Part VI: Diamond Days
Chapter 31

The last day of school before Christmas break was on Thursday, the twenty-third, and Howie knew time was running out.

The disappointment over losing in the semis was mostly a thing of the past for him now; it was there, but it was getting further away, and wasn’t overshadowing his life any longer. Jack and his friends had been home since the previous weekend, and Howie knew he’d have a brother again for a while. It seemed strange; he’d almost gotten used to having his brother out of the house, and having him back seemed like something of an intrusion. Things had changed, and they had changed a lot since the end of August.

Friday morning Howie got up, feeling a little aimless. He went downstairs, to find Jack busy making scrambled eggs and bacon. That seemed strange; Jack had usually just had cereal or a sandwich for breakfast before he’d gone to college. “Good grief,” Howie said when he saw the sight. “What’s got into you?”

“What?”

“Bacon and eggs for breakfast?”

“I sort of got used to it,” Jack shrugged. “I can throw some more on, no big trick. You like some?”

“Yeah, sure. Beats the hell out of cereal. So how did this happen?”

“I was sort of outvoted,” Jack replied, opening the refrigerator to get some more breakfast makings. “Remember, we do all our own cooking; there’s a dining hall but it’s pretty expensive if you don’t live on campus. When we started out we were going to rotate breakfast and dinner. I found out I’m a lousy cook for dinners, but I can’t screw up breakfasts too badly. So I make breakfast every other day and let the other three work out the rest.”

“Makes sense, I guess. That’s one thing about living by yourself I’ll bet you didn’t think of.”

“Well, we knew we were going to be cooking but we hadn’t worked out the details. The reality turned out to be a little ugly. Summer really was the only one who was much of a cook, but it was unfair to dump it all on her so the rest of us had to get with the program pretty quickly.”

“So what’s it like, with all of you in one apartment?” Howie was hoping Jack would let something slip about the living arrangements – so far neither he nor Autumn had been able to work out if it was boys and girls in separate rooms, or broken down by couples.

“Crowded,” Jack shook his head, probably having seen the trap in Howie’s question. “It’s not that big an apartment and it’s a little hard to find space to study. At least it’s quiet. We don’t get any noise from the other apartments. Cody and Jan like it quiet, and since he’s a cop, he makes sure things stay that way. He found a couple of kids smoking pot a year ago last fall, and when they got back from the jail they found their stuff sitting out on the lawn. Cody is a hell of a nice guy, but he doesn’t take shit from people, either.”

“I don’t know him well,” Howie nodded, remembering the scene when he’d met Cody – and wound up going out with Misty as a result – “but I can believe that. So what are you doing today?”

“Probably not a lot,” Jack sighed. “Vixen and I are going to head out into the swamps and do a little looking for winter birds. There may be some late migrants around. We haven’t had the chance to get out very much, since there’s always other things that have to get done first. How about you?”

“Well, I’ve got a little problem I really need to get solved today or tomorrow. I keep thinking I need to get Autumn something for Christmas, but I don’t know what. I mean, she’s been a good friend, and she gave me a lot of support back during the season. Besides, she’s Autumn, and she deserves a gift. But I don’t know what to get her.”

“Good question,” Jack said, thinking for a moment. “Ummm, I don’t know how much you know about it, but you might want to be a little careful about tagging it as a Christmas present. Autumn and her family don’t exactly do Christmas like we do.”

“I sort of knew that, but I really don’t know anything about it.”

“I don’t know all that much about it myself,” Jack told him. “Look, I know a little more about it than that, but Summer wouldn’t want me to talk about it. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get Autumn something because of who she is, but I guess kind of keep it low key, and between you and her, all right? And don’t do anything that’s too obviously Christmas, no Santa jewelry or something like that.”

“I don’t want to do something that tacky,” Howie agreed, “but I’m kind of stuck for ideas.”

“How much do you have to spend?”

“I’m not broke, and I can afford something nice for her.”

“Give her something she’ll appreciate for more than a few minutes. If I were you, I’d take a run down to Spearfish Lake Outfitters and find her something like a new parka or something like that. Maybe a nice warm sweater would work. They’re pricey, but their quality is first rate. Gear from there is not the Made-in-China crap you get from Wal-Mart that falls apart the first time the wind blows. I mean, the stuff they sell is made for being out in cold weather by people who like being out in the cold.”

“You know, that’s not a bad idea. You’re right, it may be a little pricey, but Autumn is worth it.”

About an hour later Howie parked the Jeep in front of Spearfish Lake Outfitters. He’d been in the store now and then before; it specialized in non-hunting, non-fishing outdoor sports like skiing, bicycling, kayaking, canoeing, and most especially dogsledding. It was owned by a couple who had run the Iditarod, the big dogsled race in Alaska, several times, and Cody’s mother managed it; she’d run the Iditarod several times herself. Howie may not have minded the cold all that much, but that seemed a little extreme to him . . .

The place was packed with stuff, although it seemed quiet inside. Howie looked around, and headed for a rack of colorful ski jackets. He was eyeballing them when he heard a male voice say, “Hey, Howie! What can I do for you today?”

Howie looked up to see Shay Archer, Cody’s brother, the guy who had tipped him off about what Misty had really been up to. “Hey, Shay!” he smiled. “What brings you here? How was Vicksburg?”

“Let me tell you, you don’t know what the words ‘hot’ and ‘humid’ mean till you’ve spent the summer in Mississippi,” Shay grinned. “But it went pretty well and they asked me back next year. I caught all your games from the Forestville game onward. Damn tough loss at the Yooperdome.”

“I still wish Coach had let me uncork a long one or two like that joker from St. Ursula did,” Howie told him. “I look back at it and see it was about our only hope.”

“I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but look on the bright side. You went one hell of a lot further than we did when I was the quarterback. In a couple years you guys have wiped out the bad taste of an awful lot of bad football.”

“You’re right, I’ve heard it before,” Howie agreed, “but it means more coming from you. So are you working here now?”

“Only till Mom gets back from the post office and running a few errands,” he said. “I’m working with Dad next door, and we sort of fill in for Mom when she has to go somewhere. I’ll be there till I head down to Vicksburg again. God, tax stuff. It isn’t even tax season yet and I’m bored already. So you looking for something in particular?”

“Yeah, a jacket for my girlfriend or something for a gift.”

“Mom has this special running on ski jackets,” Shay said, pointing at the rack. “Darn good quality and the price isn’t bad. How big a one do you want?”

“Hell if I know. I don’t know much about girls’ sizes.”

“You know, one of the positive things I learned about women from Bethany is that it’s always a good idea to know what size your girlfriend wears. You can guess, but it’s nice when it fits the first time. Who’s the girl? Maybe I know her.”

“Autumn Trevetheck.”

“Let’s see,” Shay frowned. “I know her, but it’s been a while. I know her mother better. Are they both about the same size?”

“Autumn is about the same height, but she weighs a lot less. She’s a lot thinner.”

“Probably the bright thing to do is to start with a medium, I guess,” Shay said. “Maybe we ought to wait till Mom gets back, she knows people around here better than I do anymore.”

“Sure, I can always stand around and talk with you. So you’re still planning on a career with the National Park Service?”

“Pretty much, if I don’t have to work as a seasonal too long. There’s a lot of ins and outs to that. I figure I can do another year or two as a seasonal without too much problem, but next year I’m going to be looking for full-time somewhere. It may take a few years to find it. How about you? Done any more thinking about a Park Service career?”

“Not really,” Howie admitted. “Too busy with football and other stuff, but maybe we can get together sometime and talk about it.”

“I’d like that,” Shay said. “Maybe talk football a little, too. It’s been a while since I’ve played and I do kind of miss it. By the way, any more problems with Misty?”

“All quiet,” Howie said. “But I’m actually a little sorry for her. Apparently Rusty spread around the story you told me about Bethany, and there aren’t many guys who would want to put up with that stuff. If they did, they’d still have to deal with her most recent boyfriend promising to beat the shit out of anyone who messes with her after he gets out of jail.”

“As to the former, I guess I don’t mind if she gets what’s coming to her, but that boyfriend business really sucks.”

“Yeah, it does, and I don’t know what she’s going to do about it. I doubt if she does, either. At least it’s none of my concern anymore.”

“I’m glad to have that stuff behind me. I haven’t had a girlfriend for a while and as unsettled as my life is going to be the next few years I’m not sure I want one. Anyway, here comes Mom. She ought to be able to help you with a jacket for Autumn.”

Possibly because of the hot tub, after football season got under way, the Gravengood house had become more and more the place where the four friends went to hang out. Mark and Jackie tended to give the kids quite a bit of space, which all of them appreciated. It seemed as if they were treated more like adults there; that could have been at least partly because the couple hadn’t raised Bree and Becca from babyhood, but no one really wanted to guess if that was the case, or what.

As often happened, the four of them were alone. Becca was home from college, but she and Myleen were spending much of the day hanging out with some of their high school teammates, doubtlessly telling tall athletic tales. Mark and Jackie were down in Camden, a dinner and a movie thing, or so Bree believed, and she didn’t expect them to be back till after dinner.

Rather than just pile into the hot tub – it would have been difficult to spend all afternoon soaking in it – Bree and Autumn had made up their minds to cook a nice lunch for the guys, if for no more reason than to show off they could do it. It proved to be quite a bit more than grilled cheese sandwiches and it was very good. They probably ate too much, so afterwards it seemed like a good idea to let things settle a bit before they got in the water.

This seemed like a good time to Howie. “Hang on a second,” he said as they settled into the living room. “I’ve got something out in the Jeep.”

He was back inside a moment later, carrying a large, featureless brown cardboard box Autumn had seen in the Jeep earlier, but not thought about. He carried it over to Autumn, and set it in her lap. “I suppose I really should have given this to you tomorrow,” he said, “but, well, I’d rather do this in front of our friends.”

“Howie,” she said softly, looking at the box with an unfathomable expression, “you didn’t have to do this.”

“Yeah, I did,” he said. “I know your family doesn’t do much about Christmas, but you’ve been such a good friend to me I thought you deserved a present anyway.”

“Howie . . .” she continued, with tears leaking now. “I . . .”

“Why don’t you open it?” Bree suggested.

With tears really flowing now, Autumn almost clawed at the box. It wasn’t wrapped or anything, just folded together, and it didn’t take long for her to get it open. She pulled out the blue, yellow and green ski jacket. “Oh, Howie,” she cried, collapsing against him, tears really going now. “That’s the nicest Christmas present anyone’s ever given me.”

“I can’t believe that,” he said softly as he threw his arms around her, not understanding what was going on but realizing she was in distress.

“It is,” she sobbed. “Howie, you don’t understand. That’s the only Christmas present anyone has ever given me. One that meant anything, anyway.”

“Autumn?” he said softly. “I know your family doesn’t do Christmas much, but the only Christmas present you’ve ever gotten?”

“No, Howie. It’s true. My family doesn’t do Christmas. Not at all. Not the least little bit. Oh, when we were little Dad used to give us some toys and stuff, but Mom made him quit doing it. I was too little to remember it.”

“Wow,” Jared said. “That’s really got to suck, what with everybody else in the holiday spirit.”

“Oh, God yes, it sucks,” Autumn sobbed as Howie held onto her. “Everybody else has always been in this great holiday spirit, all carried away with the season and the gifts and like that, and I’ve always had to just ignore it and pretend it wasn’t there. Don’t get me wrong, Dad and Mom always gave us our fair share of toys and gifts and stuff, but not at Christmas or anytime around there. They don’t want to acknowledge the holiday.”

“Jack told me your family was a little strange about Christmas,” Howie said softly. “But he didn’t say anything about that.”

“He may not know,” Autumn said, still crying if not so violently. “But living with Summer and Alan, I can’t believe he doesn’t know something about it.”

“If he does know he didn’t tell me anything about it. What’s this all about, anyway?”

Autumn looked at him, turned her head to look at her friends, who were sitting across the way with concern on their faces, then turned back to him. “Oh, hell,” she said. “It’s all supposed to be a big secret but I’m just fucking tired of living the lie. I’ll tell you, but you have to promise you won’t let anyone know I told you, especially Mom, Dad, or Summer.”

“I wouldn’t tell,” Howie told her. “You know I’m not a gossip.”

“Me either,” Bree said, and Jared echoed her.

“I’ll try not to tell very much,” Autumn sighed, and settled her head on Howie’s chest in relief that she could finally let go of at least some of the secret. “Just, uh, the parts that matter, I guess. Do you guys know what ‘Wiccan’ is?”

“Yeah,” Howie told her. “It’s a religion, I guess, that has something to do with witchcraft.”

“Well, that’s pretty true and it’s not true,” Autumn explained. “Wicca is actually pretty new, but it builds on old traditions. There are people, families mostly, who have carried on the tradition since, well, who knows when. Hundreds of years. Mom and Spring and Summer follow what we call ‘The Old Way,’ which is sort of like Wicca, but it isn’t either. Alan follows a little different tradition, but it’s apparently just as old. His tradition is a little more in the open about it than the Old Way, where it’s supposed to be a huge secret, kept only with the women of the family. If Dad knows anything about it, it’d be a surprise to me.”

“Wow, strange,” Jared said. “And you’re not Wiccan or Old Way or whatever it is?”

“Hell, no,” she spat. “I think it’s a huge crock of shit, but Mom keeps trying to cram it down my throat. She knows what I think about it but she thinks I’ll come around in the end. I have no intention of it. If I never heard any more about it, it’d be too soon.”

“So how does this affect Christmas?” Bree asked.

“Well, Mom obviously doesn’t believe in it, at least not the holiday traditions, the gift giving, the decorating, the carols, and all that stuff. She sees it as promoting Christianity, and she sees Christians as the enemy. Summer and Alan pretty much feel that way, too. You know the official name for their role playing game is ‘Witches versus Inquisitors,’ don’t you? Well, between them they call it ‘Witches versus Christians.’ That ought to tell you a lot.”

“Does Jack know this?” Howie asked.

“I don’t know,” Autumn replied soberly. “According to Mom and Summer, he and Vixen have a hint of it, probably less than I’ve told you just now. My impression is that Jack and Vixen have to know more than Summer and Alan have let on, but they’re being loyal to their friends and keeping their mouths shut.”

“Jack would do that,” Howie nodded.

“That was the big reason Mom didn’t want the four of them living in the same apartment,” Autumn explained. “I mean, she has no objection to Summer living with Alan, which is what’s going on down there, but the four of them together, there’s too much chance for the secret to get out. I mean, more than it has.”

“I suppose I could be wrong on this,” Bree said thoughtfully, “but it strikes me that I heard someplace that Christmas sort of sprang out of Pagan rituals. You’re telling me your mom doesn’t celebrate those, either?”

“From what Mom says, and this time I believe her, back in the early days Christians stole the Pagan winter festival and pasted Christmas over the top of it. She says it’s clear that if Jesus existed he was born in the spring, not the beginning of winter. She’s probably right on that. She, and Spring and Summer celebrate Yule all right, but it’s all rituals and chanting and like that. She got real snotty with me a few days ago when I wouldn’t go to Grandma’s with Spring and Summer to do the Yule rituals. Like I said, it’s all a crock of shit to me, but if I’ve learned anything from it, all religion is a crock of shit to me.”

“Well,” Howie sighed, “I guess I can see why your Mom would be opposed to celebrating Christmas, I guess, but how does she get away with it with your dad?”

“You ought to be able to answer that one,” she smiled – it was the first smile she’d had in a while. “After all, you were the one who was going out with Misty.”

“OK, point taken,” he said ruefully. “But Misty’s mom must be an amateur about it compared to your mother.”

“Right. Mom has generations of tradition behind her.”

“So what can we do to help you with this?” Bree asked.

“Honestly, there’s not much you can do,” Autumn said, “except maybe hold on to me and listen to me and support me when shit like this comes up. In a year and a half I’ll be off at college somewhere, and that’ll pretty much put it behind me. Keep it a secret, please. It could get real ugly if this got out. But I sure would like to be able to experience a little holiday spirit. Howie, that’s why your Christmas present struck me so hard.”

“I’m sorry it hit you like that,” Howie said, “but I guess I’m glad I know about it, too. It makes me even happier that I gave you a present.”

“I’m sorry I don’t have one for you, Howie,” she said tearfully. “If anyone deserves a present from me, it’s you, but I don’t have anything I can give you, except for my virginity.”

“Your . . .” he gasped, amazed she would make a statement like that to him in front of their friends.

“Yes,” she smiled. “It’s . . . well, I mean it from the heart.”

Howie found himself saying something he didn’t think he’d be saying – ever. “No. At least not right now. Don’t get me wrong, Autumn, I’d like to do it and I’ve dreamed of doing it with you a lot, but not when you’re worked up like this. There’d be too much baggage.”

“But I want to, Howie.”

“Look,” he rationalized. “Ask me in a month. If you still want to and we can do it in the spirit of giving a gift to each other, fine. But if you want to do it over the jacket I’d rather return it to the store.”

“Deal,” she grinned. “Don’t think you’re going to get out of it, either. We’ve still got that part of the quarterback and cheerleader girlfriend manual we should be following.”

“What . . . oh, I remember,” he said, thinking back to a wisecrack over the lunch table well over a year before. “But for now, well, I haven’t asked, but I’m sure Mom would be willing to have you over for dinner tomorrow. Maybe that would give you a little holiday spirit.”

“I’d love to come, Howie, but I’m afraid my mother wouldn’t let me.”

Howie just laughed, “If she doesn’t, then you’d better make sure to tell her that you’ll tell me why you can’t come.”

“I might have to do that,” she grinned. “I might just have to do that. I sure could stand a little holiday spirit, though.”

“A long time ago, we all agreed we’d support each other,” Bree said. “This is one of those times. The rest of the afternoon, this isn’t just friends hanging out. This is a Christmas party. We may not have any gifts or any drinks or stuff, but we have friends, we have love, and we can care for each other. There are things we can do. Let’s do them.”

Thus it was when Mark and Jackie returned home, they found the four friends neck-deep in the hot tub, singing Christmas carols – not just the “Jingle Bells” and “Here Comes Santa Claus” kinds, either. They had to stop in the snow outside the shop just to appreciate the four young voices singing, “It came upon a midnight clear, that glorious song of old, of Angels bending near the earth, to touch their harps of gold . . .”

“Not bad music for Christmas Eve, is it Jackie?” Mark smiled.

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