I’m beside myself with excitement, as I wait for the car service to deliver Aldo and Lissette to Crossroads. Although they will be staying at a hotel in town, I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to spend the better part of their trip together. I’ve been sitting on the front steps for half an hour waiting for them when I finally see a limo pulling up the drive. I jump to my feet certain that this is the car I’ve been waiting for. There will be many others arriving tonight and tomorrow for the ball, but this morning things remain quiet at Crossroads.
As the limo glides to a stop at the bottom of the steps, I race forward and open the rear door not bothering to wait for the driver to come around. My haste pays off, and I’m greeted by the smiling faces of my surrogate family.
“Katia!” they cry in unison. Both look well. Better than I do for sure. Aldo gets out first wearing a long wool coat over a black pinstripe suit and white dress shirt which is unbuttoned at the collar. As usual his shoes are highly polished and send off a bit of shine in the mid-morning sun. I note he’s had a haircut recently. His gray hair is buzzed unusually short, most likely in preparation for tomorrow’s ball. He’s also grown a goatee since the last time I saw him. It draws the eye and makes his square jaw even more prominent. Aldo’s face is a strong one, weathered by years of service to the council.
As I extend my hand to help him out of the vehicle, I see that he’s wearing the bloodstone ring. His amber eyes go straight to its mate hanging around my neck. He smiles, pleased to see that I’m wearing the pendant. We hug briefly, and he turns to assist Lissette.
Lissette is also dressed in a suit today. Hers is a charcoal gray that sets off her honey blonde hair nicely. Always having her finger on the pulse of the fashion world, Lissette has livened up her ensemble with a red leather belt and matching shoes. I have no doubt the matching bag is in the car.
Their travel clothes are a blatant reminder of the fact that there are always watchful eyes about. It’s important for the Lescinka’s to be mindful of their image at all times. And this is what Nik’s parents want for him? Thanks, but no thanks.
I hug Lissette, and she plants a kiss on my cheek, squeezing me tight. Her display of affection makes me a little uncomfortable. “Darling! How we’ve missed you!”
“I’ve missed you guys too!” I tell her hooking my arms through theirs and leading them into the school.
“Will you give us a tour?” Lissette asks. “I’ve never been to Crossroads, but I’ve heard wonderful things about it from Anya. I want to see everything!”
I give them the grand tour ending with my dormitory. When I open the door and enter I’m alarmed by the sight that greets me: presents, presents, and more presents. The driver must have brought them up, and, as usual, Lissette has gotten carried away. I can’t even begin to imagine what might be in all of those boxes.
“Oh, Lissette! What have you done?” It’s not possible to keep the dismay from my voice. I look helplessly at Aldo who just shrugs as if to say, “What could I do?”
“I told her you would not like it,” he tells me smiling. Despite his placating words, I suspect he was a willing participant in this craziness.
“Did you try to stop her though?” I challenge doubtfully. He’s hardly intimidated by my inquisition and ignores my indignation entirely.
“Don’t talk about me as if I’m not here!” Lissette huffs. “Besides, it’s Christmas, and Katia deserves to have a wonderful holiday. So, I might have gone a little overboard, but what’s the harm? I wanted to make up for leaving you all by yourself,” she tells me affectionately.
“It’s really great of you,” I tell her. “But you didn’t have to do all of this. Just seeing you and Aldo is enough for me.”
“Well, it wasn’t enough for me,” she says. “Now let’s go open those presents. It will be so much fun!”
It’s hard to argue with Lissette. She won’t take no for an answer, and her excitement is contagious. I resign myself to opening the gifts. Lissette and I make ourselves comfortable on the bed, and Aldo takes the chair at the desk. I open package after package, and soon even I’m tired of opening the boxes. Lissette has bought more clothes, some inexpensive costume jewelry I’ll never wear, a bottle of designer perfume that I’m sure was overpriced, a new speaker for my iPod, make-up, an iPad (which I am actually ecstatic to have), and a pair of gold heels with matching handbag that I can wear to tomorrow’s ball.
“Thank you for everything.” I give them both another hug to show my gratitude for all they’ve done. “This is hands down the most generous Christmas I’ve ever had.” I can’t say it’s the best, because, while the gifts are nice, they’re just things. What matters most has already been stripped away. All I have left are memories.
I offer them my gift meekly. It seems so inadequate in the face of all they’ve given me. “I hope you like it. I wasn’t quite sure what to get.”
Lissette tears back the paper and shakes the lid off of the box. Their faces light up when they see the contents. “Katia! This is perfect!” Lissette coos. She holds up the frame so that she and Aldo can both take a better look. I’ve placed a photo of me sitting by the lake back home in the frame. The photo was taken almost a year before I met Aldo, back when things were still good.
“This is the best gift you could have given us, Katia.” Aldo’s voice is full of emotion. I breathe a sigh of relief. An enormous weight has been lifted off of my shoulders.
Aldo wraps the frame up in tissue paper and places it lovingly back in the box. “I don’t know about you two, but I’m famished. All this excitement is catching up with me. What do you say we make our way to the dining hall for refreshments?”
“That would be lovely,” Lissette chimes in. “Perhaps we’ll get to meet some of Katia’s professors!”
Hell’s bells! I hope we don’t run into Professor Lynch. I’ve apologized, but that’s not to say he wouldn’t mention my little incident to Aldo. I can only hope to run interference and keep them apart for the next couple of days.
The dining hall is bustling when we arrive. Most of the students and faculty have returned for tomorrow’s big event, and, like me, many have their families with them this evening. The staff is rushing around hurriedly and is actually serving the tables tonight. While buffet style may be good enough for the student body, it’s apparent our elders warrant finer treatment.
I’m disappointed as I realize we will not have the luxury of privacy. We’ll be forced to sit with others at the large banquet tables. Not that I would have asked Aldo the questions that have been weighing on my mind in such an open forum, but it still would have been nice to have them all to myself for the night.