COHEN
GivingBirdie presents was the best thing ever, because her whole body lit up with her excitement. She smiled wider, her eyes seemed bluer and she was just so thankful. Her shoulders lifted and she even shimmied with joy. It reminded me of what Ollie used to be like on Christmas morning, tearing through all of his presents.
The memory had my heart constricting slightly. I missed my son extra around the holidays.
This time of year reminded me how I'd only spent half of his life with him because I couldn't make it work with his mom. Even though my life with Birdie was incredible, the shame of my first failed marriage ate at me from time to time. It was hard to think that I'd missed out on so many precious moments with him, but he was a good man, and I knew that he was making memories with family of his own.
The knowledge made me feel more at ease celebrating the holiday with my wife, especially with how excited she was to see her friend.
We took off down the road in the pickup with the gaudiest holiday package the rental company had to offer. She settled intothe passenger seat, a Christmas themed throw blanket on her lap, her book open as she read another chapter.
I had my hand on the steering wheel and my free hand on her thigh as I drove to Cottonwood Falls. Dallas traffic was insane and reminded me of LA. Luckily, it thinned the further we got out of the city. When we’d been driving for half an hour or so, I stopped at Starbucks and got Birdie’s favorite Christmas drink, a white chocolate mocha, along with a peppermint tea for myself.
Christmas music played on the radio, and between pages she hummed along to a line or two. I knew she felt self-conscious about how much she enjoyed all things Christmas and that her family and even her friends teased her for it sometimes, but her love of the season was one of the things I loved about her. It was amazing how she could boldly go all in on something she loved without letting other people's judgments get in the way.
As we were driving down the interstate, her phone rang and she looked at the screen. With a smile she swiped it open and said, “Hey, Rory, it's so great to hear from you. Thank you for watching Ralphie!” I heard the mumble of a voice on the other end as I turned the volume down. “That was so sweet of you to call. Merry Christmas to you too, sweetie. Tell Beckett I said hello.”
I smiled over at my wife. Rory had been one of her students, but over the years she and her husband Beckett had become friends with us. It was fun to see life come full circle that way.
When Birdie had hung up, I asked, “What did Rory have to say?”
“She just wanted to say have fun on my trip and that Ralphie had settled in well at their place.” Birdie shook her head. “I can’t believe neither of you let the surprise slip!”
I nodded proudly. It was hard to keep secrets, even fun ones like this. “Rory helped me pack the bags for you. I wanted a woman’s opinion to make sure you had everything you needed.”
“Smart,” Birdie replied before taking a sip of her mocha. Then she looked out the window. “Oh my gosh. Ten miles to Cottonwood Falls!” I followed her gaze to the sign.
“I have a little stop for us first,” I said.
Her eyebrows scrunched together. “Aren’t we going to Hens?”
“Eventually,” I teased. Instead of going into town, I turned down a dirt road, following the directions that Liv had given me.
Several miles down the dirt road with dust billowing behind us, we were approaching our destination. And even though it was dark outside, I wanted to be extra cautious not to spoil the surprise. “Birdie, I need you to close your eyes now.”
I glanced over at her to find her eyes squeezed shut, a grin on her face. “I can't wait.”
3
BIRDIE
Cohen’s handswere warm on mine as he helped me out of the car.
I carefully set my foot on what felt like cement. “You're not going to let me trip over anything, are you?” I asked.
He huffed out a grunt. “That was only one time.”
“Yeah, and the chicken nearly didn't recover.” I said, referencing the time he surprised me with a trip to a farm-to-table themed bed and breakfast.
“She made a full recovery,” Cohen reminded me. “No need to feel guilty.”
“But I cock-a-doodle-doo.” I replied, cracking up at my own jokes.
Cohen sighed, but I could sense him holding back a smile. “Get thoughts of chickens out of your mind and enjoy this.”
“Okay,” I huffed, shuffling my feet slowly over the concrete, just in case. At least I didn't hear any chickens nearby.
After passing over gravel and then grass and another sidewalk, we came to a stop and Cohen said, “Are you ready?”
