delicious, Toby,” Molly said with a smile.
So the nurse had a stomach for Mexican food? “Have you had tortilla soup before, Molly?”
“Yes, of course. Florida has many Mexican restaurants.”
“Oh, really? I would have expected Cuban restaurants, but not Mexican.”
“They have both,” she answered briefly and continued to eat her soup.
“How does the tree look?” Toby asked.
“Tall. It almost touches the ceiling.”
“Do you have a ladder? We’ll need one to put the angel on top.”
“Yes, I have a ladder,” Richard said, sighing, “but you may be too small to climb to the top.”
“Richard!” Elizabeth protested.
“That’s okay,” Toby said calmly. “That’s the daddy’s job, anyway.”
Richard smiled at the little boy. “You know, Toby, I may have to get a list of the daddy jobs. I’m not sure I know all of them.”
“It’s okay, Uncle Richard. I’ll help you.”
Uncle Richard?
He couldn’t stop the smile that lit his face. This was the first time Toby had called him that. The first time anyone had ever called him that. He knew enough to not make a big deal about it and embarrass Toby, but he liked it. A lot.
Molly, however, leaned over to the boy and said, “You don’t really have to make a list. He’s just teasing you.”
“No, I wasn’t, Molly. Not having been a daddy, I don’t know all the jobs a dad must do.” He certainly hadn’t learned the list from his father. The man hadn’t spent a lot of time with his family, and when he did, he tended to control them, not be a role model for them. His mother had done the best she could for both him and Susan under the circumstances.
Molly gave him a quick, disbelieving look and turned her attention back to her soup.
“Richard, do you think we can decorate the tree this evening?” Elizabeth asked.
“No, Mom, it’s already eight o’clock and Toby will need to go to bed after dinner. Besides, the limbs will look better in the morning. The man at the lot told me they had just put that tree up today.”
“Right. Yes, we’ll wait until tomorrow to decorate it. But you’ll need to be here.”
“Tomorrow’s the last day before Christmas vacation, Mom. We close at noon.”
“Oh, that’s right. I’m so glad.”
Molly stared at him. “You close tomorrow for Christmas?”
Elizabeth answered her. “It’s a trend in Dallas. A lot of businesses close for the two weeks including Christmas and New Year’s because so little work gets done. It’s mostly parties.”
“I see. But it’s still a week and a half until Christmas.”
“I decided to close tomorrow because it’s Friday. Already work has slowed down, so there’s not much point in holding everyone there when they want to go shopping and to parties.”
“Ah. So you’re not taking the vacation out of the goodness of your heart?” Molly asked.
Elizabeth rushed to his defense. “Yes, Molly, he is. His father never let his people have even one day off. They worked all the way through the holidays except for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.”
Molly smiled at her hostess. “Of course, Elizabeth, it is generous of Richard.”
Richard noticed he didn’t get a share of her smile. Which meant, of course, that she didn’t really believe he was being generous. Not that he could blame her after his remarks in the car earlier.
When dinner was done, Molly led a sleepy Toby up to his bed, after the good-night hugs and kisses he gave both Richard and his mother.
Elizabeth looked at her son once the other two were gone. “What did you say to Molly earlier about Christmas?”
“What do you mean?”
“I noticed you two talking in the front of the car when we were on our way to the tree lot. She got upset. Which, I think, led to that comment about your generosity.”
“I told her I wasn’t excited about Christmas.”
“I was afraid of that. Don’t you think it had something to do with your dad’s death and then Susan’s?”
Richard sighed. “I don’t know, Mom. Christmas hasn’t been very exciting since I was still a boy. There’s a lot of rushing around and drinking and partying, but it seems kind of empty to me.”
“I don’t intend to go to many of the society parties this season, and I recommend you don’t, either. I feel I have a second chance to make a life for Toby. I know I failed both you and Susan because I wasn’t strong enough to stand up to your father. After his death, I was too despondent to make reparations. But Toby needs me now. And he needs you.”
“I know, Mom. And I’ll try to remember that I’m as close to a daddy as he’s going to get now.”
“I want to find things to do with Toby. Could you drive us around to see the Christmas lights one night?”
“Of course. Or if it’s not too cold, we could take one of the horse and buggy rides around Highland Park.”
“That’s a wonderful idea, Richard.”
“Do you think Toby would enjoy seeing A Christmas Carol? Or do you think he’d be afraid of Scrooge?” He could just imagine Molly’s reaction to his suggestion.
“I think he’d love it. Are they doing that at the Theater Center?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“Wait! I need to get a pen and paper so I can make a list. Then tomorrow I’ll discover times and dates and can buy the tickets.”
She rushed away from the table. Richard was surprised to find some enthusiasm growing in him for the holiday traditions. It helped that his mother was excited about them.
When she got back to the table, she wrote down his suggestions. He added a few more and decided Toby would be bored once Christmas passed.
“These are wonderful suggestions, Richard, and Toby will love them. He’s such a wonderful little boy…and he reminds me so much of Susan.”
“Yes, he does, doesn’t he? She always demanded the biggest Christmas tree, too.” Richard couldn’t hold back a smile, thinking of his little sister.
“Yes,” Elizabeth said with a sigh.
“But, Mom, you’re not used to
