Chapter 61: Christmas in California and then Beyond.

It was absolutely quiet in the room while everyone watched and waited to see what Reyna would say and do.

After a moment that seemed like forever she broke out in hysterical tears and said, "Yes, absolutely yes!"

Junior let go of her hands long enough to pull something out of his pocket. He then took her left hand and slipped a ring on the ring finger of her hand.

The women jumped up and surrounded Junior and Reyna almost before Junior could stand up again. They seemed to go wild. I didn't think it was that big a surprise because he had been acting like something was going on but the women were acting as if it was completely out of the blue. I didn't understand, with what Janice had said to Reyna at breakfast I thought for sure Janice knew this was going to happen.

My dad and I looked at each other with a knowing look, Tommy was watching the spectacle in the middle of the room and Robert was looking down at the ground shaking his head. I figured Junior's trip into town must have been to get the ring this morning. He must have made arrangements with the jeweler to have the ring ready for pick up.

The women were all talking at once, congratulating Reyna and Junior, commenting on the ring and already making wedding plans for the couple. "What's the matter, Robert? Didn't you see this coming?"

"I saw it coming but I wasn't expecting it this soon. I guess I should have. He's been acting kind of funny for the past couple of weeks. Tommy, you knew he was going to do this, didn't you?"

"Yeah, Dad, but I couldn't tell you, Junior would've killed me. You'd have told Mom and she would have spoiled the surprise and he would've killed me again."

"Did you really think Reyna didn't know this was coming?"

Tommy stood there for a moment and then said, "I guess she did but she didn't know when. That was the surprise."

"Whatever!" He looked at the women and then said, "I don't suppose they're going to settle down any time soon. We're not going to get them to talk about anything else tonight, or the rest of the weekend. I don't think Junior is going to be of much use tomorrow either. The women won't let loose of him anytime soon and there's work to be done in the morning. I'm going to get some sleep. Goodnight." He left us and went towards his bedroom.

"I can see your mother is going to have to get another copy of her cookbook made, Rob. I'm sure she'll want to give one to Reyna. Everyone liked Mom's kugel and pudding. I think I'm going to go to my room and read for a while, the women won't even know I'm gone. Goodnight, Rob."

I thought about what he said before I went to the room for my Kindle. I sat down to read in the family room while I watched and listened to the hubbub and fuss the women were making. I chuckled thinking that Janice must have gone through a lot of this when she was planning the wedding for me and Kay. I didn't think it would be a long engagement and wondered if they'd get married here on the farm or on Reyna's family's farm. Would Junior move out or what?

The rest of the holiday weekend my father and I spent time working with Robert, Junior and Tommy. I don't know how much of a help or a hindrance we were but we had a good time and I don't think we set the farm back too much. Sunday was a little bit of a sad day. My folks were flying back to Florida and we were flying home to San Diego. If that wasn't bad enough, Tommy had to leave to get back to school, too. Reyna wasn't going home until Wednesday and was going to be helping Janice until then.

At home it was back to work for both of us. I was home this week to tend to my other clients and Kay was back to the internship and school; we were both busy. I called my airline contact and made arrangements for Kay's parents to come out for Christmas. The arrangements for my parents had been made well before Thanksgiving but there were less than four weeks before Christmas and I wanted to get a good flight for Kay's parents.

At school, Bert sent Kay a message asking her to bring me if possible and come see him one day after class. He was willing to stay late to see us.

Opening the door to his office Bert said, "Come in, Kay, Rob. I know you want to get home but this won't take long."

"What's up, Bert?" I asked. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine, as far as I know. I wanted to let you both know Wayne is gone and he won't be back."

Kay said, "I know he left school for the year."

"It started that way but admin has been keeping me in the loop about him. He's now permanently gone, not just for this year. He's transferred and enrolled in a school on the East coast. He won't be returning here."

"I wasn't expecting that," I said.

"I wasn't either. I thought it was too late for him to start the year in another school but his family's money apparently can do more than I thought."

Kay looked very conflicted and then said, "You know I didn't wish him any ill, don't you? I just wanted him to leave me alone."

"Yeah, I know. I'm glad he won't be back. He was unstable when he was here and I as far as I'm concerned he'd never be safe to have around. The other thing I wanted to make sure you knew is that Todd was convicted when he went to trial. He's supposed to be sentenced shortly after the first of the year."

I said, "I've been keeping track of him through Campus Security and they let us know about his conviction and when he's supposed to be sentenced."

"Good. Watch yourself until he's gone for good."

"We are. I don't think he knows where we live."

"Try and keep it that way. The school won't release your address."

We thanked Bert for going the extra mile, for calling us in to update us about the two guys Kay had problems with. We offered to take him to dinner but he said he'd rather go home to his wife. We all shook hands before Kay and I left him to go to the diner.

The four weeks before Christmas were busy for me, a day trip one week to take care of the California resort and three days of another week to take care of Texas. On top of those I had a client that needed me in Arizona and that consumed four days all by itself of a third week.

Kay was kept busy at the company and had worked three projects from start to finish by herself. Troy looked over what she did and reviewed everything with her giving her both the positives and the negatives of what she did. As long as her work met the goals of the project he didn't make any changes. The work was turned in with his approval signature. When the Christmas break started at school she finally had a little time off. She stayed busy at home getting the house ready for my parents' visit.

"Rob, which bedroom will they use, the front one or the back one?"

"I don't know. They've used each of them on one visit or another. I think you should make sure both bedrooms are ready."

"There's not much I need to do, the rooms are clean. I'll change the linens a day or two before they come in. Everything'll be fresh and ready for them when they get here."

"Thanks, they'll appreciate it." I didn't tell her both sets of parents would be here for the holiday. So far, it was still going to be a surprise. I crossed my fingers and chuckled to myself.

Christmas was also on a Thursday this year and both sets of parents were flying in on Wednesday, staying until after New Year's Day. The company was closing for the weekend so Kay wouldn't have to go back to work until Monday. I had the flexibility of setting my own schedule.

As soon as she came home Wednesday we left for the airport in my truck. Both sets of parents were coming in on the same flight after connecting in Dallas/Fort Worth. I had been able to reserve seats for them in sequential rows. Kay just thought we were picking up mine; I wanted to see her reaction when hers came through the security barrier, too.

We were standing off to the side when my parents came through. When we waved they saw us and came over. I was greeting my mother while Kay was greeting my father. He maneuvered her so that her back was towards the throng of people and winked at me. I knew something was up.

"Hi, Mom, how was your flight?"

"We didn't have any problems, Rob. As always the seats you arranged for us were very good." Then sotto voice she added, "You've been a naughty boy, Rob."

"Me? I wouldn't say naughty, mischievous maybe, but not naughty."

Kay and my father were talking when I saw Robert and Janice coming up behind Kay. Robert tapped Kay on the shoulder to get her to turn around.

She turned and when she saw her parents she squealed and then just about screamed, "Mom, Dad, what are you doing here?"

Robert answered, "What, we can't visit our daughter? I thought you said we'd always be welcome."

"Of course you're welcome, you're always welcome but why are you here? Wait, I know the answer to that." She turned towards me. "Rob! You did this, didn't you?" I was in trouble and she was glaring at me.

Janice asked, "Aren't you going to give me a hug and a kiss, Kaitlyn?"

She hugged and kissed Janice and then asked, "Mom, did you know about this?"

"No, Dear. I didn't know anything about this until early this morning when your father came into the kitchen and, before he even had his coffee, told me to pack a bag for us. I've already had words with him on the flight to Dallas, about surprising me and not being fair to you or me. I don't think Danielle knew about this either."

"I didn't know about it until yesterday. I knew all along we were coming out for Christmas. I didn't know until yesterday that you and Robert were going to be coming out, too. I didn't know we were meeting in Dallas when we changed planes, though. Rob has been a naughty boy."

"Mom, I told you, I've been mischievous, not naughty. I wanted to surprise you ladies for Christmas. I guess I did. Your husbands were in on it."

"Oh, no you don't, Rob. The only thing Robert and I did was keep your secret; this was all your idea and your doing. You're not throwing me or Robert under the bus."

"Kaitlyn, don't be too hard on him. You're glad to see us, aren't you?"

"You know I am, Dad, but it would have been nice to know you were coming so I could have things ready for you. Rob was being his typical sneaky self and trust me; he's going to pay for this." I was getting the daggers again.

"What more could you do to get ready for them? The house is clean, both of the spare bedrooms have fresh linens, there's plenty of food in the house, so what more did you need to do?"

"I don't know but I'm sure there's something."

"Well, while Kay is trying to figure out what it is she hasn't done, let's go get your luggage and get out of here."

"That's probably a good idea, Son."

"Kay, why don't you take our moms out to the truck while I get the luggage with our dads? We'll meet you there."

Kay led my mom and Janice away while my dad, Robert and I went to baggage claim.

We went home. While our parents were settling in their rooms and freshening up Kay came after me.

"Robert Roosevelt Lister, you are a sly, sneaky, deceitful, conniving Rat! How dare you do something like this to me? I love you! When did you put this together?"

"I came up with the idea out in your barn when you women were all in the house, before we went in for dinner Wednesday."

"You're in trouble, you know. I'm going to come up with some way of getting even with you. You're going to pay for this, big time."

The others joined us in the great room. "Janice, Robert, you know my parents and I are Jewish and we don't celebrate Christmas. I'm not sure what sort of observance you would like. There's a nearby church we can go to if you'd like, either tonight or tomorrow or both. Is there any sort of special meal you'd like for tonight? If not, there's an Italian restaurant that Kay and I like very much. I can call and get us a table."

"Anything you'd like, Rob. We like Italian, too. What are you planning on for Christmas dinner?"

"There are other restaurants, Dad. I wasn't planning on you being here for Christmas dinner, so I wasn't planning on cooking. We can go out to the store and pick up things to make dinner here. Dani, Mom and I can go out now and be back before we go to the Italian restaurant."

"Janice, what do you think?"

"We're not big on church services but a nice dinner here would be nice. Is a ham okay with you Dani?"

"A ham dinner will be very nice. Is there a store close by, Kay?"

"Not far away at all, Mom. Come on, Dani, are you coming with us?"

"I'd like that. Before we go, though, Kay, where's that cook book I made for you? I want to check on something and then see if you have everything I need. How about a Noodle-Broccoli Casserole to go with the ham and Cherry Dumplings for dessert?"

"I don't want you to have to do a lot of cooking, Dani."

"There's nothing to these, Kay, and I think they'll go very well with the ham."

"I'll make a Pineapple and Brown Sugar Glaze for the ham."

"I'd like that, Mom."

The women spent the next fifteen minutes going through the cook book and what Kay had in the kitchen and pantry.

"We'll be back soon. Rob, make a reservation for about an hour and a half from now," Kay said and then led the women out the door.

The rest of us sat around and talked while the women were gone. We talked about how my business was going and how things were on the farm. I found out that Junior and Tommy weren't alone there. Robert had arranged for Reyna to come to the farm and go with Junior to the airport. Reyna was going to stay at the farm while Robert and Janice were with us. After the Thanksgiving weekend, Reyna had taken Junior home with her to announce their engagement to her parents and friends. She wanted to do it in person and hadn't told anyone over the phone.

The women came back with a few bags of groceries and put them away in the kitchen before we left for the restaurant. My parents had been there with me once before.

"This is a nice restaurant, Rob. I hope it's not too expensive."

"Don't worry about that, Robert. I've budgeted for this trip and have more than enough to cover this and everything else while you're here."

"Janice, do you see anything you'd like on the menu?"

"I don't know what to get. Is there anything that's a specialty, Rob?"

Kay answered before I could say anything. "I haven't yet had a bad meal here, Mom. Would you like me to pick out something for you?"

"Please, and for your father as well. Okay, Robert?"

"She might as well. Rob, we can share the expenses if we need to."

"There is absolutely no need for that. How about some wine to go with the meal?"

"That's okay with me, Rob. What about you and Dani, Phil?"

"We're not big drinkers but we like wine when we're eating out."

When we ordered the meal I also ordered a bottle of wine to go with it.

It was a good meal and we all enjoyed it. The conversation ranged across a wide spectrum and everyone was involved with in the discussions. It wasn't long before the conversation came around to Junior and Reyna. Janice had told Kay and my mom that Reyna was staying at the farm while Robert and Janice were with us. She went on to invite my parents back out to the farm for Junior's wedding. That surprised me because Kay and I hadn't been invited yet, that I knew of.

Once the discussion was on the wedding, it stayed there. I learned that the wedding was going to be in the Grange hall and again a farm type of wedding, not a church wedding. It was set for Valentine's Day. That had already been arranged but there were still many details to be worked out. I think Janice was a little miffed and feeling left out because Reyna's mother and the other women in Reyna's family were doing almost all of the planning.

Kay tried to soothe Janice but wasn't too successful. It was during this part of the discussion that I learned Kay and I were indeed, invited to the wedding. Kay looked at me as if I was simple minded to think anything else, foolish me.

We were in our bedroom for the night, talking about the day and making some plans for the visit now that our parents were in and we'd talked with them. Kay was off from school and the company matched the interns' work schedules with their school schedule so she'd be home the whole time our parents were visiting. I still had to do my daily log checks but unless a client developed a significant problem, I'd be home, too.

"Rob, I was going to make a pineapple glazed ham for Christmas dinner, my mom is making a three bean concoction of hers and your mom said she'd make a noodle and broccoli casserole, do you think that'll be okay?"

"What d'ya mean?"

"The ham, will your mom and dad be okay with a ham tomorrow?"

"You mean because we're Jewish? We're not observant anymore, Kay. It might have been an issue a long time ago, when I was growing up back east, but not now. My folks'll be fine with a ham and I've got a couple of nice wines to go with it."

"I know you've said that before but I was still a little nervous about it."

"My mom was with you when you were shopping tonight, wasn't she? If there was a problem she'd have let you know."

We went to bed and Kay made her special use of a pillow while we had our fun wearing each other out before falling asleep.

Christmas morning found the women all in the kitchen each doing something different while they talked with each other about everything. My kitchen may not have been as big as Janice's but it was every bit as well equipped. To my mother a stove was a stove. Janice on the other hand was very appreciative that my stove was a higher end model and that it had a double oven arrangement.

I found Robert sitting in the great room with a cup of coffee. He was sitting in my chair and switching through the channels on my flat screen.

"Are you looking for anything in particular, Robert?"

"I'm looking for a news channel or something worth watching. You've got the same problem here that we have at home; a lot of channels but nothing on them worth watching."

"You didn't get much of an opportunity to watch television the last time you were here, did you?"

"I had other things on my mind."

"I remember you were pretty adamant that Kay was going back to Kansas with you."