Yule Tidings Read online

  “Good. Busy. I’ve been working a lot of extra hours at the office. We’re changing over our system and we have to manually input the information from the old system to the new, so I’m looking from one computer screen to another all day long. It’s tedious work.” Jason looked at the clock. Alex would be back shortly; she’d run to the store craving something with strawberries and fresh fruit. He should probably get off the phone before his mother heard someone in the background and started asking questions. It was surprising in its own right that she hadn’t already starting asking questions about the girl who answered the phone.

  “I bet. Why are you changing systems?”

  “The one we have is outdated. It doesn’t work as well.”

  “Why can’t your secretary just transfer the files?”

  “She is, but I’m working on some of the larger, more important projects.”

  “Oh, I see” Anne said, not really understanding at all, but keenly aware that Jason’s answers were getting shorter and more clipped. He was ready to end the conversation.

  “Yeah, well I should probably get going…” Jason began, unsure what to say. Ending the conversation was one of the bigger reasons why he didn’t like calling his mother. She never seemed to want to hang up, yet she never really had anything to say. If he didn’t end the conversation quickly, she’d start talking about his Dad and how alone she is because no one comes to visit her. It was sad when he thought about how often his mother complained about his Dad and how the kids liked him better than her. True, but sad just the same. It was always hard for Jason to stop himself from saying something like, ‘well, at least Dad is happy with his life’ or some such biting remark.

  “Okay, well, I’ll talk to you soon, or, if not, then I’ll see you on Friday.” Anne said, slowly.

  “Sounds good. See you on Friday, Mom.” Jason said, trying to end the conversation before it went downhill; Alex had just walked in the door and he motioned for her to stay quiet while he finished his conversation with his mother. The urge to snap at her was getting stronger, even if she hadn’t said anything expressly offending.

  “Okay. I love you honey,” Anne’s voice was desperate, begging for some sign of affection from her son.

  “Love you too Mom, bye.” Jason hung up the phone, sighing. “Well, she knows we’re coming on Friday,” he said, looking at Alex, as she sat next to him on the couch. She smiled softly before kissing his cheek. “I still don’t think it’s a good idea to tell her while we’re there,” he said, resisting the urge to kiss her back. Alex didn’t know his mother, and he couldn’t convince her that announcing their engagement would be an unwelcome surprise. His mother had never accepted change gracefully, especially when the change was a surprise to her. Jason doubted his mother knew he’d been dating Alex for over a year, and he was certain she didn’t know he’d been living with Alex for six months. She would not be pleased. He didn’t blame Alex for wanting to share the news; he was excited about telling everyone, too. Everyone, that is, except his mother.

  Chapter Two

  Anne spent the rest of the week readying the house for Jason’s visit. She dusted and re-organized the clutter, scoured the bathrooms and washed dishes. No matter how often she cleaned, it seemed like there was always more to do. She wanted everything to be perfect for his visit. She even left work early on Friday so the enchiladas would be ready when Jason and his friend arrived. Jason’s room had fresh sheets, as did the guest room next to it, and the house was as friendly and warm as it could get; she even turned the heat up an extra five degrees. There were three large bags of candy on the counter by the sink, which Anne anxiously opened and poured into the witch cauldron as she paced, looking out the front window. Where are they? she wondered, suddenly worried. Anne wandered around the house, feeling silly. Maybe he decided not come, she thought in dismay. It would have been nice of him to call and let her know. The kids never cared if she was left waiting for them, worrying, never calling to tell her that they decided not to come. They’d tease her with thoughts of coming home for Christmas or Easter and then never show up. She’d buy presents and get things around just to be disappointed a week before the holiday. She was an afterthought and they rarely took her feelings into account when they cancelled an excursion to visit and instead went to see Franklin. Jason had probably changed his mind this morning and hadn’t bothered calling to let her know.

  The doorbell rang, and Anne found herself racing to the front door. She took a deep breath and opened the door. Batman stared back at her, followed by a small dinosaur, and further down the driveway a pumpkin was toddling in a half run/half walk towards the door. Anne smiled. “Well, hi,” she said, reaching behind her and grabbing the candy dish she’d left by the door. She gave batman a handful of candy, then the dinosaur. She waited patiently as the pumpkin hurried down the driveway, clearly trying to keep up with her older brothers. She was probably two, maybe three years old, and had the most adorable little smile and pink cheeks. She could hear the little girls’ mother yelling at the other boys from the end of the driveway to wait for their sister, but they hurried on anyway.

  Anne was so intent upon the little girl when she finally managed to make it to the front door that she hardly noticed the small sedan that pulled into the second driveway and stopped next to the garage, parking just out of sight. The little girl was smiling profusely at the candy bowl as Anne reached in for a handful to put in her little pink princess bucket. Anne saw Jason out of the corner of her eye coming from the side of the house as the little girl said a timid “thank you,” before hurrying back down the driveway to her waiting family.

  “Hey, Mom,” Jason said, smiling as he watched the pumpkin bob back down the driveway.

  “Hey,” Anne said, finally turning her full attention to her son. She stared, stunned, when she saw the girl next to him, holding his hand. Anne wasn’t sure what to do. The girl next to Jason was about her height, thinner than Anne had ever been, and somewhat plain, with medium brown hair and eyes. There was nothing extremely distinctive about her. She stood quiet next to Jason, hardly moving and offering Anne a nervous, polite smile.

  “Sorry we’re late. Mom, this is Alex. Alex, this is my mom, Anne” Jason said, gesturing from one to the other. He didn’t release Alex’s hand, but held it firmly within his own. He didn’t want his mother to think he was embarrassed of his relationship with Alex. If he released her hand now his mother would think that he wasn’t that serious about Alex. He did not want to have to correct that particular misunderstanding.

  “Hi. How was the drive?” Anne asked, ignoring Alex for the moment as she gave Jason a hug. Frustrated by the clasped hands, she pulled away quickly, looking at Alex for the moment. “It’s nice to meet you. I thought Jason was bringing a buddy from work when he said ‘Alex’” Anne said, trying to disguise the irritation in her voice but failing, miserably. It was clear she was not pleased.

  “Alex, short for Alexia” Alex said, politely. Jason had been uptight the entire drive. If the sound in this woman’s voice was any indication, his anxiety was well founded. She clearly wasn’t pleased to meet Alex, no matter what she said. Her posture was stiff and her friendly eyes had turned hard as stone when she looked at Alex and Jason’s clasped hands. Alex tried to ease her hand away from Jason, but he held on relentlessly; not wanting to make Anne think they were arguing Alex stilled her protests. Jason knew his mother better than she did, after all.

  “Well, that’s nice.” Anne tried to control the venom in her voice, but wasn’t sure she succeeded from the look on Jason’s face. He looked wary and frustrated. Great, he’d brought his lovers’ tiff home with him, too. Anne could already see how the weekend would go. It wouldn’t be pretty, that’s for sure.

  “Here come some more trick-or-treaters,” Jason said into the silence. He knew his mother was irritated. She didn’t like unexpected surprises, and Alex was definitely unexpected.

  “Great. Well, here you go,” Anne said, roughly handing Jason
the candy. “I’ll go check on dinner. It should be done soon.”

  Jason took the bucket of candy and waited for the squadron of Monsters traipsing up the driveway. When he heard the door close he glanced at Alex. She looked confused. “I told you…” he began, but Alex gave him a look that stopped him short. “Don’t pay attention to her,” he said instead, having no desire to spend the weekend with two angry women. His mother would be bad enough, and boy was she angry. She hadn’t just walked away to check on dinner, she stalked away. Jason shook his head. This was not going to be a fun weekend. He wished he could convince Alex that they should just leave and call her to tell her about the engagement. It would make things so much easier.

  “Did I do something wrong?” Alex asked, afraid that she had made some serious mistake without realizing. She couldn’t understand Anne’s anger being directed at her. She couldn’t think of anything she’d done wrong. Obviously Anne didn’t like Jason holding her hand, but Jason was unwilling to let go, and Alex wasn’t going to make a scene in front of Anne.

  “Nope, that’s just my mother,” Jason said, matter-of-factly. “You could be the virgin mother and she still wouldn’t like you because I brought you home with me and, heaven forbid, held your hand.” Jason didn’t know how else to explain it. His mother was a bitter, jealous woman. She couldn’t stand the thought of anyone being happy in a relationship because she wasn’t happy. Maybe if her relationship with his father had worked out she wouldn’t be so terrible, but it was too late now.

  “I don’t get it,” Alex said, still confused. She tried to understand why Anne would be so disgruntled. Logically she knew that it was possible that Anne resented her for taking Jason away, but she still couldn’t understand it. Her mother didn’t resent Jason. Actually, she quite adored him.

  “Neither do I,” Jason said, sighing. He passed out the candy while Alex stood next to him, chatting pleasantly with the kids. He grinned at her, thinking about what a good mother she’d make. She was always patient and smiling with her students. He’d stopped by the school one day and was surprised at how the kids responded to her.

  “What?” Alex asked, suspiciously. Jason had the oddest grin on his face as he looked at her.

  “Nothing, just thinking about you,” Jason gave her a one armed hug. “I guess we should go inside and face the gauntlet.” He wasn’t excited about spending the evening with his mother. He would have preferred to stay at home and relax, but he didn’t blame Alex for wanting to meet his mother before the wedding. He respected her all the more because she insisted that they tell her about the wedding in person. He just wasn’t sure it was a good idea.

  Alex took a deep breath, nodded, and followed his lead into the house.

  Dinner was an uncomfortable experience to say the least. Anne wasn’t impressed with Alexia. She was distant and quiet and reserved. She hardly said a word to either Anne or Jason. She ate slowly, as if the food were foreign to her, which made Anne wonder about her upbringing. Her hair was a little on the frizzy side, and she was pale, almost sickly looking. Jason, on the other hand, seemed happy. He was unusually attentive to the girl’s needs, getting her a drink and filling her plate himself. He seemed reluctant to let go of her hand, even to eat, and he constantly seemed to be reassuring her with a soft squeeze of her hand, as though she were some delicate flower he needed to protect. Anne knew better. She could tell he was taken with the girl, and she couldn’t help the stab of resentment that seemed to be needling at her eyes. A piercing pain shot through her head as an invisible ice-pick jabbed at her temple. Anne took a deep breath trying to calm her nerves. How dare that little hussy try to take Jason away!

  “So, Alexia, what do you do?” Anne asked suddenly, her voice overly loud.

  “I’m a substitute teacher,” replied Alex, after taking a moment to swallow. “I’m going to school to get my teaching degree, but in the meantime, I sub when I can.” Alex was not ashamed of her job at all. It paid well and it provided the convenience of her being able to pick when she worked. If she had too much homework or a class she needed to attend, she could simply refuse.

  “She’s one of the best subs in the district. She works constantly,” Jason told his mother proudly, afraid she’d say something rude or demeaning in response. She had a way of saying something extremely cruel, yet making it sound like naïveté on her part. It was infuriating because it was hard to tell whether she was honestly that ignorant about things or if she was being that rude. Either way, Alex didn’t need his mother picking at her. Even if Alex would tolerate it, Jason wouldn’t.

  “That’s good,” Anne said slowly. There was a soft, hesitant, knock on the door, no doubt more trick-or-treaters. Anne wasn’t in a friendly mood as she listened to the insistent knocking.

  “I’ll get it,” Alex was grateful for the diversion. She stood quickly and went to the door. There were five kids, all dressed like one of the seven dwarfs, smiling at her expectantly. Alex took her time talking with the kids, enjoying their excitement. It helped to relieve the tension that had filled her body since the moment she met Anne. She couldn’t help smiling when she looked at the small replicas of Sleepy, Grumpy, Doc, Dopey, and Bashful. They were just too cute. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to go trick-or-treating with kids. Rose and Kelly had invited them to go this year, but it was the best weekend to visit Jason’s mother, so they’d canceled. Alex was starting to regret the decision.

  Jason listened to the muffled sounds from the coatroom as Alex talked with the kids. He couldn’t tell exactly what they were saying, but he could discern giggles and energetic responses. He loved watching Alex interact with kids. She just had a way about her that brought even the most shy child right into her arms. She was so excited about finishing her teaching degree and having her own classroom. She was constantly buying supplies she thought would be fun or useful in the future. He would swear her closet was full of coloring and craft supplies she was saving. He was so distracted with his thoughts he didn’t hear his mother talking at first.

  “Jason, why didn’t you tell me Alex was a girl?” Anne asked once Alex had answered the door. “Jason,” she said, demanding his attention with a stern tone of voice that she had used when he was a boy.

  “I didn’t think about it Mom. I guess I assumed Trisha told you,” Jason said dismissively. Truth be told, he hadn’t been honest with his mother because he knew she would have been revved up had she known that he was bringing a girl home. He figured it would be better to catch her off guard.

  “You should have told me, Jason,” Anne said irritably. “I could have been more prepared…” Anne began.

  “How, Mom? Have the bedroom in the basement cleared out? Or maybe the one on the other side of the house? What difference does it make, really?” Jason knew his mother too well. She was angry because he’d brought a girl home and she wasn’t given time to take what she considered the appropriate measures to separate them. Precautions, she would have said.

  “Jason, stop. I know you’re a grown man. It just would have been nice to get a heads up. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think I deserved one,” Anne said defensively. Would she have prepared a different bedroom? Probably, she thought impatiently. The one right next to Jason’s room would have been totally unacceptable. But that was entirely beside the point. He should have told her Alex was a girl, and his girlfriend to boot; given her time to digest the information before throwing it in her face.

  “Fine. Mom, Alex is a girl. We’ve been dating over a year.” Jason was angry. He couldn’t believe his mother. It would be understandable, perhaps, if he was sixteen or even eighteen years old and still relied on her for support, but he wasn’t and he didn’t. He hadn’t in years. When he left for college, he left. He grew up and moved on. She was trying to treat him like some teenager and Jason wouldn’t hear of it. She treated Trisha like a child, but Trisha accepted the abuse, Jason would not.

  “Thank you. Was it really that difficult to offer me some considerat
ion? You’re bringing a strange person into my home, and you never even told me it was a girl.”

  “You know what?” Jason began, but stopped when Alex appeared in the doorway. She must have heard his tone because she froze for a second, watching him in some surprise, before walking into the room, the smile fading from her face.

  Anne and Jason were silent as Alex sat down; Alex, who had never been comfortable in tense situations, tried to break the silence. “It’s too bad you missed it, Jason, Ms. Stafford, there were five of the seven dwarfs outside. It was really cute. They were all in second grade and it was some kind of extra credit for school...”Alex stopped short when she noticed the look of complete hatred in Ms. Stafford’s eyes. Jason looked at his mother for a moment, reveling in her anger at the use of his father’s name. It still hurt his pride that she’d changed her name. Forget that she didn’t love their father anymore; they were all Staffords and by changing her name Jason felt she was distancing herself from her children as well as their father.

  “Alex, I forgot to tell you that my mother doesn’t use my father’s name anymore. She uses her maiden name, Davis.” While Jason said this in a frighteningly calm and even, almost smug tone, Alex had a feeling that there was more to it than he let on. If looks could kill, she’d have been dead, and Jason seemed rather pleased with his mother’s discomfiture.

  “I’m sorry,” Alex began, looking bewilderedly at Jason’s mother. “I didn’t mean…”

  “It’s fine,” Anne interrupted crossly, “you didn’t know.” Anne rose from the table, taking her plate to the dishwasher. She returned, grabbing Alex and Jason’s unfinished food. She’d be damned if she’d sit there being polite and cordial. Alex started to offer to help, but Jason squeezed her hand in a silent signal that she shouldn’t bother. Offering to help would probably just make things worse anyway.