Chapter 175

"Hurry up baby!" My mom calls across the hallway.

"I'm almost done!"

We were going on a visit to my Grammy, the constant snowing had let up for a couple days so it was the perfect time to make the trip to the city to pay her a Christmas visit before the roads got blocked off by snow.

The dinner was in two days and I've been too busy to remember to be nervous, I had gone shopping with my mom for decorations and to get gifts for my Grammy and Aunt.

I hurry out, my mom's impatience nearly palpable, we would spend a night at my Grammy's place and I hoped we didn't get snowed in, I had to be back in Pine Creek really soon.

My mom wraps a knitted scarf around my neck when I come down to the living room and places a loud smacking kiss on my cold nose which I rub because it tickles, scrunching up my face.

"Ready, baby?" She asks, grabbing the suitcases and bags which are ridiculously plenty considering we would be coming back later tomorrow. "Did you carry your gifts?" 

"Yes." I reply, going out the open door. "Oh hi, Virgil!" I greet happily when I see him coming down the stairs. We had said goodbye earlier this morning so seeing him again was a pleasant surprise.

He places a kiss on my cheek. "Need help with that?" He offers.

"Thanks darling." My mom says in relief when he effortlessly moves all of her unnecessary luggage.

"My pleasure, Renee, bye, baby." He hugs me one last time and waves as my mom drives out.

The journey to the city is smooth which is a really welcome change because sometimes it snows so hard that the drive is nothing but a pain and we end up spending hours on the road.

It's a family tradition that we wouldn't opt out of but neither my mom or I are particularly comfortable in riding in a helicopter so bracing the roads it is.

We started out early and we made it into the city in the early afternoon, my Grammy hurrying us into the living room close to the electric fireplace so we can get warm.

Which is just her being fussy because the heater was on in the car so it's just the short walk to the house from the car that would have gotten us cold.

"The snow wouldn't let up," My Aunt Candy says, coming in with a tray of steaming hot chocolate. "I was almost thinking we would have to forfeit this year's Christmas dinner."

My Aunt practically spent the holidays with my Grammy so she wouldn't feel lonely, my grandad wouldn't be back in time for the holidays, no surprise there.

"We might have to leave first thing tomorrow morning though." My mom says, taking a sip of her steaming drink. "So we won't get caught in a nasty snowstorm."

My Grammy just places an arm around me, obviously very pleased to see me if her constant ruffling of my hair and chafing at my cold hands to get them warm is any indication. "Of course, I'm just glad you were able to make it."

The next couple hours are spent catching up, my Aunt Candy it's thinking of opening her own law firm, something she could have done easily if she wanted to but she liked to earn her own money which didn't bother my grandparents in the slightest.

They had already accepted that their children were an odd bunch so instead choose to use ridiculously extravagant gifts to console themselves.

After lunch we lounged on sofas playing cards when my Aunt finally spoke up, ever shy when it came to emotional things.

"So…" she trails off, her funny tone of voice alerting everyone.

"So?" My mom prompts, impatient when her older sister doesn't say anything else.

"Don't rush her, Rennie." My Grammy tsks.

"Fine, sorry, take your time, Andy." She teases.

Aunt Candy just glares at her sister but gulps, looking nervous about whatever she wants to say. "So… I, um…" she twiddles her fingers, avoiding eye contact.

"I can't believe it!" My mom exclaims with wide eyes, her cards dropping to the ground. "You're seeing someone!"

My Grammy blinks, confused. "What?"

I'm on the same page as my grandmother too, staring at them with a bewildered expression. "How did you know?"

"Well, yes." Aunt Candy finally admits. "Ren is right."

"Really!" My Grammy cries out, happy. "I need to take up knitting classes, I want the very best for my grandbaby or I could travel out, solely for the baby's shopping you know because that's very important, you would have to quit your job, for the baby's sake you know…" She starts to mutter, brows furrowed in concentration.

"Mom!" My Aunt whines, "I just met them a couple weeks ago." She complains.

"Congratulations, Auntie." I smile at her, while my Grammy falls into another monologue of planning.

My mom is stunned, like her brain short circuited after my Aunt's confirmation of her guess. "I was right?!" She asks with something akin to horror. "You're seeing someone?! I thought you were fucking aromantic."

"That's you, Ren, I'm just really picky."

My Grammy insisted we drank champagne to celebrate the occasion then proceeded to fuss over my Aunt about drinking alcohol even though my Aunt kept saying she wasn't pregnant.

Dinner was a colorful affair and I ended up choking more than a couple times at my mom's and Aunt's sibling rivalry while my Grammy just watched on fondly.

After dinner we retired to the living room for the tradition of exchanging gifts. Somehow I wasn't surprised about my mom's gifts to everyone… knitted sweaters!

My Grammy ooh' ed and aah' ed over them, saying that they should have knitting dates for the new baby.

My poor Aunt kept getting flustered at the mention of babies that she was a bumbling wreck at the end of the night.

I had given my Grammy mittens because she always complained about freezing hands in the winter but never bought something to help and to my Aunt I gave a cutesy little keychain with a chibi wolf and bow ties made from fangs.

My Aunt had made charm bracelets for everyone with our initials on it, there was a lot of detailing and I could tell that she had spent a lot of time on it.

My Grammy started her gift giving by saying she wired half a million dollars into our accounts and we all just smiled at her, knowing that there was no way to convince her otherwise.

Then she hurried inside the house and came back with little framed pictures of herself and us, each picture was different.

I was really small in mine, my chubby hands reaching for her to pick me up with childish giggles on my face.

We retired late to our rooms and I found that I couldn't sleep, my heart too full to sleep, staring out the windows where the lights of the city twinkled.