The Love We Choose

Chapter 37

Lynne sat cross legged on the couch in her parents' family room Christmas afternoon and watched as her nieces and nephews tore into their gifts. That morning the entire family, Aunt Shelley, Uncle Phillip, and cousin Yolanda included, had all donned their best and attended service at the Baptist church their family had been going to since before Vinny was born. Now they were all comfortable and getting down to the secular festivities. Motown Christmas music was bumping on the stereo system, Uncle Phillip's spiked eggnog was featured in a lovely crystal punch bowl next to Aunt Shelley's alcohol-free mulled cider, the main proteins of Christmas dinner were warming in the oven, family members were strewn all over the large room, the whole house was adorned with Christmas elements in shades of gold, white, and red, and the pile of paper was growing as the various presents were unwrapped by excited toddlers, children, and teenagers.

Alternating between sipping on her mug of peppermint tea to soothe the nausea that had been brought on by the onslaught of holiday smells circulating the house and taking photos of her family with her digital camera, Lynne felt the love oozing from every corner of the room. Older siblings helped younger siblings get past the complicated plastic of new toys. Impromptu fashion shows debuted new outfits, shoes, and accessories.

Once all of the children's presents around the tree had been opened and the paper cleaned up, Mr. Prentice grabbed his crimson Santa sack and called over his grandchildren one-by-one to give them a pair of pajamas. This year's theme was a hunter green jungle print, featuring different wild animals. The pajama tops had numbers sewn onto the back of them like uniform jerseys, denoting the order of birth of the grandchildren. This tradition had begun with Lynne, her siblings, and Yolanda when they were little. Their mother would get them matching sets, customize them, and then they would take the family photo that would hang over the mantle in their parents' and aunt and uncle's houses for the new year the morning after the holiday. Now that they were older, it had shifted to the next generation.

When baby Paulo was handed his first official pair of "Prentice pajamas," a small cheer went up in the room. Paulo, held by his older sister, Arabella, clapped his hands giddily as he reached toward his grandfather.

Taking baby Paulo from Arabella's arms, Mr. Prentice cradled the baby in his arm, sat down on his recliner, and looked his youngest grandchild in the eyes. "Paulo, you are the youngest member of the Prentice clan. As with all your siblings, cousins, aunts, and uncles before you, it falls upon the older generation, namely me, to explain to you what that means." Standing behind her husband, Mrs. Prentice signed along while he spoke. "We are a family with origins in Biloxi, MS and Greenville, SC. We may not be able to trace our roots back far or to nobility, but our line is rife with hard workers who did their best to propel the family forward. They kept their faith, lived humbly, and looked out for one another."

He turned his attention to all of his grandchildren, "Paulo is too young to understand what all of this means so it is up to you all to be there for him as he grows up and help him understand what it means to be family. You are his sounding board, his shield, his sword, his brothers and sisters in arms, and most importantly those he will commiserate with as well as share the joys and triumphs of his life with. You are his village. You. All of you are our future. It is up to you all to carry the family proudly into the next century." Sitting tall, adding a bit more bass to his voice, Mr. Prentice asked them, "What is your promise to me and your grandmother?"

"Semper Fidelis!" The assembled grandchildren proudly stated and signed in unison.

"And what does that mean?"

"Always Faithful!"

"Yes, you will always be faithful to your family and love them unconditionally." He sat onto the floor with Paulo still in his hands and instructed, "now come here and give Paulo his first full-village hug!"

All the Prentice grandchildren piled around their grandfather in a large group hug. They soon devolved into giggles and grunts as they tried to squeeze each other with all their might.

Lynne felt her heart clench and tears well up in her eyes as she looked at the love-filled scene unfolding in front of her through the lens of her camera before she took a few rapid-fire shots. This time next year the center of that pile will be the two new additions growing within her and Nat. Putting the camera down in her lap, she swiped at the tears with the sleeve of her sweater.

"Uh-oh. You guys broke Auntie Lynne with all your cuteness. Her face is leaking," David teasingly remarked from beside his girlfriend.

"Shut it, Baby!"

"I'm not the baby anymore. I'm a grown-ass man! I refuse to acknowledge that title."

"Aww Davey Crockett, no matter your age, you'll always be our baby," Vin told him as he pulled him in for a side-hug. "Big Kid Village Hug!" He announced, prompting all the adult Prentice kids to hop onto the two brothers. Lynne made sure to join the pile last.

"UUrrgghh! We are too old to be doing this!" David croaked out under the pressure of his older siblings.

"Lies. We will never be too old!" Julissa decreed, increasing the amount of strength she was squeezing her baby brother around the waist with.

"Hey! We want to join too!" Liam announced as he lead the charge of small bodies from one pile to the other.

As Lynne laughed and smiled along with her siblings and nieces and nephews, she took the time to look over at her various in-laws who were safely in the same seats, letting the siblings and their children enjoy the fun. When her eyes landed on Nat, she noticed her sister-in-law's usual effervescent demeanor was absent. Odd.

"Alright. Alright. That's enough of that. Go enjoy yourselves munchkins of all ages," Mrs. Prentice told them from above the pile that had moved to the center of the floor. "Girls, I need you in the kitchen with me to finish the food. That means you too Yolanda."

"Of course it does," Lynne's cousin whisper-grumbled from off to Lynne's left.

XXX

A/N: Hey there lovelies! I got three chapters done this weekend, so I thought I'd treat you to the first one a day early! See you all tomorrow!
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