Jigsaw Puzzle
December 2024
"What's that, Dada?" Bree asked as she came into the living room of their side of the conjoined cottages.
It was early December, too soon to really be in the Christmas spirit, but it was cold outside and had just started snowing. Brian had been straightening up the wall units that were on each side of the fireplace. He had a pile of old stuff that he was going to throw away laying on the floor beside him. In his hand was a jigsaw puzzle that he hadn't seen for years. He remembered putting it together years ago but he hadn't thought about it in forever. It should probably be added to the pile to be chucked out.
"It's a jigsaw puzzle," Brian replied to his daughter.
"What's a jigsaw puzzle?"
Brian turned to look at Bree. She had grown up in the age of technology, where everything was virtual, virtually unreal. He realized she had probably never seen a jigsaw puzzle. He couldn't ever remember doing one with her or having one set up while she was around. "It's a picture cut into pieces that you put back together," Brian explained as best he could.
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why do you cut it up and then put it back together?" she asked.
"Well, I didn't cut it up. You buy it that way."
"Oh, is it fun to put together?"
"Why don't we find out?" Brian asked taking the box to the game table in one corner of the room.
"What's the picture?" Bree asked as she sat down across from her father.
"Crayons."
"Crayons?"
"That's what I said. See," Brian said holding the box so she could see the picture on the front.
"Oh."
"You know what crayons are, don't you?" Brian asked suddenly wondering if Bree had been deprived of that piece of childhood too.
"Dada," Bree said with a sigh like she was talking to a young child, "anything that can be used to draw with I've used. Daddy gave me crayons when I was still a baby," she added.
"Yeah, I guess I should have known that."
"So what do we do?" Bree asked when Brian opened the box. "There's a lot of pieces."
"Only 500."
"How do we start?"
Brian was about to tell her how he would attack the puzzle, but then thought better of it. "What do you think we should do?" he asked her.
"Hm," Bree said sticking her tongue in her cheek and staring at the picture. "It will look just like that picture when it's together?" she asked.
"Yep."
"We could find all the brown pieces for the brown crayons and then do each color of crayon after that," she suggested.
"That's a good plan."
"Or ... we could find all these straight edge pieces that go along the outside."
"That's good too."
"Or ... we could do both at the same time. We could make piles of edge pieces and piles of each color of crayon."
"I like that idea," Brian said smiling at his brilliant daughter.
"Let's start," Bree said.
They spent the next couple of hours sorting pieces and making groupings of each color of crayon. They had all the edge together and some of the crayons when Justin came home. He'd been out doing grocery shopping.
"It's turning nasty out there," he informed them about the snow. "I bought lots of food and I could use some help bringing it in from the car."
"Yes, dear," Brian said getting up from the table. "I'll be back in a flash."
"No hurry, Dada. I got this."
Brian chuckled as he went to help his husband.
"What were you and Bree doing?" Justin asked as they carried the last of the groceries into the kitchen.
"A jigsaw puzzle."
"Jigsaw? Does she even know what that is?"
"She didn't before we started. I didn't realize she had been deprived."
"Deprived! Nobody would think of our daughter as being deprived," Justin declared.
"I think she should experience everything," Brian replied. "It was really interesting hearing her reason out how we should put the puzzle together. She's a smart little girl, but this made her use her problem solving skills. I'm glad she came into the room when I was holding the puzzle."
Justin laughed and shook his head. Only his husband would see the wider ramifications of doing a jigsaw puzzle. "I guess you could consider doing a jigsaw puzzle a life skill." Brian stuck his tongue out at him. "You better get back to helping her, before she finishes it without you," Justin warned.
Brian snorted, but he went back to the living room to see how Bree was doing. She had about three quarters of the puzzle done.
"You made good progress," Brian said sitting back down across from her.
"Thanks, Dada. This is fun. We should be finished soon."
"Yeah, you're good at this."
"I like it. Do you have another one?"
"I think Emmett gave me this one as a gag one Christmas. He said something about me learning to color like the rest of the world."
"Why would he say that?" Bree asked with a frown.
"He thought it was funny."
"I don't think it's funny."
"Me either ... anymore," Brian agreed. But Emmett's gift was from far in the past when he hardly ever colored like other people. He made his own rules in those days.
"This is the last piece," Bree said triumphantly a few minutes later. "Do you want to put it in?" she asked.
"I think that honor should go to you."
"Thanks, Dada." She popped the last piece in and smiled happily at her father. "Can we do another one?"
"We could go online and order one. I don't think we have any more around here."
"Okay."
"What would you like the picture to be?"
"You mean I can choose?"
"Unless the companies have all gone out of business, you can find puzzles of almost anything."
"Let's look, Dada. You can get me a couple for Christmas."
"That's a great idea," Brian said as Bree took his hand and they headed for his office. He might get her quite a few, particularly if they could do them together. This had been a lovely afternoon.
*****
The Question
New Year’s Eve 2024
What’s that old saying? What you do the first hour of the New Year will be what you do most of the year. He intended to be making love to his partner.
The scene was set. Dinner happily cooking away, timed to be done just as his mate stepped through the door. The table set with their best china and crystal. A bottle of the best champagne chilling in a silver bucket. Fluted glasses at the ready. A ridiculously romantic fire going in the fireplace. Soft music in the background.
They had the cottage to themselves. Bree was spending the holiday with her best friend Ashley. John, Bobby and Patrick were braving the crowds and the weather in New York’s Times Square with Gus and Ray waiting with millions of others for the ball to drop.
The lane was quiet too. The cottages were all empty except for the new thatched cottage. But he had it on good authority that Mr. and Mrs. Horvath would be fast asleep by ten. Rachel and George’s house at the top of the lane was also quiet. Even the dogs were quiet, patrolling the grounds.
The sun porch softly twinkled from the lights on the tree. The cottage, indeed the whole lane, was bathed in the festive lights and colors of the season.
Mother Nature decided to cooperate too. It began to snow; just a light dusting that added to the overall ambience but wouldn’t make for hazardous driving. Which was good since his partner had some last minute business in the city. However his spies had informed him that the man concluded his business and was well on his way back to the lane.
Checking the time, his lover should be driving through the gate at any moment. As he uncorked the champagne, the gate buzzer went off. He watched the delicate bubbles dance as he filled the fine crystal fluted glasses.
“What’s all this?” his lover asked as he stepped over the threshold and into their home. His face was radiant, flushed from the cold and with anticipation. “Mmm, something smells nice,” he remarked as he inhaled the delicious aromas of dinner emanating from the kitchen.
He watched his mate hang up his coat; his hand nervously playing with the small box in his pocket. A box that contained two titanium rings. Titanium, one of the strongest metals known to man and a fitting representation of the bond they shared.
Picking up the glasses, he gestured toward the living room. They stood in front of the fire, silently toasting the night and their good fortune.
Carefully placing his glass on the mantle then fishing the box out of his pocket, he knelt on one knee before the man he loved and admired above all others. His lover’s eyes were open wide with a slightly stunned look.
“Sunshine,” he began to speak then took a more serious tone. “Justin, we’ve been together for almost twenty-five years. Would you do me the great honor of marrying me?” Brian asked as he held up the opened box revealing the rings. Hazel eyes looked up toward the blue awaiting the answer.
“Brian…”
-tbc-