All I Want for Christmas is You

Merry Christmas!

Trust me I didn't write this today.  I'm enjoying time with my family today of course as I hope you are!

About a year ago when I thought I had run out of ideas for my "Shannon's Story" I decided to go in a different direction.  I conceived of a blog that the character Alex Goran from the movie "Up in the Air" might write.  I really enjoyed it, that post is (here).  If you want more Christmas reading here is my Christmas day fiction post from last year (here).

Unfortunately the Alex post didn't get any comments so I didn't get any of that required positive reinforcement to stroke my ego and I didn't write anymore posts along this line.  But I kept thinking about Alex and the person she might be if she was a real every day person.  I have to say that what I think she would be is my Shannon (let's call her my faux-Shannon).  Actually the other week we were watching Gone with the Wind and Shannon was telling our girls how much she liked the movie.  Privately I was thinking that she likes it so much because she is in fact much like Scarlette O'Hara.  She is a tough and good business woman  (from the South)but perpetually dissatisfied and looking for her Ashley Wilkes who if she actually found him would likely be woefully inept for her liking.  Oh well, tomorrow is another day.

Anyway that got me to thinking that Shannon did reminded me of Alex and that I had told myself I would in fact try to create a side (fictional) "Alex" blog and that I may as well start now.  So here it is my 2nd post of (if anything I just like the blog name I came up with)....

Alex's Blog: The Not so Chaste Tale of a Lincoln Park Soccer Mom

"Please Don't Make it RDU for the Holidays!"

Alex's HNT!

Alex writing......

Goddam-it I hate to travel over the holidays.  I understand it takes a little more time to travel with those "little ones" but could you at least try to get organized before the TSA agent tells you what will and won't go through the screener!  Or maybe just get out of the way, I can get through before you can get the change out of your pocket so it won't cost you a thing but it will save me 10 minutes of my fairly busy and (important to me) life.

Sorry for that rant though.  Actually I'm pretty happy today.  Even under the worst conditions sometimes there are miracles to Christmas and often they come in unforseen forms.

In my case my Christmas miracle was Ryan.  I know you don't expect a Christmas miracle from your "fuck buddy," but there you go.

Winter in the south is not like it is up here in Chicago.  Here you get a foot of snow and you deal with it; life goes on.  But down in the Carolinas you get a cold front coming down from Canada mixed with some moisture off the coast and you get this thing called a half inch of ice.  That really doesn't sound like anything to someone who grew up around Lake Michigan.  To us an inch of ice means skating; but to everyone in the RDU Triangle last week it meant the Apocalypse and the whole damn world shut down.

So there I was sitting in RDU at 4 pm on December 23rd waiting for my connection to arrive from MCO to MDW.  But nothing, I mean nothing was coming in or out and the lines were just stacking up of miserable travelers just hoping to get home.

My emotions like-wise were stacking up just like those planes on the tarmac.  As I began to realize not getting home for Christmas was a real possibility I began to weep uncontrollably.

And then an Angel arrived.  He came to me from PVD where I guess they know how to take off in the cold.  I'm not sure why he even texted me.  We had joked about trying to meet for a "quickie" in the RDU American Concierge lounge when we thought we would be two connections passing in the night.  But he got pulled away from RDU and would be flying into CLT instead so I wrote off a meeting.  But then I got this.

"how long is your lay-over, I've got a car and time on my hands until I have to hand out pink slips along with Christmas bonuses to some Fed Ex employees in Charlotte.  I could still make that date for the Conceirge Club.  Or just a drink if you and Mr. Electric had relations last night, you're worth the 2 hour trip either way! R"

Amid my tears I had to giggle, he does make me smile.  It's times like that when you let your guard down.  I had never asked Ryan for anything or even expressed emotions.  To him I was some ice queen who never had a care or a challenge.  But I folded and replied:

"about to break down and that is not something I do on the road.  Stuck at RDU with nothing getting out.  I'll scream if I don't get home tonight.

I waited 5 minutes, 10 minutes.  OK I thought, no sex he thinks; I guess I'll see him after the New Year.  I think we are together at the end of January in IAH or DFW.

And then the miracle happened.

"hey I noticed that the American planes were getting out of here.  The last flight your directon is at 11 pm but will put you in ORD instead.  I took the liberty of using my points to get you on the flight.  How about I drive over, pick you up, bring you back to CLT and get you on that plane.  It's not the Concierge Lounge but you can give me a hand job or just pleasant conversation for my efforts!  R" 

 

All the spa certificates, jewelry, or honey-getaways to the Bahamas have never made me cry as much as that gift Ryan just then offered at that moment.  My head hit my lap and I did weep for a moment until I could collect myself and then I replied.

 

"you are my knight in shining armor.  Not sure I can get my hands underneath that sheet metel but consider me burritoed again if we do get to cross paths next month in DFW.

 

Two hours later I get his text.

 

"Driving up to baggage claim, don't make me wait there is a very tempting Asian lady that looks like she needs a driver."

 

I had to laugh.  I realized fully what he was doing yet I know he won't want to be recognized.  Somewhere inside I think there is a person who actually gives a damn but I don't think he wants anyone to know.  Perhaps I'll never know.

 

For the next two hours we moved cautiously across I-85 to my destination.  We did in fact have that "pleasant conversation" except for the quick drive through dinner we had at Chick-fil-A at the Thomasville exit.  For those of you Yanks up north CFA is a Southern delicacy of deep fried chicken served on a buttered bun with pickels and Sweet Tea.  The best hick food you can get for about $5.

 

But all the conversation and fried poultry helped avoid the odd topic that Ryan had shown me his heart and that I might not be able to look at him the same way anymore.  I think he knew that and was scared.  I was too.

 

A fuck buddy I can wait a month to see, but this?  I don't know.  A guy does this and you start thinking I want to pick the kids up from school with him or sit across the table with as we read the Sunday paper over coffee.  I guess the funny thing is that sometimes around the holidays or around birthdays or anniversaries a gal doesn't want things that glitter, she just wants to feel like she can still be pleasantly and unexpectedly surprised by a guy.

 

By the time he left me at security I found my eyes wet again.  Part of me wanted to drive over with him to the Marriott and try for a plane tomorrow morning.  But the thought of Sacha's dear face tomorrow morning pushed me past that TSA agent.

 

I guess all Christmas miracles are bitter-sweet in a way.  They bring joy, hope, and happiness yet yield the fact that Christmas only comes once a year.  I guess the real hope for the miracle of Christmas is that sometimes we still get pleasantly surprised and maybe one day it will last all year long.

As for last week, I made it to ORD and took the cab home.  Ned was kind enough to offer to drive me to MDW the next day to pick up the car.  The best treat was seeing Sacha's toothless grin the next morning.

As for Ryan he made it back to OMA late on the 24th and took a Regional up to MKE and then onto Appleton.  I think he was making sure he would spend as little time as possible with "the folks" as he says.

And now I'm here writing from Lincoln Park and wondering why I'm missing my "fuck buddy" so much and why late January in DFW can't come quickly enough.