Christmas Dinner with the Turnbulls   SHIRLEY M EDSTEDT Normal
Preferred Customer 3 144 2000-12-28T03:33:00Z 2000-12-28T03:40:00Z 12 6821
38884	324 77 47752 9.2720	0 0		       This story is
supposed to be humorous, but it turned out a little to sweet I'm afraid.
The rating is PG, but it's probably closer to G. Please let me know what
you think of:   Christmas Dinner with the Turnbulls by Shirley Russell
mailto:writerlady1@home.com   It all started innocently enough, Renfield
just mentioned to Kerri that he would like to do something nice for all
their friends at Christmas. The idea of what that something would be had
actually occurred to both of them at the same time. If he'd stopped to
think about it, that probably would have made Renfield very happy, that
they'd been together long enough to start thinking alike. But he didn't
take the time to think about it, he just started planning.   The first
step was to get approval. He thought that that would probably be the
toughest part of the whole celebration, so at lunchtime on December 7, he
and Kerri went together to seek permission. Kerri vaguely recalled that
December 7 had some sort of historical significance for Americans, but she
couldn't quite remember what that significance was. Renfield remembered
that the bombing of Pearl Harbor did show the world how Americans, when
attacked on their own soil, could be a terrible force to be reckoned with.
He had absolutely no idea how that might apply in this case, however.   
Kerri had only met Mrs. Vecchio once, and felt like she was being
scrutinized the entire time. Making friends with Francessca had been hard
enough, but Mrs. Vecchio had proven to be a 'tough nut to crack'. Both she
and her daughter were extremely protective of the Mounties in their lives,
and Kerri had to be on her best behavior the entire time she was being
'interviewed'. She and Renfield joked about it afterward, that Kerri had
had to interview for the position of his wife.   So standing, unannounced,
on the Vecchio doorstep made Kerri decidedly uncomfortable. "Renny," she
whispered, "maybe we should have called first. She might be upset at the
intrusion."   "Kerri, do you still think she doesn't like you? That's just
silly, everyone likes you." He chuckled, "even Francessca."   "Remind me
to ask you what went on between you two on that 'date' you had..."  
Before she could finish the sentence, Mrs. Vecchio answered the door. "Oh,
my, what a nice surprise, Renfield and his...wife..."   "Kerri, Mrs.
Vecchio, I'm Kerri."   "Of course you are, Dear. Please come in, you must
be frozen, dressed in that light coat. I never understood the need for
fashion over comfort." She took Renfield's arm and led them into her
living room. Speaking primarily to Renfield she chatted on, "you know my
Francessca is exactly the same way, sacrifice anything if she thought it
would make her look better." Looking pointedly at Renfield she continued,
"but you certainly know my Francessca doesn't need to work at being
beautiful."   She directed Kerri to a chair and seated herself next to
Renfield on the sofa across the room. If she had tried she couldn't have
gotten Renfield and Kerri any farther apart.    Kerri was becoming more
and more uncomfortable, and less and less sure that coming here was a good
idea. Mrs. Vecchio had obviously had her eye on Renfield as a husband for
her daughter, and Kerri had spoiled her plans. What made her uncomfortable
though was Renfield's reaction to Mrs. Vecchio. He loved the way she
fawned over him, there was no denying it.   "Mrs. Vecchio..."   "Please
call me 'Ma', all my children do, and I've always considered you part of
my extended family, you and Benton." Renfield didn't even notice that she
had purposely excluded Kerri from her list of family.   "Ma, Kerri and I
have come to ask a favor, and extend an invitation." Mrs. Vecchio looked
sideways at Kerri. "We thought, that is, we'd like to have Christmas
dinner at our house." Before she could object, Renfield hurried on. "I
know it's a tradition for you to have everyone here on Christmas Eve, but
we were wondering if you would let us do it this year? Everyone has been
so kind to us over the last year, we would just like to do something to
show our gratitude."   Mrs. Vecchio eyed Kerri warily. "Are you sure
you're up to the challenge, Dear? Cooking for a large group is not an easy
task. Francessca, of course, has been able to do it with one eye closed
for years. But, since you have no family..."   Kerri was beginning to
wonder if the woman was trying to bait her, if she mentioned how great
Francessca was one more time, Kerri was going to scream. "I've never
cooked for a large group before, but I'd certainly like to try, Ma'am.
You, Francessca and Maria and her family are welcome to come, we just
wanted to ask your permission..." 'Damn,' she thought, 'was that ever the
wrong word.'   Mrs. Vecchio smoothed her apron for a moment before she
cast a disapproving glance in Kerri's general direction. "Dear, you don't
need to ask my permission to have a dinner party." She turned to Renfield,
"it just so happens that Maria and Tony and the children are going to his
family's home this year. They've been avoiding it for years, but this year
they just had to say 'yes'." She leaned over to whisper to Renfield, "his
mother is a very bad cook," and raising her voice so that Kerri could
hear, "and since he loves Francessca's turkey and sausage stuffing, he
always wants to keep the family here."   "We'd though of serving prime rib
with Yorkshire pudding." Kerri tried valiantly to win the older woman's
approval. If she thought roast beef was going to do it she was wrong.  
"We always prepare turkey on Christmas, that's an American tradition, you
know." Once again she looked directly at Renfield and smiled. "We would be
delighted to come to your little home for Christmas dinner." She then
directed her eyes toward Kerri. "Do you have enough china and silver for
all of us, or do you need to borrow some of ours?" She grinned at
Renfield. "The china has been passed down in my family for several
generations, going to Francessca next, of course." She looked back toward
Kerri. "And we'll be there if you need any help."   'You're hoping it will
be a disaster, just to demonstrate how Francessca can show me up," she
thought. "Thank you," she said.   Renfield and Kerri carefully picked
their way back down the icy walk. "Wasn't that nice of her, to offer to
help? Ma is certainly a lovely lady."   Lovely? Maybe. Lady? Kerri wasn't
quite so sure.   ~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~   That afternoon Renfield paid a
visit to the 27th Precinct. They'd already told Stan about Christmas Eve
at their house, so now Renfield was searching for Lieutenant Vecchio. The
bullpen was crowded and noisy as usual. Other than it not being ungodly
hot, Renfield was reminded of a day a very long time ago, when he had
ventured in unannounced and had overheard a conversation between Stan,
then Ray Vecchio, and Constable Fraser. Stan had said some very unkind
things about him without realizing Renfield was listening. He rubbed his
leg absentmindedly. That was also the day he had pulled little Maria out
of the path of that speeding car and had broken his leg as a result.  
'Oh, my!' Renfield thought, 'how things have changed.' Stan had become one
of the best friends he had ever had, and Ray Vecchio had come back from
his undercover assignment in Las Vegas. He had met and married Kerri. He
chose not to think about the other things that had happened in Las Vegas.
He'd come to terms with them, he just found it easier not to...   "Hey,
Turnbull. You come here to be a big, red roadblock, or are you on a
mission?" Ray asked as he slapped Renfield on the back.   "Lieutenant
Vecchio! I'm sorry, I was wool gathering, wasn't I?" He chuckled.   "How
many times I gotta tell you, it's Ray, or Vecchio, if you want. We know
each other too well and have been through too much stuff to be formal."  
"You're right, of course, Ray. Kerri and I would like for you to come to
Christmas Eve dinner at our house..."   "Man, you know I'd like to, but my
Ma would have an Italian fit if I was to go..."   Francessca walked up to
say hello as Renfield interrupted. "We've taken care of that." He
announced proudly. "Kerri and I stopped by your house at lunch time today
to speak with your mother about just that."   "WHAT?" Both Vecchios yelled
in unison.   Renfield was so taken aback he didn't know what to say.
"I...I...that is...we...went..."   "God, Renfield, you took Kerri there,
unarmed?" Francessca was dumbfounded.   "I'm sorry, did I do something
wrong? You're mother was delightful. She even offered her assistance with
preparation of the meal."   "I'll just bet she did!" Francessca
interjected.    "Turnbull, don't you know that a protective Italian mother
can be like a piranha, if confronted in her lair?"   Despite Ray's mixed
metaphor, Renfield got the idea, but he still didn't understand.   "You
explain it to him, bro. I gotta go talk to Kerri." Francessca hurried out
of the squad room.   Ray put his arm around Renfield's shoulder. "You see
buddy it's like this..."   ~~*~~*~~*~~   Kerri was just coming down the
stairs with her arms full of lights and ornaments for the small artificial
tree that they had placed in the front window of the shop as Francessca
came through the door.   From somewhere under the tree Francessca heard a
man's voice. "May I help you?"   "Hey Lance. It's me, Frannie. It looks
like you're the one who could use the help. What are you tryin' to do?"  
Lance raised up so rapidly he almost knocked the small tree over, but it
was Kerri who spoke first. "Frannie! It's good to see you. I was going to
call you today. I wanted to ask..."   "Yeah, Renfield was just at the
station. I can't believe he took you to see Ma, without backup."   Kerri
sighed. "I don't think she likes me much, and I don't know why. I don't
think I've ever done anything to..."   "Come on in here and I'll fill you
in on overprotective mothers." Kerri hurriedly dropped the decorations as
Frannie dragged her into the tearoom and plopped down in the nearest
chair. "Sit down, this may take awhile." Frannie approached her
explanation as if she were addressing a joint session of Congress. "You
see my Ma thinks you're just about perfect."   "What!"   "She kinda
thought, well, that Renfield and I might get together. You knew we dated
once, right?" Frannie hesitated, and then was vastly relieved to see that
Kerri did indeed know. "And then you came in and swept Renfield off his
feet. You're pretty and smart and successful, and I just wasn't any match
for you."   "I'm sorry, I had no idea, I never meant..."   "There's
nothing for you to be sorry about. It's my Ma. She's always tryin' to find
me a husband, and she had all kinds of ideas about Renfield 'n me."
Frannie was quick to continue, "there was never anything between us,
promise. But Ma just thought I didn't stand a chance with you around.
She's still tryin' to build me up by tearin' you down."   "I noticed."
Kerri whispered.   "That's why I needed to beat feet over here to see you.
I didn't want you to think I, well, I thought the same about you. You
don't, do you?"   "Of course not, you're my friend. I'm just sorry your
mother can't see what a beautiful, smart, successful woman you are."  
"Oh, she does, it's just she thinks you're better." Frannie laughed.  
"Well, as long as you know that that's not true. You want some tea?"  
"Nah, Lieutenant Welsh is gonna have my butt for leavin' without tellin'
him. But I thought this was more important." The two women walked to the
front of the shop together. "So, what do you want me to bring?"   "Your
mom says you make great turkey and sausage stuffing, maybe I should just
let you bring the whole din..."   Frannie laughed hysterically. "A few
years ago I tried to make my first 'solo' Christmas dinner. I roasted the
turkey and forgot to put in the stuffing. Not only that but," she couldn't
stop laughing, "I forgot to take out the giblets. I had turkey with cooked
plastic bag inside. That's how good a cook I am."   "I feel so much
better! Thanks for coming by." Kerri closed the door behind her and turned
to see Lance standing right behind her.   "You sure you want to do this?
It's a awful lot of people, let's see, that's," he counted on his fingers,
"ten, maybe eleven people for a sit down dinner, one of whom will be
criticizing every move you make. This should be tons of fun for you!"  
Later that afternoon Richard Turnbull called to say that he would be
joining them for Christmas and Kerri wanted to cry with relief. She knew
Richard loved her unconditionally, so he would be assigned the task of
diverting any potential frontal assault from Mrs. Vecchio.  
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~   Renfield and Kerri had had dinner parties
before, of course, just not for quite so many people, and never at
Christmas. Both of them were just naive enough to think that having guests
for Christmas dinner would not be any more stressful that having guests
for dinner at any other time of the year. They were about to learn just
how wrong they were.   Kerri had decided to keep the shop open later in
the evening starting the first of December. She and Lance weren't thrilled
with the longer work hours, but the extra money at Christmas time would
come in handy for both of them. However, the longer hours also meant less
time for shopping for Christmas presents, shopping for food for dinner,
and shopping for the extra decorations she would need. She had a choice to
make, she could pick two out of three things she need to do: she could
work, she could shop and prepare for Christmas, or she could sleep. She
picked the first two, and opted to leave sleeping until after the first of
the year.   The closer it came to Christmas, the more worn out she became,
and with her fatigue came a serious case of grumpiness. At the grocery
store late one night about three days before Christmas Renfield's terminal
good cheer finally got to her.   As they shoved their way through the
hordes of shoppers Renfield sang verses from 'Santa Drives a Pickup'. "How
is it possible that you are always in a good mood?" She asked
sarcastically. "God, you'd think you didn't have a care in the world or a
brain in your head, the way you're always smiling and happy." The look on
his face made Kerri want to kick herself all the way back to Edmonton. She
grabbed his arm as he turned away from her. "Renny, I'm sorry! I'm just so
tired. I wish I could be as cheerful as you always are. No wonder everyone
loves you so much. You're unflappable."   Renfield laughed as he put his
arm around her shoulders. "You must be tired. You've obviously forgotten
quite a lot that happened over the last year! And I'm glad!"   Renfield
ran interference through the crowded aisles as they filled their cart with
all the wonderful delicacies that would comprise their Christmas dinner.
Kerri had to smile at him. Even though he was the most gentle man she had
ever known, his size, while always a comfort to her, could be rather
intimidating to elderly ladies trying to maneuver past him in the narrow
aisles. One older woman actually threatened to hit him with her cane, if
he didn't move away from the candied fruit so she could get at the prunes.
  As they got in the endless line to check out Kerri hesitated. "Do you
think we've got enough food?"   "Good God! We've got enough in this basket
to feed a small third world nation. What else could we possibly need? You
got everything on your list, right? And you made the list from the menu we
planned, right?"   And older couple in line in front of them smiled
knowingly. "Having a large group for Christmas dinner?" They smiled at
each other again when Renfield and Kerri nodded.    "It's the first dinner
party we've given since we've been married." Renfield volunteered proudly.
  "Oh, dear. We'll pray for you!" The woman chuckled.   As they moved
forward and started unloading their purchases on the conveyor belt Kerri
sighed. "Renny, is this going to be a disaster?"    Renfield was becoming
slightly nervous. Everyone he had talked to thought they were crazy to
have such a large group for dinner when they had never even had half as
many people there at any one time.    "We'll be great, just wait and see."
  Well, at least she wouldn't have to wait very long.
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~   "Renny could you get the Christmas tree by
yourself? Please? I just can't get away, we're completely swamped." They
had planned to go together to look for a tree after Renfield finished work
for the day, but Kerri's call had apparently put an end to that.   "I was
really looking forward to getting a tree together," he pouted. "Can't
Lance cover for you for just a few minutes?"   "Renny, you know it's going
to take more than a few minutes to get a perfect tree, and I just don't
have time. I'm sorry, I was looking forward to it too, looking for our
first tree, but you'll be able to find one. I have complete faith in you."
  And so Renfield went alone to buy a Christmas tree. By the time he was
able to make his way through the downtown traffic it was totally dark, and
very cold. The cold didn't bother him, he was Canadian, after all, but the
darkness was a source of worry. Kerri had desperately wanted to pick out
the tree in the daylight, believing that she could better see any
potential flaws. It was very important to her that the tree be perfect.
Actually, Renfield was just beginning to realize how important it was to
her that everything about this Christmas be perfect.   The perfect tree
turned out to be one that Charlie Brown had rejected. Oh, there were
several nicely shaped trees, but they all looked like advertisements for a
California shopping mall, what with their pastel flocking. Renfield did
not demand much, but one thing he would not abide was a chartreuse painted
fir tree in his living room! Kerri would just have to settle for the
Charlie Brown reject.   The closer he got to home though, the more he
began to second-guess his decision. He put on his best lovable puppy face
as he hefted the 'tree' into the shop. When he saw her face, he began to
think that chartreuse was a rather soothing color. 'No!' He thought, 'this
is my home too, and this tree is...well, oh, darn!'    "I'm sorry Kerri,
but it was the only thing they had left. There was a shortage of trees
this year, some sort of blight or something. It was this or one that was
only three feet tall. I knew you wanted one at least six feet, so this was
my choice." He figured what she didn't know wouldn't hurt him.   Kerri
wanted to cry when she saw it, six feet of scraggly, scrawny trunk with a
few uneven branches and needles that seemed to drop at an alarming rate. 
  "It looks like someone sat on it!"   Renfield sighed. "Someone did.
Well, actually, fell on it would be a more accurate description. I slipped
on the ice when I was getting it off the car."   "Are you okay? You didn't
hurt yourself?"   "I'm fine, the tree, ah, broke my fall." Renfield looked
at her sheepishly.   It was probably best that she didn't say what she was
thinking. "It will have to do, I guess." The disappointed look on his face
melted her heart. "It will be perfect, with some ornaments, lights and
garland. You did remember to get the garland, right? Oh, Renny, you didn't
forget?"   He stared at the floor as he shuffled his feet. "I remembered,
it's just that there was no place to park at the mall, so I went to
Target. They were all out of everything but pink aluminum garland. I
bought that, but, well, it's ugly."   "We'll have to use it, we've got to
fill in the gaps in the branches." Kerri sighed, she knew Renny needed a
kind word, and she just couldn't seem to come up with one.   "Maybe I
could get something better tomorrow, it's Saturday and I don't have to
work." He brightened considerably at the thought.   Kerri just sighed. "I
really need your help in the shop tomorrow. We'll figure out something."
She put her arms around him and buried her head in his shoulder. "I just
want everything to be perfect, for our friends, you know?"   "I love you."
He whispered.   Kerri smiled in spite of herself. "And there's nothing any
more perfect than that. I'm sorry I forgot it for just a minute."   They
were so busy in the shop over the next two days that there was never time
for either of them to get any other garland. By the time the shop closed
at noon on Christmas Eve, there wasn't much time to do anything but finish
decorating the apartment, and prepare dinner.   While Renfield ran to the
airport to pick up his father, Kerri placed the finishing touches on the
tree. It had been fun for them to hang their ornaments, some from her
childhood, and some from his, and some they had purchased together over
the last year. The pink garland helped fill in the gaps in the tree they
had christened 'Charlie', for the obvious reasons, but Charlie looked
anything but perfect. She tried turning the bare spot to the back, only to
find a barer spot in the front. She tried adding more lights, but they
just served to accentuate the sparseness of the branches. Finally she
threw her hands up in despair and moved a couple of chairs in close,
hoping they would block the view.   When Renfield's father walked through
the door though, Kerri immediately forgot all about Charlie the Tree.   As
soon as he was up the stairs, Kerri had her arms around Richard's neck.
"I'm so glad you could come! We've missed you. Please come in an had a
seat, I've got some hors d'oeuvres, are you hungry?"   Kerri had barely
said the words when the lights went out.   "Everybody stand still, it's
just a fuse, I'll have it replaced on two shakes."   "Ah, Ren? I don't
think you need to bother with that." Richard called from somewhere near
where the tall window overlooked the street. "Lights are out all up and
down the street. It seems you have a power failure on your hands."   In
the darkness Kerri cast her eyes toward heaven. "You really wouldn't do
that to me, would You?" 
 ~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~   Richard had been staring out the front window
watching for the rest of the Christmas revelers. He had barely gotten the
words 'power failure' out of his mouth when he saw the vague outline of
Ray Vecchio's Rivera turn the corner.   "Your guests are about to arrive,
Honey. You want me to go down and let them in?"   "I'll go, Dad. You and
Kerri stay put. I'd hate to have either one of you fall down the..." A
loud crash, several bangs, a few bumps and a hearty curse, well a hearty
'darn', and Renfield was down the stairs. "I'm okay! I just tripped over
the dog." He shouted as he stumbled toward the front door.   His father
could only smile. Reassuring him wasn't necessary, as Richard had heard
those same noises, or a variation of them, almost since Renfield could
walk. Kerri was close enough to see him shake his head and hear him
mutter, "still as clumsy as the day you were born."   Renfield got to the
door just as Ray knocked. "Merry Christmas, Ray, Mrs. Vecchio. Isn't
Francessca with you?"   "Nah, she's comin' with Kowalski and Fraser and
Meg. She didn't want to show up at a party with her ma and brother."  
"Its going to be very hard for, ah, your wife to serve dinner in the dark,
Dear. Let's see what we can do to help."    Ray shook his head at his
mother's back as Renfield lead them through the dark bookshop. "Kerri'll
do just great, Ma. Give her a break."   "Actually, the power went out just
as she was preparing to put the Yorkshire pudding in with the prime rib,
so the timing of dinner may be off just a bit."   The farther up the
stairs they went the brighter it became. Once at the top Renfield and his
guests could see the soft glow of candlelight. Kerri and Richard had found
every candle in the house and placed them strategically around the room.
The effect was lovely. Candles on the mantle, coffee and end tables, and
on the dining table.   The dining set that Kerri had shipped from her
Edmonton house was far too small for the large number of people that would
be sharing Christmas dinner with them, so Stan had intervened. A guy he
knew had recently purchased a mini-tennis set for his kids. The
three-quarter sized ping-pong table would make a perfect place for
everyone to eat. Kerri had covered it with a white queen-size flat sheet,
and placed a red and green quilted runner down the center. She wound gold
wired ribbon around a red and white carnation centerpiece, and sprinkled
tiny golden stars over the runner.    Not having enough place settings for
everyone to have matching china and crystal had bothered Kerri immensely,
so she had gone to World Market. She found red and green place settings at
a very reasonable price, and with her Arby's Christmas glassware, and her
mother's silver, she had been able to create a fairyland table setting
that even made the Fairyland Table Setting King, her husband, proud.
Richard lighted several red and green taper candles around the centerpiece
that served as the perfect finishing touch to a beautiful scene.   
Renfield introduced his father to the Vecchios and, true to the promise
that he had secretly made to Kerri, Richard set about monopolizing Mrs.
Vecchio. He actually didn't mind too much, he found Rosa Vecchio to be a
charming woman, as long as Kerri wasn't the topic of discussion. As the
candles flickered around them he watched her sneak glances at Kerri and
didn't like the look in her eye. Kerri hadn't filled him in on the
particulars, so Richard could not understand how a woman as charming as
Rosa could dislike his perfect daughter-in-law as much as Rosa obviously
did.    Rather than broach the subject, Richard attempted to take the
conversation in an entirely different direction. Asking Rosa about her
family did give Richard an inkling into the situation, however. Her
daughter, Francessca, had apparently been interested in Renfield at one
point, and Rosa obviously had had hopes.   It struck him as rather odd,
even though he had never met Francessca. He couldn't imagine his son with
anyone who suited him more perfectly than Kerri. Richard knew that she was
the most beautiful, smartest, most successful woman in the world. To his
mind Kerri was perfect, and he couldn't understand anyone who didn't feel
the same way.   Ray and his mother had been at the apartment only a few
minutes when the rest of the party arrived. Meg and Fraser, Stan and
Frannie, and Lance and Art let themselves in with Lance's key and picked
their way through the dark bookshop to the candlelit second floor.   "Oh,
Kerri, it's just beautiful in here." The lights on the tree were out, but
the candlelight caused the garland to sparkle and twinkle, casting tiny
prisms against the ceiling. "I don't see a thing wrong with your tree."
Meg said as she sought out Kerri in the dimly lighted room.   "Is there
something wrong with your tree, Dear?" Kerri was sure that Mrs. Vecchio
still had no idea what her first name was. Unless, of course, she thought
it was 'Dear'.   Meg followed Kerri into the kitchen. "I'm sorry, did I
give her more ammunition?"   "Ma will make anything into ammunition if she
feels she needs it." Frannie followed Meg into the kitchen.   "You've got
that right." Meg and Frannie couldn't see Kerri very well, but could tell
from her voice that stress was the order of the day.   "What can we do to
help?"   "Nothing! There's nothing anyone can do, I have an electric
stove, for God's sake! And in case you hadn't noticed, the power's out. My
lovely medium rare prime rib is medium raw, the Yorkshire pudding is
nothing more than batter swimming in lukewarm oil. And the roasted root
vegetables are starting to sprout!"   Meg and Frannie could hear the tears
in her words. "The power's gotta come back on soon, don't ya think, Meg?
They've gotta be workin' on it right now."   "Kerri, I'm sure Francessca
is right," came the voice of reason out of the darkness, "and if it
doesn't, well, we'll eat hors d'oeuvres and..."   "Hey, Kerri ya got any
more a those great little puffy things, or the stuffed mushrooms? We're
all out in here." Stan yelled from the living room.   Kerri just sighed.
"Well, so much for plan B. Got any more bright ideas, Meg?" Her sarcasm
surprised both Meg and Frannie. "I'm sorry, I just don't know what else
could possibly go wrong today."   She'd have to wait about two hours to
find out. ~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~   The lights came back on about an hour
later, and Renfield promised himself that later tonight he'd get down on
his knees and thank God. He'd never seen Kerri so completely beside
herself. She was short tempered with anyone who ventured her way, and
positively snappish at him. He tried to tell her he understood, but she
just glared at him.   A little over an hour after the power came back on
they were finally able serve dinner and Kerri seemed to relax a little.
She even apologized to Renfield. "I'm sorry I've been so out of sorts,"
she kissed him on the cheek as she handed him the mashed potatoes to set
on the table. Right behind him was Stan who grinned at her as she handed
him the platter containing the slices of roast.   "Do I get one a those
too?"   "Well, it is Christmas, after all." Kerri smiled as she reached up
and gave him a peck on the cheek.    Stan, totally flustered, turned away
from her just as Dickens trotted up to see about the wonderful smell
coming from the nervous one. Stan failed to see the seventy-five pounds of
inquisitive dog at his feet, and stumbled headfirst over him. Renfield,
who had stopped just ahead of Stan to speak to Mrs. Vecchio, was unable to
move quickly enough to avoid a collision with man, flying slices of prime
rib and yelping yellow Lab.   Lovingly whipped mashed potatoes floated
through the air and landed softly on Mrs. Vecchio's new red Christmas
ensemble. Renfield suffered only a glancing blow from the airborne body of
a slender Chicago police detective, before that body continued on to the
dinner table.   Never intended to support more weight than the occasional
ping-pong ball, the tennis table protested loudly, shuddered briefly, and
then collapsed under the weight of said detective and what was left of the
serving platter of prime rib.   By the time Kerri made it to the doorway,
she was greeted with the sight of a potato topped Vecchio matriarch, a
frozen in place husband, and a done to a turn Kowalski, laying in the
middle of shattered assorted crockery and what once was a green particle
board table.   Stan raised up on one arm and tried his best to grin at
her. "Dinner's served?"   Kerri did what any fine, self-confident hostess
would do when confronted with such a scene, she burst in to tears and ran
for the bedroom. The last anyone saw of her was the tie of her decorative
red apron flying out behind her as she rounded the corner. The last anyone
heard was the slamming of her bedroom door.   "Oh, dear."    Much later no
one would remember who it was who actually spoke the words that everyone
was thinking, or at least they were a variation of what everyone was
thinking.   ~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~   It took several minutes for the
assembled guests to finally comprehend all that had just happened. The
only one who seemed completely unfazed by the whole incident was Dickens.
He chomped blissfully on an end cut of prime rib, always the best part of
course, as he made himself at home under Charlie the Tree.   It was
necessary for Fraser to give Stan a hand up, as he seemed to be partially
buried in broken or shattered glass. Fortunately, there was nothing about
Stan that was either broken or shattered.   Brushing himself off, he
stared solemnly in the direction that Kerri had fled. "That's gotta score
a ten for technique."   "Stan, I hardly think now is the time for humor.
I..."   "No, he's right." Not sure what else he could do, Renfield bent to
begin cleaning up the remnants of their shattered Christmas. "Humor is the
only thing that will get..."   "Renfield," Meg placed her hand on his
shoulder, "don't you think you should see to Kerri?"   "No. Let me go."  
Everyone, including Renfield, froze. "Ma," Ray and Frannie said in unison,
"that's not a good idea." Ray completed the sentiment.   Mrs. Vecchio
patted Renfield on the shoulder when she saw his worried look. "Trust me,
it will be fine."   If there was one other person in the room who believed
that, it would have had to be Dickens, but he was too busy gnawing to say
anything. ~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~   Even though she was expecting his
knock, Kerri still jumped at the sound of soft tapping on her door.
Completely mortified, she really didn't want to see anyone, she'd rather
they all just went away and left her to die of humiliation. But she also
longed for the comfort of Renny's arms around her and his soft voice
assuring her that this was not the end of the world. Even though she knew
it was, it would still be nice to hear someone say the words.   She
vacillated between hiding under the bed and throwing herself into his arms
just long enough for Renfield to grow impatient, and the doorknob to turn.
Kerri raised up from where she had thrown herself on the bed, to look into
the eyes of...Mrs. Vecchio.    She rubbed her tears away with the back of
her hand, as the older woman reached for the tissues on the nightstand.
Kerri looked at her dress and cried even harder. "I...I'm...s... sorry
about your beautiful...dress." She sobbed.   "When you're around as many
children as I am you always buy clothing that's washable. It's not ruined,
it will be fine, I don't want you to worry about it."   Her tone of voice
caused Kerri to stop crying and stare. Mrs. Vecchio was concerned, and
Kerri was confused.   "I want to tell you a little story." She made
herself at home on the bed as Kerri struggled to sit up next to her. "A
long time ago there was a very young bride. She came from a large family,
immigrants from, well, that's another story. She was very proud of her new
husband and her home. She spent all of her time making curtains, painting
walls, and scrubbing floors. She didn't have a job outside her home, you
see. In those days very few wives worked. Anyway, that Christmas she
wanted nothing more in the world than to prepare her husband a traditional
Christmas dinner. She shopped and planned and cooked and cleaned until she
was completely done in, nowadays you young people would call it 'stressed
out'."   "Her husband kept telling her it wasn't that important, that he
was just happy to be spending Christmas with the woman he loved, but she
would have none of it. She wanted to prove to him that she was the perfect
wife, and she could do it all."   "On Christmas morning she got up at 5:00
to begin preparing the turkey. She had it planned to the last second, you
see. The bird was stuffed and in the oven just in time for them to leave
for Mass. They were away from the house longer than usual on that morning
because they stopped in to see her mother."   "They arrived home just in
time for her to finish preparing the rest of the dinner. The potatoes were
already peeled, sitting in salted water. The same with the sweet potatoes
and carrots. The pumpkin pie was in the icebox, ready to be popped in the
oven as soon as the turkey came out. They expected to smell the turkey
roasting all the way from the foyer of their apartment building, but no
such aroma greeted them."   "They climbed the stairs, the anticipation
making her husband's mouth water. But even standing at their front door
they could not smell the turkey roasting. By the time she got to the
kitchen, she knew there was something terribly wrong."   "What happened to
the turkey?" Kerri asked softly.   "I forgot to turn on the oven."   Kerri
was horrified, but Mrs. Vecchio just laughed. "There's a point to this
story, for both of us. I forgot for awhile what the perfect Christmas is
really about. It's not perfect trees or decorations or dinner parties that
Martha Stewart would envy. It's not about trying to find someone, anyone,
for your daughter. It's not even about perfect people who seem to be able
to do nothing wrong. Christmas is about love, perfect love. And that is
what I see in the eyes of your young man whenever he looks at you. My
marriage didn't turn out to be the fairy tale that I had envisioned. Don't
let the same thing happen to you. Concentrate on maintaining and building
your love. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that is more important
than that...not even the opinion of one opinionated old lady."	  "I
didn't..."   "Yes, you did, and it's my fault. I made you feel like you
had to prove something, and I was wrong." She cleared her throat to stem
the tide of emotion building in her. "Now, you calm yourself and fix your
face. Let my Francessca and me take care of the dinner..."   "But it's
ruined!"   At that moment both woman heard someone at the piano begin to
play 'Silent Night'. "Frannie and I will make us all a 'traditional'
Vecchio first Christmas dinner. Take a few minutes and then go and join
your friends."   "They probably all hate me, I've been such a b----, so
cross with all of them."   "You go out there and enjoy yourself. If anyone
says anything, they will have your Ma Vecchio to deal with. And I can be
pretty formidable when I want to be." She patted Kerri's knee and stood
up.   "None of us is perfect, dear, and today has proved that to both of
us."   Kerri smiled broadly at the woman as she left the room. Kerri could
hear Meg singing from the living room, and could tell immediately when
Benton joined in. She had heard both of them sing before, just never
together. It was such a beautiful mingling of souls, she knew it was a
sound she would never forget. ~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~   Renfield stood by
the piano, vaguely singing along with the others. He didn't join in with
his whole heart for two reasons: first, he couldn't carry a tune in a
bucket, but second, and more important, he couldn't take his worried eyes
off their bedroom door. Whatever Ma Vecchio had said to Kerri, it hadn't
caused her to budge.   Mrs. Vecchio had come out of the bedroom with two
commands. No one, absolutely no one, was to go in there, and Francessca
and she were taking Ray's car and leaving for a few minutes. They would be
right back, and no, they would not tell anyone where they were going. Ray
definitely did not want to let Frannie use his car, but he also did not
want to contend with his mother. He'd seen that look countless times in
his life, and his Ma 'didn't raise no dummies'. He knew when to get the
heck out of the way.   Renfield had taken his eyes off the door
momentarily to turn the page of the music for Meg when Stan elbowed him in
the arm and nodded toward the door. Kerri was walking toward them, very
slowly, very tentatively.    Renfield could tell she wasn't sure if she
was welcome in their presence, so he did the only thing he could think of,
he reached out to her and drew her into the group singing around the
piano.   The warm smiles from her friends told her that not only was she
welcome, but they were glad she had rejoined them. The only one who did
not welcome her with his eyes was Stan, who was obviously avoiding meeting
her gaze. Just as Kerri began to worry about why he was upset everyone
heard Ma and Frannie downstairs.   "Hey up there! Come give us a fist!"
They heard her mutter and then yell again, "okay, a hand! Whatever!"  
Kerri was about to follow Renny, Ray, Benton and the others when a strong
hand grabbed her arm. "Wait a sec, okay?"   "Stan, what is it?" There was
so much concern in his eyes it scared her.   "I'm sorry."   "Sorry? For
what?"   "I'm sorry I ruined yer dinner. I saw the look on yer face when I
smashed the table. I know how important this whole Christmas dinner thing
was ta ya..."   Before she could respond a procession of food came up the
stairs, and Ma Vecchio started barking out orders. "Stanley, you and
Arthur move the real dining room table back in here. Kerri get the
silverware, it's all washed and on the kitchen counter. We've got paper
plates and napkins, but we'll need some glasses. If you don't have enough,
use coffee mugs. Renfield, get some serving dishes and Margaret and
Benton, get what's left of Kerri's dinner and bring it to the table. We're
having a Vecchio Christmas smorgasbord."   ~~*~~*~~*~~   That night Kerri
and Renfield learned about improvisation. The tact that Ma had used all
those years ago when she had forgotten to turn on the oven, and the same
tact that Frannie had used a few years ago when she'd tried to serve
turkey with plastic bag. That tact was to serve what you can salvage and
fill in the rest with Chinese.   And so the Turnbull's Christmas menu was
amended just slightly. Kerri provided roasted carrots, parsnips, and
onions, homemade crescent rolls, cranberry sauce and the best plum pudding
anyone had ever tasted (many of them had never actually tasted plum
pudding, but if they had, this would have definitely been the best). Meg
contributed a slightly melted jell-o salad, and Art brought an apple pie
made with apples sent to him by his parents in Washington State. Ray and
Stan provided mulled wine, the recipe for which had caused them to almost
come to blows. The meal was rounded out by Ma Vecchio and Frannie's
addition of chow mien, kung pao chicken, egg rolls and other assorted
Chinese delicacies.   Kerri knew that it was the most wonderful meal that
had ever been served in her home.   As they gathered around the buffet
Renfield said grace. Holding hands the large group of friends bowed their
heads as he thanked God. "Heavenly Father, at this busy time of year we
often forget the reason that any of us have cause to celebrate. Help us to
never forget the Reason for the season, your Son. Thank you for his birth,
for giving us a reason for hope and joy, and a source of solace, peace and
love. And please bless the loving hands that prepared and provided us with
this lovely meal. Amen."   Kerri had never been more proud of her husband
than she was at this moment, but she also had something to say. Placing
her hand lightly on Stan's eager arm, she prevented him from taking the
first spoonful. "I, ah, need to say something too." She looked from one
friend to another gathering her nerve. "I need to apologize to all of
you." She sighed. "Lance, Art I am very sorry that I was too preoccupied
to properly welcome you to our home. Meg, Frannie I have to apologize for
the way I spoke to you both earlier. There was no call for me to be so
curt with you. And Stan, it's not your fault that the dinner was, ah,
interrupted, and I'm really sorry I made you feel like it was."   "But
most of all, Renny, I'm sorry for the way I've been treating you the last
few weeks. All you wanted to do was help, and all I did was b---,
complain. A very wise lady told me just recently that the only perfect
thing in this world is love, and I am a very lucky woman. She's a very
wise lady." She put her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. "I
love you," she whispered.   After a few moments Stan broke the silence as
he and Dickens headed up the buffet line. "All right, enough with the
mushy stuff. Get outta the way so's we can eat." ~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~
Epilogue (or Dessert, if you prefer)   The fire crackled and danced in the
fireplace, casting a warm amber glow into the darkened room. From where he
lounged on the sofa Renfield could watch the snow softly falling just
beyond the window that overlooked the street. He smiled slightly as he
sipped his eggnog and stared at 'Charlie the Christmas tree'. In the dim
firelight the pink garland, sparse limbs and scrawny trunk looked
absolutely beautiful. Kerri had done a marvelous job with the twinkle
lights, and one could almost imagine a fine, full Douglas fir standing
majestically in the corner.   He could hear the soothing music of
Christmas carols playing softly on the radio in the background, and the
heart-warming sounds of Kerri finishing up in the kitchen. He had never
known that such peace and contentment were possible. He was happier than
he had ever been, and happier than he believed he had a right to be.  
He'd always had a hard time at Christmas, thinking of his baby, his
beautiful little daughter who had only seen two Christmases. She would
have been twelve years old this year. He couldn't help but wonder what she
would have been like. He smiled to himself as he remembered a secret
prayer he had prayed all those years ago. He'd prayed that she would grow
up to be as graceful as her mother and not as clumsy as her father.   Two
Christmases ago he'd allowed himself just a brief wallow in self-pity.
Constable Fraser had spent Christmas Eve fussing over the handmade gifts
he would give the Vecchio family when he celebrated Christmas with them.
Inspector Thatcher planned her trip to visit her relatives in Ontario to
the nth degree. Even Detective Kowalski was full of Christmas cheer when
he visited the Consulate.    Renfield had been truly happy for them. But
he had nothing to celebrate; he had gone home to his tiny apartment alone,
without gifts or even a tree. He was almost angry with himself now, for
wasting all those years hiding within himself, for allowing everyone to
believe that he was just a goofy guy without a brain in his head.   He
sighed deeply as he shook off thoughts of Christmases past. He would
always miss the family he had lost, but now he had a new life, new friends
and a loving wife. Yes, at long last, he was truly happy.   Kerri came up
softly behind him and gently put her hands on his shoulders. She massaged
his neck tenderly as she stared at their less than perfect Christmas tree.
"It's lovely in here isn't it?" she whispered softly, so as not to break
the magical spell that had been cast over the room.   "Thank you for
making this such a wonderful day." He took hold of her hand and pulled her
around the sofa and down on to his lap, where she snuggled as if God had
created her for just this moment.   "It did turn out to be very nice,
didn't it?" she whispered, and then she giggled, "through no fault of
mine, I might add."   "You did a terrific job. We just needed a little
help from our friends. We have wonderful friends, you know."   "Have I
told you lately how much I love you?" She asked as she snuggled even
closer.   "Hmm," he grinned. "Yes, but not nearly often enough." He held
her as tightly as he dared, wishing that this moment would never end.   
"You drank all your eggnog. You want some more?"   "Not if it means you
have to get up." He held her as if he would never let go.   "We'll have to
move eventually, you know. Otherwise, someone will find our bones in just
this position."   He chuckled. "What a way to go."   "What were you
thinking about when I came into the room? You seemed a million miles
away."   When he did not respond she rose up slightly and looked at him.
"Is something bothering you?"   He hurried to reassure her. "Not really, I
was just thinking. Reminiscing, I guess. About all the years I wasted..."
  Kerri put her arms around his neck and rested her cheek on his. "No
Renny, not wasted -waited. All the years that you waited, all the years
that I waited to find the perfect match, the one that God created for us.
We waited a very long time," she smiled as she looked into his eyes,
shining in the firelight, "but the wait is over. We're finally exactly
where God intended us to be."   The End