“A new iPhone!” Xandra shrieks. Is this the man who ignored countless slurs slung his way while driving a New York Metro bus for four decades but folds at the first sign of Xandra being upset with him? I look over at Leo, wondering if he sees the same old man who’s gone soft for his granddaughter that I do.
“I took your grandpa shopping for the phone,” Leo proclaims, hoping to earn some points with Xandra too. I look at him with a face that reads, SERIOUSLY?! “And I thought you might want these to go with your new phone.” Leo rummages around under the tree and hands Xandra a box that looks suspiciously the same size as one that would contain earrings. Xandra could use an upgrade from safety pins for her ears.
“No way, AirPods! Thank you, Leo, that’s so nice of you!” Xandra beams a huge smile at Leo. He looks like he might explode with happiness. Or relief. I have to give it to Leo, nailing a present for a fifteen-year-old girl who isn’t fond of you is no easy feat. I cannot wait to see what Leo picked out for me!
“Nina, how about you open my gift next?” Dad suggests, content with Xandra curled on his lap.
“Absolutely,” I say, picking up the beautifully wrapped package in silver cellophane that Dad’s pointing to.
“Remember Mrs. Richards, the piano teacher back home? She made it for me to give to you,” Dad says, watching as I open my gift. I nod with a forced grin, acknowledging his hometown hint. Marisol would be on the floor dying if she were here. We have a mutual distaste for homemade gifts and for pickled old Mrs. Richards.
As the bow comes off and the cellophane falls open, Leo whoops, “NO WAY!” I can’t believe it’s a yes way. I’m staring down at a crocheted yellow baby blanket on MY Christmas. Xandra got an iPhone, and I got a blanket with holes and a faint whiff of cat litter. Oh, let me correct myself, I didn’t even get a blanket, my unborn child did. I’m just the servant unwrapping it for them since they aren’t out in the world yet to do their own dirty work. Does Fitzroy not know me at all?
“Do you like it?” my sweet father asks, his voice dripping with hope. Luckily, I’m saved from having to answer by Leo being bitten by the gift-giving bug.
“Okay, okay, Nina, now you have to open one of mine.” Leo hands me a box that looks like the perfect size for the crossbody purse. From the look of expectation on Leo’s face I can tell he’s pleased with himself for getting me exactly what I want. I’m not actually sure how this crossbody bag will work with my growing belly, but I’ll take it after the debacle of the baby blanket.
I tear open the box knowing it’s going to be something good. I’m speechless. Leo’s on his feet, bouncing on his toes like a ten-year-old boy who just opened an Xbox. Turns out my boyfriend doesn’t know me at all either.
“Look, look! This is my silver rattle from when I was a baby. My mom still had it, so she sent it out from Omaha. She wanted to give it to you when we got there, but I really wanted to have it for Christmas morning. She did a great job polishing it for you, though.” I’m silently faking enthusiasm following Leo’s holiday tale. “See here, mine’s engraved with my initials. And then here’s a matching one, which took me forever to find, but after our baby’s born we can put his or her initials on it. Best part is, look, they’re like baby barbells!” Leo picks up the two rattles and starts pumping silver in the living room. “Our kid’s going to be ripped!” My father puts his hand out for a brotherly fist bump, approving Leo’s fine gifting work.
“That’s pretty cute,” Xandra says, putting her hand out to Leo for one of the rattles. He gladly hands it over, an olive branch in the midst of our mixed-up holiday dynamic. Does no one in this family understand that I have yet to receive a proper Christmas present?!
“Do you want to see what else I got you for the baby?” Leo asks on a roll, his new cheer squad of Xandra and Fitzroy egging him on. I wish Marisol were here so I could shoot her an expression that says, I’m not ready for this baby to take over my Christmas let alone my life just yet, and if the attention’s on me one second longer I’m gonna cry. I look back under the tree and spy a box, wrapped in the same paper as the rattles, that looks suspiciously the size of a breast pump.
FROM: Winn Hawkins
DATE: December 29
SUBJECT: Well done
TO: Nina Morgan Clarke
Nina,
I hope you and your family had a great Christmas. I meant to email sooner, but we’re in Australia with Gemma’s family and I always get confused if we are a day ahead or behind California, and then before I knew it Christmas was over.
Anyway, I wanted to say, WELL DONE, your first half of the school year. You came into your position under groundbreaking circumstances, and you have exceeded the expectations of the board of trustees as the first female head of school.
Here’s to continued improvement and success for the Royal-Hawkins School in the New Year.
Best,
Winn
“Look at this,” I say, elbowing Leo while we’re killing time before our flight to Omaha. Our departure is delayed waiting on a Dallas flight coming in. “Totally unexpected and really nice of Winn.” I hand my phone to Leo so he can read how awesome his girlfriend is. “Check out the line about me exceeding expectations.” I’m leaning over Leo’s shoulder, making sure he’s soaking up every word. Admittedly, I’m feeling my oats that I was able to manage a cross-country wayward child, mask a first trimester pregnancy, weather a long-distance love life, and STILL crush it at my job. I should add #badassbossmom to my email signature.
The reference to me being the first female head of school is a bit underhanded, but I’m not going to let it take the shine off this email. At least Winn didn’t comment on me being a well-spoken Black person. That backhanded compliment is decades overplayed.
“Nina, is that you?” I startle even though the voice is familiar. I hop up out of professional instinct to always greet another person eye to eye. “Oh, WOW . . .” I follow Courtney Dunn’s eyes directly to my belly. Turns out this was not the day to wear my new Tory Burch athleisure wear. The one good holiday gift I got from Leo. The white Lycra crew neck shirt has bandaged itself tightly around my belly. Leo jumps in to save me from the stunned silence between me and Courtney.
“Hi, I’m Leo, Nina’s boyfriend.”
“Clearly,” Courtney responds, not taking her eyes off my belly.
“We’re heading to Omaha to see my family. Where are you off to?” Leo puts his hand out to shake with Courtney and presumably lure her eyes off my belly bump.
“I’m Courtney. Courtney Dunn, parent and new board member at Royal-Hawkins.” Oh no she did not just say that. “I just flew in from Dallas, and I’m catching a connecting flight to Denver to meet up with my family in Vail.”
“I thought you mentioned at the basketball jamboree you all were flying directly from Mexico to Colorado on Christmas Day?” I’m panicking because I can see it registering on Courtney’s face that she now has something to lord over me.
“Well yes, that was the plan, but I had to stop in Dallas unexpectedly to deal with a few issues with my family. Geoff, Benjamin, we have him this school break, and Daisy did fly into Vail on Christmas Day. So, you’re pregnant?” Courtney draws out pregnant as if each syllable is its own sentence.