Some links may be affiliate links. We get money if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these links on our site.

Christmas All The Time is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Girls Night (Part 2)

“Chelsea, look at Meri’s pajamas!” Kendra shook her sister’s arm.

“That’s a look I can get behind.” Ivy said. “I’m going to go put mine on.”

“Wanna play checkers?” Chelsea yelled.

“Sure, Chelsea. I’ll be right there.”

“Yay!” Chelsea set up the board and waited for Meredith to join her. “Your jammies look like a checkerboard.”

“Yours are super-cute.”

“Chelsea, let her have the black ones.” Kendra said sternly.

“But the black ones go first.”

“Miss Meri is our guest. Show some decorum.”

“It’s okay. I like red.” Meredith said, scooping up the red checkers.

“Can I get you something?”

“Sure, Kendra. Do you have hot chocolate?”

She nodded and hurried away to the kitchen. “With or without marshmallows?”

“Either is fine. Go ahead, Chelsea. Your turn.”

Chelsea slid her checker. “When are you going to marry Mr. Toby?”

“Sometime after Aunt Ivy’s wedding.” She slid a checker.

Chelsea giggled. “That’s tomorrow. Are you having yours on Sunday?”

“Chelsea, weddings take time to plan.” Kendra chided her from the kitchen.

“Maybe Monday.” Meredith tousled Chelsea’s hair.

“What’s on Monday?” Frank entered the kitchen.

“Chelsea is bugging Meri about her wedding with Mr. Toby.”

“Am not.”

“Are so.”

“Girls, please.” Meredith said, jumping one of Chelsea’s checkers. “We used to play with crackers so we could eat them when we jumped one.”

“That’s silly. How did you know which ones were yours?” Chelsea laughed.

“One side had round crackers and the other side used square ones.”

“Meredith, I appreciate you staying over.” Frank said. “Ivy has been on edge.”

“It’s just a case of the jitters. She’ll be fine once she has the dress on.”

“I hope so.”

“Do you want whipped cream on it?” Kendra called out.

“Absolutely. Whoa, where did all of my checkers go?”

“I win.” Chelsea grinned. “Daddy’s turn.”

“Hmm. I want a rematch, girlie.” Meredith stood up. “Kendra, I’m coming out there.”

“Okay, it’s here on the counter. Dad, can I get out some cookies?”

“Just a few, honey. It’s getting late.”

“Thank you. Can I show Meri my room?”

“Sure, Kendra. That’s fine.”

“Come on. You can bring your hot chocolate if you want.” Kendra skipped away to the stairs.

“I’ll let it cool off a bit.” Meredith said, following her.

“That one’s Chelsea’s, and they’re fixing up that one for Baby Frank. Mine is here.” She opened the door and held it for her guest.

“Wow, I love it. I wish I’d have had a princess bed like this.”

“Thank you.”

“Who is that?”

“He’s my favorite superhero.” She hopped onto her bed and perched her elbows on her knees.

“I don’t recognize him. Is he from a comic book?”

“No, he’s the one who saved us from the bad guys last year.”

“Aunt Ivy mentioned that.” Meredith studied the drawing. “I thought Slipstream did that.”

“That’s the official story until he joins the Sentinels.”

“Is this the kid from church?”

Kendra winked at her. “I promised I wouldn’t tell anybody, but since you’re a Sentinels fan…”

“Is that why you’re always watching him so closely?”

“I know you’ve met a bunch of the Sentinels, but have you ever seen them in action? Up close?”

“Not really.” Meredith looked around Kendra’s room at the other drawings. “I’ve seen Captain Freedom bench press a dump truck. Mister Awesomeness does sparring sessions sometimes. Nothing real, though.”

“After Uncle Ian conked that guy in the toy store, I looked out the front window. The guys in the monster masks were shooting at something.”

“Oh, honey, that was really dangerous. You shouldn’t run toward gunfire.”

“I know. If I hadn’t, I would have missed everything. It was amazing and terrifying all at the same time. I didn’t understand what was happening.”

“What was happening?”

“He was stopping them, Meri. He stopped them all by himself, except for the guy Uncle Ian got.”

“What was it like?”

“There was a dark blue blur. I couldn’t see anything but a bunch of those monster guys falling down all over the place.”

“How did you figure out it was…”

“Dustin.” She smiled when she said his name. “I was looking at the candy cart and suddenly he was there. The guy in the elf suit who sold the candy opened up the back so he could get some.”

“He’s fueled by candy?”

“What? No, that’s ridiculous. All that running around made his blood sugar bottom out. He had to eat some candy so he could finish off the rest of the bad guys.”

“Oh, that makes sense.”

“The thing was, his face was completely clear.”

“What? Like glass?”

“Glass? No, his acne was gone. He looks a lot better when his face isn’t all broken out and splotchy. He told me it’s a side-effect of his powers. Slipstream said he’d soon grow out of it.”

“I hope so. That poor kid’s face is a travesty.”

“The point is. I got to see a real superhero in action and so did my dad.”

“When that random guy pulled him onto the road?”

“Yes.” She crossed her legs and wiggled her feet. “We all thought he was crazy.”

“And you were afraid to tell anyone because you figured they’d think you were crazy.”

“Sometimes, I think I am.”

“You saw what you saw, Kendra. Nobody can take that from you. He confirmed it.”

“Yes, I told him at church when I gave him some penguin mints for Christmas.”

“Ooh, those are good.”

“Yeah, they’re my favorite, but they’re really good for him. They’re soft and easy to chew quickly in big handfuls.”

“Is that what he got from the candy guy?”

Kendra nodded emphatically. “He took a big handful of them and gulped them down. He wiped the chocolate off of his mouth, then he winked at me and disappeared.”

“Have you been able to tell this to anyone before?”

“Would you?”

“What about your dad?”

“He’s under a lot of stress. I’ll tell him when things settle down.”

“Not even your therapist?”

“Definitely not.”

“Kendra, it means the world to me that you were able to share this. That’s a big thing to have to carry around.”

“Thanks for listening, Meri. I knew you’d understand.” She took the drawing back from Meredith and cradled it gently in her lap. ”You can tell Mr. Toby if you want to. He was fine with Dad’s story. I think he’d like to know we have our own superhero around here.”