Luke's Crazy California Christmas (2 page)

Andrea didn't do well with change—even a change of plans.

“Tomorrow?” Her eyebrows inched downward. “But we were supposed to have the next three days together. We had all these plans. I even cleared my piano-practice schedule. Dad didn't like it, but I told him it was important and…” She paused and pressed her lips together. “Sorry, you were saying you have to leave tomorrow.” She took a casual drink from her mug.

I sat there stunned for a minute. “Andrea, are you OK? Should I be taking your temperature or something?” I teased. “Seriously, though, you're taking this incredibly calm. You've been too calm for weeks. What gives?”

“Worried I'm going to displace you, Cool Hand Luke?” She reached over and clasped my right hand.

I wasn't worried she'd displace me; I was worried she didn't care enough to be bothered by my absence. Where were those constant struggles with her crazy neuroses and melodrama now?

“Aren't you proud of me? I'm growing. Working through my prayer journal has helped tons. Every time I want to freak out, I say a prayer and remember one of the verses in the study. God is in control.”

She was right. I'd been stressing over the idea of my dad being in control of my future, but that wasn't exactly accurate. God was in control, and He wanted me to respect my father, so that meant I needed to go to California and visit the colleges like Dad wanted and keep my mouth shut.

For now. But that still didn't remedy my problem when it came to Andrea.

“You're right. I'm cool.” I squeezed her hand and smiled. Then I let her hand go and slid back in my seat. “You know, Southern California is great this time of year. Sunny and bright and a whole lot warmer than central NC.”

“Are you trying to make me jealous?” She crossed her arms, pretending to be annoyed.

“No, I just thought it might make you think about coming to California with me.”

“What?” Her head jutted back and her eyes widened.

“Yeah, it's perfect.” Brilliance had suddenly come to me. It was rash and ridiculous. Everything I usually avoided. “Didn't you say you had an aunt or uncle in LA?”

“A cousin. Mom's second cousin, Georgia, but…”

“So, see if you can stay with her. Maybe you can get a later flight in a few days. Then I can show you all my favorite places. It'll be perfect.”

That's when I noticed her facial expression. It wasn't full of excitement, with her eyes lit up at the possibilities, like when I offered to drive her to see her favorite pianist play in Charleston.

“Luke, I can't. First of all, Mom and Dad would never approve. Remember my parents? The overprotective ones. You have maybe confused them with some super cool parents.”

“I know. I just thought that maybe if you were visiting family, they wouldn't mind…”

“It's not just my parents. I can't go. It's what I wanted to tell you. I'm going to be in this Christmas Eve concert in Richmond. It's a pretty big deal—a charity concert. Some big names will be there. It's a great honor to be chosen out of my entire class.”

This explained her abnormal emotional control. She didn't stutter or trip over her chair or anything. With me out of the way over break, she could focus on her concert uninterrupted.

“Sure, I get it. It's important.”

“It is important. I mean, you're important too.”

Am I?

She reached for my hand, but I shifted farther away and crossed my arms over my chest. “It's OK, Andrea. You can't come. I pretty much knew you wouldn't.”

“I can't.”

“You can't.”

“Hey, you know I'm going to miss you.” She smiled with a cute tilt to her head.

I smiled back. “Not as much as I'll miss you. So, come on, tell me about this concert.” I picked up my coffee mug and took another sip. I knew she wouldn't come, and yet I'd hoped…I'd hoped that for once I wouldn't feel second to her music once again.

~*~

“Here.” Mom handed me a wrapped package as we pulled up in front of the airline drop-off at the Raleigh-Durham airport.

“What's this? I thought we said we'd celebrate Christmas when I got back.”

“It's not from me. Andrea dropped it off when you were gone last night.” She leaned in as if to give me a kiss on the cheek or forehead like when I was little. Instead, she smoothed a piece of my dark hair into place. “I feel like I should tell you something important—advice or something, but you're pretty much all grown up. Three more months and my baby will be eighteen.” Her expression turned playful as she gave me a light pat on the cheek.

“I better get going before you're towed by airline security.” I slid closer to the door and grabbed the handle. Before opening it, I turned back to her. “I hate leaving you at Christmas.”

“I know you do, but I'll be fine with Aunt Renee and Ray and the girls. I won't be alone. Don't worry about me.”

“Love you, Mom.”

“Love you too. Have a good Christmas.”

I hopped out and grabbed my bags from the trunk. I waved goodbye and headed inside to check my luggage. A biting wind shot through the entryway to the terminal just as I started to enter the automatic doors.

I did hate leaving Mom for Christmas. I knew she'd be OK with my aunt and uncle and cousins, but it wouldn't be the same. This was supposed to be our first North Carolina Christmas. Instead, it had turned out to be her first Christmas alone. The first Christmas since my older sister, Monica, passed away after being in a coma from a car accident. The first Christmas since she and Dad divorced. I couldn't believe what a jerk Dad was being, forcing me to come back to California and leave Mom. No, that wasn't true. Dad was being true to form.

After checking in and making it through airline security, I took a seat near my gate. Christmas music circulated around the terminal as if we should be ready to break out into caroling groups. I've heard they do that to keep travelers calm during the stressful holiday traveling season. So far, it had done nothing to stave off my anxiety. Usually, I loved this time of year and got into the whole holiday-spirit thing, but for some reason it grated on my nerves today.

“Fa-la-la-la-la…” Talk about carolers. I nearly rubbed at my eyes to make sure the cones and rods were still working. Carolers dressed in full Victorian garb strolled down the concourse together. Yeah, the airport sure wanted to keep everyone in a holiday spirit. Downstairs, they even had a Santa, live music, and volunteers of the USO handing out cookies as part of some Christmas fundraiser.

I pulled out Andrea's package from my bag. It had been wrapped in plain brown paper. Nothing Christmassy about it. So I was thinking it wasn't a Christmas present.

My cellphone buzzed with a text message.
Yo, have fun in the sun. Ride the waves for me.
It was Dion, one of my new friends from Aubrey Christian Academy.

I'll be thinking of you in that 78-degree sunshine,
I texted back.

Too cruel, man. Later.

Later was right. I wondered if I should message Andrea before boarding the plane when I'd be forced to turn off my phone. I decided against it. What would I say that hadn't already been said?

I'll miss you.

Wish you could come.

Don't forget me.

Strike the last one. That just sounded pathetic. What was wrong with me? Why had I all of a sudden become so insecure? It must have to do with going back. Back to California. Back with Dad. It was doing a number on my head.

The plane started loading after a few minutes. I took my window seat in row eleven, thankful I wasn't on the aisle. It was an overbooked flight full of screaming babies on their way to see grandma, no doubt.

I'd kept Andrea's gift out. I wasn't sure what to do with it. Sticking it back into my backpack didn't seem right, but I didn't exactly want to open it either. I don't know why. I liked Andrea…a lot. Other than Mom, there wasn't another person alive who meant more to me, but undeniable anger had crept up inside my chest. Why was I so mad? It was stupid. She was right. Her parents would never have allowed it anyway. Why couldn't I get over this?

Maybe because she'd made it too easy for me. Did I actually want her to be upset? Again, I had to wonder what was wrong with me.

I stared out the window. Frost covered a portion of my view down to the tarmac. Pine trees stood off in the distance. A few minutes later, we were taxiing down the runway in a bumpy takeoff and were gaining altitude. I tightened my grasp on Andrea's package. Holding it somehow made me feel closer to her, even if the plane had now moved high above the clouds and we were soaring farther and farther away from her with every breath.

2

“I think you're in my seat.” I glanced at my ticket and then back to the person in my window seat. I'd made it to Chicago, and now I had to change planes. Next stop, LAX. Except for the usurper in my seat.

She pulled earbuds out of ears that had many studs. “What?”

“This is my seat.”

She shook her short, spiky blonde hair. “No, I don't think so.” She replaced the earbuds, closed her eyes, and continued to ignore me standing there.

I slipped into the aisle since other people were trying to get past me and to their own seats. I tapped her shoulder. Her eyelids, which had been outlined in dark eyeliner, popped back open.

“Yes?” She sounded bored by my intrusion to her solitude.

“I really think you are in my seat.” I smiled and held my ticket out to her.

She gave a quick glance at the paper, but I could tell she had no intention of actually reading it.

“Fine!” She huffed and stood, grabbing a tan over-the-shoulder canvas bag that had sketches in permanent marker drawn all over it. Her eyes opened wide and she gave another huff.

I guess that was her way of saying
excuse me
.

Once the aisle cleared, I stepped backward and let her out. Then I reentered and sat down in my seat.
OK, Lord, it would be really great if she wouldn't be sitting right next to me for this flight. Yeah, that would be totally great.
I had enough on my mind. I didn't need some rude, annoyed chick at my elbow.

A flight attendant approached her as the blonde just stood there in the aisle. “Can I help you find your seat?”

“Well, I thought I had found my seat until this guy forced me out of it.” She sent an accusing glare my way.

The flight attendant tried a genial smile, but she couldn't hide the slightly reproving expression in her eyes.

As if I was the problem here. Can't a guy catch a break? I held out my ticket. “I'm not trying to cause a scene. This is my seat.”

She took my ticket and glanced at it. “Yes, sir, it is.” She passed it back and her smile seemed more genuine. She turned to the passenger who'd been the cause of this whole disruption. “Can I see your ticket, miss?”

“I guess I have it somewhere.” She propped her bag on the top of the seats and commenced digging through it. From all the banging sounds coming from inside it, I was amazed it had passed airline inspection. There had to be at least one contraband item in there like a nail file or something.

“You have the correct aisle, but you're in the middle seat.” The flight attendant patted the seat next to mine.

I just had to ask,
Why!

The flight attendant left and my seat companion took the spot next to me.

I just wanted to put my noise-canceling headphones on and ignore her for the rest of the trip. She'd probably do the same to me. And most likely kick me if I asked to get out to use the restroom. I could hold it for a couple hours. Maybe I'd just sleep.

A minute later, a man in a business suit took over the seat beside her and started typing into his tablet.

I peered over at my neighbor. “Hey, I'm sorry about that,” I offered with a smile. Time to be that shining light in the world. I prepared myself for the onslaught.

She glanced at me with her mouth slanted at an angle and her left eyebrow, which had a tiny silver hoop through it, raised slightly. “Yeah.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I guess it wasn't your fault.”

“I wouldn't have really minded, but I, uh”—I laughed lightly—“I get motion sickness, so I have to sit by the window near the wings.”

Her slender cheekbones moved upward into a more pleasant expression, which made it all the way to her sky-blue eyes. “Mom usually books me the window seat. I guess I read the seat assignment wrong.” She held out her hand. “I'm Charli…with an
i
.”

“An eye?” I pointed to my eye and grinned. I shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, Charli. I'm Luke.”

“Luke.” She said it as though she approved. “Sorry I was such a jerk earlier. I just had like this awful fight with my dad before I got on the plane.”

“Yeah, dads.”

“Exactly.” She settled back in her seat and then eyed my package. “Who's it from?”

“Oh.” I scrunched it next to my body on the side opposite from her. “It's nothing.”

“I'm being nosey. It's one of my many faults. It's not a Christmas present, I assume. From a girlfriend? I know, a goodbye present.”

My mouth angled upward. I couldn't help it. “OK, yeah, it's from my girlfriend.”

“I figured. You look like the type.”

“The type of what?”

“The type to have a girlfriend. Let me guess. You've known each other forever and been dating for years.” She rolled her eyes.

I chuckled. “Wrong and wrong. I moved from California four months ago. Andrea and I have only been dating for two months.”

“I stand corrected. So, are you going to open it or what?”

“You are nosey.”

“It's an endearing quality.”

“I thought you said it was one of your faults.”

“Yeah, it can go either way.” She tugged on a piece of her blonde hair. “So?”