Dottie’s Christmas dinner - A Jaci/Dottie Story
Young Dottie fiddled with the dress she was supposed to be putting on, trying prolong the process as long as possible.
Drea came into her room, and smiled at the fidgeting girl.
“First Christmas dinner with your boyfriend, no wonder why you’re nervous.”
‘Its not Robbie that’s got me worried. Its spending a night with his dad’s family. I ... haven’t been around a lot of adult men for a long time.”
“You’ll be fine, honey.”
“Are you sure you’re okay me going without you?”
“I promised Jaci I would go with her to Keith’s. With her parents on the warpath I don’t want her to be alone. But you better finish getting ready, Robbie and his dad will be here to pick you up pretty soon.”
Dottie put the Christmas dress on, and looked at herself in the mirror. The dress was a rich purple-colored lace dress that went down to her knees, and she had trouble believing the pretty girl she was seeing was her. But being a girl, being pretty, they felt so ... right to her, even if she had been mistaken as a boy at birth and lived most of her short life as one before being sent to Tante Drea’s.
A tear formed in her eyes, and Drea asked, “Sweetie? You okay?”
“Better than okay, Tante. I am so grateful to you, I never would have been able to be a girl without you.”
The two of them hugged, and then the doorbell rang.
“Robbie’s here!” Dottie squealed, and ran for the door.
Drea smiled, shook her head and followed behind.
Robbie wasn’t alone. His father was with him, and another man.
Dottie bit her lip and tried to stay calm.
Robbie noticed, and whispered in Dottie’s ear “I got on something special, just for you.” He lifted the leg of his pants, showing that he was wearing nylons underneath.
Dottie giggled, and it relaxed her enough to say “Hello” to Robbie’s father, and to the other man, who was in fact married to Robbie’s dad.
Soon, they were headed for Robbie’s dad’s house, and there they were greeted by Robbie’s grandfather, and Robbie showed her around the place.
“So you split your time between here and your mom’s?” Dottie asked Robbie.
Robbie nodded. “The divorce wasn’t easy at first, but the fact everybody really loved each other made it possible.”
They sat down for dinner, and the warm love shown by these men gave Dottie the courage to ask Robbie’s grandfather about their living arrangements.
“My son and the man he loves both opened my eyes, and now I am so proud of them, and proud of the man Robbie is becoming.”
“We could open your eyes because you were willing to listen, and to learn, Dad.” Robbie’s father sad.
After supper, Dottie and Robbie went to play video games in the living room.
During a break in the game, Dottie looked back at the three men laughing and cleaning up supper, and then at a small table where the Nativity scene had been set up. She reached over and picked up one of the wise men figures, and then looked back in the kitchen.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Robbie said.
“I was just thinking ... your family, its like you got the three wise men right in your house.”
“Well, my mom and sister are great, but this place is good too.I may be willing to dress up to help you, but I am a boy at heart.”
“I think I can live with that.” Dottie said, and gave him a kiss.
“Merry Christmas, Robbie.”
“Merry Christmas, Dorothy.’
Merry Christmas, From Dorothy Colleen!
Lil Jacilynn was worried. She was twisting her hands back and forth in the passenger seat of Tante Drea's 80's Bmw E something. The car had seen better days. The once white 4 door car had more than a little rust on it's outside. The tailpipe dragged on the ground every once and while. The heater fan blew mostly warm air even if it only had one setting.
Jaci had been surprised when Tante had shown up with the car instead of their usual mini van. The car, or so it was explained to her, had been the first car she had bought new years ago. She had been all proud of it way back then but due to never having a nice place to store it and many a Canadian winter. Time had not been kind to the car. Still Drea often boasted of how "solid British engineering" was so much better.
Apparently the mini van was at some garage getting repaired or something. Still it meant that she had to sit in the old stiff leather seat, that looked more like vinyl to her, and endure the ride to Keith's place.
Not for the first time she wondered why she had gotten dressed the way she did this morning. Yeah it was christmasy with her red mini skirt and the white/pink sweater with the snowflakes on it. But did she really have to put on the makeup and white tights? She had even fretted over her hair so much that Tante Drea had final come and gave her a single side pony tail look.
When she looked in the mirror she saw a teenaged girl of the mid 80's. Thinking this caused her to giggle as this was probably how Tante Drea had looked at her age in this very same car. Jaci looked out the frosted over window at the scenery. It always amazed her, how with just a little bit of snow, the whole neighboorhood looked clean and new. This morning was even one of those mornings where there was an icefrost on the limbs of the trees making them all look like white crystal trees that were so rare and yet so beautiful at the same time.
"Don't touch the window!" Drea admonished her as she reached up with her white mittens. Mittens that were knitted by someone who she had never met. However they were a present from Vieille Tante Ruth, apparently Ruth didn't knit for some reason she was not yet told. Still they were warm.
"If you touch the window it will freeze in that pattern even more."
"Kay.." she replied.
"What's wrong honey?"
"Nuttin" one word answers.. Why ask her questions that only required one answer and then she would ...
"Are you worried about Kieth?"
"No!" she looked at the floor in a vain attempt to hide the blush she felt on her cheeks."
"Don't be sweetie. You have been doing so good lately! I'm so proud of my girl."
Jaci knew what she meant. It wasn't really anything she was trying for at the time. Back during the summer after that magical day with Kieth and his oh so wonderful silencing kiss, she had been not fretting so much about trying to be a boy.
It probably shocked Dorothy more than anyone at school when she showed up the first day in her pink blouse, marking her clearly as a member of the exclusive 'Pinks'. Dottie's mouth had hung open waiting for her at the door when she walked into the living room ready for school.
"Your wearing it." she had said.
"It's a nice blouse."
"But your wearing it."
"Well yeah so?"
"But your ACTUALLY wearing your PINK blouse!"
"Yes I am!" She had replied with a huge smile on her face. Dottie was a little shocked. So much so she walked into the open door of the house, which was quite a feat. Holding her head with the palm of her right hand Dottie lead the way out of the house. The rest of the day had been a mixture of "OMG JACI SQUEAL" or " It's about time they made you part of the pinks." There was also one or two " I'm Soooo jealous!" notably was Jenny who just glared.
"What was the address again Jaci?" drea broke into her thoughts.
"Uhhh.. let me check."
One of the more positive things that had happened was when she won her current pink cased Iphone at a gift exchange at school. Dottie has also been lucky and won a red Samsung version. They were still trying to figure out how to operate it or where they would get a contract to use it. The Iphone didn't actually connect to a network yet, just the home network at home. But it did have an offline mode that made checking things easier.
"122 east Braintree drive"
Realizing that this meant that they were on or close to the street in question made her nervous.
What if they saw right through her to the boy she really was?
What if they hated her?
What if someone there was wearing the same thing as her?
Why didn't she wear her lace trimmed red dress?
Using deep breathing exercises she calmed herself down as Drea hunched over the steering wheel trying to spot the house numbers. It probably didn't help that the old windshield was still the original and therefore pitted by years of dust and stones making it darn near impossible to see out of when someone drove by from the opposite direction.
Lil Jaci started to rub her mittened hands again and looked outside the frosty window. She wondered how her sister was doing over at Robs place. She had left before she had gotten a chance to say goodbye.
She also wondered if anyone would recognize the gift she had left to Dottie. Made to from Santa in her best handwritting. It had taken her a bit to argue with the others in the club but she had gotten Dottie her gift.
As the old Bmw pulled up into the drive of the colorfully decorated house lil Jaci suddenly wanted to run away.
Hiding under a real pine tree in their home was a very well wrapped present with christmasy tinkerbells on the package. The inside of the paper was covered over with packing tape making it near impossible to rip. Under the tape was a cardboard Fedex box. If one looked inside the box they would see a pink colored blouse with Dottie hand stitched over the pink embrodiered school crest.