Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 78466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Hannah: My favorite thing about Christmas has never been all my loot but instead playing a video game with my dad or baking with Pa or watching TV with my family or having a dance-off with my Pa or sitting up on the roof and––
Kola: You’re not supposed to be on the roof.
Hannah: Buzzkill.
Kola: What?
Hannah: This goes back to that time business, and I know that a lot of people have to work on the holidays because my dad still has to because he rotates with his men for the holidays, and I mean all of them all through the year for everybody like Navaratri or the first day of Muharram, Yom Kippur and Thanksgiving, Mawlid-al-Nabi and Hanukkah and Christmas, just to name a few. So I get that sometimes we all have to miss important times, but if you can say the day after or a week after and make absolute plans and stick to them, well, for serious your kids will like that the best. I know I do, and everyone in my house is always busy, so it’s nice when we all slow down. And everybody knows that the best part of playing a new video game is having someone there to watch you do it or playing a board game all together. Uno is also excellent as long as no one cheats.
Kola: I don’t cheat. There are house rules you just don’t remember.
Hannah: Playing with your parents is the best gift ever. I promise.
Kola: That’s accurate.
Hannah: Ugh.
Kola: Just be done already. You’re boring people to death.
Okay, so that’s it for me. My pa will be back next year to share with you how our New Year’s went, and hopefully he won’t accidentally almost kill himself like last year. Happy Holidays, everyone!
JANUARY 2019
Happy 2019, all! I hope you’re having a good one all of 15 days in. Normally, New Year’s Eve is a vegetative time for the Kage clan, but this year Sam’s brother, Michael, and his wife, Beverly, had a party and we were invited. When Beverly first told us about it, I figured they’d have it in their nine-room home in La Grange, but the way it turned out they needed one of the smaller ballrooms at the Four Seasons downtown just to accommodate everyone.
“Dane’s a bigger architect than Michael,” Sam said as we arrived at the hotel and he gave the keys to the valet. “How come he never has shindigs like this?”
“Dane prefers family game nights with us,” I reminded him. “He’d much rather beat us all at UNO or complain about you cheating at poker.”
Sam scowled at me as he buttoned his navy suit jacket. “I do not cheat at poker.” Kola snorted behind us, he, like his father, stunning in a suit and tie.
“I don’t,” Sam said defensively, glaring over his shoulder at his son.
“Dad, that’s like saying Uncle Aaron doesn’t cheat at Monopoly when we play at his house,” Hannah said, rolling her eyes.
“No, he does cheat,” Sam assured her. “Why do we have to know zoning regulations before we can build houses on our property? And why does extra cash go into the middle for the city planner’s office?”
“He’s trying to prepare us for actual real estate transactions,” Kola explained to his father. “But that’s mostly for Hannah when she goes and works for him.”
Sam sighed deeply.
“Don’t worry, Dad. When I’m rich you can come to all my parties,” Hannah promised, moving up beside Sam, patting his back.
“Thanks, sweetie,” he said, draping an arm around her shoulders and easing her close to kiss her cheek.
Her arm went around his waist, and I couldn’t help smiling as Kola and I followed them in. The music was live, big band classics luring several couples out onto the dance floor, and I spotted Sam’s parents schooling everyone else trying to keep up with them. Closer now to their sixtieth wedding anniversary than their fiftieth, it was always a treat to see the way they still looked at each other.
Once we said hello, kissing and hugging family and friends, Hannah tugged on Sam’s hand and pulled him out onto the dance floor with her. I noted the looks my beautiful daughter and her handsome father got as they joined the crowd.
“Jory.”
Turning, I found Beverly smiling at me before she stepped into my arms. I hugged her gently, not like the tight squeeze I’d given Sam’s sisters. She’d always been more delicate, which didn’t bother me, I was just careful.
Once we parted, I told her how amazing she looked.
“Thank you, dear,” she said, shaking her head before pointing at Hannah and her father. “You know, your daughter is the only ninth grader I know wearing a Roland Mouret jumpsuit to a family party.”
I just stared at her.
“You have no idea who that is.”
“No, I have no idea what that is,” I teased, gesturing at my kid. “That’s from her and Aaron going Christmas shopping together last month. As usual I told him nothing extravagant, but I’m guessing from your face that he didn’t listen to me. Again.”