Home for the Holidays
by
Overdrive Red
Disclaimer: Not mine.
- - - - - - - - - -
“How’s it going, honey?” Sydney Tate asked her husband of six months. She was
standing in the driveway of their two storey home, watching as Sky hung up the
Christmas lights.
She tried not to laugh when Sky turned back to her with a strand of lights all
tangled around his upper body. “Not too well,” Sky grunted back to her.
Sydney blew him a kiss. “I’m going back inside. It’s eight degrees out here.
When you’re all done I’ll make us some hot chocolate to warm you up.”
Sky nodded and went back to work as Syd returned to the warm shelter of the
house. She curled up on the couch and picked up her romance novel, slipping away
into the quiet afternoon.
About an hour later, the phone rang. Sydney unfolded herself from the couch and
went to answer, thinking it was probably her mother wanting a chat.
It was her manager. “I booked you to play a concert in New York on Christmas
Eve,” Nate Hale announced. “You’ll do Christmas carols and MTV is going to
broadcast it all over the world.”
Sydney’s face fell about ten feet. “I can’t do a concert on Christmas Eve,” she
protested. “I have a husband now; we have to be together. It’s our first
Christmas, Nate; I won’t.”
“You have to, Sydney, it’s publicity. You’re making a comeback after four years
of being away; your sophomore album is set to drop in February and your voice is
all people hear on the radio. A Christmas concert is going to seal the deal for
you.”
“But what about Sky?”
“What about me?” an irritated looking Sky asked as he came into the kitchen.
“Sydney, you’re a celebrity. He should have known stuff like this was going to
happen when he married you. You two lovebirds can have a nice little Christmas
in the Big Apple. You will be at that arena on the twenty-fourth come hell or
high water.” The line went dead.
“What was that all about?” Sky asked when Syd had hung the phone up. His
instinct was to go to her side and just hold her, but there was something on her
face that told him he was about to be extremely angry with her.
“That was Nate…I have to do a Christmas concert in New York.” Syd looked
apologetic and moved closer to him. “I’m set to perform on Christmas Eve, Sky.”
“Christmas Eve?”
“I’m so sorry,” Syd said hastily. “I don’t want to at all; you know I’d rather
be with you for our first Christmas.”
“You always complain that I’m the one who works too hard,” Sky said quietly.
“But at least I’m always home for the important things. I can’t believe you,
Sydney.”
Syd looked at him with sad eyes. “I don’t want to go, Sky. But you could come
with me. We could see the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty. We
could take one of those old fashioned carriage rides and go ice skating at
Rockefeller Center…”
But Sky shook his head. “No, that’s all right. I’d rather stay here.”
“This isn’t my fault, you know.”
Sky had already left.
--
He dropped her off at the airport on the twenty-second. It had been two weeks
since Syd had found about the stupid concert and Sky was still angry with her.
She’d done everything she could think of to try and make things better with him,
but her stubborn Sky refused to accept her apology.
He helped her get her bags taken care of and then hugged her briefly. “Have a
safe flight. Call me when you get in.”
“Sky…please don’t do this. There’s no place I’d rather be than at home with you,
but the label promised I’d be there and I can’t back out now. I’ll make it up to
you; I promise.”
“See you in a few days, Syd. Good-bye.”
Syd shook her head and walked away to the airport terminal, tugging her pink
monogrammed suitcases after her.
--
Sky looked around the empty house miserably. The Christmas tree was brightly lit
up with several strands of multicolored lights. Many beautifully wrapped
presents were poking out from under the pine needles. The house was comfortably
warm and there were little touches of Syd in the decorations throughout the
rooms.
He missed his wife. He knew he shouldn’t have overreacted the way he had. He
knew that Syd had truly been sorry and that he should have gone with her like
she’d offered.
Now it was Christmas Eve and he was all alone. No pretty wife to hold, no one to
cuddle with. Just him and an empty house.
Sydney’s concert was set to start in about an hour. He would watch the
performance just so he could tell her how well she’d done when she returned home
two days after Christmas, because he knew she would ask.
To kill some time, Sky made a pot of coffee and drank a mug slowly, looking out
into the cold gray yard. If Syd was here she would probably be sitting in his
lap with her arms around his neck, begging him to play the piano for her if she
sang.
Then, when the Christmas carols were out of the way, they’d turn on some old
Christmas cartoons and just watch. Syd loved the holidays, and every year she
forced him to watch every special on TV. Secretly, of course, Sky didn’t mind,
so long as he got to be close to her.
And now she was three thousand miles away in New York City, singing those
Christmas carols she adored to a crowd of loyal fans instead of to him.
By the time he had finished his pot of coffee the concert was just about to
start. Sky settled in on the couch, draping the pink and blue decorative throw
blanket over his lap.
Sydney was just taking the stage when Sky turned on the TV. She sat down in
front of the elegant grand piano set up on stage, arranging her sheet music.
Then her lovely voice staring to sing. “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas…just
like the ones I used to know…”
She was beautiful. He’d always known this, of course; a blind man could see that
Syd was gorgeous. She was just wearing a pair of jeans tucked into a pair of
pale pink fuzzy boots, a pink sweater and a white jacket with a big fur lined
hood, but the expression on her face was what really caught Sky’s attention.
She was pouring all of her heart and soul into this performance, and that was
very plain to see. She was doing this with the passion only Syd had- even though
she hadn’t wanted to.
When Syd reached the end of her set, she spoke into the microphone. “This last
song is for my husband Sky. I’m so sorry I’m not there with you, baby.” She
looked back at the music as the lead singer of a popular boy band joined her on
the stage for a duet. “I really can't stay…” she breathed.
“Baby it's cold outside…”
“I've got to go away…”
“Baby it's cold outside…”
That was their song. Plain and simple, that was their Christmas song. “I’m sorry
I’m not there with you Syd,” Sky murmured to the empty house.
--
Sky always woke up early on Christmas morning; it was a habit he’d had since he
was a little boy. It didn’t look like there would be much point in doing that
this year, with Syd being away in New York. They would just postpone until she
got back.
So he lay there for awhile, staring at the ceiling, missing his Syd when he
thought he heard the front door open. He sat up, trying to think of who would
just barge into his house when he heard his favorite voice in the world. “Sky?”
He raced down the stairs, catching Syd up in a big bear hug. “How did you get
here? I thought you weren’t coming home until the twenty-seventh.”
“The president of the label offered to let me use the jet, and I wanted to
surprise you. I needed this first Christmas with you just as much as you needed
it.”
“I’m sorry I was such a jerk. I know you didn’t want to play the stupid concert,
which wasn’t stupid at all. You were great, Syd.” He dropped his voice,
“Especially when you sung our song.”
“Well, it is cold outside…”
Sky just grinned. “Sit down, sweetheart. I’ll make us cocoa and then we’ll
exchange gifts.” Syd shrugged off her coat and settled in on the floor, poking
the stacks of boxes wrapped in pink paper. “No peeking,” Sky scolded in a mock
tone of voice as he prepared their hot chocolate in the kitchen. Syd just
smiled, happy to see him so cheerful now that she was home.
He returned a moment later with two mugs. Sky kissed the top of her head as he
sat down with her. “I’m so glad you’re home.”
“Me too,” Syd replied. “Now for the most important part of Christmas: presents!”
When all the presents had been ripped open and many thankful kisses exchanged,
Syd snuggled into Sky’s warm arms again. “I have something else for you, honey.”
“Oh? What’s that?”
“Well…you won’t be getting it until about mid-August, if my math is right.” She
grinned up happily, watching as comprehension dawned on Sky’s face.
“You’re pregnant?”
Syd nodded, smiling for a brief moment until Sky’s lips crashed onto hers.
“That’s the best Christmas present I’ve ever gotten,” Sky said when he broke for
air.
“Merry Christmas, darling.”
End