Group Writing Project #5
The Rattle
By Milly
26-year-old Mart Belden sighed as he looked at the group around him. All his friends were there with their families.
His older brother, Brian, and his wife, Honey, were there with their two children, 3-year-old Christopher and 4-month-old Madison. His best friend Dan was there with his wife, Hallie, and their 2-year-old son Oliver, with another one on the way. His little sister, Trixie, and her husband, Jim, with their four children, five year old Sabrina, four-year-old Jonathan, two-year-old Ricky and 6-month-old Emily.
Mart and his wife Diana had being trying for three and a half years to have children, and it really upset him that they still hadn’t succeeded.
Mart watched as everybody went ice skating on the lake. He wasn’t in the mood to join in. Sabrina had tried really hard to get him to go skating with them. "Please, Uncle Mart, PLEASE!!!!" But it had only made him want even less to go skating. He just wanted someone who would say to him ‘Please, Daddy, PLEASE!!!!’ but of course he didn’t have anyone to do that. He looked at his half-eaten meal on the plate in front of him, then he threw it in to the nearest bin; he wasn’t even in the mood to eat. He then sat on the shore and watched his friends enjoy Christmas Eve.
Diana looked at her husband sitting on the shore moping. She knew he was upset that they hadn’t managed to have a child yet, she was, too, but did he have to spoil everyone else’s evening with his sour mood? Then she had a thought: what if they opened the presents now? That should cheer him up.
The Bob-Whites had agreed to give each other their presents then so that they could do it together rather than in their own homes the next morning when they couldn’t see each other's reactions.
‘Presents? I don’t want to open presents, I want to go home where I don’t have to see every body play happy families, then I want to lie on the lounge and wallow in my misery!’ Mart thought to himself, but he knew that Di would never condone that, he would be in trouble for weeks.
The older children were very excited about presents and had all theirs open before their parents could blink. Then they grabbed their toys and ran off to play, leaving everyone except Mart in hysterics at their antics. Then they did the younger children’s presents and put them all back in their play cot so that they could open their own presents.
The adults had already agreed to take turns so every one could see who got what and who enjoyed what, etc.
Jim was first this year. Honey and Brian claimed that he would have to wait for theirs as it was a joint present for him and Trixie. Dan and Hallie had bought him a book, it was a comical story about a man who was trying to run a school for teenagers. Mart couldn’t remember what he and Di had bought him, it turned out to be a plaque with James Frayne engraved on it, for Jim to put on his desk at the school. Trixie gave Jim a small wooden chest, she said it was for him to put bits’n’pieces in at school.
Trixie was next. Honey and Brian gave Trixie and Jim and small box, in it were a set of Keys. Trixie look at Honey and Brian and said, "What are these for?" Honey pointed towards the jeep parked beside the boathouse. "They’re for that."
"Honey…" Trixie interrupted
"You guys need two cars, and don’t you dare complain about prices to me, Beatrix Frayne. I know you were about to, I have more money than I need, or could ever reasonably spend…"
Mart zoned out after that; he knew that conversation wouldn’t end soon. He watched as the older children chased each other around. Giggling and laughing. He smiled slightly as he saw them all having so much fun, and wished even harder that he could have a child of his own.
"Mart, Mart, MARTIN Belden!" Mart snapped out of his reverie and looked at his beautiful wife.
"Yes dear?" he asked as if he was a programmed robot
"I wanted to say thank you for the necklace and to tell you it’s your turn to open your presents."
"Oh. OK, then." Mart knew he was in trouble and hoped Di wouldn’t press the subject later.
He opened his present from Trixie and Jim first it was a book, about different types of food that were eaten throughout the world. Mart’s love for food was renowned through out the Bob-Whites and considering the book even offered a few recipes, it was a wonderful gift. Honey and Brian gave him the ticket he would need to go skydiving, something he had been dreaming of for a while now. Hallie and Dan gave him a pen with is name engraved on it "Mart". Then he got to his present from Diana.
He went to pick it up, and she snatched it away. "Mart if you want this present you have to smile, you haven’t even smiled when you have been opening the Christmas presents! I am really upset with you." Mart felt guilty; he knew he had been very glum all afternoon, and his wife was very understanding, but he could only push her so far.
He forced himself to smile.
"Not quite what I wanted, but close. Here, maybe this will cheer you up."
Mart opened the present: it was a rattle. "Huh? I don’t need a rattle?" Mart was confused why would she do something this mean to him. He knew he had been upsetting her lately, but this was really cruel, to give him a child’s toy, when he had no child to share it with.
"You don’t yet, but you will in about seven months." Di giggled
"What! You mean… umm.. you…"
"Yes, Mart, I’m pregnant. The baby’s due July 31st."
"When did you find out?"
‘Yesterday. I wanted it to be a surprise for tonight, otherwise I would have told you straight away."
Mart started smiling, then he ws laughing. "I’m so happy, happy, happy, I’m so happy this fine day," he started to chant as the others watched on and laughed.
"Di, I think you made his day," Trixie commented. Everyone else expressed their agreement, then Mart stopped his dancing and chanting, picked up the rattle, then his wife, gave her a kiss and shouted, "THIS RATTLE IS THE BEST CHRISTMAS PRESENT EVER!"
THE END