Chapter 31: Eve Party

Reyna’s P.O.V.

We woke up the next morning from a knock on the door.

‘Knock… Knock… Knock’

‘Reyna! River! It’s almost 8. Get out of your beds now. We have a long day ahead of us.’

“Ugh! I told you Aunt would wake us up early.” River complained with a croaky voice.

“Well, get your lazy ass out of the bed now before she storms in here with a pan on her hand.” I teased.

River immediately got out of bed. I was laughing so hard at what a single memory of a pan can do to him.

She once did that when we were still kids. Me and Ryger had a sleepover at their house and we stayed up way too late that night playing. The next day  was trying to wake us up, but we didn’t budge at all. She got so mad at us because it was already 12:10. So she went to the room holding a pan and screamed at the top of her lungs. Threatening to spank us with a pan if we don’t get out of bed at that instant. We literally jumped out of bed. River said, smiling.

After calming himself, he glared at me as he walked to the bathroom. I was left still laughing at his reaction. Five minutes later, he got out of the bathroom looking all fresh.

I gave him a peck on the lips before heading to the bathroom myself. I did my morning routine before heading to the kitchen.

“Morning!” I greeted as we approached the kitchen.

“Morning!” they all replied.

“Hmm! Something smells good. What are you cooking, Aunty Lilly?” I asked, peeking over her shoulder to the pot that she was stirring.

“I am making stuffing for dinner. Why don’t you go ahead and have breakfast? We will start making cookies and baking afterwards.” Aunty Lilly suggested.

“Okay.” I replied.

I pulled up a chair and sat between River and Ryger, who was already pouring syrup on their plate of pancakes. I took a sip of coffee from River’s cup as he cut his pancakes small. I was about to get up when River stopped me.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“I am going to get a plate.” I replied.

“No need. Let’s just share.” he replied, pushing his plate closer to me.

Wow love in the air Ryger said smirk.

River gave him a cold look. 

I grabbed the extra fork by the table and started eating pancakes from his plate. After breakfast, Alora and I started on taking out the ingredients for the cookies while  Aunty Lilly was preparing the crust for the pie. The boys went out to go to the mall to buy meat and chicken for dinner.

We were already cutting the cookies with the shape cutters when the boys arrived. They brought a lot of meat and chicken, enough to feed all families.

“Are you inviting the whole town over for Christmas Eve, Ryger?” Aunty Lily asked.

“No, of course not. I just saw those sales and thought, “why not buy a lot for later?” Ryger replied.

“Later you mean next year? Did you not see how it is in the refrigerator already? And you hardly eat at home” Aunty Lily asked.

Ryger was lost for words that he looked at his Dad and River, sending them a silent S.O.S. They both shrugged in defeat. It was a funny sight to look at.

“What will we do with all this meat then Ryger Pattson?” Aunt Lily asked with her hands on her hips.

Uh! Oh! This is bad. Not that bad really, but once Aunty calls anyone with their full name, this simply means trouble. Aunty  was about to break hell when an idea popped into my mind.

“Actually, why don’t we cook all this meat and give them away tomorrow around town? I am sure those people in the streets would love to have some hot meals, let alone meat for Christmas.” I suggested.

Everyone seemed to think for a moment.

“That is actually a great idea, Reyna!” Ryger exclaimed.

“I agree, Reyna. You are lucky Reyna came up with an idea but you are not yet off the hook young man.”

Aunty Lilly said.

We all laughed at Aunt’s reply. While the boys were separating the meat that they will cook for tonight and marinating the rest for tomorrow, Alora and I went to the mall to buy some styrofoam plates for tomorrow. We were going to take Ryger's car, but River insisted on taking his car instead. These twins Are unbelievable sometimes. 

I went up to the room to grab River’s car keys and a jacket before heading out. Good thing it was not snowing badly like last year. I remember Dad getting stuck in the snow on his way home from the hospital.

We arrived at the mall, and it was still packed. Despite Christmas Eve being a few hours away, there were still many people doing some last-minute shopping. Alora and I went straight to the supermarket with a small trolley in front of us. We grabbed  packs of styrofoam plates, packs of spoon and fork, and  boxes of tissue. We decided to also buy styrofoam bowls for soup. Once we were done, we waited in line. The line was long, so we had to wait for more than half an hour. After paying, Alora grabbed some hot chocolate on the way out for the both of us.

“This is why I hate shopping on Christmas!” Alora complained.

“Count me in too.” I replied with a laugh.

We got home just in time for lunch.

“How was the mall? Was it still packed?” Aunt asked.

“Yup, packed as usual.” I replied.

“Was the road okay?” River asked, pulling me into a hug.

“Yup. It was not snowy, so we had no trouble at all.” I replied.

“Come on. Let us all eat lunch before the food gets cold.” Aunty said, calling everyone over to the kitchen.

The rest of the afternoon was spent baking and cooking. We finished preparing and cooking around 7 pm. We all went to our rooms to get a little rest and prepare for Christmas Eve.

“What are you going to wear tonight, Reyna?” Alora asked.

I stopped by the bedroom door and faced her.

“I don’t know yet. I honestly don’t know what I packed in my bag.” I replied.

“Since when do you know what you packed in your bags, girl?” Alora teased.

She ain’t completely wrong. I tend to just throw all my clothes in my bag when I have to pack for something.

“I have nothing to worry about. You always have my back.” I said.

“That you got right! Just knock on my door if you need something.” she replied before going inside her room.

I went inside the room and saw River already laying down on the bed.

“Seriously?” I asked.

“I am so exhausted. I spent half of the day with chicken and meat that I feel like I don’t want to see nor eat another meat or chicken for the next whole year.” he complained.

I laughed at his complaint and laid next to him.

“Don’t worry. The people are going to love the meal tomorrow. You can take a quick nap before we get ready.” I suggested.

“Of course I am going to take a nap.” he replied, pulling me into a hug, basically locking me into himself.

I woke up to my phone ringing. I looked at the caller I.D. and saw Becky’s name.

Becky: Took you long enough, babe.

Me: Merry Christmas to you too, babe.

Becky: Yes! Merry Christmas, ya’ll! So how’s vacation? I miss you!

Me: It’s okay. We are just like an hour and a half away from you, but yes, I miss you too.

Becky: When are you guys coming back?

Me: New Year’s Eve i think. Don’t worry, we will be in town tomorrow morning. Ryger and Dad bought a lot of chicken and meat, so we decided on giving away meals on Christmas day for the homeless. You can join us if you like.

Becky: Oh, that sounds great! It’s a plan then. I will call Laura now and let her know. See ya tomorrow, babe. Merry Christmas! Love yah.

Me: Merry Christmas! Love ya too. See ya tomorrow.

When the call ended, I checked on the time and saw that it was almost 9:30 already. I woke River up so that he could start getting ready. Dinner will start at 10 pm. He woke up after 5 minutes. I took a shower first while he was still half asleep. River was already fully awake by the time I was done with my quick shower.