Yule Snow
I never would have guessed that my daughter was a lesbian. Up until she was sixteen, she had regularly gone on dates with boys. None of the relationships ever seemed to go anywhere, but as her father, I was fine with things not progressing to a certain point. When she stopped dating, I assumed that she'd grown frustrated, and that eventually she would snap out of it.
When she finally told me after going off to college, it all made sense. It was a shock, but I accepted it, much to Janie's relief. I certainly handled it better than her mother did.
My ex-wife had taken a sharp turn toward religion when our daughter was twelve, and it had ultimately torn our marriage apart. Apparently, her religious convictions were more important than her daughter's happiness, because their relationship had all but collapsed as soon as Janie told her.
That year, when she came home for the holidays, she stayed with me instead of her mother, and brought along her
friend
, Anita Snow.
They lived together. They slept in the same bed. They acted like a couple. But the first time I referred to her as my daughter's
girlfriend
, they'd both erupted in laughter.
Janie insisted they weren't dating, because neither of them wanted to be tied down while they were in college. Damn me if I understand what kids today consider a relationship, but it sure as hell looked like one to me. So, after that, I referred to her as Anita, or
Miss Snow
. The latter amused all three of us for reasons I can't really explain.
The girls had dropped by for a couple of days on spring and summer break after that. Relationship or no, Anita made my daughter happier and more animated than I'd seen her in years. It made for fun times, and I was looking forward to the much longer visit over the holidays, which we'd come to call
Yuletide
instead of
Christmas
, because it irritated my preachy ex-wife.
Truth to tell, I was
also
looking forward to having the gorgeous Miss Snow around. She had a smile that could stop your heart and stunning eyes, which were framed by a short haircut that suited her perfectly. She certainly filled out her tops, and she had all the rest of the curves to go with those breasts.
It's an odd thing to feel just a little jealous of your daughter that way.
It proved as enjoyable as I had anticipated when the girls arrived that year. We went out to the movies and to a comedy club, but the best times were when we were all at home. We watched a ton of Christmas specials on television, and quite a few home videos β though the latter often left my daughter red-faced. It was three of my best days of the year.
Unfortunately, Janie had buckled to the pressure of my ex-wife's side of the family, and agreed to come to their day before Christmas Eve gathering. I was surprised to find out that Anita would be staying with me, rather than going with my daughter.
Not long after telling me, Janie caught me while Anita was in the bathroom and offered an explanation.
"Dad, there's no way it would go well if Anita and I showed up together. The
thought
of it makes Mom weird. She'd ruin the holidays for everyone. Anita's family can't deal with her sexuality either. Coming here last year was the first good time she's had in years. Keep her company so I can try to have a good time with the
rest
of the family? Please?"
"Oh, of course, honey," I responded. To lighten the moment, I said, "I'll show her some more home videos. I'm sure she'll get a kick out of that."
My daughter pointed her finger in my face and whispered in mock harsh tones, "If you show her that one of me doing a handstand on the dock and falling face first in the mud, I swear I will disown you."
"Okay," I chuckled while holding my hands defensively in front of me. Then I got serious again and said, "You call any time if you need to hear a friendly voice, and if things get too bad, come home. Anybody who can't understand that doesn't deserve you worrying about it."
"I think I'll be okay. Aunt Renee said she'll run interference between me and Mom. Thank you for understanding." She hugged me, and said, "I love you, Dad."
"Love you too. Enjoy yourself, and then get back here for Yule Eve."
I was sad β and a little worried β when it was time for her to leave. I turned and looked away for a moment when the girls leaned in to kiss.
"I'll be back right after noon tomorrow," Janie said as they embraced.
Anita said, "Okay. Thank you so much."
"Don't mention it," Janie responded. Then she leaned in and whispered something in Anita's ear. It was a fairly lengthy whisper.
Anita laughed when my daughter leaned away again. "Promise. Go."
They broke from the embrace, and I wondered why Janie's cheeks were flushed. She took a deep breath, stepped back, and said to both of us, "Have fun."
"We'll try. You do the same," I told her.
"We
will
," Anita amended.
Janie rolled her eyes toward the ceiling, shook her head, and then waved.
"Bye," Anita and I said in near perfect unison.
We both stood behind the glass storm door, and waved to Janie one more time as she backed out of the drive. Once I closed the door, I asked, "Anything you feel like doing, Miss Snow?"
"Actually, I could sort of use a drink. Janie said you always have a bottle of Jack in your room."
I hung my head, shook it, and groaned. When I looked back up, I said, "She would know. She thought she was being sneaky about stealing nips from it for the longest time."
Anita laughed, "She said she nearly died on the spot when you told her you knew about it."
"She's lucky I'm a cool Dad." I had allowed the girls to drink when they were visiting, so it wasn't that far out of the norm. Considering the awkward situation I knew Janie was walking into, I said, "I could use a shot myself."
"So, let's go."
I had been about to say I would go get the bottle, but she caught me off guard. Having just labeled myself a
cool Dad
, and knowing that this probably was a difficult time of year for her, I decided not to rock the boat by acting prudish. I nodded and gestured for her to follow.
It might have been a little awkward for me, but Anita certainly didn't seem to have a problem. The moment we walked into my bedroom, she hopped straight onto the bed to sit down.
As I retrieved the bottle and a shot glass from the bottom drawer of my nightstand, I couldn't help but think,