By 11:45 Lexi and JC were walking downstairs. Heather and Tyler were sitting on the floor in the living room, by the Christmas tree, wrapping presents.
“So you guys are finally up?” Tyler asked sarcastically.
JC sat down in a chair across from his siblings and said, “Look, I know what it mush have looked like this morning because of where we were and what we were wearing, but nothing happened.”
“You don’t have to explain anything to us,” Heather said understandingly. “What you two do isn’t any of our business.”
“Yeah,” Tyler added. “What you guys do isn’t any of our business...”
“But we didn’t!” Lexi and JC yelled simultaneously. All four of them began to laugh.
“Look, we believe you,” Heather said. “But that still doesn’t mean that you didn’t want to.”
“Ok, ya know what? I’m officially changing subjects,” JC said. “Are Mom and Dad here?”
“No, they went to the supermarket,” Tyler answered.
Ding dong…
JC went to open the door, and standing on the doorstep in the freezing cold was a UPS guy with a box and an envelope.
“Good afternoon,” the UPS guy said, “I have a package here for an Alexis S. Morrow.”
“Oh ok. Hold on. Lexi! A package is here for you!”
“What?” Lexi asked confused as she came from the living room.
“Are you Alexis Morrow?”
“Yes…”
“Sign here please.”
Lexi shivered from the cold as she went towards the man from UPS to sign the electronic clipboard. She took the envelope as JC carried the box inside. “Merry Christmas,” the UPS guy said as he headed down the icy walk.
JC placed the box that looked big enough to hold a television on the coffee table. Lexi looked at the return address on the envelope.
“Oh…this is from my parents.”
“Really?” JC asked. “I wonder what it is?”
“I dunno. I gave them your address in case anything happened, “she replied as she opened the envelope. She took out the piece of paper and read it aloud:
Lexi,
We wanted you to wake up to these on Christmas morning. We hope you are having fun in Maryland, because vacation isn’t the same without you! We’ll call you when we get back.
Love always,
Mom and Dad
“Aww! That’s so sweet!” Heather cried.
Lexi opened the box and about half a dozen, neatly wrapped gifts were found inside.
“Well, let’s put them under the tree!” JC said. “Oh, by the way, what does the ‘S’ in Alexis S. Morrow stand for?”
“Stephanie.”
“Oh…I like that name.”