Bellissimo Angelo- Book Three

Chapter 5 - Burnin A Hole Through The Sheets

I trudge up the porch steps and walk inside to find Dylan, Seth, and Earl are seated on the sofa with John Luke and Georgia. The kids jump up from the sofa and run to greet me, "Aunt Maggie!" They call out as they tackle me in the doorway. 

I kneel in front of them, pulling them in for an embrace, "Hello, my babies! Merry Christmas!" 

Dylan throws his hands in the air, "Your man too good to come in and say hello on Christmas?" 

"He's gotta work, Dylan. He's running late." I tell him. He knows I'm lying because we all know the steel mill is closed on Christmas day. Our father, before he ran off, worked there for several years.  A concerned look crosses his face, but he doesn't utter a word, thankfully.

I brush it off and stroll down the hallway to my room. I quickly pick out an oversized grey sweater, a pretty cranberry-colored scarf, tight black pants, and my black knee-high boots. I grab two towels from the linen closet and take them to Momma's bathroom to get a shower. Once I get myself groomed and ready for the day, I strut down the hallway to the kitchen to join Mariah and Momma as they work to prepare our dinner. 

Once I enter, they are whipping up a pumpkin pie for dessert. Dylan loves pumpkin pie, and he requests one every year. Momma flashes a warm smile at me as I approach them, "So how is my future son-in-law doing?" 

I look down to avoid eye contact with her, "Oh, he's fine, Momma."

She grins as she continues mixing the pumpkin filling. Momma is definitely in her element right now. Mariah watches her as she prepares the pie, "Why isn't Nate joining us?" Mariah asks curiously. 

"Oh, he is working today," I respond without thinking. 

Momma immediately looks up at me while stirring the mixture; she knows better, "I thought the steel mill was closed today?" She asks. 

I shrug, "I don't believe it is." 

Momma casts a worried look but doesn't say another word. Sheww... dodged another bullet. I really don't want to have to explain to them what is really going on. 

"So, did you make ham or turkey?" I ask Momma, attempting to distract her.  

She points at the ham on the counter, "Ham, of course." she responds. 

"Great! I love ham." I reply. 

"Me too; I can make soup beans with cornbread with the leftover ham. I can't wait," Momma says excitedly. 

I chuckle, "That's all you, Momma."

She raises her brow, "Oh, my Dylan loves his Momma's soup beans. I'm sure he'd be more than happy to eat some." She says. 

"Well, he can eat as much as he wants. You won't hear me complain, as long as he's not here." I respond.

Mariah snorts, "Umm....well, maybe he needs to stay with you guys when he does because I'm not sure I could sleep with him after that. He'd burn a hole through the sheets. The house smells for days afterward." Mariah says jokingly as she holds her nose. 

The three of us begin roaring with laughter as Dylan enters the kitchen, "Hey, what are you hens clucking about?" he asks. 

"You burning a hole through the sheets after eating Momma's soup beans," I say as I bite my lip to keep the laughter from escaping. 

He chuckles and approaches Mariah, wrapping his arm around her waist, and whispers into her ear, "For better or for worse, baby." He says as he sneaks around her and steals a croissant before stuffing it in his mouth. 

Momma reaches out and playfully smacks at his hand, "Owww! Momma, I'm starving." He cries out jokingly. 

She rolls her eyes and pats his belly, "Hardly, son." 

He approaches me and reaches out his hand to squeeze my side. I yelp from the initial shock and playfully try to kick him. He moves out of the way quickly, "Fiesty one, aren't we, sis?" He asks as he sticks his tongue out. 

I roll my eyes and playfully punch his shoulder,  "Momma, we need to hurry up and feed the beast so that he will quit annoying us." 

Dylan laughs out loud and stalks back into the living room with Seth and Earl. 

Before long, Christmas dinner is ready. We eat and enjoy one another's company. I had absolutely no stress that evening. We exchanged gifts later after dinner. The kids were so excited to deliver the presents to each adult after they opened their presents first. My shift at Tito's starts at 7:00 p.m; to close. So once it gets close to the time, I bid everyone farewell and head to work. 

It's a quiet night in the bar on Christmas night. Thankfully, I'm working with Shelly, the other bartender. She's worked at Tito's for several years, and she never leaves me to close on my own. 

She approaches me once the bar is clear, "So I heard what happened, darlin, I'm so sorry that you were here by yourself that night. Are you alright?" she asks. 

"Sure, I'm fine."

"You know, that happened to me one night about ten years ago. I had nightmares for years after that. It was the scariest thing that has ever happened to me." she says. 

"Well, I haven't had any nightmares yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if I did. I was pretty shaken up afterward." I tell her. 

"I can imagine you were. God love ya. I can't believe you are even here tonight, to be honest." she says.

"Oh, I wouldn't call off. Do you know if they figured out who the guy was?" I ask. 

"I don't think they know yet, but if I had to guess, I'd venture to say that the Vances are behind it. Those mean sons a bitches are always causing trouble in town," she says. 

I chuckle, 'Yeah, that would not surprise me." 

I enviously watch as a young couple dance along to the jukebox on the dance floor. They gaze at each other like there's not a soul in the room but them. Actually, it's just them and us right now. I shake myself from my daydream and begin cleaning up behind the bar. 

Shelly clears her throat, "So I heard that Todd is going to hire a couple of security guards. I think that will be good. Hopefully, he gets someone strong enough to stand up to the Vances when they come in here, causing trouble." 

I snort, "Yeah, I hope so too."

I continue to wipe the counter and stock the shelves as Shelly works to wash the glasses. Around 3:00 am, the bar is completely cleared out, and we work together to close up for the night. God, I wish I could work with Shelly every night. She pulls her weight, and she always sticks around. The only problem is, I can't go in the back and tinker around with the instruments. I guess those days will be over once the security guards start. Hopefully, I can get in a few more sessions before Todd starts hiring.

As we close the bar, we walk out into the parking lot together, bidding each other farewell before parting ways and driving off in opposite directions. After a few moments, I park on the street in front of the house and trudge up the steps. I quietly enter the front door to find that Momma kept the kids again. She has them on pallets on the living room floor, and she is passed out on the sofa. 

They look so peaceful. I quietly tiptoe past them and march to my bedroom, shutting the door behind me as I get myself ready for bed. I'm way too exhausted to get in the shower; I'm running on fumes at this point. So I throw my pajamas on, climb under the covers, and fall into a deep sleep.