Christmas 1986
They were married for eleven years glorious years but sadly, after a brief illness, Gracie lost her battle with cancer during Christmas. Seth was lost without her and did his best to be both mother and father to 6-year-old Mary and 3-year-old Annie while still traveling for his corporate job.
He stood looking at the back deck through the big picture windows after putting the girls down to bed. The night was calm and silent indicating that snowfall was imminent. With the fireplace crackling, he gazed at the first snowflakes gently floating down covering the pine branches as his eyes welled. Christmas was her favorite time of year; I love you Gracie.
Working through some rough patches they were a very close family and through the years always celebrated the Christmas spirit to its fullest. It was a way to honor their mother’s memory.
Christmas 1991
After retiring from the corporate world Seth became a full-time artist, what he and Gracie were always shooting for. His fortune changed when he met a free spirited thirty-year-old author, Layla McVie, while both volunteering at the Seattle Food Bank. As if the planets aligned, she was a Children’s Picture Book author in search of an illustrator and he was an artist. She and her two-year-old daughter, Nancy lived in an artist loft downtown in Pioneer Square. They struck up a fast friendship and became business partners in producing the Children’s Books that she wrote and he illustrated. Both Layla and Nancy became fixtures around the Gonzalez home, always pitching in to care for Mary and Annie when needed.
Christmas 1995
While working on their third book, Seth was receiving correspondence from Matsumoto & Ono a law firm in Tokyo. The many snail-mail communications where treated as junk mail that he threw into the round file along with the others. It was two weeks before Christmas break, when there was a knock on the front door causing Buddie to start barking. It was only 10:00 AM and too early for the girls to be home from school. Mary was sixteen years old and still attending Shorecrest High School and thirteen-year-old Annie still in Kellogg Middle School.
“Okay pal, hang on.” As he crossed from the solarium, through the house to the front door. Standing before him was a beautiful young woman in a fine tailored black suit and briefcase and what appeared to be a five-year-old boy.
“Mr. Gonzales?”
“Uh yes, Merry Christmas, how can I help you?”
“May we come in?”
“I’m sorry, of course, please come on in, pardon the mess.”
Immediately the little boy ran up to Buddie and they scampered out to the back-deck solarium to play. “That’s amazing,” said the young lady as they both sat down, “he hasn’t shown that much emotion in months.”
“Yes, it is. Buddie usually isn’t that friendly right off the bat. Can I get you something, coffee, tea or eggnog? Maybe the little boy would like some Christmas cookies?”
“No thank you Mr. Gonzales. That’s very kind. You know, I bet you’re wondering why we are here.”
“It did cross my mind.”
“I’m Ms. Hana Aiko, a lawyer at Matsumoto & Ono out of our Tokyo office,” as she handed him her business card.
“Okay, did I win something or am I being sued?”
“Well, actually Mr. Gonzalez. . .”
to be continued