Our Merry Christmas

Chapter 11 - Who Could Have Known?

Olivia and Christopher Lasalle were too young to realize how fortunate they were. Their parents were crazy about each other and committed to being the best parents that they could be. Percy and Lasalle were surrounded by friends and family who loved them and their children and would contribute socially and educationally to them both.

The children were involved in all the normal activities requiring their parents to go here and there and everywhere. One of young Chris' teammates in little league was the son of an agent that Sonja had worked with on one mission long before their children were born. They had literally bumped into each other several years later both pregnant with their sons. They spoke to each other regularly while home on maternity leave but lost touch with the other until the boys signed up for the baseball program.

The Lasalles often sat with Dustin's father at the games. Chris knew exactly what he was going through with his wife often away on a mission. Mary was 'in country' for the baseball award banquet. Curt mentioned that their ten year anniversary was coming up and he would like to be able to get away to celebrate. Lasalle volunteered to host Dustin for their weekend getaway.

Chris was more than worn out that next weekend. It was the nanny's weekend off and the boys had insisted on being the center of his existence that Saturday. It seemed that he had barely laid his head down when the doorbell rang. Half asleep, Chris was stunned to see two uniformed officers at his door.

"We are sorry to bother you this late sir. We are following up on some information. Do you know a Curtis and Mary Alexander?"

"Yes I do" he responded.

"Well, their car was hit by a semi-truck a few hours ago. We looked through Mr. Alexander's brief case and found a sheet of paper with his scheduled for Friday which includes notes with your address on it. I am sorry to report that neither of them survived."

Christopher had to reach for the wall. He not only thought of the young boy sleeping upstairs but about his whole family. They had all grown fond of the Alexanders but it was the common parts of their lives that helped him completely understand what the father and son endured with their often absent wife and mother.

Lasalle thanked the officers and asked them to wait a moment. He walked down the hall to his home office and retrieved business cards for both himself and his wife. He took a moment to jot down their landline number on the back of his card.

He double checked the deadbolt before slowing walking up the stairs to awaken his wife. Sonja took the news exactly how he expected. She assumed her once normal tense position which was to be as close as she could get to her husband. He wondered if she would ever quit crying.

They had decided to wait until the children were up and had eaten breakfast to tell the boy. The Lasalle children were taken next door while Chris and Dustin got the chess board out. Sonja returned a few minutes later and sat down on the sofa. Dustin was oblivious when Chris suggested that they go sit with her. Sonja was not sure if the boy actually understood what she was saying. It was only when she started crying again that he appeared to understand how dire the situation was.

Thirty minutes later Sonja suggested that they go into the library to video chat with his grandparents. Curt's mother tried her best to hold on to her tears but was unsuccessful.

Mrs. Alexander stated that both of them were Veterans and were eligible to be buried in a VA cemetery. They asked the Lasalles if Dustin could stay with them a few more days until they could make the funeral arrangements. The Department held two services before Dustin's family went to Colorado for the burials. Sonja was able to attend the ceremony at the Agency. Both Lasalles and the nanny attended the service for the couple. A week later Curt's mother and aunt returned to D.C. to prepare the house to be placed on the real estate market.

Six months passed by when Sonja received a call at work. Curt's father had suffered a heart attack with a grim prognosis. Mrs. Alexander asked if Dustin could come and stay with them for the summer. The boy talked to his grandmother nearly every day. The Lasalles could see the weight of the situation bearing down on her. Sonja and Christopher had had 'that' conversation while she was carrying their own son. They knew that they were fortunate to have siblings who could help out if one of them died unexpectantly.

As September approached, they could all see that Mr. Alexander was struggling to recover. Mother Alexander asked if Dustin could stay put for the fall semester of school which extended late into the following term.

Mrs. Alexander flew back with Dustin after Christmas. While the boy was unpacking, she met with Chris and Sonja. "I do not know what to do" she said softly. "I took a vow to my husband forty years ago for better and for worse. I just do not have the strength to care for both of them.

Sonja was not at all surprised when her husband spoke out and said "Dustin can stay here as long as he needs to". She looked at him with both of them realizing that the boy would most likely never leave their home.

Sonja and Dustin's grandmother went to the bank to open an account for boy with Sonja as a signer after they visited their long-time lawyer giving the Lasalles temporary custody and authorization to make medical decisions. Five months later Mr. Alexander died. Sonja returned back to Colorado for the funeral. When she found a devastated and exhausted widow.

Sonja had purchased a photo album the first week that Dustin was with them. She was careful to take photos of him and send them to his grandmother until she passed away five years later.

Olivia started high school and the boys joined her three years later. Both boys continued to play baseball thru their sophomore year. Young Chris's time was becoming more precious as he enrolled in a dual degree program at a local junior college.