her, as he walked past.

“I forgot about the presents my parents sent. I’ll open ’em as I talk to you. I think John’s in the bedroom. First box.” She unwrapped it. “What do I think this is? Well, knowing my parents ... school clothes.” Her jaw dropped. “Oh God, Mick. This is bad. A pink nightshirt with a picture of a Koala on the front and in big white lettering ‘Hug Me’. Well, they asked if I needed anything to sleep in. I couldn’t tell them I sleep in the nude now, could I?

“Second box.” She opened the lid. “A white, terry-cloth robe and my initials are embroidered, G.N. I know. It’ll be changing soon to G.R. Ooh, there’s an envelope.” She ripped the envelope open. “Money! I’ve got money! John! I’m rich again, five hundred buckaroos! What did John give me for Christmas?” Her voice sputtered. “He brought me here to Long Island. He gave me his love. I didn’t expect. What¾?” She sniffled. “I didn’t hear anny reindeer. Merry Christmas to you too. Bye.”

Gabrielle walked to the deck. “Ho, Ho, Ho.” John, dressed as Santa Claus, carried a red sack over his shoulder.

She slid open the patio door. She couldn’t control her laughter. John wore a full Santa suit. A beard, hat, and glossy black boots. “You are the thinnest Santa I ever did see. No jelly belly?”

“I’ve been cutting down on the cookies and milk,” he told her in a deep voice. He sat on the chair next to the tree. “Now, let’s see. Come here, little girl. Come sit on Santa’s lap.” She did. “Have you been naughty? Or, have you been nice?” Santa asked.

In a little girl’s voice Gabrielle said, “I think I’ve been naughty, Santa. I’m not sure. What do you think?”

“I think you’ve been naughty, but you have been rather good.”

“Santa, do you have something in your red sack for me?” she asked demurely.

“I do, Bobbie. I do. Ho. Ho. Ho.”

“Santa, can I pull your beard?”

“No touching the beard,” he told her, while she pulled a tad. Then, they kissed. “Santa’s here to deliver presents. This is serious business.”

“Sorry, Santa. My naughty streak came out of nowhere.”

“I have ... a present in here ... somewhere.” John reached into his sack and removed pink panties. “No, that’s not...” By mistake, he tossed the item onto a branch of the tree. Gabrielle stood to retrieve her gift. “No, that’s not it either.” He pulled the material out, and then flung a bra.

“Santa, you keep searching, I’ll be back.” Underneath her clothing, she wore the red velvet teddy Lily had purchased for her. Gabrielle thought this’d be perfect if she undressed, and sat on his lap.

Quickly, Gabrielle took off her clothes, placed the Santa hat on her head, and then fixed her hair around her figure. She slipped on the boots with a one-inch heel, and then walked into the dining room. “Did you find my present yet, Santa?”

“Ho. Ho.” She sat on his lap sideways. “Uh. Ho.” John looked at Gabrielle, mesmerized. He took the wire stem from behind his ear and threw the plastic lenses to the floor. Swiftly, he handed Gabrielle a rectangular, tiffany blue box. She held the medium-size box with two hands, and hesitantly pulled the white ribbon. With white-gloved hands, he touched her bare legs and arms, sending shivers up her spine.

She opened the pouch. It was from the ‘Woven Collection’. The necklace, in 18-carat white gold, came in nine sections, with thirty-six diamonds in all. “Thank you, Santa!”

“I’ll have to take off my clothes¾I mean gloves, so I can place this ’round your neck.”

Gabrielle took the necklace out of the suede pocket and carefully handed it to him. While holding her hair, he set the diamonds over her head, and then clasped the two ends at the back of her neck. She looked over her shoulder. “How do I look Santa?” she asked, turning to face him.

“Amazing,” he whispered. He placed his hands on her arms. As he touched her, she sensed his breathing had become uneven. John reached into his sack and said, “Santa has more presents.”

“More?”

He handed her a navy-blue case. As she sat in his lap sideways, he slipped his arm around her. After she gave him a soft glance, she looked down, overwhelmed.

“Go ahead,” he whispered.

Slowly, she opened the lid. She gasped for air. “Diamond earrings? Oh Santa.”

She had seen these at Tiffany’s as well when doing her research paper. They were remarkably popular. Round diamonds, weighing 1.75-carats. And flawless.

She felt his breath on her cheeks, as he gently positioned the platinum posts through the tiny holes of her ears, and then in tender movements, twisted the backings. She calculated what she believed were the costs of everything he had bought for her. With the Marquise ring, she must be wearing over $60,000 worth of jewelry. Feeling ready to faint, she looked into his eyes.

“You need to get your clothes back on,” he said.

“I do?”

“Oh baby, I don’t want you to, but my sleigh is waiting. My reindeer can’t see Mrs. Clause looking this good.”

“What’d you do?”

“Go get dressed baby.”

She kissed him quickly then ran to the bedroom.

When she returned, John wore jeans, beige hiking boots, and a black waist-length winter coat. He held her coat open as she walked toward him.

While her eyes remained closed, John took Gabrielle’s hand and led her to the deck. She opened her eyes to see a driver in formal attire sitting in a red-painted wooden sleigh, with one Clydesdale in show ring condition.

“Merry Christmas, sweetheart.”

“I love you,” she replied, holding back her tears. “Merry Christmas.”

John helped Gabrielle step up into the sleigh, then he sat next to her. The driver handed them a lap robe.

Sleigh bells rung as the horse pulled the sled, gliding across the snow. Gabrielle noticed a spotlight, shining onto a stage of ice, surrounded by blue ropes. The sleigh brought them to a stop. “I can’t believe you did all this. Lily told me some ridiculous story and I thought...”

As they walked along the width, she noticed blue and red hockey zone lines.

John said, “The rink is for you, I swear. I helped my brothers.”

“How? How did you help without me knowing?”

“I picked the spot and watched the instructional video,” he said; she laughed. “I promised my brothers, if they assembled the rink for you, we’d play ice-hockey.”

As they walked the side of the stage, Gabrielle noticed the ice skates she had worn at the sporting goods store, on top of a bench against the rink.

They sat side by side. “You two weren’t ignoring me at all, were you?” She tied the laces.

“You told me once that you could skate. I knew you’d go straight for the skates, so I could buy you a pair.”

JOHN WALKED ALONGSIDE HER as she skated.

“Did you and Mick really exchange gifts?” she asked.

“Sort of,” John said.

“What did Mick give to you?”

“He gave me my life back.”

“Your life? Sounds serious.”

“A long story for another day,” John said.

“What’d you give Mick?”

“My life.”

“A longer story?”

“For a different day,” he said.

John sat on the bench, while she took over the platform. She was so graceful on ice, he thought. As he watched her, John said, “At last, I feel free. Bobbie! This is the best damn Christmas ever!”

“Next year, you’re skating with me,” she shouted.

Gabrielle sat next to John, as he poured hot cocoa from a thermos. They talked and laughed together, enjoying one another’s company. Then, they decided the time had come to take the sleigh ride along the beach. John needed to show Gabrielle and she wanted to see where the property line ended. Then the sleigh took them home for John to unwrap the Christmas present Gabrielle had for him¾her!

Unedited Chapters, Sneak Previews, and other Falling Roses written material as well as the Front/Back cover of Falling Roses and pictures of author

Click on pictures above to follow their linkage.

The adorable Koala shirt was used with permission from Rachel Blumenthal. Check out her Koalas Forever Store!

Song Playing: You Light Up My Life (Click on the Dolphin on my Linkage Page 2)

This picture of an ice rink on the beach is too cool!!