As Amanda watched Lee set up the tape for “A Christmas Carol,” she
reflected back on her day. It had been a productive one, thanks to her
husband staying home with their baby, Michael.
Waking just after seven in the morning, she retrieved him from the crib in
his room. She’d heard him babbling and playing with toys. Nothing made
her feel more like a mother again than the light coos of her baby.
With Jamie and Phillip gone to Joe’s for the weekend, she had some alone
time with Michael before Lee woke up. Settling the baby on her hip, she
dug through a laundry basket on a chair in the room and pulled out a red
sweat suit. The top had a smiling Santa Claus on it and the words “Santa
Claus is coming to town” in white letters.
The next step, after changing and dressing, was to get downstairs and get
him a bottle of milk. She turned on the radio at low volume to the All
Christmas Songs station for mood music.
When Lee came downstairs, he gave her a morning kiss. She was just
finishing her toast, so she was glad he didn’t squish her death.
Although, that would’ve been okay, too. Michael was snacking on Cheerios
and grinned when he saw his father.
They chatted about Christmas preparations and how work had been the day
before. Lee offered to cook dinner later and she took him up on the
offer. Then Amanda thought it was a good time to let him know she had
some errands to run.
Once she heard the okay from him she headed straight to the hallway and
put on her coat, then grabbed her purse. Lee had freed Michael from the
high chair and the boy wandered over to her.
Picking him up, she informed Michael he’d have to baby sit Daddy today.
Lee chuckled, took the little one from her, and told Amanda not to hurry.
She should’ve known then that Lee would be up to something. But without a
further thought, she was out the door and starting the engine of the car.
Amanda arrived at the bustling mall with patience in her heart. Christmas
was always busy and she knew it would be. There just hadn’t been a chance
to go shopping till the weekend before the big holiday. For Lee’s things,
at any rate.
The two older boys’ shopping had been easy. They’d both asked for
videogames and that’s what they were getting. And sweaters…she’d seen
that theirs from last year were nearly threadbare and boys never ask for
clothes for Christmas.
Her husband was something of a challenge, and on top of that, work had
been nearly impossible to get away from since the week after Thanksgiving.
As she made her way through the men’s department of one store, she spied
what she wanted…an electric razor. Lee had told her he wanted one. With
trying to get out of the house earlier in the last weeks, he cut himself
shaving once too often. Nothing serious, but it was annoying to him.
Amanda felt at ease as she purchased the gift and then a new robe for him.
In the back of the store, free gift wrapping service was available for
purchases over twenty dollars. Well, she’d made that mark, and it would
make getting the gifts under the tree all that much easier.
As she wandered back out into the bustling mall, Amanda made her way
lazily among the couples, singles, and children pushing their way around.
It wouldn’t be hard to find the other things she needed.
She arrived home in the middle of the afternoon, just after Michael got
up from his nap. He never slept longer than a couple of hours. Lee and
Michael were playing together when she stepped inside with her shopping
bags.
After greeting them both, she headed to the tree to add Lee’s gifts to the
pile and saw two with her name on them that weren’t there when she left,
bringing her count up to four. That was when she realized he actually
*wanted* her out of the house…to wrap his things. He’d done a good job,
too. Something she’d remember in the future.
Lee made dinner without complaint while she set the table for two and made
sure to feed Michael first so she could give him finger food while they
ate, instead of trying to spoon feed him his entrée while she and Lee were
doing the same for themselves.
Her strategy for dinner had worked wonderfully. The two of them had
bathed Michael together and put him to bed right around eight.
Amanda came out of her reverie when she heard the microwave beep. The
popcorn was ready.
“Movie time?” Lee asked.
Nodding, she removed the steaming bag of popcorn from the microwave and
grabbed a Tupperware bowl to pour it into. “Snacks are on.”
Lee grinned. “Come join me then, my lady.”
“Of course, my knight in shining armor.” She carefully plopped onto the
couch next to him so not a kernel of their treat would be lost. Lee
kissed her on the lips and pressed play.
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