Chapter 21

The 23rd was my last day of school before break, but Jackie had been off for over a week by then. We were already packed and ready to leave the next morning, our refrigerator and pantry were almost empty, the house was spic-and-span, and the mail had been stopped. When I got home, there was little left to do but have our daily half hour debriefing (in which all we talked about was how excited and nervous we were to see Delaney again), clean up, and go.

The O’Brien’s house was predictably beautiful, with a large tree in the den, garland and electric candles on all the window sills, ribbons and bells on all the doorknobs, and tinsel festooning the mantel. Jackie and I were among only a dozen neighbors who showed up, everybody else being caught up in their own family’s holiday plans. We got ourselves some mulled wine from the bar and spent some time circulating and making small talk.

Delaney’s plane was scheduled to land at six-thirty, and her mom was picking her up at the airport. Her older siblings were already home, two of them with their own spouses and small children. Her sister played hostess, greeting guests at the door, taking coats, and making introductions. One of her brothers was stationed at the bar, not so much to get people drinks as to make sure that all the high school and college students who would be there didn’t. The O’Brien’s weren’t the type of hosts to wink and look the other way at underaged drinking.

Delaney’s dad was outside on the patio, manning the wood-fired pizza oven they had installed there. Dinner was a make-your-own pizza bar set up in the kitchen with pre-made crusts, sauce, and cheese. We were all supposed to bring our favorite toppings, make our pizzas, and then take them out to Sean to cook.

It was freezing on the patio, but the oven radiated heat and several of the neighborhood dads, coats on and beers in hand, huddled out there with Sean while the pies baked. Some of us accused him of being crazy, standing outside in the cold while the party went on inside. We had to admit that the pizza was amazing, though.

The kids began arriving in groups of three and four about 6:00. They had shared rides, of course, and the drivers had dropped their passengers off in front of the house and parked their cars around the corner up the block to preserve the surprise. There were about twenty of them, all girls who had been on the crew team with Delaney or had otherwise known her in school. They were almost evenly divided between those still in high school and those who had gone on to college when she had.

Although they had different personalities and skin tones and hair colors and styles, all of them were tall and fit. These were unquestionably athletes. Most of them knew the O’Brien’s and several had obviously been in the house before. They moved from room to room with comfortable familiarity, greeting and hugging each other and Delaney’s family, eagerly making their pizzas and taking them out to be cooked, and attacking the soft drinks and snacks that were available. The entire party seemed to get a bit louder, brighter, and more exciting after they arrived.

Mrs. O’Brien called from the car when they were about five minutes away. This was our signal, and the music and most of the lights were turned out. From the outside, I’m sure, it looked like there was just a small family gathering going on in the den. When Delaney came through the door with her duffel, though, the lights were switched on and we all yelled, “Surprise!” just like in the movies.

Delaney shrieked in shock and happiness, then spent the next hour making the rounds. She hugged and talked to everybody, I’m sure telling the same stories about college over and over again. She paused and did a small double-take the first time she saw us, but Jackie took the bull by the horns, giving her a friendly hug and telling her that everybody was so proud of her. We chatted with her for a few minutes before she had to move on to the other guests.

After that, the rest of the party seemed like an anticlimax. We had seen Delaney, hugged her, and talked with her a bit. When we left we’d probably get to talk to her again, wish her a Merry Christmas, and exchange kisses on the cheek. That would be it. We could see her, but we certainly couldn’t touch her, at least not in the way we wanted to do. Jackie and I looked at each other and I could tell we were thinking the same thing. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.

We didn’t feel that we could just abruptly leave, so we made a half-hearted attempt to circulate again. About a half hour later we found ourselves in the kitchen. Last call for pizzas had been made a while ago and Sean had since come in. The back yard was now dark and the door locked. The party had moved on to the den and other areas of the house, so the kitchen itself was deserted.

At the far end of the room, though, bright light and holiday rock music streamed out from an open door. Curious, we walked over to check it out. It seemed to be the door to the basement, and all the lights were on down there. Now that we were closer we could hear the sound of laughter and talking along with the music. Wondering what was going on, we decided to take a peek.