Dove and Grenade

We got calls or visits from everyone. Jordan came over in his hideous red sweater, and I teased him relentlessly for it. Lauren and Jason brought over a sweatshirts for Matt and I. Aron was spending Christmas with Charlette, but he'd called to tell us to behave. Jorel and George each called, too.

Meredith called me last. She'd told Dillon about the baby, and I was right. He was ecstatic about it. I figured he would be. Dillon's always loved kids.

I sat down on the couch, facing Matt. He smiled and crossed his legs, and I leaned my head against the back of the couch. He held his arms out, and I moved to lean into him. We lay back and watched the television as it played It's A Wonderful Life.

"I had a fantastic Christmas, Kara," Matt said.

"Agreed," I said. "You gonna make dinner too, Martha Stewart?"

"Hey, I made a damn good breakfast," chuckled Matt.

"I know," I said. "I'm giving you shit. It was wonderful." I was silent a second before I pointed at the tv and said, "Oh, this is my favorite part."

"What is it you want, Mary?" George asked. "What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. Hey. That's a pretty good idea. I'll give you the moon, Mary."

"I'll take it. Then what?" Mary replied.

"Well, then you can swallow it, and it'll all dissolve, see," George said, "and the moonbeams would shoot out of your fingers and your toes and the ends of your hair...am I talking too much?"

Matt ran his fingers through my hair and said, "I'd give you the moon, if that's what you wanted."

I looked up at him. He was sincere, and that's what I loved about him. I smiled and lay back against his chest. He kissed the top of my head, and I put my hand over his arm.

My phone rang, then, and I looked up. I'd heard from everyone today. Who could be calling?

"Who is it?" asked Matt.

I looked at the caller ID and said, "It's from Bakersfield, but it's not Alex's number. I don't know." I flipped the phone open and said, "Hello?"

"Yes, am I speaking with Kara Erlichman?" a woman said.

"You are," I confirmed, shifting as Matt stood up.

"I'm Cindy Henderson, from Culture Shock," the woman said. "We had an interview a few months back."

"Oh! Yes, okay, hi," I said.

"I'm sorry to bother you on Christmas," Cindy said. "You must be busy, and I won't keep you long."

"No, you're fine," I said.

"There's been an opening, and I know in our interview you said you would be fine waiting for any job that became available," Cindy continued. "We have a journalism position open if you're still interested."

"Of course," I said. "I'd love to!"

"Excellent!" Cindy said. "You'll start the eighth of January. We'll see you then."

"Thank you," I said as she hung up. I snapped the phone shut. "Oh my god."

"What?" Matt said.

"I can't believe it," I said. "I applied for a job at this culture magazine in Bakersfield, and I had an interview about a week before I left. She wants me to have the job."

"That's great!" Matt said. "Congrats, babe."

"I can't believe it!" I laughed. "I mean, I've been dreaming of this job since I heard about it."

"When do you start?" asked Matt.

"January eighth," I said. "Oh my god, I'll have to move back up there."

"That soon?"

"I mean, I could drive the two hours every day, but that would get expensive."

"Kara?"

"Holy fuck. This is beyond amazing. I never dreamed in a million years I'd get this job."

"Kara."

"Shit, I gotta call Mer. She'll be stoked!"

"Kara."

I looked up at Matt, standing in front of the tv. He shrugged.

"What about LA?" he asked.

I was silent. I hadn't thought that far yet. I shook my head and said, "I don't know yet."

I held my hand out and waited for Matt to come sit back down. He put his arms around me, and I closed my eyes. Truth was, I did know. But it was Christmas, and I wasn't going to duke it out after such a perfect day.