Page 62 of Have a Bear-y Little Christmas
“Challenge accepted then,mon cheri!”
“Oh hey there, looking good!”
I turned at the sound of Ana’s voice. She looked like she’d stepped out of a fashion magazine with a fitted, olive jumpsuit and a simple black pea coat over it. I had no idea how she was warm enough with just that and no gloves, but some people just ran hotter than others.
“Isn’t it great?” I said, giving a little twirl. I expected to be gassed up a little by Ana given her nature, but what I didn’t expect was for several of the kids to clap and even for Addy to reach her hand up and snap enthusiastically—although, she still didn’t look up from her book. “Aw, thanks guys!”
“It’sfantastic,” Ana said, practically bounding over to me. “Maybe I should get mine to match.”
“If you think anybody here is taking out those goddess braids you have in,you’re insane,” Olivia chided. “Besides, it’s not like any of us brought bundles.”
“Speak for yourself,” Jahmoni interrupted.
“Of course,youwould.”
The two went off on a tangent again. Although they weren’t siblings, Olivia must have been raised in close proximity to the older woman because they absolutely had that energy.
Ana actually wrapped her arm through mine and pulled me away a little. “I see the girls here, but where’s your little man?”
“He’s taking a nap in the corner,” I said, pointing at one of the couches where Max was all bundled up like a caterpillar.
“What a cutie patootie. Aren’t you worried about him ruining his bedtime?”
“He’s been so excited and active, I’m not surprised his body has caught up with him. He really loves hanging out with the other kids, but he has to pace himself.”
“Right, right, he’s recovering from being very sick, isn’t he? Honestly, I kind of forgot with the way he was acting. He’s full ofso muchjoie de vivre,or as my side of the family would say,ku vida ta txora!”
“Yeah. He reminds me to slow down and appreciate all of the little things, because you never know if they’ll disappear one day.”
“It really is amazing the things we can learn from the little ones, isn’t it? If we slow down and stop obsessing about all those adult things that seem so important, right?”
I nodded, my emotions surging again—gratitude at seeing my son’s chest rise and fall without any fear that it would suddenly stop. There were so many good vibes here, and the kids playing on the floor had no problem with the fact that my son needed a little time to recover. Could life possibly be so easy?
Sometimes, it felt like a trick. Surely these people couldn’t be so good and so sweet? All these kind acts and welcoming actions were exactly like how our leader on the commune treated the new acolytes, only to change later when they were fully under his influence.
“Hey, I know I come on a bit strong, but I’d love to talk to you one-on-one for a bit. Care to go on a bit of a stroll with me?”
Huh, there must have been something in the air. She was the second person to mention going for a walk. Then again, considering the cool, crisp, and insanely clean air outside, I couldn’t blame them.
“Sure,” I said. “Let me just talk to Addy and Eva so they can look out for Max while we’re out.” I looked over my shoulder at Jahmoni, Olivia, and the others. “Would y’all keep an eye on Max?”
Jahmoni instantly stopped her banter with her cousin. “You best let that sweet baby angel rest as long as he need. Don’t worry, I’m about to tackle Olivia’s head next.”
“The hell you are,” Olivia said, jumping to her feet and holding her butt-length, strawberry-blonde hair up above her head and out of Jahmoni’s reach. “Back demon, back!”
“Aw, come on now. You ain’tthattender-headed. I don’t even gotta use a hot-comb with your hair.”
“Back, I say,” Olivia continued, climbing onto a chair. “We both know you just wanna steal my hair for your own wig.”
Jahmoni laughed, and despite the fact that she had at least twenty years on Olivia, she looked so incredibly young in the moment.
“You know, that ain’t a bad suggestion...”
And that was how two adults began chasing each other around the sitting area while everyone else watched on in amusement. Naturally, the kids had to get in on the pandemonium. As Ana and I walked outside, Olivia had an entire gaggle of people running after her while she held her hair above her head like the green diamond fromThe Sims.
It was an entertaining note to leave on, and I found myself grateful for the quiet when we stepped out of the main cabin. It was kind of amazing how I could comfortably experience both ends of the spectrum having this holiday get-together. There was the bright and loud cacophony of a large family full of many characters, then there was the utter still of winter and wild of nature waiting beyond a set of doors. Long smiles and even longer stories; fresh air and towering trees.
“This way,” Ana said, gently tugging on my arm. “I want to show you the old playground.”
