Christmas Letter

Dear Family and friends, 2022

After I wrote our Christmas letter last year, our daughter, Marla, and her two children, Jesus and Jose, showed up on our doorstep. She and her Hispanic boyfriend, Rico, broke up. On December 20, 2021, Marla knocked on the door with our beautiful brown-skinned grandsons, one in her arms and one in the car seat carrier. We hustled them into the warmth of our Christmas-decorated house. Before he closed the door, Dave looked for a suitcase or bags she had brought, but there were none.

I took Jose, age 18 months, from Marla and started getting his snowsuit off and a strong smell of urine filled my nostrils. I nodded to Dave, and he followed me into the bathroom.

Hollering from the bathroom, "Marla, do you have any diapers?"

"No, mom, I don't have anything."

I washed Jose off. I tried a hand towel as a diaper, but his growing buttocks were too big. I folded a bath towel, but we had nothing to hold it on. Dave went and found some Gorilla Tape. I held Jose while Dave taped the towel around him. We had a pair of pajamas for each boy when they fell asleep at our house: one down and one to go. We took Jesus to the bathroom. I washed him off, pinned a hand towel over his tiny butt, and put him in pj's.

Marla gave Jose milk from a sippy cup, and she breastfed Jesus. Finally, they fell asleep and were placed in the crib together.

Marla was exhausted. "Is it okay if we talk about this in the morning?"

"Sure, No problem."

Dave went to the all-night pharmacy and bought diapers and a bottle for Jose.

After he returned, we sat in the living room with the Christmas tree lights glowing. Settled in on our sofa, Drinking egg nog, we talked about how this will change our lives.

Thinking this was not a very cheery Christmas letter. Too much
for Family and friends. Dave, Marla, and I will keep it for ourselves.

I tore this page off my Christmas-colored writing paper and slipped it into the drawer. To be read at another time.


Dear Family and Friends, 2022
We hope your holiday will be holy and happy. Dave and I enjoy getting toys for our grandsons and Toys For Tots. Dave has a special place in his heart for Toys For Tots due to his time as a Marine.

We are so proud of Marla. She went to court to get child support from Rico. While working on that, her lawyer helped her apply for benefits from the county. Her benefits include a two-bedroom apartment, a monthly stipend, and babysitting for her GED classes.

We are also proud of our daughter, Melissa. She works for a famous tech company. She does not want us to mention the name. "Will she be coming home for Christmas? Who knows?" It depends on her job and her high-powered lawyer boyfriend's job.

Do you remember my grandmother's sister Auntie Ann? She is 89 years old and can no longer live by herself. She is almost deaf and blind. I promised my grandmother we would not put her in a nursing home. So, she will be moving in on December 20, 2022.

We are excited to see the boys' awe on Christmas morning. They are a little older this year. Jose is slightly over 3 ½, so he is very excited about Santa Claus. His excitement gets picked up by his brother Jesus. Jesus is 15 months and growing like a weed.

Dave and I have our health. We are exercising and walking to keep it up. I keep improving my writing on Fanstory. Dave is hardly waiting for the golf season to open. The garage now holds a putting green and he practices regularly.

We wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Love, Lee, and Dave