As we neared SeaTac and broke through the low-hanging cloud cover, it was raining like crazy—no surprise there—but I was relieved to see that the Pineapple Express churning in off the Pacific had done its work, as there was no snow on the ground. Sure there was visible snow in the Olympics and the Cascades, but not in the lowlands. It would be months yet before what Harriet Raines called the “big breakup” happened in Alaska. In western Washington it looked as though it was well under way in mid-December.
Once on I-5 headed north and expecting Mel to be at work, I punched her office number into my phone. The call went straight to voice mail. “I’m currently out of the office,” Mel’s cheerful recorded voice told me. “If this is an emergency, please hang up and dial 911. Otherwise leave your number and a message. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.” Obviously she hadn’t forwarded calls to her cell as she usually does, which meant she probably wasn’t answering that either.
I admit to being a little annoyed. I hadn’t called earlier because I hadn’t wanted to interrupt her at work. A lot of good that did me. I made the rest of the drive in silence, without even bothering to turn on the radio. By the time I opened the garage door, I was a long way down the road to being Mr. Grumbly Bear.
But then a miracle happened. Mel’s Interceptor was already parked in her spot. She hadn’t answered the phone in her office because she was already home! When I pushed open the door, two things happened, one after the other. First my nostrils were assailed by the peppery aromas of fresh Thai takeout. At Mel’s and my house, that qualifies as home cooking.
For a brief moment after that, I caught a glimpse of Mel standing at the far end of the entry hallway. An instant later my view of her was completely obliterated when a mass of galloping gray fur launched itself in my direction. As Sarah’s wet nose touched mine, her front paws landed square on my shoulders and almost knocked me over.
Coming from the garage, I had planned to announce my arrival with that old Desi Arnaz line, “Honey, I’m home.” Thanks to Sarah I never had a chance. Mel and I were both laughing too hard.
Once the doggy greeting subsided, I dropped my luggage and gathered Mel into my arms. “How are you doing?” I asked.
“Better,” she said, “but I gave myself an excused absence from the planning meeting I was supposed to attend tonight. I figured we both needed some time to debrief.”
“You’re right about that,” I said.
And that’s exactly what we did. We had a quiet dinner, then we talked, and then we went to bed. I can tell you for sure it was wonderful to be home.
Chapter 40
It seemed like only a matter of minutes from the time I got home until it was Christmas Day, and we had a blast. Contrast is everything, but the brightness of the holiday compared with the darkness of what had happened in Alaska made everything seem extraordinarily special. Kelly and Jeremy weren’t there, of course, because that year they were spending the holidays with his folks. But even with the Ashland, Oregon, contingent of the family missing, we all had a glorious time.
First thing in the morning, we used modern technology and FaceTimed while Athena, grandchild number four, opened her gifts in the presence of her other grandfather, Alan Dale, in Jasper, Texas. Next up we watched grandkids numbers one and two, Kayla and Kyle, open their gifts under Jeremy’s folks’ Christmas tree in California. Grandchild number three, Jon Jon, not yet one, was the only grand personally in attendance. By the way, as soon as Scotty and Cherisse announced they’d be naming their baby after his two grandfathers—me, Jonas, and Cherisse’s dad, Pierre—I was worried that being called Jonas Pierre would destine the poor kid to the same kind of name-challenge misery I’d endured growing up. I’m eternally grateful that he’s now known as Jon Jon.
Christmas dinner （delivered already prepared from the grocery store and heated before serving） was set for 2:00 p.m. Christmas Day, which it turned out was still full daylight in Washington State. Scotty and Cherisse were on hand for the meal, and so was the newest member of the family, my adult but only recently discovered daughter, Naomi, who also happens to be Athena’s mother. The reason Athena is in Texas while her mother is in Washington State is a long story I’ll save for another occasion. Also in attendance was Father Jared Danielson.
At the time we first learned about Naomi’s existence, Scotty hadn’t exactly been thrilled to learn that he had an adult sister he knew nothing about. I was a little nervous about how things would go, because our family Christmas celebration would be the longest period of time he and Naomi had spent in the same room. I need not have worried. The meal was perfect, and everyone got along. And when it came time to unwrap gifts, everyone loved the presents I’d obtained during my pre-Christmas shopping spree in Anchorage.