When the car finally stopped, Benson was kissing his cheek and whispered, “We’re at the first stop.”
“First stop? How many are there?”
Benson giggled a little. “Three. The last stop is where we’re staying for our holiday.”
“Okay…you’re so weird.”
He was led again, only not very far. Benson stopped him, and then said, “Okay, I am not trying to control everything, and you have your own opinions and choices, I swear. But this is a choice, and there is another, but…”
Luka slid the blindfold off, knowing Benson would stammer for another ten minutes if he didn’t. What he saw when the blindfold was gone and after blinking a bunch of times from the sudden bright light was a cabin in front of a mountain backdrop, the snow glistening around it like it was put there just for the holiday.
The cabin wasn’t huge, but two stories, and there was an enormous window on the dormer for the attic, making Luka remember their conversation weeks before, when he said he wanted a writing room where he could see everything.
“I…Benson…”
“Baby, this is one of two that a realtor is showing me here in Colorado. You always wanted to come here, and now…if you would want to, we can live here.”
Luka turned to him, tears welling in his eyes. “What?”
“We’ll still be in New York part-time for at least a year, but we’ll spend time here too, or anywhere you want. What I’m saying, Luka, is…run away with me. At least part-time.”
Luka turned back to the cabin, the big door with the carvings of evergreen trees and deer, the log furniture on the porch, a bench and chairs.
The world around them was so quiet, there was only the dripping sound of the snow melting off the roof. “Benson…this is…”
“There’s another. And if you don’t like either, we can look—”
Luka spun to face him and slapped a hand over his mouth. “Shut up. This is…it’s so…”
He was choking on the sobs that were stuffed in his throat. Benson smiled and moved Luka’s hand. “You like it.”
He nodded vigorously and moved into Benson’s arms. “I don’t even want to see the other. This is the most beautiful house I’ve ever seen.”
Benson kissed his head. “Still, I want you to choose.”
Luka didn’t want to argue, but he cried quietly for a moment. Benson held him through it, then Luka recovered and asked in a tiny voice, “Can we see inside?”
“Sure, babe. Let’s go inside.”
The inside was all wood. Walls, floors, beautiful cabinets in the kitchen, archways that were carved in twisted knots. The view from the window in the attic held him speechless. He stood at the window with Benson holding him around the chest from behind.
He could see for miles, trees, snow, hills and mountains, the sky so blue it was almost tangible, the clouds so white they rivaled the blankets of snow.
“I saw just this window and knew this would be perfect for us.”
Luka nodded and imagined himself sitting at a desk, writing in the quiet, seeing the seasons change…
“Baby, I want this for us. We beat so much, and now, it’s time for us to give back. Let others get a leg up, and…I’m going to give you something for Christmas that…”
“What could you give me more than this?”
Benson turned him around and held him. “Well, I was going to tell you about this later, when we were actually at the hotel, but…I have placed a hundred million into a fund for scholarships for NYU. Business and Drama, but…”
Again, he burst into tears, but Benson wasn’t finished.
“Okay, and it’s only for those in severe poverty, like us, like we were, and it’s going to be you that is in charge of it. When we’re back in New York, when I have to be there to work, you can raise money, and work with people to place even more in the fund.”
Luka was speechless, and he thought he’d cannot breathe if Benson went on any longer.
