After Tonight

Rob’s P.O.V.
It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year and Jingle Bell Rock. Both songs tied for first on my list of "Most Annoying Holiday Songs".
I could hear Christmas music through the walls. I hadn’t even made it to the door yet and every word was clear. I braced myself for what I was about to walk in on.
I just hoped it wasn't Feliz Navidad. That one came in second.
Lila stood on one of the chairs at the kitchen table, wearing a full-body apron. Abbey and Grace danced around her, making her laugh. Jo was on the couch, a bowl of popcorn and cranberries sitting beside her. She looked up and waved, setting down the long string of garland she had been busy making. The flat smelled like cookies, gingerbread, popcorn and pine. Jude scampered over from where she was laying beneath Lila’s chair, collecting scraps of fallen cookie dough. I felt as if I’d accidentally stumbled into Santa’s workshop.
“Uncle Rob!” Lila saw me and waved, wobbling a bit on the chair.
“Hey guys.” I waved, my stomach knotting as Abbey threw her arms around me and kissed my lips. Her hands, and nearly every other part of her, were covered in flour.
I knew that all of this was part of the Jones family tradition, but Abbey was so excited about sharing it with my family that it killed me.
She followed me into the bedroom and sat on the bed while I changed out of the dress shirt I’d worn to the meeting with a new director.
“You’re not too busy to help are you?” Abbey bit her lip apprehensively. I guess she’d noticed the strained expression on my face when I walked in. I looked at her in silence.
“Of course not.” I sprawled out next to her, taking a deep breath. I’m not going to lie, I loved Christmas.
“Good, because Lila has to make a gingerbread house for school tomorrow.” She rolled onto her side to face me. “
“What about all the other kids who don’t have three aunts that bake for a living?” I laughed.
“All is fair in gingerbread house building.”
...
I sat down between Lila and Grace, and pulled a plate of undecorated cookies in front of me.
“You’re going to help us?” Lila handed me a butter knife and a bowl of pink frosting.
“Am I allowed?” She giggled and dumped a pile of sprinkles on what looked to be a Christmas tree.
“If I said no, would you leave?” Grace asked, smiling. She’d been hanging around a lot ever since she’d taken Abbey out. It looked like they were actually becoming friends. I wondered how much Tom had to do with this.
“I wouldn’t let you make him leave. Right, Uncle Rob?” I looked at the little girl, whose brown eyes resembled Abbey’s.
“You tell her Lila.” I shook my head and chuckled. “Have you got any green frosting?”
We decorated cookies for what seemed like eternity. After Abbey, Grace and Jo got to work, I gave up. I didn’t want my cookies on the same plates as theirs—mine would have brought shame to my entire family.
When it finally came time to do the gingerbread house, I got up from the table and helped the girls clear it off. At least a dozen types of toppings were spread out on the table in little bowls. Frosting was mixed and aprons were tied. A part of me wanted to leave because I knew this was going to get incredibly serious within a matter of minutes.
Lila walked out of the kitchen, carrying a cardboard sheet with a plain brown house balancing on top of it. She walked slowly and carefully, holding it out far in front of her little body for good measure.
“Alright Lila,” Abbey wrung her hands together. “How do you want to do this?”
Lila pondered for a bit, biting her fingernail thoughtfully. “I want to frost the roof.” Abbey nodded. “And then you guys can do icicles?”
“Sounds like a plan.” Jo set an enormous bowl of white frosting in front of Lila. “Have at it kid.”
Lila worked on the roof. Abbey and Jo adding the icicles. Grace made little designs along the sides. I sat across from them, bewildered as I watched the action unfold before me. Each of them had the same face of concentration, though Abbey and Gracewere the only ones who bit their tongues. It was silent, except for when someone needed something passed or needed to switch positions—and even then it was a one-word conversation. It was like they had their own signals for everything. When one of them needed a new frosting applicator, all she had to do was nod her head and someone else knew exactly what she meant.
Need a toothpick to shape the icicles? Just snap your fingers anxiously. Want a new spreading knife? Rub your forehead in exhaustion. I could continue, but the list just got to be too ridiculous.
My God, what had I gotten myself into?
I wanted to laugh at the obscurity of it all, but I was so transfixed at how in synch they were—even the seven-year-old knew how to properly frost so she would get “even strokes”.
I felt a wave of tension leave the small room once the frosting had finally been finished. All at once, the Jones girls stepped back from the table and wiped their hands on their aprons.
Again I pleaded the question: what had I gotten myself into?
“So let’s give it about twenty minutes.” Abbey untied her apron. “Then we’ll do the candy.”
“Sound about right. By then we won’t be able to mess up the frosting.” Jo nodded and helped Lila out of her apron.
“How will the candy stick if the frosting is dry?” I knew it was a dumb question in the presence of these women, but I asked anyway.
“Glue.” Lila smiled at me and went to wash her hands.
“Isn’t that cheating? I thought the gingerbread house was supposed to be completely edible.”
“Oh, they’re so gross! We put so many things in the dough to make it hard. It tastes like dirt. But the house is actually glued together—it holds better than frosting.” Grace stuck the bowls, knives and other tools in the sink.
Huh. Learn something new everyday.
Two hours later, the gingerbread house was complete. Two hours later and we were two hours closer to my parents coming.