Page 23 of A Little Christmas: Rivi
“Well, I see you all found each other.”
We all turned to see Trent and Ozzy. More handshakes, hugs and shoulder claps were exchanged.
The littles shyly exchanged hellos. Strangely, Trent put a proprietary hand on Rivi's shoulder. He didn't look at me, but it was a subliminal message that threw me off my game for a moment. Did this mean Rivi was off limits completely? I understood the protective nature of a daddy dom. I never underrated that. I had the instinct myself. But if Trent felt Rivi wasn't ready to meet his kink community, why did he invite him here?
I had to do something to assure Trent I wasn't a threat. Unless Trent thought my interest in Rivi was some sort of threat. Then there would be a problem.
Trent clapped his hands. “Is everyone ready to decorate trees?”
“Yeah!” Ozzy jumped up and down in the crunchy snow.
Rivi joined in. “Yeah!”
Maddy was softer, more hesitant. “Yes, please.”
“This way.”
Trent led our group down the first aisle until we came to about the ninth tree.
“This one is for you two.” He nodded at Maddy and Colin. Then he pointed. “And ours is right next to you.”
Maddy had already rushed to the first plastic tub and took off the lid.
Ozzy and Rivi ran to the tubs next to the tree Trent pointed at. I followed, then Trent. He graciously allowed me to join him, Ozzy and Rivi with the decorations.
Soon, we were all laughing and hanging lights and ornaments in the cold, the snow turning to slush under our booted feet.
I kept waiting for Trent to say something to me about Rivi. Or about me inserting myself into their family and joining in. But he didn't. We all got along quite well, holding the step ladder sturdy while somebody climbed up to wrap the lights on the upper branches. Sharing the prettiest ornaments among us. I didn't remember laughing as much in the past year as I did in the next few hours.
When we got hungry, Trent had someone bring us a basket of fruit, sodas and freshly made ham and cheese sandwiches. Someone else brought out folding lawn chairs. We were treated like princes of a castle.
The grounds were full of teams dressing up their own trees. The air was crisp, the smell of funnel cake on the air. Nothing said Christmas to me more than these moments.
I couldn't take my eyes off Rivi. What a delight he was. Everything he said, every gesture had me mesmerized. He may have been inexperienced, but his natural behavior was the perfect little.
He looked to me often with a smile on his face, asking if I liked the placement of an ornament or what part of the treeshould be done next. Innocently looking for approval. But also, instinctively leaning toward wanting daddy input. Even if we never hit it off, our roles were quite distinct and clear. Trent was wrong to hold Rivi back from that, if that was what he was doing.
I decided to try not to think too much about Trent and just enjoy myself. Trent and I were friends. I had to trust we would get through this.
All that work warmed us up and before we realized, it was midafternoon. We were all taking breaks on the lawn chairs and admiring our work. Both trees looked fantastic. I couldn't wait to see them all lit up.
Our cheeks were pink from the cold and the sun. But it felt great. Christmas carols played on speakers around the property. Usually, I got tired heard of hearing them this time of year, but right now it set the mood just right. Kids ran laughing up and down the aisles. If the world could be happy like this all the time, we'd never have war. People would learn to love each other better. Like the Grinch, hearts would expand three times their size in a healthy way.
We all took intermittent breaks to go into the house for the bathroom or to relax, but by dusk stood reunited around our trees waiting for Trent to give the sign to start the generators and light up the lights. He had a headset connected to all the technicians at each generator. There was a microphone on a stage by the back of the house. I could hear the countdown recited by one of Trent’s assistants.
“Five, four, three, two, one.”
“Go!” Trent shouted.
Dozens of trees blazed to life around us. There were screeches and oohs and ahhs from the crowd and lots of clapping. Rivi, Ozzy, and Maddy all jumped up and down yelling and clapping.
It was a beautiful sight. Naturally, I thought our tree was the best.
Trent had impartial judges go around with clipboards and assess each tree. As a group, we all walked around to look at everything. People had done such fantastic work. But the tree that ended up winning wasn't ours, of course. Or Colin and Maddy’s. It was one that had been so covered with lights and ornaments you could no longer see any of the branches or needles. It was a triangle of light and splendor. Some of the ornaments were the size of my head. What a spectacle.
The prize was cash and gift cards.
By the time we walked home past the booths, people were closing down. There was almost nothing to pack. All the food was gone. And all the tables with toys laid out for the kids were left bare.
