Page 50 of Schooling Little Sage

“Daddy, why are we putting up a tree when we won’t be here for Christmas?”

“Don’t you want a tree of our own?” I thought every boy insisted upon that.

“Yeah, it’s fun, and it’s fake, so it won’t die.”

I couldn’t tell if his response was good or merely uttered to placate his Daddy.

The second he told me they never put up a tree I may have gone a bit overboard. Ordered one and far too many decorations. But it was hard to stop once I got started. Maybe he just wasn’t in the Christmas spirit. Yet.

“Let’s finish the tree and go for a ride.”

“On the horses? It’s cold outside, Daddy.”

I shook my head. “Silly boy, would your Daddy do anything to risk his boy getting sick?”

As soon as I plugged in the lights, Sage’s eyes lit up. “It’s so pretty, Daddy.”

“Now that’s the reaction I expected before.”

“Sorry, I just feel bad leaving it alone while we’re gone.”

Ah, that made more sense. “Well, the good thing is when we get back it’ll be here waiting, still as festive as the day we left it. Let’s get ready to brave the cold.” I bundled him up, reminding myself of the boy in A Christmas Story who couldn’t move his arms. Having my boy sick, let alone sick for our trip and the holidays, wasn’t happening on this Daddy’s watch.

Devon sent me a picture of the pile of boxes I had shipped directly there. Looked like a cardboard holiday tree in his hallway. This year I had not one, but two boys to buy for. I wanted Devon to have the Little Christmas he deserved just as much as Sage.

We loaded up in the truck, heater blasting, and headed for Rawhide Ridge.

“What are we doing here, Daddy?”

“First, we’re popping into Angel’s for hot chocolate, then we’re going to drive around and check out all the pretty lights and decorated houses.”

“Yay!”

Hot chocolates in hand, we climbed back into the truck and drove through the streets. Sage oohed and aahed, taking pictures along the trail. Some of these houses were just stunning, lights from top to bottom. Animated Santa’s and their sleighs, real snowman from the fresh snowfall we just had. It was beautiful.

“That was so much fun, Daddy. Thank you.”

“You are very welcome. Let’s head home.” This Daddy had a lot of laundry and packing to do before we flew out to Cali. Devon and Sage had been mad texting each other more than usual. Those two were up to something, but I’d let them have their fun and ride out the surprise when it came. Neither were naughty boys so it couldn’t be all that bad.

But before we knew it, the day was here and Sage was a nervous wreck. Since we were going to Mom and Dad’s for a belated Christmas on our way home, I decided to drive to the main airport instead of the smaller one near the Ranch. My parents’ house was only a thirty-minute drive from the big airport, so it made more sense to pay to park so we had our truck.

“Sweetheart, nothing is gonna go wrong. The pilots go through countless hours of training.” If that boy could crawl inside my skin right now he totally would. The vise-like death grip on my hand was cutting off circulation. “You’re hurting Daddy.”

Sage burst into tears. “Sorry. Sorry.”

I didn’t care who saw. We sat in the nearest seat, and I tugged him onto my lap. “Baby, would Daddy ever do anything to put you in harm’s way?”

“N-n-no,” he sniffled.

“Then why would you think I’d do it now?”

“I don’t, but what if they mess up? You don’t know what they’re doing? Can you fly the plane? I’ll feel safer.”

“My love, I can promise you that if I fly the plane, no one is safe. I’m not a pilot. I appreciate your faith in me but that’s a really bad idea.” The thought of that terrified me to no end. He finally calmed down and we made our way to the gate. I considered and might still get him an adult beverage to calm his nerves. Wouldn’t make Daddy of the year doing that, but if it helped Sage, I’d take that hit.

As soon as the plane taxied down the runway, my mind was made up. A drink it would be. Two and a half hours in the air with the frantic boy seated beside me wasn’t ideal. To a seasoned flyer this short flight was nothing, but to a first timer it was terrifying.

“Daddy, open the window please. I want to see if we’re gonna crash.”