[[[-IF6-P16.TXT-]]]


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Island Fever 6: Sanctuary
Written by: JeremyDCP@hotmail.com

M/F, F/F and a whole lot more
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Chapter 16: "Family"
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            -*-  Saturday, December 24, 2016  -*-
                 -*-  Sandvika, Norway  -*-
                 

   Amy removed the freshly baked sugar cookies from the oven
and visually inspected them to make sure they were as perfect
as could be for our Christmas Eve party.  She then placed a 
pan of biscuits in the oven, turned up the temperature, and 
set the timer.  Normally, Amy kept a fresh batch of chocolate
chip cookies on the heat plate at the top of the stairs, but 
Christmas called for sugar cookies.  Meticulously decorated
and cared for, like the rest of our home.
   Outside, festive holiday wreaths with bright red plaid bows
adorned each of the windows of our gorgeous, spacious home.
At night the house sparkled, completely outlined in colorful,
twinkling lights.  The same for the base and lower branches of
the huge live oak out front and the tall, thick trunks of its
neighboring redwoods.  Powder pink camellias in full bloom,
even with the winter season upon us, encircled the house and
were interlaced with lights as well, because goodness knows, 
if Kristanna had drilled anything into my thick skull, it was 
that there was no such thing as too many Christmas lights.  One
could easily see the glow from our house a full two miles away.
   I followed Amy down the stairs with the cookies and could 
not help but to smile at the scent of the fresh pine garland
that lined the bannister, mingling with the aroma of the sugar
cookies, making my pulse quicken.  Unlike the past, I loved
Christmas nowadays and looked forward to it every year.  Having
such a loving and supporting network all around me changed my
mind.  2016 was extra special, because we had flown in so many 
various family members from North America and they were all 
here, with family and friends present from Norway as well.
   The recreation room was loud and raucous, buzzing with
activity, and felt like a true party atmosphere.  There were
Kristanna's parents, Kristof and Rande, who lived on the
opposite side of the farm.  Trish's mother from Canada, Alice,
was visiting for the holidays, along with Trish's two sisters
(Christie and Melissa) and their respective husbands (Wayne
and Jason) and Christie's children (Jacob and Cindy).
   Pamela's parents (Tom and Carol) were here all the way
from the great state of Maryland, along with her two sisters
(Paula and Candice) and their husbands as well (Jeff and
Michael).  Paula's three children, Corrie, Kendall and
Mikhaela, were busy poking into anything and everything all
throughout the recreation room, a playground of electronics.
arcade and pinball machines in the recreation room.
   But the guest list did not stop there.  Amy's parents
(Robert and Kathleen) were at the party, as well as our close
family friends, Mike, Carolyn and Barbara (three-fourths of
our private flight crew).  Kristanna's sister and her husband
(Tanya and Scott, and daughter Sophitia) had made the trek
from the other side of the country, and Lindsay had invited a
personal friend of hers from church (Dina).
   Added up, there were 26 guests at our party.  The number
swelled to 41 if you counted my own wives and children, and
yours truly.  What an awesome gathering!  Best of all,
Pamela's family was going to stay here through the holidays,
and would not return home until she gave birth to our son,
Peyton, probably after the New Year.  Pamela's due date was 
January 6, but I had the sneaking suspicion that Peyton may 
be born a few days early.  Call it a father's intuition!
   Amy put the cookies on the buffet table and straightened
the plaid bow and the handmade stockings she had hung over
the fireplace.  Perhaps one of the kids had picked at them,
and put them out of alignment.  Real mistletoe hung with
festive ribbons over every doorway, and even on the front
porch near the main entrance.  Oh, I had snagged a countless
number of kisses these past few weeks from each of my wives!
   At just under 20 feet in height, I felt our Christmas tree
was perfect.  It was the centerpiece of the recreation room,
exquisitely decorated in white twinkling lights and ornaments
from the sea.  Starfish.  Sea urchin angels with white
seashell wings and sand dollars of all sizes bleached white
by the hot, scorching sun, collected from the beaches during 
our vacation trip to the island a couple of months ago.
   The train set my father had gifted to me last Christmas
meandered around the base of the tree and all throughout the
recreation room.  I had been obsessing over the train all
month, and it even made me feel childlike to see it chugging
around.  When I was a little boy, Dad and I would go to a
massive toy train exhibit in Cincinnati every Christmas.  I
looked forward to it every year, and the exquisite toy train
he gave me last Christmas was a reminder of those fun times
while I was growing up.  Oh, I miss those days terribly.
   I sure wish Dad could have been here to visit us during
the holidays this year.  But at 78 years of age, a 5,300 mile
airline flight to get here from Los Angeles was rough on him.
Alas, Dad stayed with us for awhile during the early part of
2016, and those are memories I will cherish forever.
   Christmas figurines dotted the recreation room and were
tastefully arranged all throughout the mansion.  Kristanna
had seen to it that the poinsettias in every room, all 72
of them, were watered earlier today.
   I followed Amy back up to the kitchen, where she filled a
pot with water and grits.  Lindsay peeled the shrimp for her
earlier.  The timer on the oven went off; the biscuits were
golden brown.  Amy smeared butter over the tops of them and
tossed together a shrimp and grits extravaganza, which had
been a request by Devon.  Amy could make this recipe in her
sleep and, if she enjoyed herself a little too much with her
wives and yours truly the night before, sometimes she did.
   Amy had already whipped peppered pimiento cheese into the
snowy white grits and stirred the heavenly shrimp that had
been sauteed in olive oil and garlic.  They were swimming in
her secret, creamy sauce.
   "Everything smells wonderful!" Trish commented as she
stepped into the kitchen and hugged Amy from behind.  "But
there are so many people here!  Why did you insist on doing
all of the cooking yourself?  You should have let us help."
   "I got help," Amy smirked, motioning toward me with her
head.  "Jeremy is my shadow today.  He's going around like a
hungry, little puppy, begging for a table scrap."
   "Hey!" I protested, but with a smile.
   "Merry Trishmas!"
   Trish laughed at Amy.  "Merry Trishmas to you, too!"
   "Tell everyone to help themselves to anything they want
downstairs," Amy said to Trish.  "I'll have a fresh round of
juice and coffee for the buffet coming up next.  The sweet
potato casserole will be ready soon."  She looked at me and
suggested, "Why don't you go and enjoy the party?  I really
do not need any help with dinner.  I prefer working alone."
   Trish took me by the hand and guided me out of the kitchen,
away from Amy, and down the steps.  I leaned over and kissed 
her abdomen along the way; Trish was 12 weeks pregnant with 
our second child.  Downstairs, there was so much noise and 
commotion going on, but I immediately zeroed in on Kristanna, 
who looked mesmerizing with her silky, long-flowing blonde 
hair in stylish, elegant curls (a rarity for her).
   "Momma's here!" Kristanna cooed and grinned at Ariel,
holding our nine-month-old daughter in her arms as she cried
and threw a loud, fussy fit.  "Momma's here!  I love you!
Momma's here!  Oh, don't cry, honey."
   Trish peeled off from me and returned to Lindsay, who held
Jackson in one arm, and Kaylee the other.  She handed Jackson
off to Trish, who immediately began rocking and bouncing him.
The two ladies said something to each other and laughed wildly.
What was it?  I could not hear exactly what for all the noise.
   Underneath the Christmas tree, I smiled at a particular
gift wrapped in lush paper.  On the tag it was addressed to
"@jeremy[Last Name]" (my Twitter handle) with the hashtags
#sir[Last Name] and #thegoodsoninlaw underneath it.  Kristof
and Rande, Kristanna's parents, enjoyed being creative like
this.  Among other gifts they had brought along, one was 
addressed to "Dr. Scarlett" and another to "Reverend Lindsay".
   Orange and banana peels were in front of Pamela at the
center table.  She still looked hungry, but was hamming it up
with her parents and two sisters regardless.  Pamela was so
incredibly beautiful at 37 weeks pregnant, nearly ready to pop 
with our little son still nurturing inside of her.  Piper 
seemed really happy and content being held by Candice, who was
pregnant as well.  But Candice was not due until June 11, 2017.
It warmed my heart to see Pamela reunited with her family.
   Tom was playing the piano with a captive audience of Kaden,
Corrie and Mikhaela, while Michael strummed a guitar next to
him.  Kaden, anxious and excited because he would soon get to
open presents, took off and did a somersault onto the sofa.
Then another.  And another.  He sure was wound up today.
Dani Grace was at the bottom of the steps, hugging and kissing
a Christmas gnome figure that was just as big as she was.
   Jacob, Cindy and Kendall were being loud like most kids are,
mashing away on three different pinball machines.  Dylan was
crying like Ariel was earlier, but received soft, soothing words 
of love and encouragement from mother Scarlett.  Mike, Carolyn 
and Barbara were chatting it up with Robert and Kathleen.
   Dani Grace was now screaming and giggling as Kaden chased
her from one end of the room to the other.  I thought about 
stepping in and interjecting, but Kaden was not pestering 
her.  Dani Grace was too happy and excited.
   I surveyed the scene, this whole spectacle of a party.

   It was amazing.  And made me feel wonderful inside.  There
was so much family and friends around.

   Eventually, Kristanna moved to the piano and shared a duet
with Kaden, who did his two-year-old best standing atop a chair
to sing "Jingle Bells" with everyone watching him.  At the end
of the song, he received a rousing ovation from all of us.
   Corrie, Kendall and Cindy took their turn and sang a
splendid version of "O Holy Night".  Jacob was next, singing
"Frosty the Snowman".  I shared a tender moment with Kaden,
giving him a high-five, because he was so proud of himself
for nailing that "Jingle Bells" song.  He and Kristanna had
been practicing it together for the past two weeks for this
very occasion, the Christmas Eve party.
   Amy had earlier prepared the most amazing meatloaf I had
ever tasted.  Its aroma still wafted throughout the house,
even though it was long gone.  She actually fixed it outside
on the _Traegar_, a wooden, fire grill.  With thick and hearty
barbeque sauce layered over top, the meatloaf was a delicious
slice of heavenly bliss.  Perhaps tomorrow, I would be able to
dig myself out of this Christmas food coma that I was in.
   Even though she did not want my help, I went back to the
kitchen anyway, and promptly found Amy singing to herself.
   "I... saw Lindsay blowing Saaaaanta Claus, underneath the
mistletoe last niiiiight..."
   "You're awful," I chided Amy, hugging her from the side.
We both shared a laugh as Shredder, the family dog, strolled
into the kitchen.  He was even in the holiday spirit, wearing 
a red and black flannel doggie sweater.  Shredder was also 
very happy with his gift from Kaden, Piper and Dani Grace - a
Santa chew toy.  Amy was putting the finishing touches on the 
sweet potato casserole, and insisted that I return downstairs.
   Kaden was screaming when I descended the steps.
   "Kaden!" Kristanna called out.  "Did you find your ball?"
   "No," he mumbled.  "I not finding... the ball."
   "You're just growling for no reason?"
   "Yeah."
   "RAWWWWWR!" Kristanna screeched out.
   "Rawr means _I love you_ in dinosaur," Trish informed 
Devon.  "So guess what, baby?  Rawr!"
   "Rawr yourself!" Devon retorted, giggling.
   "When do we open gifts?" Pamela asked Piper elsewhere.
   "NOW!" she blurted out.
   "No," Pamela corrected her.  "When do we open them?"
   "After swool..."
   "After dinner," Pamela nodded at her.  "We will."
   "JEREMY!" Lindsay whined out.  "Krissy is poking me again!"
   "Krissy," I admonished her, "stop poking your wife!"
   "But it's fun!" Kristanna countered, laughing as well.  She
extended a finger and poked Lindsay in the ribcage several
times with it.  "I love to poke all of my wives!"
   A burst of laughter broke out in response to that playful
exchange.  Mike, Carolyn and Barbara seemed sort of confused, 
so Pamela came forward and offered, "Krissy is always trying 
to poke and prod at us with her fingers, especially Lindsay.
Jeremy does not like it; he says it is rude."  Pamela giggled
at her own words.  "He jumps all over Krissy when she does it."
   "I'm not even safe from Jeremy when he is not around!" 
Kristanna told Mike.  "I went out to dinner one night with 
Lindsay last week, and I started poking her.  So Lindsay texts
Jeremy and tells him that I'm poking her.  I get this mean,
scathing text from Jeremy seconds later... YOU LEAVE LINDSAY 
ALONE!"  Kristanna laughed and, wow, what a beautiful sound.
   "Somehow the words MEAN and SCATHING do not belong in the
same sentence when referring to Jeremy," Scarlett mused.
   Kristanna threaded her hand into Lindsay's.  "No one in
the family loves getting poked more than this girl!"
   "Krissy!" Pamela scoffed at her.  "Hush!"
   "It's not nice to go around and poke at people with your 
finger," I reiterated to Kristanna.  "You do it to me, too."

   "Want to open your presents now?" Kristof said, perhaps an
hour later, to Kaden.
   "Yeah!"
   "Have you been a good boy?"
   "Yeah."
   "Did you feed Shredder?"
   "Uh huh."
   "Have you been good to Ariel?"
   "Yeah!"
   "Did you give Grandpa five?"  Kaden slapped hands with him.
"Oooooh, yes!  Let's open those presents!"
   "And it was at that moment," Devon giggled into my ear,
watching them, "Christmas was ruined."
   We went through the first round of exchanging gifts, and 
then all eyes were on Rande, Kristanna's mother, who gave an 
impassioned, tearful speech aimed at the children.
   "...no matter what!  And that is what Heavenly Father feels
about us.  Heavenly Father loves us no matter what!  And we
love Him, and that is why we want to try and be the best we
can be for Him.  But even when we haven't been the best we can
be, He still loves us.  And that is what is so beautiful."
   "One of the ways we can show Him how much we love him is by
being kind to each other.  And the most important people on
this Earth to be kind to are right here, in this room - your
family.  Listen up, children.  Your brothers, your sisters, 
your cousins but most especially, your mom and dad.  Are you 
all going to PROMISE that you're going to try REALLY hard this 
coming year to be extra nice to your brothers and sisters, 
your cousins?  That you're going to love and respect your mom 
and dad, and listen to them, do what they tell you?"
   "Yes!" many of the kids responded in unison.
   Kristof and Rande got me a nice button-up shirt as a gift.
Kristof's closet was full of 30 years worth of _Pendleton_
brand shirts, but this would be my first.  Kristof swore by
them.  Yet one of my favorite gifts was actually from Mike, 
our family pilot and friend.  He gave me a custom calendar 
with photographs of all of my wives and children included.
My personal favorite was December, a group portrait featuring
all seven wives and seven children (and me) from two weeks 
ago visiting with Santa Claus at the local shopping center.
One of them must have given him the photograph.
   Amongst it all, Amy received a diamond bracelet from her
parents with the words "World's Sweetest Daughter" engraved 
on it.  Amy became quite emotional, thankful that her parents
were once again a part of her life.  Dani Grace was loving 
her toy pony from Grandma and Grandpa as well, sitting atop 
it and riding it about as if she was a cowgirl from the wild 
west!  Apparently, she named it Tonto.  Robert did not know 
what to think of the virtual reality headset I had given to 
him, but promised to try his best to figure it out and use it.
   Near the end of the evening, Lindsay gathered all of the
children together and had their attention.  "What is Christmas
about?" she asked them.  "Jesus.  And it is really special
that we can open gifts, even though we're thinking about 
Jesus?"  Some of them nodded at her.  "Okay, so we're going to 
read a Christmas book.  It's called _What is Christmas?_."
   Once she read the children's book outloud, Lindsay led the
entire gathering in a spiritual prayer.  One day, Lindsay
would be a minister just like her father was.  She was still
volunteering countless hours at a church in downtown Oslo.
   I helped put all of my kids down to sleep, but had the most
fun with Kaden.  He told me with big eyes, "I want Santa to
come right now!", but I informed him that he had to go to
sleep first in order for Santa to come.  Kaden was SO excited;
he was the oldest of my children, and the first to really
realize and understand what was going on here at Christmas.
Kaden actually had expectations, and it was so cute to see
his little mind work and process everything.
   Tom, Pamela's father, had something written down on a piece
of paper and insisted on reading it for us as she opened her
final three presents once the kids were down for the night.
   "Try number one!  It was the week before Christmas and all 
throughout the room, packages were strewn with a new sense of 
gloom.  Panic had gripped us, as we could clearly see that our 
perfect present plan was not meant to be.  The thing which we 
ordered, and ordered with care, was... not what we thought.  
We were embarrassed to share."
   "We couldn't give something like this to our Pamela.  Yes,
it looked nice.  But the size was... too teeny.  So back we
went for try number two, we were so sure that we knew just
what to do.  It was so perfect we thought in our brains, but
when it arrived, it was just way too plain."
   Pamela laughed as she opened the second of three gifts, a
gravy boat that was a dull white color.  The first gift was
also a gravy boat, but was much, much smaller.
   "Now we set out for try number three," Tom continued,
reciting what was on the sheet of paper.  "Mom had a thought,
it was easy to see that a gift for a special daughter could
be found in Oslo... at a potter."  Pamela unwrapped the third
present, a beautiful, hand crafted gravy boat that was blue.
"Out into the night we did bravely go; miles we went into the
fresh, fallen snow.  What do our wondering eyes did we behold?
Pottery so gorgeous, it was as precious as gold."
   "Gravy boats come and gravy boats go.  Just by looking,
you'll never know that we tried so hard for just the right
one.  We wouldn't be happy until we were done.  So may we
present gravy boats one, two and three.  With so many boats,
we are sure, Pamela, you can be... a high-ranking Admiral,
in your gravy... Navy."
   "I love that!" Pamela gushed at her father.  "That is so
cute!  Thank you!  I love all of them... all three."
   "And that's very clever," Kristanna told Tom, which drew
several laughs.  "That's awesome."

                           * * *
                           
   As I get older, and look back on Christmases from the past,
I realize more and more how important family is.  Especially 
during this time of the year.  With Lindsay's help, I had 
learned over the past few years that Christmas is a time to 
celebrate the birth of our savior, Jesus Christ.
   We were sitting around the dinner table earlier, and some 
of our most favorite people were there with us.  Kristanna's
parents, her family.  Pamela's family.  Trish's family.  Amy's 
mom and dad.  OUR KIDS.  Mike, Carolyn and Barbara, and even 
Lindsay's friend, Dina.  Our Christmas Eve party was such a 
wonderful thing, and was a reminder of how important family is 
to me.  I was so incredibly grateful that Pamela and Trish got
to spend time with their folks.  Not only that, but the whole
party - all 41 people - seemed to get along flawlessly.
   Love.  Fun.  Laughter.  Those were the three things that we
strived for as a group on a daily basis with our family.  It
was our motto.  The party was a perfect example.
   But I am also reminded of the countless number of people
in the world who do not get along with their family, or
simply cannot see them over the holidays.  Today was great
for me, indeed, but it would have been so much better if I
could have my own mother and father here, and my two brothers
and sister.  But Mom and Dad were separated and sworn to never
see each other again, and Dan and Di were at odds with me.
Steve did not even have a telephone and was tough to track
down.  So, I can understand.  I know what holiday heartache
is like.  Unfortunately, this would also be the the first
Christmas season that Lindsay did not get to see her mother.
Leslie still refused to have any contact with her.
   But I was able to shove all of that to the side today, and
be happy for what I did have.  The fact that Pamela got to
spend time with her family.  Trish, Amy, Kristanna.  Tomorrow,
I was having dinner with Scarlett at her parents' house.  They
were not as keen and open to our group marriage as others were,
but at least they did not shun Scarlett as a daughter.
   I mean this from the bottom of my heart, but some of you
may be having a hard time right now because you're not with
your family at all.  Or, you do not have a lot of family with
you.  I just want to let all of you know that you are more than
welcome to be a part of our family during this holiday season.
Words could never even begin to describe the appreciation I
have for my most loyal readers.  I hope the glimpse into our 
family life over these past three-plus years has put a smile 
on your face.  I have enjoyed sharing our experiences with you.
   From my heart to yours, have a very Merry Christmas.

                           * * *

   I was turning off the shower the following morning, telling
myself that it was okay to feel this happy despite the fact
that my own inner family was not here.  They would never be
here.  But that would not dampen my spirits.  Not today.  It 
was Christmas, and I looked forward to watching my kids open 
all of their presents.  Each of my wives would be spoiled even
more after today than they already were.  No one enjoyed gift 
giving more than me!  Later, I would have Christmas dinner 
with Scarlett and her parents (and Dylan, our baby boy, of 
course).  The day was going to be nothing short of awesome!
   But then, I heard Lindsay let out a wild squeal.
   Grabbing a towel to wrap around my hips, I hurried out into
the bedroom to see what was wrong.  Was there a problem?  An
issue?  Why did Lindsay scream like that?  But the squeal 
sounded sort of happy, but I had to be absolutely, positively 
certain.  Was she okay?  Lindsay was out on the balcony and 
had actually left the sliding glass door wide open.
   "Lindsay!" I exclaimed, stepping out to see what she was
doing and exhaling with relief when I saw everything was all
right.  "It's freezing cold out here!  You're just wearing
your nightgown, for God's sake."
   "It's snowing!"  Lindsay whirled around, beaming at me,
looking rumpled and rosy and happy.  Basically, like her
usual self.  "It wasn't supposed to snow today!  JEREMY!
We're going to have a White Christmas after all!"
   "You can admire the snow all you want from indoors.  Now
please come back inside before you get sick."
   Lindsay put forth an exaggerated frown, but stepped back
into the bedroom with me and closed the door behind her.
"I love having a White Christmas.  Reminds me of spending
Christmas Day with Dad when he was still alive when I was
younger... building a snowman in the backyard with him."  A
tear streaked down her face.  "Oh, I miss those days."
   I grinned at Lindsay, trying to keep her spirits high.  "We
can go outside and build a snowman later if you like.  But
first, you'll actually have to put on some warm clothes!"
   Lindsay giggled.  "You think you're joking, Jeremy, but
I'm going to hold you to that.  You and I can build a snowman,
and we can get Kaden, Piper and Dani Grace to help us."
   Lindsay tossed on a robe while I changed into suitable
attire for the final exchange of gifts on Christmas morning.
Soon we retrieved Kaylee from the nursery and descended the
grand staircase, eager to meet up with the others.
   I stopped in surprise when I saw Kristanna standing at
the bottom, clearly waiting on us.
   "Merry Christmas," I told her, taking the final few steps.
   "Merry Christmas," Kristanna greeted both of us, before
turning her attention to me.  "You were upstairs longer than
anticipated.  I'm glad I caught you... before you went in."
   "Before I went in where?" I asked, completely confused by
Kristanna's comment.  "Where is everyone?"
   "In there," Kristanna responded, nodding toward the closed
door of the sun room.  "Go say hi."  She took Kaylee from me
and kissed the sweet, little baby on her forehead.
   I nodded and continued to hold Lindsay's hand as we opened
the door to the sun room together.
   I halted in shock when I discovered that the sun room was
full of people who were not at our Christmas Eve party last
night.  Namely, Mom and Dad.  Di, and her husband Timmy, my
niece Chelsea.  Dan and Susan, his wife, and another niece,
Hope.  Even Steve from Kentucky was here, too!  As was his
wife (Brenda) and two daughters (Stephanie and Autumn).
   Mom, Dad.  My two brothers.  My sister.  Everyone whom I
loved and cared for while growing up as a child in Ohio...
   All I could do was turn my head in dazed shock to look back
at Kristanna, who had surely orchestrated this little reunion.
   She innocently shrugged her shoulders.  "It took some work,
but I was able to convince your family that spending Christmas
in Norway is not such a bad thing."  In the background, Pamela,
Devon, Trish, Amy and Scarlett all emerged, smiling at me.
   "We offered them Amy's cookies!" Trish laughed.
   Lindsay was clinging to my arm and doing her best not to
cry.  "Merry Christmas, Jeremy!  You've given us everything
over the years; so much... TOO MUCH.   We all thought this
would be the best Christmas gift you could possibly receive."
   "It's your family!" Pamela beamed at me, sobbing with joy.
   For just a moment, the whole world seemed to stop.  Mom
and Dad were here?  Aside from my wedding to Kristanna in
2013, this was the first time since 1998 - the year they
separated - that Mom and Dad had actually been together.
The last time I saw Dan was the summer of 2015, when he took
Mom and stormed out of a restaurant in downtown Cincinnati
after I told him that I had gotten both Trish and Lindsay
pregnant just days apart.  Dan did not believe in or condone
my lifestyle at all, my marriage, and neither did Di.  And
Steve?  Steve was the black sheep of the family; always in
trouble with the law.  He was considered even more of an
outcast than I was by Dan and Di.
   Yet all of them were here now.  In Norway.  In my home...
with me.  And Lindsay was on the verge of tears beside me.
   And then I suddenly broke down, and started crying myself.
I freely admit, I was crying like a little baby.
   That was all it took for the room to erupt, and everyone
was coming over to hug me, give holiday greetings, tell me
how much they loved me.
   Dan gave me a bear hug, calling me _baby brother_.  Di
cried as well, hugging me to her, as Dad slapped me on the
back.  Di and I both exchanged apologies for everything that
had gone wrong between us over the years.  Dad and I shared
a hug of our own, and when he motioned for Mom to join us, she
did.  "Only because it's Christmas, and we are all together
again," Mom sniped at Dad.  I cannot even begin to describe
the vast and countless emotions I felt as I shared a three-way
embrace with Mom and Dad for the first time in perhaps 20 or
25 years.  After my wedding with Kristanna, Mom vowed to never
be seen with Dad again, as their break-up was cold and bitter.
I opened my mouth to say something to them, but then closed
it, shaking my head.  Was this a dream?  Wow!  Being reunited
with my family was my one last, great fantasy in life...
   Steve, quiet and detached, offered me a handshake.  But I
pulled him to me regardless, and hugged him as well!   It did
not matter to me that Steve had been in and out of jail since
I was eight years old.  I never once looked down on him for
the many mistakes he had made in life.  Steve was my big
brother, and I could not be any happier that he was here now!
   I glanced over and saw that Lindsay was in total and utter 
shambles herself as Amy hugged and caressed her in comfort.  
No doubt, Lindsay was thinking of her own family right now 
and how much she missed each and every one of them.  Her mom, 
her two older sisters, and even Alison, her little sister.  
And of course, her dad.  Lindsay was a down-home, family girl 
at heart, and always would be.  But Lindsay was also happy 
that I had been reunited with my own family.  She was totally
overjoyed, and the emotions were getting the best of her.
   Kristanna gave me a knowing smile, and then winked an eye.
It was Kristanna who made this Christmas miracle come true!
It was always Kristanna, and always will be.  I had zero doubt
about that within my mind.  Somehow, she was responsible for
all of this.  Kristanna was the ultimate peacemaker, a true
diplomat if there ever was one, and could talk her way out of
any situation.  No one could resist her when she laid it on.
   Tears gushing down my face, I glanced outside for a
split-second.  It was snowing; the bushes, the trees, the
world all around us was being blanketed by a soft covering of
white.  Indeed, the forecast did not call for snow today.  It
felt like some kind of sign, really.  A miracle.  A symbol of
everything I had lived through in the past 42 years.
   It was a promise that the world was not broken.  With love
and family, anything is possible.
   WOW!  I had since latched onto Mom and Dad again, and was
hugging them!  This time, I never wanted it to end.  I could
not believe that I was together with them once more!  I was
going to hold onto and cherish both of them until they saw
fit to end the embrace.  Even then, I may not let go...
   "Lindsay, honey," Kristanna said softly, gently, lovingly,
stepping over and latching onto her hand.  "I had a long talk
with your mom last night on the telephone."  Lindsay gasped
and her eyes bugged out as Kristanna added, "She wants you to 
call and video chat with her later today on the Internet..."


                <<<- End of Chapter 16 ->>>


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"Island Fever 6: Sanctuary"

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