Gaël Shaw, Jr. (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
memorylost) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
wickerpark2016-10-16 09:58 pm
memorylost) wrote in wickerpark2016-10-16 09:58 pm
Entry tags:
[Shaw Family] It's beginning to look a lot like...
Christmas was a strange little thing these last few years. It was both a happy...and not happy situation. Maybe it was because Leon had died just after Christmas three years ago. Noelle had been a senior that year, and they'd been about to celebrate her letter of acceptance into Columbia. After, she didn't go to Columbia. Gael always figured it was only partly because their grandparents had convinced her to go to Oxford, and partly because of the memories.
Still, Christmas had always been one of Leon's favorite times of year. As such, it had somehow become Gael's...even Noelle liked it. Those feelings all mixed into one, and just made things difficult at times.
But this year, Gael thought as he finished trimming the tree- things were different. By the time Noelle and Daniel got back from the airport....he had transformed their condo into the Christmasiest place he could make it.
And he'd done something else. Something...that was time for all of them to do. He cleaned off Leon's desk, and piled decorations on it. He boxed up the laptop, Leon's favorite books, he even raided Daniel's badroom and carefully packed away Leon's things into boxes. He'd even cried a little, though he'd tried to scrub most of it from his face by the time the others got home. And yes, he thought, Daniel was probably going to be upset with him for it. But...it was time, wasn't it? Three years, and nothing had ever changed in this place. They had all just sort of frozen themselves in place.
But he did leave the pictures. He couldn't quite make himself pack those away.
Still, Christmas had always been one of Leon's favorite times of year. As such, it had somehow become Gael's...even Noelle liked it. Those feelings all mixed into one, and just made things difficult at times.
But this year, Gael thought as he finished trimming the tree- things were different. By the time Noelle and Daniel got back from the airport....he had transformed their condo into the Christmasiest place he could make it.
And he'd done something else. Something...that was time for all of them to do. He cleaned off Leon's desk, and piled decorations on it. He boxed up the laptop, Leon's favorite books, he even raided Daniel's badroom and carefully packed away Leon's things into boxes. He'd even cried a little, though he'd tried to scrub most of it from his face by the time the others got home. And yes, he thought, Daniel was probably going to be upset with him for it. But...it was time, wasn't it? Three years, and nothing had ever changed in this place. They had all just sort of frozen themselves in place.
But he did leave the pictures. He couldn't quite make himself pack those away.