Chapter thirty

On Christmas morning Dot and Jon woke up with Steph and Jesse running into their room. They were jumping on the bed and tried to wake their parents. Jon caught a glimpse of the alarm clock and groaned when he saw the red numbers. 6:52. Shit!

Steph attacked Jon with a rather bad tackle and just because he knew what was coming, because she was doing it every year, he was able to shield the family jewels and her knee rammed into his stomach. What wasn’t really better, he realized.

Dot grinned at Jon’s stifled “Uff!” and shoed the kids out to of the room and told them to put some clothes on otherwise they wouldn’t open the presents.

Smiling she turned to Jon and placed a kiss on his lips. “Merry Christmas, honey.” Jon pulled her on top of him and kissed her deeply. Dot moaned when his tongue slipped past her lips and the kiss grew more passionate.

“Merry Christmas, darling.” He said and hugged her tight. He could hear Steph and Jesse running around in the hallway. “I don’t think we have time for your Christmas present now.” He sighed.

Dot laughed. “No, I don’t think we have. But I’ll show you my present tonight.” She whispered in his left ear and nibbled his earlobe. Jon groaned and pulled her closer, but before he could do anything else the door opened again and Jesse and Steph raced in. Dot jumped off him immediately.

“Mommy, Mommy we are ready.” Steph announced.

“So, am I.” Jon mumbled. Dot shot him a look and rushed into the bathroom to get dressed as well.

“Go and wake, Kris.” Dot told him when she left with the excited kids. “We’ll wait in the kitchen.” Steph and Jesse protested loudly. They wanted to check the living room for presents now. Jon shook his head and crawled out of bed. After a short visit in the bathroom and dressed in some lose fitting cargo pants and a Giants sweater, he knocked softly on Kris’ door.

“Good morning, sweetie.” He said when he entered the dark room. Kris groaned protesting and snuggled deeper into the covers. Jon smiled and opened the blinds to let the morning sun into the room.

“No!” Kris pulled the covers over her head. Jon laughed she was definitely not a morning person. He sat down on one side of her bed and touched her soft blond hair.

“Merry Christmas, sweetie.” He said close to her ear. Kris stirred, and then opened her still sleepy blue eyes.

“Christmas?” she asked irritated. “Oh, yeah.” She rubbed her eyes. “But why so early?” she asked shocked when she looked at the watch.

“Because your siblings can’t wait to get their presents.” Jon caressed her head.

“You are doing that in the morning? Wow, in Germany you have to wait till evening.” She said stretching lightly.

“Really? Well, I’m not sure we would be able to control them so long.” Jon laughed.

“Probably not.” Kris tried to look out of the window. “Do we still have snow?” she asked worried.

“Yes, sweetie.” Jon said and pulled her into a hug. “Merry white Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas, dad.” She whispered and pressed herself closer to Jon. Her hands cramped into his sweater and she was trying hard to hide the tears.

“Kris?” Jon wanted to push her back, but she shook her head.

“It’s just…” she stuttered with a voice thick of tears. “I never had such a great Christmas morning. Normally I left the apartment and walked around, maybe sat in the church for a while and then in the evening I could see the lights coming from the trees, shining down on the streets. I always wanted to know how it would feel to be inside and…and…” she was sobbing uncontrollable by now. Jon closed his arms around her protectively.

“It’s ok, sweetie.” He could see Dot showing up at the door. “Today you won’t stay outside and watch the other families.” Dot looked at him shocked. Jon swallowed hard. “Today you have a family to celebrate with.”

“Yeah.” Kris nodded and looked up. “Thank you.”

Jon kissed her forehead. “Not for that sweetie.”


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About half an hour later they were all sitting in the living room. Three of them armed with huge mugs of coffee and watched Steph and Jesse open their presents. Kris had to smile about their flushed faces of excitement, the shining eyes, and the loud squeals when they opened a present and it was something they really wanted.

Dot nudged her softly. “I think you should start as well, Jesse is already eyeing your presents.” Kris looked surprised at the pile of colorful boxes and bags.

“This is all for me?” she was stunned.

“Sure. Or do you know someone else with the name ‘Kris’ in this house?” Jon asked her amused.

With trembling hands she set down the coffee and glided down on the floor next to her siblings. She picked out a small dark red box with a silver bow and opened it with shaking hands. Inside was a pink flacon with perfume. Her eyes gleamed.

“That’s…that’s…” She looked at Dot.

“That’s the one you liked so much when we were in the mall the other day. I…uhm…told Santa Claus.” Dot said smiling and very obvious to the fact that her six year old daughter was watching them with interest.

“Mommy has his phone number, you know. She’s very good in telling him what to give us.” Steph explained with a serious look on her face. Jesse nodded corroborative. Kris needed all her control not to laugh out loud.

“I bet, she is.” She said with only a slight grin on her face. Dot lips twisted treacherous and she started to cough while Jon simply took a long sip of coffee.

Kris continued to open her other presents. Some clothes, cool new boots, books, CD’s and inline skates with helmet and pads showed up. She was all excited now. She never skated. When she opened one of the bigger boxes a bright yellow beach bag cotton toile was revealed.

“You two are nuts!” she said when she read the label. It was a Birking bag by Hermes. Even though she never saw one of them before, she knew how expensive they were and she knew how much the girls in school wanted those bags. Alex had educated her rather fast.

“Well, I think he is nuts.” Dot said laughing when she opened her box and found the same bag in it, but in deep blue.

“Well, Santa Claus knows what women want, so I don’t think he’s nuts.” Jon rejected with a smug smile and grinned like a fool when Dot and Kris each placed a kiss on his cheek.

“What’s that?” Kris asked irritated after she opened a really small box and found a key in it.

“Well, that’s something special, sweetie.” Jon said and pulled her up next to him. “I know you don’t have a driver’s license yet. But I promised I will show you everything so you will pass the test. I simply don’t want you to learn on one car and then you have to get used to a new car, so…” Kris’ eyes grew wide when realisation sank in.

“Oh, no you didn’t!” she whispered.

“Oh, yes I did!” Jon said with a huge smile. “Check it out.” Kris raced out of the house. A scream echoed back into the hallway.

“Are you wearing a jacket?” Jon yelled and ran after her. Of course she wasn’t wearing a jacket and boots neither. Jon shook his head and took the key from her to open the car. “Get in there! It’s fucking cold out here!” Kris jumped into her new ride.

It was a brand new Chevy Tahoe in a deep red cherry color and with shining silver accents.

“You are crazy. That’s…that’s …Dad. That’s too much.” Kris said with a trembling voice and tears in her eyes.

Jon hugged her and rubbed her shoulders. “Nothing is ever too much for you…or Steph, Jesse or Dot.” She looked at him sniffing.

“But why couldn’t you buy me an old car. I will probably make scratches in this. And why an SUV? I…” he stopped her.

“I wanted a car you can also drive in the winter and I don’t have to worry you got stuck in a bit too much snow, I wanted you to be save in it. You have a better position to look around when you sit a bit higher and when another car hits you, hopefully it won’t happen, but who knows, you’ll be safe in here.” Jon explained. “And scratches, sweetie, scratches don’t matter as long as you are fine. I can buy a new car, but not a new Kris.” She nodded still sniffing and pulled him in a huge hug.

“Thank you, dad.” Jon smiled happily.

“You are welcome. And now give me the key.” He said. Kris laughed. “You get it back when you have your license.” He promised smiling.

Back inside Steph and Jesse didn’t show much interest in the car, but Jesse found another present under the tree.

“Hands off!” Jon barked when his son tried to pick up the huge box. Jesse stopped immediately and hurried over to Dot. The speech he got from his father two days ago after he broke the guitar was more than enough.

“That’s your last present, Kris.” Jon said.

“But I have the car and…more?” she asked confused.

“One more.” Dot said smiling while Jesse was sitting on her lap. “Go ahead, open it.” She encouraged Kris.

Kris opened the box and gasped. In front of her lay a beautiful black Takamine TF341DLX Bruce Springsteen Model with cutaway and a huge engraved lion’s head. Carefully she ran her hands over the dark shining wood and traced the outlines of the lion. She looked at Jon questioning.

“Well, first of all it’s your zodiac sign...“ She nodded. “…and second a lion is a fighter…” he paused and looked her deep in her blue eyes. “…just like you.”