F$&king Hallmark Holidays - Extend

F&$king Hallmark Holidays, Extended 12.11.21

The following is a warning! Danger will Robinson! Danger!

I have updated the original story because of some nice comments about wanting to know more. It is the same story for seventy five percent of the way. I have cleaned up some spelling and grammatical errors, that were also part of the commentary. Please do not get upset, I am trying to warn you off or at least send you down the manuscript to find the added parts.

You have been warned!

I want to thank all of you that provided positive comments to the original story. I normally would not do this, but one of those positive comments noted my lack of proficient punctuation and proofreading. I have gotten better over the past couple of years of writing and have tried to clean this up as best I could.

Please remember, for most of my old extended life I have been, at best, a 'C' student with regards to writing. This is just a fun alternative to stave off the hardening of the grey matter and to beat back 'old age'.

Also, there were multiple calls to extend the story to fill in the blanks. Instead of writing part two, I took this avenue to combine and extend the original story line.

Thank you again for the positive comments.

I do enjoy the thought that my storytelling is being enjoyed. Happy Holidays to you all.

***

"F&$king Hallmark Holidays," Drew mumbled to himself as he stared at his calendar for the fifth time in two minutes.

He was facing his annual trip to see his stepmom at the holidays. Up at 4am the Friday after Thanksgiving, arrive at 8ish depending on traffic and then the 'holiday fun' would begin.

He loved his mom to pieces, and it was not the four-hour trek that bothered him. It was the location, Los Angeles. The sojourn down from his quiet, beautiful town that he called home to the mess and entanglements of an area populated with too many people, always made him 'uncomfortable'.

Uncomfortable enough to make him pack boots, bug-out bag, and other implements of protection. He always swore to friends that if the 'big one' (earthquake or pick some other disaster) came when he was down there, he would walk home. The 'implements of protection" were to make sure he walked his old ass out of LA with all his possessions still with him.

He had spent 25 years back east working and living within the 95 corridor (NY to DC) and could never quite get them to understand the size and scope of LA. Two hours across at 80 miles per hour. Massive infrastructure and 18 to 20 MILLION people all crammed between some serious mountains and the sea. All transport and movement were carried out via the freeway system. It would be in taters or clogged solid if something bad happened.

He would walk his old ass home.

Drew leaned back and smiled. He did love his mom though. He was 15 when Dad married her and created a blended family. They lost dad 38 years ago, but he still stuck with his mom.

With his mom, it was the first time in his life that he had felt complete unconditional love from a woman. He could be the next Jeffry Dahmer and be caught eating his 'kill' and she would be the mom on TV saying, "Not my Drew. He is a good boy."

Drew was a 'good boy' and sometimes he hated always being the 'good guy.'

Good guys always finish last.

His "job" each year was to go to his mom's mobile home in her quaint Senior Park and put up all her Christmas decorations, inside and out. They would share dinner together. He would have preferred to take her out, but she always insisted that she cook for him. They would have a glass of wine, and she would finish only 1/2 a glass. He would finish the rest of the bottle while they fulfilled their holiday ritual of watching the F&$king Hallmark Channel.

If put under oath, Drew liked the film quality and acting on the Hallmark Channel. But...and it was a big BUT!...the sugary sweet plot and ending of each of the movies made him jealous and envious of the characters.

Every plot was the same, a man and woman meet, they dislike each other for some reason that had to do with a misunderstanding. Over the next two hours they would come to realize that the misunderstanding was a mistake, and they fall in love to live happy ever after...Puke.

23 boxes later, the house was in shambles, but a controlled shamble. The Christmas decorations in the house were being put up and her normal decorations were repacked in several of the Christmas boxes. Drew was placing the empties or the repacked boxes back in the shed as his mom unpacked and repacked her decorative treasures.

"Drew, what's wrong with the church light," his mom called out from the other room. He smiled again being able to translate that into "why is my little chapel, in my little holiday village, not lit up".

"Have to do a Home Depot run tomorrow mom. When you and David packed things up, he did not wrap the string in bubble wrap and the bulb got cracked." Drew commented with a smile, at first.

Drew frowned a bit. Of all the stepbrothers, nephews and nieces that lived within a 15-minute drive, only his youngest nephew would take the time and energy to visit Grandma to help pack stuff up after New Year's Day.

And fix anything at mom's house? None of them could figure out what part of the screwdriver was the action end.

Drew shook his head. Her house knew when he was coming. Things simply waited to fail, just before his arrival. He had gotten used to packing tools along with presents and his bug-out gear to fix what he needed to fix.

Drew had a normal routine with his mom. Arrive, lots of hugging, start to hear all the gossip about the stepbrothers, nieces, nephews, cousins and then settle down a bit so he could create the 'what am I fixing this trip list.' He had taken a short break at the dining table, the single spot he could clear, so he could begin his list.

His list of materials grew and his notes to himself expanded. He was stopped in mid thought as a loud male voice was heard coming from the adjacent mobile home. He looked out the dining room window and saw a very large man standing at the side door bellowing and waiving one arm while the other seemed to be placed on the landing banister for support. Below him and directly in the line of fire was a small, diminutive female figure in a conservative looking skirt and wrapped in a down-looking jacket. A cute knitted red cap on her head. She was facing away from Drew so he could not see her face.

Drew's mom came in the room looking like she had just swallowed a bug. Being a good Christian woman, she tried to avoid talking negative about anyone. But the look on her face spoke volumes.

Drew thought he heard a feminine voice say "But..." That little squeak was responded to by a loud haranguing male voice. Drew could not quite make out what the drunkard was saying. All he could hear were slurred words. The large man waived one last time at her then slammed the door. Drew then heard a car start up and leave.

"What the heck was that mom?" Drew asked, turning his head inquisitively. The mobile home next to hers had been a turnstile of new owners. It was like the transporter room. Someone would move in, and before the year was out, the ambulance would arrive, and the house would be up for sale.

"He...He is not a nice man. His wife...is younger and from the Philippines. She is a sweetheart...but he..." and she turned and walked back into the living room.

Later that day, as he was fixing many of the other things that were on his list, he saw the small woman and his mom talking by her roses.

Drew survived the first night of Hallmark and went to bed early so he could read erotic stories on his tablet.

He was up very early and ready to head out to Home Depot. He kissed his mom as she finished her bible reading and devotions and then rechecked his list. She tried to feed him, but he knew as he returned, he would stop at Starbucks and buy her an overpriced coffee with a description longer than the scientific name of a dinosaur.

He climbed in his little car and pulled out into the lane then spun the wheel toward the exit. He spied a small woman walking down the street with several empty grocery bags in her hand. He knew the closest grocery store was several miles away. He pulled up beside her and she stopped to look at him.

Drew froze for a second, she was beautiful. She looked like a beautiful bundled up sprite. The only thing missing was pointed ears and wings. He could not be sure of those because of the thick red knitted cap and the bulky winter coat. He rolled down the window.

"Can I give you a lift? I am Rachel's son Drew. I do not believe we have met." Drew commented.

Her eyes got big around. She first looked past his car back to her house. And then she again looked in his eyes and just nodded.

"I'll pull around the corner and then you can get in, is that better?" Drew asked.

She covered her mouth with her hand, but Drew could see her smile through her eyes as she again shook her head in the affirmative.

Drew slowly went down the street of the complex and made the left turn towards the back exit. He pulled into one of the many visitor's spots and waited. When she cleared the corner, she picked up her walking speed and then opened the door and climbed in.

"Buckle up please," Drew asked softly. He saw her struggle a bit in the small car but she final got it snapped.

He turned in his seat and put out his hand. "Hi, I am Drew. I'm Rachels son."

She put her hand in his for the shake, it seemed so tiny. "I am Naomi...but you're white?"

Drew started to laugh. He had been through this before.

"Yes, I am white, and Rachel is Hispanic...well that whole side of the family is Hispanic. Technically she is my stepmom, but we don't use the 'honorific'. She is just mom to me. She has had me for more than 45 years." He ended smiling.

And she smiled back and shook his hand.

"You have a lovely smile. I love the way your eyes smile too." Drew commented and then saw her look away and blush.

"I am sorry if that was inappropriate. It was not meant to be improper, just an honest compliment," he quickly stated but her hand came up, on his arm, to stop him.

She turned to him, very prim and very proper and looked in his eyes. "I am not used to getting complements. I am not used to talking with strange men. My husband, is very jealous and..."

She turned back around to face the front and whispered, "Thank you for your offer of a ride. Its very kind of you to think of me on this cold morning and my walk to the store."

"Why didn't you take your car?" Drew asked.

"My husband said he may want to use it. Plus, he keeps telling me I am getting lazy and need the exercise..." Naomi commented while looking down at her hands, not a smile to be seen.

Drew paused for a moment while she stared into her hands.

"I'll drop you off while I go get stuff to fix items at mom's house and then pick you back up on the return trip..." he was stating but she spun her body again and started to speak.

"Oh, you are already doing so much by taking me..." she worried,

Before she could finish, Drew took her hand back in his. She stopped mid-word.

"It will be fine. I will be at Home Depot for only a few minutes and if you finish first just wait out front. If I finish first, I'll be waiting for you. Then we will come back here and drop you off out of sight." He finished.

She just nodded her head and off they went.

"Rachel told me a little about you," Naomi commented, "You live way up north, in San Luis Obispo?"

"She did, did she? It's hardly way up north. Just costal Central California but beautiful and peaceful."

"What else did she tell you?" Drew asked.

"You're single but have been married before, to someone she really liked. You have two grown children and work for the government." Naomi responded with a smile.

Drew did notice something. He first thought it was a trick of light or shadow. He only caught it during a quick look when he turned his head as they turned into the shopping center. She too had turned her head to follow the travel path they were to take.

It was a yellow mark along her jawline. The same yellow that comes from the healing of a fading bruise. They parked briefly so she could get out and he was going to drive to the other side of this huge shopping complex.

Drew made a sudden decision and threw the car in park, pulled his keys, and turned to her.

"Did he give you that?" as he raised his hand to touch the mark.

Her eyes shot wide, and he saw her stiffen. But she did not jerk away as he thought she was going to do.

He lightly drew his fingers along her jaw line, and she closed her eyes. Drew kept thinking she was going to purr.

"I talked back to my husband." Naomi paused, "Where and how I was raised, the man has the final say, especially your husband." She said and closed her eyes looking down at the hand that held hers. She had subconsciously put her other hand over his.

"No one should hit a woman. That is how I was raised, by the very woman you were talking to last night. I cannot even imagine raising my voice to her." Drew quietly said.

Drew broke the moment by hitting the door unlock button on his fob. He needed to get out and walk. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and turn into the protective guy he knew himself to be. But in all reality, this was not his circus, and she was not his petite, beautiful 'monkey' to manage. He sure wished she was, but there were lots of things in life that he wished for...most were dreams or fantasies that were never meant to be.

"I am going to leave the car here, unlocked. That way you can come sit in the car if you get done early. You will not feel so exposed, and I'll be back soon." Drew finished and pushed himself out of the car and started his long path through the huge parking lot.

The big box store shopping was easy. His mom's list was manageable, and he grabbed some items for his place up north. He exited the store and started the long trek back. As he neared his car, he witnessed Naomi being manhandled by her husband as she exited the store. The Drunk then dropped Naomi's arm and walked in front of her, letting her carry the three large bags of groceries, while he carried a 12 pack of Coors light.

Drew reached his car and then realized it was only a couple of spaces away from his car. Drew started around the car, and he was gaining a head of steam when he saw the terrified look on Naomi's face. She shook her head negatively and then cast her eyes on the ground. Her husband was oblivious to it all as he had his face buried in his phone watching some sports game. Drew could hear the announcer from three cars away.

Drew stopped by the rear of his car and growled but stayed in place not wanting to cause Naomi any further problems.

The asshole yanked his door open cursing and saying something about a lost bet.

Drew decided to pick up another bottle of wine to get through another night of Hallmark. As he started towards the store, Naomi again became terrified as she struggled with the doorhandles while juggling the grocery bags. Drew shook his head, and she knew he was not going to start something with her husband.

As he was passing the rear of the car the large asshole spoke to Naomi over the top hood. "You stupid bitch, get in the car so I can go watch the next game in peace. And next time stock up on my beer before the weekend comes," stated the asshole in a loud drunk voice.

"Hell of a way to talk to your female friend," stated Drew, knowing that the asshole would not let it go. Naomi was trying to drill herself into the pavement.

"Who the fuck are you to tell me how to talk to my woman," Asshole bellowed coming around the end of his car. The guy was huge compared to Drew.

"Just a neighbor making a simple observation while on my way to buy my own drinks for the night." Drew stated and then turned away from the drunken asshole and put distance between the bully and himself.

"Mind your own business fuckwad," drunk asshole yelled as Drew looked over his shoulder at the 'gentleman' and threw up an arm with a single fingered salute. Drew had seen Naomi get in the front seat as the two males had their brief verbal dialogue.

Drew went in and found a surprisingly nice Pinot Noir on sale and so he bought 4 bottles. He got some flowers for his mom and headed back to her house.

When he arrived, he saw Naomi trimming her roses. His mom was outside watering. Naomi blushed but smiled and then using her body to shield her house, gave Drew the tsk, tsk naughty sign by rubbing one finger over another.

Drew just shrugged and then smacked his own ass for being a bad boy. Naomi giggled and just then Drews mom came out her side door and waived him in.

"What did you do?" his mom asked.

"In reference to what Mom?" asked Drew trying to play innocent.

Drews mom was having none of that and stared at him with hands on hips.

"That Man next door came home, and I thought he was going to tear the door off its hinges," His mom was looking in his eyes. He never could lie to her, and never would.

"Well...first I saw Naomi walking to the store, so I stopped and gave her a lift." He paused when he saw his mom's eyes pop and her mouth hang open in an 'o' shape.

"Then after I finished shopping at the 'depot' I saw 'the gentleman' next door manhandling Naomi. I decided to get some more wine and pretend that I did not know her. But when I was passing the car, he called her a 'stupid bitch' because she was struggling to get in the car while handing all of the groceries."

His mom had gone tight lipped and was looking harder into his eyes because she knew there was more.

"Well, I did point out that calling a lady a name like that was inappropriate. He told me to mind my own business, called me a name, and I saluted him...in my own way," he smiled, and his mom DID NOT.

"My Drew, that man is just plain mean, please be careful." His mom said worried.

Drew shrugged and then went to finish his mommy-do list.

On several occasions when he was fixing and working the list. He could hear screams of outrage come from the house next door. Luckily, they were focused on the TV and not Naomi. He could hear the game ongoing since asshole had all the windows open.

Drew could tell the state of drunkenness had gone from stupid, through belligerent to plain angry. Later that night, Drew and his mom were on their second Hallmark movie. They heard more screaming but this time it was not just the drunk asshole but a female in pain.

Drew knew Naomi was in trouble. He picked up his phone to call 911 but his mom grabbed his hand.

"I already called 911, and the operator said they already had multiple calls. The police are on their way. You getting involved will just light the fire."

"Yes mom," Drew responded and knew that she was right.

Drew could hear Naomi crying. The asshole kept berating her for everything and it just made her cry more and Drew just seethed. But then the multicolored lights bathed the small block of the mobile home cul-de-sac. Several cars came in and Drew went to the back room and shut off all the light. He slid the sliding glass door open so he could see and hear from his dark cover. Several officers led the asshole out un-cuffed.

They stood around the back portion of the carport, one Sargent and two officers, plus asshole.

"What do you mean you have to take me down to the station?" asshole yelled. "You do know who I am...right?" Asshole yelled again as he flashed a badge.

"Captain, you are retired. We have multiple calls from your neighbors. This is not the first time, and we cannot let this one go, not with just a promise." The Sargent stopped when the asshole was going to start up again and stepped in close. "Shut the fuck up you damn drunk. Either you come down peacefully and hang at the station while you sober up a bit, or we will handcuff your ass and throw you in the back of the unit like YOU used to do with drunks!"