Nanny Diaries

Chapter 20 - Highway to Hell

This truly is the most wonderful time of the year. Winter is my favorite season. I love the smell of the Earth after it rains, like it took a shower. Fresh and clean. I love rainy, cloudy days. Gray clouds are the prettiest, layered and more detailed than plain old white cotton ball clouds. Blue skies are for the summer. 

I always felt myself growing excited around October. Every year, without fail, the cold weather would steadily approach, testing its abilities here and there, not settling in for the winter until November. I would wake up on the first cold day of each year, look out the window, and break into song. “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!”

Some people didn’t understand my fascination or delight with cold weather. Why wish for a cold day? All you can do is stay inside. Not true. I would go inside and taste raindrops on my tongue just as often as I would for snowflakes. But rainy is the perfect day for a good book and a cup of hot chocolate too. Who doesn’t love that?

Evil people, that’s who. 

I finish stringing the tinsel on the gigantic tree, leaning over the banister. I put my hand on my stomach, which, since I’m now six months, feels absolutely enormous. Matt smiles up at me from where I am fixing the strand of silver. I handed him some ornaments to hang, which initially I was worried about, but he’s sticking to low branches and being very careful. It helps they’re plastic, too. He hangs his favorite one, shaped like a candy cane, with a picture of him as baby, on the branch eye level to him. It announces Matt’s First Christmas in curly lettering. 

“Hello, hello!” Angie calls as the elevator slides open. Matt drops the box of red, green and blue ornaments at his feet, to which I flinch, but make my way down the staircase regardless. 

“Mommy! Daddy!” 

I smile at the little reunion. It’s been a while since Angie and Chris have made it back to New York. I’m grateful that everyone is together as a family this holiday season. 

“Hello.” I greet them with a smile. I am dressed in a holiday sweater with Rudolph on the front, the nose an actual red little ball sticking out on it. My belly rolls out, and I rest my arm on it. 

“Oh, Lauren! How cute you look! I’m so sorry we haven’t made it to an appointment yet! The press is having a field day with this story, more like field month, and all three of us are scheduled for an interview with People next week and US Weekly the following.” Angie says all in one breath. 

“Okay.” I reply, forcing a smile onto my face. 

“We brought presents!” Chris says, holding up a bright red Santa sack. Matt claps his hands and extends his arms toward his dad. Chris sets the bag on the ground and lifts his son up in the air, his hands leaving his little waist for a brief seconds. I exhale, blowing my bangs up. I try to not show that that scared me, because as I’ve learned in my three years of nannying, you never criticize the parents when they’re around. 

The apartment is as warm as a hug, and the smell wafting out of the kitchen tells me that George is finishing the sugar cookies. I hung mistletoe around the house and judging by the pair’s currently locked lips, they found the first one under the patio door.