This Christmas

Setting my suitcase down, I sit waiting for my connecting flight checking my phone every so often. I felt nervous, it wasn’t everyday that a girl went home to tell her family she was getting married. Well, I’m sure it did happen every day around the world but I highly doubt those girls had four brothers, all of which were a little on the protective side.

“Well, well if it isn’t my sister. Coming home from the holiday’s eh? What made you decided to grace us with your presence this year?” one of my younger brothers, Jordan Staal asks flopping down in the chair beside me giving me a cheeky grin.

“That would make more sense if you hadn’t practically begged me last week and informed me you had already bought my ticket.” I tell him brushing my blonde hair out of my eyes and giving him a mocking glare.

“Come on, last year you missed Marc proposing to Lindsay. Who knows what going to happen this year, maybe Jared’s getting married,” he jokes. I stiffen slightly my hand automatically going down to my jean pocket where my engagement ring was currently hiding.

“First of all, as Marc’s twin I already knew it was going to happen, who do you think helped him picked out the ring? What dedicated sibling do you think flew to New York and spent an afternoon ring shopping with her brother only to fly back to Chicago that same night for a business meeting? Not you!” I sass poking my tongue out at Jordan. With an eye-roll he leans back closing his eyes.

“And to think I was going to tell you I’ve missed you.”
“You should tell her that, she is our only sister.” A deep voice says, followed by a girlish laugh. I lazily turn my head to see my oldest brother Eric walking towards us, my nephew Parker on his hip while Tanya followed behind with their new born son.

I honestly hadn’t been aware you could bring babies that young on planes, I had been sure they were going to road trip it all the way to Thunder Bay for Christmas.

“There’s my favorite nephews! Oh he’s so cute!” I gush rushing to my sister-in-laws side to coo over the baby I had only seen pictures of.
“Oh, Hi, Eric. I missed you big brother, thank you for organizing all the flights this year. No don’t be silly of course I’ll baby-sit whenever you want, I promise that when I was seventeen and you helped me sneak out to see Toby Welsh.”

I glance over at my eldest brother who was muttering to himself as he deposited Parker on Jordan’s lap before setting down all the baby bags and suitcases he had attached to his person.

“Eric, my favorite-“
“Hey!”
“-brother, thanks for picking me up from the air-port last week. I love you?”

“Better” he snorts as I wrap my arms around him in a tight hug. I plop back down in the seat I had previously been in while we wait among the hustle and bustle of the Toronto air-port for our next flight to Thunder Bay.

“Marc and Lindsay aren’t here yet?” Tanya questions looking around bouncing baby Craig on her hip. I still thought Craig was a horrible name, even if it was Eric’s middle name.

“They’re probably going at it in some bathroom, newly weds” I snort.

My twin brother had married my best friend from childhood, alert the press. Not only did they spend their time getting busy but the majority of their time was spent trying to set me up now a days. It got annoying.

“Madison, not in front of the kids!” Jordan pretends to scold; I stick my tongue out at him, and roll my eyes up at Eric who looked like he wanted to say something.

“He doesn’t know what I’m talking about,” I say gesturing to Parker who was going through the objects in my bag now.
“You’re the one who corrupted me, I don-“
“I did not corrupt you!” I deny, “You walked in on me have a private conversation about kissing techniques. It’s not my fault you were a little bas-“

“Language” Tanya warns absent mindedly.
“What’s this? Mads corrupting minds already?” the voice of my twin brother floats towards us. My eye neck snaps back as I rush to stand and fly over towards him throwing my arms around his neck.

“Marc! They’re bullying me!”
“We are not, we’re just rethinking giving her up for adoption” Jordan calls back. I pull away from Marc giving him an exaggerated pout and point at my younger brother, “See, Jordy’s being mean”.

“And here I thought I was the youngest” the voice of my youngest brother Jared quips from behind Marc and Lindsey.

“Jared! My favorite brother!” I announce bouncing over to him and messing up his ginger hair.

“She says that a lot doesn’t she?” Marc asks from behind me. Jared hugs me back lightly with a small laugh.

“Good to see you too, you didn’t reply to my last e-mail”
“I’m busy!” I tell him, giving him a light push before mocking his last e-mail to me. “All it said was, blah, blah, hockey, blah, blah, lost my tooth, blah, blah, never mind it was in the medicine cabinet. Ha ha. Maybe I should get a gold one like a pirate. Did you take my…never mind found that too. See you next week. Loser.”

“I put a lot of thought into that, you should be-“
“YYZ Flight 025A to Thunder Bay now boarding, first class and passengers with children please begin boarding now.”

I spin around and rush over to my bag and make a grab for Parker just as Eric scoops him up in his arms. “You don’t have his documents, do you really want to go to jail for abducting a child?”

I ponder this for a moment before backing off. Drat.



I tap my foot impatiently as I wait for my siblings to grab their bags, sometimes I think that I was the only good flyer in the family because I wasn’t spoiled by private jets and equipment managers who handled all of my luggage.

I turn my iPhone off of airplane mode before watching the service bar closely just daring it to go below three bars. I knew Thunder Bay as a rule was a dead zone but that just wouldn’t be acceptable.

I watch as a few messages fill my inbox and smile at one message in particular the engagement ring that was in my pocket almost burning into my thigh at the thought of my fiancée.

Say the word and I’ll be there as soon as I can. Don’t pester your brothers so much that the won’t be in the wedding! Kidding… kind of. I love you and I’ll call you tonight.

“Who you texting?” Marc questions his head dropping onto my shoulder from behind. I lock my screen and shove my phone into my pocket before blowing a raspberry right into his face.

“Mom and Dad are outside with the cars” I ignore his question; sprouting the information I had scanned from another text I had received. Marc shifts his chin and looks up at me with narrowed eyes.

“I can tell your lying, but I’ll let it slide…for now”.

I roll my eyes and wiggle my shoulder around to get his head off heading towards the exit. How exactly was I going to tell them?

I think this was going to be harder then I anticipated.