in your dreams

making a list, checking it twice

"I think you should say sorry to your daddy cause that was really mean of you to do that to him."
"Yes m'am," she sniffled.
"And I think you should say sorry to Salem too. You really hurt his feelings today by being so mean."
"I just love him mama, and I just wanted to play wit him. Why he don't want me in his room?"
"How about you just ask him to come in your room instead?"
"Okay," she mumbled.

I could hear little feet smacking against the floor before she ran into the living room, jumping in my lap and throwing her arms around me. 
"M'sorry daddy. I was being really bad today."
"It's okay So-So. We all have our bad days."
"I know but I was soooooooo bad and I promise not to do it again."
"You can't promise that but thank you for the apology baby."
"Is Santa still coming?" She questioned, giving me puppy eyes.
"I'll have to talk to him and see."
"Okay," she mumbled. "I know I was bad today so if he don't come, I understand."
"There's always next year if he change his mind."
"Daddyyyyyyyyy," she whined.
"I'm just playing So-So." I gave her a kiss on the cheek before setting her down on the floor. "Think you should go talk to your brother now."

She nodded her head and looked at Salem before holding her hand out to him. "Let's go talk Say."
He shrugged his shoulders before grabbing her hand and letting her drag him off to wherever.

I stood up and walked back to the kitchen where Aisha was setting up all the ingredients to make cookies.
"I heard Soleil asking for them earlier and I'm sure y'all didn't make 'em."
"Didn't even think about no cookies." We shared a laugh at that cause we both knew the truth.
We talked some more, Aisha describing everything she bought for the twins. She abruptly cut herself off, the twins running around the corner.

"We making cookies?!" Soleil yelled.
"Santa needs cookies, remember?" Salem asked her, with a hand on her shoulder.
"Oh yeah," she replied grabbing the eggs. "Can I crack these?"
"Go ahead Rain."

Aisha walked over to where I was standing in the doorway and put her arms around my waist, my arm going over her shoulders. We stood like that just watching the twins attempt to make cookies with no recipe or direction.

"You gotta kiss daddy now!" Soleil yelled out.
"Says who?" Aisha questioned.
"If you stand under the leaves, you gotta kiss"
"Who taught you that?" Aisha laughed.
"Tete 'Mani said when two people that love each other stand under the leaves they have to kiss. And you and daddy under there so you know ..."
She motioned between the two of us with her hands. Her and Salem had the biggest grins on their faces watching me and Aisha hugged up under the mistletoe.

"I guess I can give your daddy a kiss," Aisha playfully rolled her eyes. "Even though his breath stink."
"Aye girl, my breath don't stink." I pulled her in for a quick peck.
"Now let's crack some more eggs. I don't think Santa would appreciate egg shells in his cookies."

                                            ________

I was dressed in my Santa suit, placing gifts under the tree, when I heard a plate scrape against the table. I looked up and Aisha was standing next to a plate of cookies and a glass of a light brown liquid.

"Well well well, what's this?" I ask in a fake Santa voice.
"Thought Santa would want a treat," she replied in a cool voice.
I went and sat in the recliner in the corner and patted my lap. "You wanna come feed Santa them treats and tell him what you want for Christmas?"
She smiled before grabbing the plate and glass and strolled over to me.
"Can I sit on your lap?"
"That's the only way to make your wishes come true."

She grinned before handing me the plate and climbing into my lap. Before we both could get back comfortable, she put the glass to my lips, making me drink what was in there. The amber liquid burned my throat as it went down, the warmth spreading to my chest.
"Ooo you treating Santa well tonight."
"Gotta reward my favorite guy."
"Oh your favorite huh?"
"Yeah I love Santa. Get to sit in his lap and tell him what I want."
"Oh yeah? Then tell Santa what you want then."

She grinned, before setting the cookies and the drink down. She turned so her legs were on either side of me, and her arms were around my neck.
"How about a ... "I'm sorry Aisha you were right about Soleil".
I couldn't stop my eye from trying to roll before I replied.
"Santa sorry A," I said while rubbing her booty. "Soleil was bad as hell while you was gone and she know it too."
Aisha laughed throwing her head back.
"I know she was. But you handled it much better than I thought you would."
"The girl almost had me crying A."
"I know. You was toe up when I came in."
"She just my lil girl. I love her."
"We just lucky that Salem is the perfect angel or else we would have a serious problem on our hands."

I hummed in agreement before squeezing her butt and calling her name, making her look down at me. "So you think Santa been naughty or nice?"
"Hmm," she faked like she was really thinking. "I think he was kinda naughty."
I smirked at her, and squeezed her close to me. "Whatchu gone do bout it then?"
"I can think of a lot of things."
She leaned down to kiss me, but before we could get too into it, I heard a small gasp. We both looked up and didn't see anybody but could hear feet pounding up the stairs.

"Just our luck that was Soleil," Aisha muttered before turning back around to face me. I grabbed the glass she brought in and took a sip before holding it to her lips. She  drank a little before pushing it back to me.
"That's for Santa," she said wiping her mouth.
"Santa can share for one night."

                                            ________

Salem happily got to tearing open his gifts, little noises of excitement escaping him. Soleil on the other hand, had her arms crossed and was mugging Aisha. I grabbed her in my arms, sitting her in my lap.
"What's wrong So-So? It's Christmas and you mugging."
She looked up at me and I could see a pout forming on her face.
"Ahttt, you can't have a bad attitude on Jesus birthday."
"Okay but I have to tell you something."
"Let me hear it."
Soleil looked towards Aisha and Salem then back to me, before motioning for me to lean down. I leaned down until my ear was hovering by her mouth. She cupped my ear with her hand before leaning down and whispering.

"I saw mama kissing Santa last night."
It took everything in me to not laugh. I knew I had heard her this morning when I was putting gifts under the tree.

"Really?"
Aisha looked up at us, with her eyebrows furrowed.
"Uh huh."
"What else was mama doing?"
"She was sitting in his lap."
"In his lap?" I had to fake shock.
"Yes sir, and he had his hands on her butt!"

It took everything in me not to laugh, and Aisha still looked confused.
"So mama was kissing Santa, sitting in his lap, AND he had his hands on her butt????"
It finally registered on Aisha's face, and she let a smirk slip onto her face.
"Uh huh," Soleil nodded her head. "And I think she need a spanking."

I couldn't help but let my own smirk slip onto my face. "You hear that A?"
She rolled her eyes at me, looking back down at Salem who had his own mug on his face now.

"So you kissed Santa Clause and you have daddy??"