‘Right.’
She cups her hand over my ear and whispers, ‘Don’t tell anyone, Uncle Shane, but I woke up early and sneaked downstairs when everybody was still sleeping, and opened all my presents.’ She claps her hands. ‘And then I closed them all back.’
‘So you know exactly what you’ve got for Christmas?’ I ask, amazed that she actually did that. Even I never did something like that at her age.
She nods happily.
‘So what will you do when you open your presents later and everybody looks at you?’
‘Pretend to be surprised and happy,’ she says coolly.
I have to laugh. ‘Show me your surprised and happy face,’ I ask.
She opens up her eyes, drops her jaw, and smacks her cheeks with her palms while managing to look like she is grinning. ‘Yeah, that’ll work.’
She makes her face normal again. ‘Did Santa leave you presents?’
‘He gave me mine early this year.’
She crosses her little arms over her chest. ‘What did he give you?’
‘He gave me a wife.’
She frowns and looks at me as if I am stupid. ‘Auntie Snow is not a present. A present is like a real thing. Like a toy or a doll.’
‘That’s true. Maybe he’s left one under the tree for me.’
She slips off my lap. ‘I’ll go and look for you, OK?’
‘OK, but don’t peek.’
She shakes her head solemnly. ‘No, I only peek at my own presents.’
At the front door, I hear Layla, BJ’s and Tommy’s voices wishing my mother a merry Christmas. Liliana forgets about looking for a present for me, and rushes off to the front door. Jake returns from the garage where my mother keeps her fridge, carrying two bottles of whiskey. It has started snowing and there are snowflakes on his hair and shoulders. He sets the bottles on the table.
‘What time will Dom be here?’ he asks.
I look at my watch. ‘Anytime now.’
At that moment BJ and Layla come through the door. BJ is holding a baby carrier. The room fills with the sound of us wishing each other a merry Christmas. A pink-nosed Layla kisses both Jake and I and then disappears off to the kitchen to see what the women are up to.
BJ leaves the baby carrier on the floor by the chair next to me and collapses into the chair. ‘Where’s the fucking alcohol?’ he asks.
I laugh and Jake pours out whiskey for us all. Before we can take a sip, Dom and Ella arrive. Ella is carrying their little boy, Alex. Jake pours another glass. Again the room fills with sounds of Christmas greetings.
‘You guys started without me,’ Dom complains, as Ella goes out with Adam.
‘Nope,’ Jake says and pushes a glass into his hand.
We raise our glasses. ‘May it always be this good,’ Jake says.
And we drink. Life is good.
Just before lunch, Snow comes up to me. ‘I’ve got a surprise present for you,’ she says, her eyes shining.
‘I thought I got mine last night?’ I tease.
‘This is better.’
I raise my eyebrows. ‘Better than the one I got last night?’
‘Much,’ she says, her eyes sparkling.
She puts her hand out, I take it, and let her lead me. She pulls me upstairs to my mother’s guest bedroom.
‘Are you ready?’
I guide her hand to my crotch. ‘Is that ready enough for you?’
She gasps and says sternly, ‘It’s not that kind of present.’
‘Well, then it can’t be better than last night’s.’
‘Shane?’ she whispers.
‘Yes’
‘Don’t spoil it.’
I put my hands up in surrender.
She opens the door and we enter … and a male German shepherd puppy is sitting inside a large metal cage.’
‘Merry Christmas,’ she shouts.
I turn my head to look at her. ‘This is my present?’
‘Yes, isn’t he wonderful?’ she enthuses ignoring my unenthusiastic tone.
‘So my present is a dog from your favorite breed?’ I ask.
‘Yes,’ she says blithely, and goes to open the cage door. The dog immediately jumps all over her excitedly. And I can see that she is dying to pick him up, but she doesn’t.
‘Have you any suggestions for a name for him?’ she asks instead.
I shrug.
‘You could call him Ghengis … if you want to,’ she suggests.
I turn away from her and say, ‘Ghengis.’
The dog immediately looks at me with its bright, intelligent eyes.
I turn to her. ‘How strange. He seems to answer to that name.’
She bites her lip. ‘I might have called him by that name once or twice,’ she admits.
‘So, how long have you had him?’
‘I’ve been keeping him here secretly for the last two weeks. I wanted to house train him before I gave him to you. I know the apartment is too small for him, but we’ll be moving to our new house in two months, right? And Chitra will be coming to stay with us so she can help take care of him too.’