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Chapter 23: Howie

I almost lost the one bag twice on the way up to Kevin’s… but knowing how much trouble Mama had gone to making the goodies in there, I didn’t dare drop it.

Everyone was there by the time I arrived; there was already a pretty good feel in the apartment, and I was happy I’d came. We needed to be together tonight, needed to be there for Brian especially. I was glad to see a little of the darkness lifted from his eyes as he joked around with Nick and AJ.

Kev’s apartment… no, that was Kevin and Lance’s apartment… was great. I was glad to see him healing a bit, too, and not just physically. There was a glimmer in his emerald eyes that had been missing for a very long time. From Lance’s easy smile, I could tell things were better for him as well.

Little Julia looked completely wound up… natural, on Christmas Eve. Of course, she didn’t really understand what was going on, other than all the people she knew and loved were together, and happy. That didn’t matter, I suppose. Seeing her bright little smile was enough.

I unpacked the stuff Mama had sent over, and laughed when I saw Lance’s eyes widen at the containers of food and treats. Between what he’d cooked, and what I’d brought, no one was leaving the apartment hungry. He was especially happy to see the cookies; apparently he hadn’t had time to make any, between studying and cleaning and getting things ready. When I asked, he told me that he would be taking his graduation exam in just a few days; he was nervous, I could tell. Of course, I tried to reassure him… he really was one of the smartest guys I’d ever met. It was no wonder that he and Brian got along so well. I knew Lance would pass his exams; I wondered if he and Kevin might go to college together next year.

I had a job lined up after graduation, working at my Uncle Sol’s printing press. I loved the business, and Uncle Sol was a tough but fair boss. He said I had a good head for math and details, and might be groomed for a higher position if I proved myself with hard work. That suited me fine; it was my dream to someday run my own business. Everyone had to start somewhere.

Dinner was a unique mix of food; Lance was a surprisingly good cook, he’d even managed to cook a turkey with all the trimmings. Next to the turkey were plates of enchiladas, taquitos, and about six other dishes I’d brought along. Mama would have beamed, had she seen how quickly her contributions disappeared.

We were too full for dessert after dinner, so Kevin proposed we decorate the so-called tree. Really, it was almost more of a crooked branch than an actual tree, but I wasn’t going to complain. I brought out the package of little tin cutout ornaments my sisters had made for us, and we set about decorating.

The lights almost toppled the tree until Lance anchored it to the wall with a wire wrapped around a hook. Secured, we began the task of burdening it with ornaments.

The conversation was kept light; Brian didn’t really participate in the banter, and I could tell his thoughts were a million miles away. So much had changed in the last few weeks, I couldn’t blame him.

My arm began itching under the cast, and I used the handle of a long wooden spoon to scratch it. I had to wear the stupid thing another three weeks; still, I couldn’t really complain because I knew all too well that it could have been much worse.

I paused in my scratching as the images from the fight flashed through my mind. I saw the gleam of metal, felt the searing pain… remembered the look of anguished surprise on my opponent’s face as I sliced into his leg. Then the snap, a sound I would never forget, when my arm broke. I cringed in memory. Worse than the snap had been the way it had felt when my own knife had cut skin so easily, so effortlessly. I wondered if the boy was all right… at the very least, he would carry that scar to his grave. Something had happened at that moment on the playground: I knew that I could no longer carry a weapon. I would defend myself, of course, but I wouldn’t go through that again. It had been too easy to hurt, too easy to give into the hate and rage. Even if it meant I would be hurt or killed by someone else who had a weapon, I wouldn’t carry any more.

I’d asked Lance to teach me some moves, and he’d agreed. I could tell that he, too, was tired of the violence. I think we all were.

While Harry sat on the couch with Julia safe out of harm’s way, we finished the tree. Lopsided, overloaded with ornaments, it was quite an astonishing sight; the blinking lights only added to the chaos. The only thing missing was a tree topper.

That’s when Texas brought out a box he’d stashed away behind the couch. With an odd mix of emotions on his face, he carried it over to a rather quiet Brian. From the way Texas was looking, I knew it was something very special. We all fell silent as he handed the box reverently to Brian.

What happened next really made that Christmas the most special and touching I’d ever known.