Once everyone had eaten, the grandparents were the first to go to sleep. Cherish and Simon both knew that they wouldn’t be up for much longer. Sitting in front of the dwindling fireplace, there were warm mugs cupped in their hands with Cherish snuggled in one of his extra sweaters. She blew on her cup of tea before she sipped the warmed liquid. An old black and white movie played on the screen about Ebenezer Scrooge and the spirits of Christmas. She leaned her head against the cushion by Simon’s arm and mindlessly pulled along one of her curls. Even though Simon was half asleep from boredom, as usual, he stilled stayed up and kept her company. That was enough to make her feel warm inside.
As the famous last line echoed through the speakers, Cherish glanced over at Simon and patted along his chest; stirring him. She grabbed his mug and went to rinse them out before she appeared in the darkened living room.
Simon had turned the television on which caused the living room to glow from the bright light of the moon. The snow was illuminated in the soft glow which in turn grabbed her attention once more.
As he approached her in the silence, she turned her face towards him and smiled, “We have a big day tomorrow. A lot to do and learn, especially for me. Latkes, the Chanukkiah, and all that comes with your culture. I’m excited.” She whispered pinching her fingers together, “I even bought Jr. a little kippah.” She said to him as they approached their bedrooms.
Simon slowed to a stop, “What? Really?” He asked. He was surprised she’d thought about that and he found it wonderful. She was receptively open to a big part of his mother’s life. He wasn’t blind to the fact that a lot of people were judgmental or prejudiced to his family’s beliefs, but she washed those doubts away.
Cherish paused as she looked at him incredulously, “Of course I did, you really didn’t think I’d let Jr. go without during his first Hanukkah, did you?” she questioned.
Simon glanced down for a moment and gave a half-smile, “I guess not.” He answered.
Peeking in on the babies one last time, Cherish stopped in front of her bedroom and looked at Simon standing across from her, “Alright, I get the bed all to myself…again. Hopefully I can sleep this time, it’s really weird without you there.” She whispered.
Simon opened his door and paused as he heard that she had the same difficulty as he did, “Yeah, me too…”
Without knowing what else to say, Cherish rubbed a hand across her stomach before she reached around and twisted the door knob, “Goodnight, Simon. See you in the morning.”
“I’ll see you bright and early, goodnight.” He replied.
Stripping down now that he was by himself, Simon turned off the light, got into bed, and stretched out across the mattress. Though, it wasn’t long before the restlessness began. He rolled from one side to the other and couldn’t shake the feeling of the bed being empty.
Cherish scratched along her forehead and decided to change into her pajamas. She stared out at the mess on the bed she’d made and sighed to herself. Dressed in a long-sleeved top and underwear and was about to climb into bed before she thought about how difficult it was to fall asleep earlier in the day. She pressed her fingertips to her forehead, “Shit.” She muttered glancing at the door. If she knew their parents, she knew that Margaret would have them up bright and early and they wouldn’t stop until the sun went down. With the babies sleeping through the night now, Cherish needed a good night’s rest. And she only had one now, it seemed, with Simon’s comfort beside her.
Muttering another expletive under her breath, she then shut off all the lights and creaked the door open. The parents had decided on the master bedrooms on the first floor, so she wasn’t nervous about being caught. Ever since the kids had moved into their own bedroom at home, the parents naturally assumed that Cherish had moved into the downstairs guest bedroom.
She didn’t.
Tip toeing across the hallway, she bit her bottom lip as she closed one eye and gently rapped her knuckles against Simon’s door. Opening it, she peered within and was met with darkness shrouding the bed, “Pst, Simon. Can I sleep here tonight?” she asked.
Sitting up in bed, Simon saw her fuzzy outline in his doorway. He would be lying if he didn’t admit he was happy, “Of course.” He welcomed her. Relief and a feeling he dared not recognize welled in his core. Pulling the blanket aside, he didn’t think about how he was dressed or, for better terms, lacking he was.
Cherish rolled her eyes upwards and sighed in relief, “Thank God.” She whispered. Closing the door behind her, she hurried towards the bed and took the place onto her side. Sitting up, she looked back at him and patted on the mattress, “What happened to having the bed all to yourself?” she asked.
“It’s not what it’s cracked up to be because the bed feels too big.” He said. That was the excuse they used for the sensation neither of them could shake. Staying prone, he felt comfortable with her weight on the other side. Turning towards her, he brought his arm around her waist and pulled her into the position they normally woke up in; contented.
Without thinking about the compromising position their normal sleep looked to the outside world, Cherish gripped the pillow close and nodded, “You’re right. The bed isn’t what it’s cracked up to be.” She said in response with a yawn. As she curled her body against him, her eyes shut before she paused and felt…his skin against hers.
