Chapter 5

I had just grabbed the mail when I heard Gail racing down the stairs.

"Hey, Tommy, how's it going? Still missing Beth?" she asked as she pulled their mail from the box.

"Yeah, but it's getting easier to get through the days. I mean it won't be too much longer before she'll be back."

Gail gave me a skeptical grin. She knew how close Beth and I were.

"But not soon enough, right?" She asked. "Hey, we're going out for a bite. You want to come along?" she added.

"Sure. Beats staying here doing homework!"

My brother's lady just chuckled.

"Let me get Kev and we'll head out."

As she bounced back up to their apartment I tried not to stare at her ass as those delectable orbs gyrated up the stairs.

Really I did.

"So where would you like to go?" my brother asked once we were all in his ride.

"Oh, I don't care. Any place is okay with me."

Ten minutes later we were seated at a table in one of the local steak houses.

"So, Gail said you weren't missing Beth, eh?" my brother asked, a little smirk chasing across his face.

"I didn't say that!" she protested, grinning as she punched Kev in the shoulder.

All I could do was laugh at their antics. It was pretty obvious that they loved each other, despite the banter.

"So are you kids ready to order?" our server asked with a grin. She'd obviously been watching their antics, too.

"You bet," Gail replied. "It takes a lot of energy keeping him honest!"

My brother gave me one of those what are you going to do looks. All I could do is shrug. Like I had an answer to one of life's biggest questions.

As we talked the question came up of what everyone wanted for Christmas. Kevin was hoping for a new camera and Gail mentioned some concert tickets.

"And what's on your list, Tommy?" Gail asked.

"Oh, I don't know. Besides having Beth back, that is."

"Oh, come on. You must have something you want. A new camera gadget or something," my brother prodded.

"Well, now that you mention it, I saw something at Joe's. He's started carrying a quadcopter that you can hang a GoPro camera on and fly it around. I can just imagine what kind of shots I could get with a rig like that. It would be like having my own helicopter!"

Excited? Who, me?

As we ate I could tell my dinner partners were dong their best to keep me occupied and my mind off missing my usual table-mate. I appreciated their efforts even though I was really starting to miss my lady.

I checked my email as soon as I got home and found a message from a Shelly. I knew she was Beth's roomie at McMurdo even though we'd never met or even talked to each other.

Tommy,

I hope you don't mind getting an email from someone you haven't even met, but I'm sharing a room with your girlfriend and I had to tell you about a talent show we had a couple of nights ago. I've been sharing space with Beth for a while now and I've got to tell you your girlfriend has some serious hidden talents.

She found out one of the regular technicians did some improv while he was in school and she talked him into doing a bit for our talent night. Let me tell you, they were the hit of the evening! I can't believe how they could come up with stuff off the tops of their heads like that! It didn't take long for everybody to get into tossing out bits for them to work from and they'd just run with it. You've got to think they were almost two people with one brain. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know what your girlfriend's been up to and how she's fitting in down here. You've got a pretty special lady there.

Shelly

I read the message again and I couldn't help feeling a little uneasy. I remembered Beth mentioning how improvisation only worked if you really got to know—and could click with—the other person or people you were working with, and knowing Beth felt close enough to a guy down there be able to pull off a routine like she had left me with a little twitch.

I looked at my watch and figured I had a couple of hours to catch up on homework. I fired up my computer and opened a file of raw video that I'd shot for class. Mr. DeFrance had given us an assignment to put together a short video that would highlight places around town. The sort of thing any tourist board would use to plug the area to prospective visitors. I tried to use some out-of-the-ordinary camera angles and positions—there was nothing more boring than something that was shot strictly from eye level. I'd learned that from my previous class work for Mr. Grossfeldt and found it applied to video as well.

I suddenly noticed Ghost had found his way unnoticed onto my lap as I was working. I looked down at him, "And where did you come from?"

The only answer I got was a befuddled look. It was a bit spooky to see anything but his usual confident look on his feline confidence, but I could understand his confusion. "I know, buddy. I miss her too, but it won't be too much longer." I tried to sound as confident as possible, I just hoped I wasn't just blowing smoke.

I was determined to not let my itch about Beth affect me, but by the time I'd finished editing my video file I couldn't take any more and figured it was time to send her an email. I stated typing and found myself on the brink of a slippery slope that ended in a place I didn't want to be. Beth and I had many discussions about love and jealousy and just what the difference was and I was determined not to fall into that "me-or-no-one" attitude that so many people seem to equate with true love. I re-read what I'd typed then deleted it and started over. Finally I just gave up. I'd just wait until we had a chance to talk together. I didn't want Beth to know how uneasy I was and I just couldn't figure out how to word an e-mail that wouldn't sound jealous or needy.

Classes were going along fine. Even my Video class was working out. A lot of the techniques and tricks I'd learned before seemed to carry over and most of the others in the class seemed to accept me as something other than an outsider. I'd shot enough stuff that the class had seen to have most of them willing to admit that even an inexpensive "amateur" camera could turn out some good work. Of course there were still some who stuck up their noses at the idea. It was kind of the same attitude I'd run into before. I guess everybody needs a crutch of some kind or another and I'd found a reliance on the latest and greatest technology was a common ailment.

Christmas Eve was here and we were all going to gather at Beth's folks. Joan had taken the train from Washington to be with us and I offered to pick her up at the station.

"Tommy!" she yelled, waving her arms so I wouldn't miss her.

"Hey, Joan. How are you doing?"

"Besides missing my man, you mean. But then I'm sure you know what that's like," she replied as we waited for her baggage. Once we had everything, we walked to the Jeep and I loaded her bags in the back.

"So how are you handling being by yourself?" she asked as I pulled onto the freeway.

"Well, I've been trying to keep busy. Between school and trying to keep my photography clients happy I've been able to keep myself occupied."

"How's Beth doing?"

"From our emails and occasional Skype conversations she seems to be doing okay. She's found a roommate and they seem to be hitting it off." I decided not to mention the itch the news of her improv partner gave me.

We continued our conversation until we got to Chuck and Bev's house where the rest of the gang was waiting.

Everyone had contributed to the feast, including me! I'd dug out one of Beth's recipes and actually made a pumpkin pie! I thought back to our first holiday together and remembered how impressed I'd been with her treat. I only hoped mine would live up to hers.

Once we got to the house I saw everyone else was already there—my folks, Marty—Beth's other grandmother—my brother, Gail, oh, and of course our hosts. With Joan and I there were nine of us for the Christmas celebration—everybody except Beth and Hank.

Conversation over dinner was as lively as ever and having Joan there just added another dimension. After the meal was over, the dishes stacked in the dishwasher, and the pots and pans washed, we gathered around the tree in the basement family room while Chuck played Santa.

To add to the tension, Chuck only gave out one gift at a time and insisted that the recipient open it before he'd grab the next package.

Kevin got the Nikon camera he'd been eyeing and Gail actually squealed when she opened an envelope Chuck handed her and saw the concert tickets she'd been hoping for.

Chuck had managed to miss me on the first couple of rounds and I was getting a little itchy. Everybody else had more than one present each, but he'd managed to skip me and I was wondering what was going on. By the time "Santa" was down to the last package under the tree I was smelling a rat. A rat named Kevin Randahl—my dear brother. I thought back to an earlier Christmas and Gail's first present for him. Payback's a bitch.

"Well, I guess that's about it," Chuck said. "Oh, wait, there is one left. Let's see, who could it be for?" He added as he grabbed a fairly big package and pretended to read the tag.

"Hmm, Tommy, it looks like Santa didn't forget you after all," he said as he handed me the last package.

I had no idea what it was—or why I was only getting one. When I pulled off the wrapping I saw why there was only one gift for me. In the box was a quadcopter with a mount that was gyro stabilized and would allow me to shoot both video and still pictures when I mounted my GoPro to it. It was almost a duplicate of the 'copter I'd been lusting for but had never expected to see under the tree. The 'copter was from a manufacturer that had a whole line of fliers—from $100 to forty times that. I had a sneaking suspicion this one was one of their more expensive units.

"I—I don't know what to say," I stammered. "I mean, this is great. It's exactly what I want, but it's way too expensive, I mean..." I ran out of words as I looked around the room.

My dad chuckled, "Tommy, don't worry about it. That's from all of us. And I'll bet you thought we'd forgotten you. I saw the look on your face as Chuck was doing his Santa bit."

So much for being inscrutable.

Bev reached over and patted my knee. "Now you do realize we all expect to see some pretty fantastic pictures from that. Right?"

All I could do was nod because I had my nose buried in the manual trying to figure out what I'd have to do before I could fly it.

"By the way," Chuck added, "there's an outlet behind you so you can top up the charge on the batteries. It should be ready to go by tomorrow morning."

Apparently I looked a bit excited with my gift. I thought I was being very cool about the whole thing, but maybe not.

The rest of the night was kind of a blur. I remembered Kev asking me a ton of questions about how to use his new camera, but otherwise just an overpowering yearning to try out my new toy—er, tool.