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7 Years Prior
DAX BRACED HIMSELF for the cold wind that whipped around him as he exited the sliding front doors of his condo. Living on the lake brought cooler temperatures and higher winds from the water. Now, gripping the wooden box in his arms, he jogged along the icy sidewalk to the driver’s side of his truck and climbed in.
He slammed the door shut and brushed the snow off the top of the box.
Ava looked at the box and her teeth clamped down on her lower lip. Dax knew she assumed it was the one Rowdy had been searching for all day. She was right.
Dax set the wooden box on the console between them and took a deep breath before he glanced in the back seat at his dad.
Rowdy’s solemn eyes were glued to the rustic box. Dax recognized the mixture of happy memories and painful grief dance in the old man’s eyes. He’d gone through the exact same sequence each year he’d pulled out the box.
First, he’d remember his family’s past traditions of choosing a tree at the tree farm, decorating it as holiday music played in the background and cookies sat on the table. Then he’d fill his stomach with a little of everything from the buffet of takeout food they’d ordered in, and would still manage to eat some popcorn while watching an old Christmas cartoon. He remembered always finishing the night by falling asleep under the lit tree. All good memories. But then memories of his mother’s funeral scratched the happiness away. Her death, her funeral, and his dad’s momentary demise almost had him resenting the box which hadn’t had a memory added since her death.
Rowdy cleared his throat now and looked at Dax. “You had this in your condo, son?”
He only nodded, unsure his voice wouldn’t crack. Plus, there was no way in hell he was going into details about taking the box right now, in front of Ava.
“Okay then.” Rowdy patted his son’s shoulder. “Let’s go get some supplies.”
Dax parked his truck facing the snow-covered beach alongside Willow Valley’s Main Street. Mid afternoon and the white snow sparkled under the sun peeking in and out of the clouds. Later this evening, as dusk settled upon the town, strings of lights draped through the trees and up the light poles would turn the main street into a festive sight. Dax avoided the main street as much as possible during the holidays, but today everything they needed to fill their box was on this street.
They stopped at the local bakery for a basket of assorted snacks to munch on when they got home to set up the tree. Dax and his dad automatically turned around as the hostess Mrs. Calvert secretly picked the treats out just as she’d done before his mother had passed. Dax found himself enjoying Ava’s small shake of her head at their silliness. He chuckled as his dad nudged her around with them and told her, “No peeking.”
Next they stopped at the movie store where they spent a ridiculously long time debating and picking out a holiday movie. Then on to the gift store which had a great selection of ornaments dated for the present year. Rowdy chose an ornament with four cartoon snowmen heads with red hats and scarves while Dax stood quietly aside watching as another debate began.
“Rowdy, please don’t buy that because you feel obligated to include me. I don’t want to add something to your box that you open next year and regret.” Ava argued a good point, but Dax knew his dad far too well to assume he hadn’t already thought the ornament over before they’d arrived.
“Young lady, I don’t live for next year any more. I live for the now. And right now you’re spending the holidays with us.” Rowdy finished jotting down names on a piece of paper before he handed the ornament to the worker behind the counter. The ball on the end of the young girl’s Santa hat bounced each time she moved. With a big smile she silently read the names before she thanked his father and bent down—the white ball doing another bounce—and began working her magic on the ornament.
Rowdy leaned against the counter and sent Ava a curious smile. “Family is a funny word, isn’t it?”
Dax rubbed his bristled jaw line an attempt to conceal his grin as he recognized the start of one of his dad’s knowledgeable, one-sided conversations slash lectures that generally left the person he confronted more confused than before he began. The way his father could sprinkle contemplation in a person’s head was incredible.
“Families come in all different shapes and sizes. Some are tied together by blood while others are brought together by circumstance. It doesn’t mean that one is right or wrong, or because you’re related by blood, it’s stronger than circumstance.” He reached over and touched Ava’s arm. “Family is who is there for you when you don’t even think you can be there for yourself. So whenever you’re not sure who your family is, take a look at who is beside you at that moment.”
His father looked at Dax and he quickly washed his smart-ass look away before the lecture turned on him. “Memories are funny, too.” Too late. “Because even the sad ones are worth experiencing, remembering and never forgetting.”
For the stern, hard-ass his dad had always been, today’s sudden ninety-degree flip left Dax’s mind muddled. What was his old man saying? All of a sudden they were going to start mentioning and remembering his mother? That he’d been wrong by attempting to erase the memories of her? And there it was, his father had left him more confused than he’d started. And it was all because of the woman who his sappy father now referred to as family. A woman he hardly knew. A woman Dax wasn’t even sure he trusted yet. His dad was getting sappy in his old age and the intent stare he wouldn’t break was enough to make even Dax’s adult self uncomfortable.
“If you say so, old man.” Dax wasn’t sure what he wanted, but he hoped his reply would appease him.
Finally, the employee finished personalizing the ornament and handed it to Rowdy. He pulled glasses from his pocket and put them on to inspect the fine print on the ornament.
Ava glanced from Rowdy to Dax, color staining her cheeks before she looked back at his father.
He ignored the little flip her look stirred in his stomach, blaming it on all his father’s family nonsense crap.
His dad lifted the ornament to show it off. Each red scarf had a red name painted on. In order from left to right it read, Rowdy, Dax, Ava and Kid.
Kid. Dax smiled. He liked the sound of that.
He heard Ava’s light gasp as she reached for the ornament. Her fingers grazed across her name and “kid” with a tiny tremble. “I don’t know what to say.”
Rowdy covered her hand. “How about stop thinking so much about tomorrow and live for today. Today’s a good day.” He looked at Dax. “Don’t you agree son?”
Sappy dad moment again. “Yeah, old man.”