26. Another Plate for Christmas Dinner.

Carey is coming for Christmas. Will she and Chrissy get along?

“What do you want to have for Christmas dinner?” Ian asked Chrissy. He was sitting in his easy chair looking at recipe sites on his laptop while she sat on the sofa reading a computer magazine.

She shrugged. “You're the cook in this marriage,” she said without looking up from her magazine, “You decide.”

“Well... here's a recipe for turkey with popcorn stuffing that looks interesting,” he said.

She looked up at him with a furrowed brow. “Popcorn?!” she asked.

“Yup. It says you combine one cup of unpopped popcorn kernels with a half cup of softened butter. You stuff the turkey with it and sew the opening shut. Then bake it at 350 degrees.”

“How do you know when it's done?”

“When the turkey blows its a*s off.”

She threw her magazine at him. “You son-of-a-b***h!! I can't believe I fell for that!”

~*~

Ian was both excited and apprehensive about his daughter Carey coming to spend Christmas with him. Excited because he didn't get to see her very often since he and her mother had gotten divorced and he had moved to another city. Apprehensive because Carey and his new wife, Chrissy, hadn't met yet (except for a very brief encounter when he was in the hospital).

He was reasonably confident that Carey wouldn't cause any trouble. She was warm, friendly, outgoing - almost bubbly. It was Chrissy that he was worried about. Those were the very kind of personality traits that Chrissy hated. Also, it would be the first time since she met him that Chrissy would have to share him with someone. He was tempted to have a talk with her about it, but decided it would probably just upset her. Besides, he didn't think she would really cause any problems. She could just be unpredictable at times.

Carey arrived a couple of days before Christmas and planned on returning home a few days afterward, spending nearly a week with them. Chrissy stayed behind at the apartment while Ian went to the airport to pick her up. When they came in through the front door, Chrissy greeted Carey politely, if a little cooly. Carey warmly returned the greeting and gave her a kiss on the cheek (Ian had warned her about the 'no hugging' rule).

They ordered pizza for supper and Ian and Carey spent the evening talking and catching up while Chrissy sat quietly and barely spoke. By the time Carey had filled Ian in on all the latest gossip from 'back home' it had gotten late and they decided to go to bed. Ian had fixed a place in the extra room with an inflatable mattress for Carey.

It was hard to tell how Chrissy felt about Carey. As they got ready for bed, all she said was, “She seems nice.” Ian wondered if his daughter and his wife felt awkward about the fact that they were almost the same age. If they did, neither of them mentioned it and he certainly wasn't going to bring it up.

Carey was the one that finally did bring it up the next morning at breakfast, though in an unusual way. Ian and Chrissy were already up and at their usual places at the kitchen table - Ian reading his newspaper and Chrissy surfing the news sites with her laptop. Carey walked in wearing her bathrobe and a bad case of bed hair and yawned, “Mornin'.”

“Good morning, Sweetheart!” Ian greeted her warmly.

“Morning,” Chrissy muttered without looking up from her computer.

As Carey made her way to the coffee pot, Ian asked, “So, what do you want to do today?”

Carey held up one finger in a signal to wait until she took a sip of her coffee, then said, “Oh, that's good! Actually, I was thinking of checking out some of the stores in town. I still have a couple of presents to get before Christmas.” Then she turned to Chrissy and asked, “Mom, can I have some money to go shopping?”

Chrissy's head popped up with her eyes as wide as saucers. She looked at Ian who quickly looked away, obviously trying to suppress a laugh. Then she shot Carey an evil look and said in an icy voice, “That depends! Did you clean your room and make your bed?!”

Carey laughed and put her hand on Chrissy's shoulder as she sat down at the table with them. Chrissy was still glaring at her, but Ian saw a sparkle in her eye. She was smiling on the inside. Carey had taken a chance and gotten away with it. “Actually,” Carey continued, “I was hoping Chrissy and I might go shopping together. She could show me the best shops and we could get to know each other better.”

All sorts of alarms went off inside of Ian's head. First of all, Chrissy wasn't a big fan of shopping; and second, he wasn't sure he wanted the two of them 'getting to know each other' without him there to run interference. “I don't know, Sweetheart,” he said hesitantly, “I think Chrissy has other plans for today.”

“No, it's okay,” replied Chrissy, turning back to her computer, “I was going to go into town for a couple of things anyway. Carey can come with me.” Then she shot Carey an icy look again and said, “And if you promise to behave, maybe we'll stop and get ice cream!”

Carey laughed again and stood up. “Great!” she said, “I'll go start getting ready.”

“Take your time,” Chrissy said as Carey headed toward her bedroom, “Nothing's open for another hour anyway.”

She looked at Ian and saw the worried look on his face. “Don't worry,” she said with a reassuring voice, “I won't kill her.”

Author's Note

After the last few chapters, I thought you might need something a little more light hearted.

As always, suggestions and criticisms are welcome.

Reviews

[John Lauterbach]

Ah, the 'mom' scene. Chrissy had a good reaction to throw it back at her. Ian's thought about Chrissy having to share him was interesting to me - I wouldn't have considered that an issue. Social or in writing, I just wouldn't have thought of that viewpoint. Another good chapter!

[Kaya]

They are sooo cute!!! And Carey found the perfect way for someone with her personality to approach Chrissy. I absolutely loved it, what a great chapter to come back to!!.

[Craig2591]

Thanks, Kaya.

[Tabitha t]

Loved the popcorn joke. I liked how this chapter was more of a relaxing read. we fans mneeded the break after such dramatic chapters before that. Great job as always and looking forward to more.

[Craig2591]

Thank you.

[Tina Kline]

Great chapter. Love how they broke the ice with Carey's great idea. Love the joke at the beginning too. You did a fantastic job on this chapter.

[Craig2591]

Thanks.

[Barbara Walker]

This is a great chapter! It is humorous. The dialogue is great. You have such an excellent gift with your imagery and descriptions. I feel like I am sitting in the room watching and listening to it all!

[Craig2591]

Thank you. That's a very nice compliment.