Christmas Arrived

8/3/2019 Christmas Arrived

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Christmas Confusion

Christmas arrived without much fanfare that year. As was the case most mornings, Jenna

awoke around nine to the sound of her dog Rusty whining next to her bed, needing to go

out. There was certainly nothing new or unusual about that.

“I’m on it,” she mumbled, wiping the sleep from her eyes.

Forcing herself to sit up, Jenna was surprised by the chill that swept around her shoulders

as the blankets slipped away from her skin. Reaching forward to pet the golden retriever

anxiously awaiting her attention, she shivered and told the dog, “Merry Christmas you

mangy mutt.” Then she stood up, crossed over to the closet, and grabbed Matt’s grey



sweater that had recently begun unraveling. Folding back the sleeves that were way too

long on her, she wrapped herself in its warmth and headed downstairs.

Halfway down the steps she was sure she smelled coffee brewing, but knowing she was the

only one in the house, shook away the thought. Continuing on to the front door, she threw

it open to let Rusty out, quickly doing a double take. Both Jenna and Rusty stopped in theirtracks when they were met with a cold gust of wind as well as the sight of snow. This was

Los Angeles, and as is so often the case in L.A. the day before the temperature had been in

the eighties.

“Okay, clearly I’m dreaming,” Jenna reasoned.

“Clearly,” Rusty agreed.

“And the dog is talking! Okay then, this is weird. Should we go out and play, or go back to

bed?” she asked deciding to play along with the dream Gods or whoever was orchestrating

this.

“It’s freezing! Close the door already,” Rusty advised.

Jenna looked at the dog who now sat at her feet, his front paws folded across his chest.

“I never knew you were so cranky,” she said.

“I don’t like the Artic, do you mind?”

“Seriously? A little bit. Be nice,” she laughed, turning to head back upstairs.

Smelling the rich aroma of coffee again, she detoured by way of the kitchen, smiling when

she saw Matt over by the stove.

“I knew it was you,” she beamed.

“Who else would be in your kitchen at this hour?” he smiled back.

God, how she had missed his smile. He had the best smile she’d ever seen. When he aimed

that thing at you, there was no way you weren’t going to fall under his spell.

“How early is it?” she asked.

“This is your dream, so I guess it’s as early as you want it to be.”

“Hellooo,” Rusty said impatiently, wagging his tail. “I’m in the room, too. Can’t I get a

little love?”

“You have jealousy issues, too? This is really eye opening, well in a non-eye opening kind of

way,” Jenna laughed.



Matt knelt down and held his arms out to the dog that he’d had since he was fourteen.

Rusty eagerly ran to him, licking his face.

Jenna watched the love fest that she had seen so many times before, until she realized that

Matt was disappearing as a result of Rusty’s licks.

“Oh, Rusty!” she groaned, “way to spoil my dream.”

Turning and walking away, she returned to her room and crawled back into bed.

Ten minutes later she awoke to the distant sound of the doorbell. Opening her eyes she saw

that it was early, the first rays of sunlight just peeking through her window. Thinking back

to her dream, she remembered that she and Matt weren’t meant to be together this

Christmas, because he was snowed in up at Yosemite.

Rusty ran into the room and barked excitedly reminding her that the doorbell had rung.

She got out of bed as it rang again.

“Who shows up on my doorstep on Christmas morning?” she asked aloud.

Rusty barked again, and she was relieved he was no longer talking but also a little

apprehensive as to who she’d find on the other side of her front door. Maybe it’s some kind

of special delivery, she reasoned with herself. Maybe it was Matt’s way of apologizing for

ruining her plans by taking that last minute trip with his brother, when she had warned

him that this could happen.

Once again, she went to the closet and grabbed his sweater before running downstairs.

“Who is it?” she called, but she got no answer.

She looked through the security peep hole but saw no one. Definitely a delivery, she

thought, reasoning that the delivery person had probably just left the flowers or whatever

it was on the porch, because he had other deliveries to make before he could go enjoy his

own Christmas.

Rusty put his paw against the door, scratching at it as if to say “if you don’t open up, I

will.”

“Relax, I doubt it’s for you, although it would be just like Matt to send you a bone,” sheadmitted, grabbing his collar and pulling him back. With her free hand she opened the

door and was immediately hit with a snowball, first at the shoulder and then at the waist.

“Merry Christmas!” Matt yelled, jumping out from behind the mail box.

Seeing his truck in the driveway, the bed of it piled high with snow, Jenna ran over to it,

allowing Rusty to play interference so that she could grab a handful of snow to retaliate.



Her throw was weak and off centered as her heart moved up to her throat and she began to

cry.

“Ahh come on, you didn’t really think I’d leave you all alone on Christmas, did you?” Matt

smiled.

She nodded as he walked over to her, took her hand and dropped down on one knee.

“I don’t ever want to spend a holiday or any other day away from you. Marry me babe,

please,” he added.

Christmas arrived without much fanfare that year, but it was by far the most memorable

one of Jenna and Matt’s lives.

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Christmas Arrived