Chapter Text
The next morning, Rafael woke up at 6 am with a jolt. It took him a moment to remember why he was in this strange bed in a random hotel room. It took him a moment further to recall that it was Christmas Eve. He’d hoped to be going to the market right now for some fresh herbs, before spending most of the day slowly preparing dishes for both that night and for Christmas Day. He sighed, and rubbed his eyes, and went to look out the window. At least the snow was not actively falling, but the roads still looked to be in need of clearing.
After a quick call to Logan airport to confirm that flights were still grounded due to high winds from the storm, he showered and then brushed his teeth.
He looked out the window again and observed that snow was now falling again, but not as heavily as before. He decided the best course of action was to seek out the nearest car rental shop as soon as it opened.
At eight in the morning, he was the first in line to be let in at the car rental place down the street.
Unfortunately for him, the clerk at the other side of the counter appeared none too pleased to be working Christmas Eve, nor did she seem overly eager to help.
‘Sir, I just don’t have a single car I can give you. The roads are still closed, they say it will be at least noon before the majority are cleared. Even then, I still need folks to return their late rentals first.' She shook her head in annoyance. 'After that, the people with previous bookings get priority, and then at that point we will very likely be at capacity.’ The door rang as a few more customers appeared, lining up behind Rafael.
‘You can’t be serious,’ said Rafael, at his wit’s end. ‘It’s Christmas Eve. I have to get a home to my family today. I absolutely can’t just get stuck here.’
The clerk looked at him, and pursed her lips. ‘There’s lots of folks stranded out here today with all the flights cancelled, sir. Everyone wants a last minute rental. We just don’t have any cars available, because it's the holdiays. How about we put you on our cancellation list? You’d be number…’ She ran her hand down a list of names… ‘thirteen? I’m afraid it’s the best I can do.’ She handed him a pen.
Rafael sighed and nodded. ‘Well, okay thanks. Let me leave you my details.’ He added his name and number to the list, and returned her pen to her.
‘We’ll be in touch if any rental opens up for you. Please help yourself to our holiday candy, and have a nice day,’ said the clerk, gesturing to a bowl of wrapped peppermint swirls. Rafael eyed the sugary treats with distaste and shuffled away from the line.
He went to sit on the window ledge of the shop and opened up his phone to check for other car rental units nearby. He was already getting the feeling that this was all a doomed endeavour.
A tall black man who had been at the counter after him approached him.
‘Hey, buddy, I couldn’t help overhearing your conversation back there, you stuck out here too, away from your family for Christmas?’ The man took a seat on the ledge a few feet away from him, stretching out his long legs.
Rafael sighed. Ordinarily, he wasn’t big on talking to strangers, but he was starting to feel so forlorn that it was almost nice to have the distraction.
‘Unfortunately, yes. I came out here for work yesterday.’
‘Same as,’ said the man. ‘I never shoulda come out here. The insurance company I work for sent me. My wife is stuck at home with our three hyperactive little kids, going stir crazy.’
Rafael nodded. ‘Well, there’s only one boy in my place, but I still think I know how you feel. Christmas is such a big deal for kids.’
The man nodded. ‘I’m Leon,’ he said, holding out his hand.
‘Rafael,’ said Rafael, shaking the man’s hand. ‘Sorry you’re stuck here as well.’
‘Where’d you say home was?’ asked Leon.
‘I didn’t,’ responded Rafael. ‘But it’s Brooklyn, New York.’
Leon nodded. ‘Well, here’s the thing, I have a car booked here already, because I hate to fly. And I am headed towards my home in New Jersey. So, if my car ever does turn up, I’d be happy to take you a good length of the journey, maybe drop you to a bus or a train that can bring you the rest of the way home? I’d like to help you make it home to your wife and son too. What do you say?’
Rafael looked at the man’s kind smile, speechless. ‘Leon, you would be doing me the biggest favour. I’d happily split the cost with you, and pay for the petrol too. Full disclosure, this is my girlfriend and her son I’m on way to see, so he’s not officially mine, but…’
Leon shook his head and held up his hand to halt Rafael’s words. ‘Hey, you don’t even need to say it, man. When I say I have three kids, my wife was married before me, and the oldest girl is her daughter from that marriage. I know how it is, because I love her just the same.’
Rafael’s face broke into a wide grin. ‘Leon, thank you so much, this is so kind of you.’
Leon shook his head. ‘It’s no problem. I think I saw a diner down the street, how about we get breakfast somewhere that we can watch for when the streets are clear?’
‘That sounds like a plan,’ Rafael nodded. ‘The least I can do is buy you breakfast.’
Meanwhile, back in the brownstone, Olivia was waking up in a bed that felt empty, without Rafael’s presence.
She pulled on one of Rafael’s robes, enjoying that it smelled faintly of his cologne.
She made her way downstairs to make sure Bruno had a breakfast waiting for him in his bowl, if he made a break for the kitchen before Noah was up. As she poured some dry food into the dog’s dish, she heard a notification on her phone, which was resting on the counter.
She saw a message from Rafael updating her that he might have a lift most of the way home. She sighed with gratitude. There in Brooklyn, there was still only a light dusting of snow on the streets, and so she felt optimistic that if he could somehow make it most of the way to New York in a car, there was a very good chance of him making it all the way home by nightfall.
She heard both footsteps and the patter of paws on the wooden staircase, and then Noah and Bruno appeared, with Bruno making a mad dash for his breakfast.
Noah rubbed his eyes. ‘Morning, Mom,’ he said, sounding half asleep.
‘Morning honey,’ she said affectionately. ‘How’d you sleep?’
‘I slept fine,’ said Noah. ‘Did they bring back the flights for Rafa yet?’
Olivia shook her head, She decided not to mention Rafael getting a lift home yet, as it wasn’t certain, and she didn’t want to raise the boy’s hopes too soon.
‘Not yet honey, but he’s trying everything he can think of to get home.’
Noah nodded. ‘I know.’ She could tell he was still feeling at little sad that the plans the three of them had made to spend Christmas together might not work out. She decided that keeping him busy was the best course of action.
‘Hey, Noah, do you know where Rafa’s kept his Christmas grocery list? I just want to make sure we have all the ingredients we need for tomorrow. We can go to the market for any essentials soon, in case the snow gets worse here later.’
‘Yeah, I know where he keeps it,’ said Noah, going to a drawer under the counter, opening it and pulling out a yellow legal pad. He handed it to her.
‘Terrific, thank you honey,’ said Olivia, scanning the list quickly. ‘And then later, I think we should try and make Ropa Vieja, just like Rafa had wanted to.’
Noah gave her a side-eye. ‘Mom, I know you can make pasta, but you’ve never made Ropa Vieja before. It’s kind of a Rafa thing to make.’
Olivia huffed. ‘I’ve seen Rafa make it a bunch of times, honey. I know it won’t be as good as his. We can at least try, though. We’ll do it together?’
‘I guess if Rafa ever makes it home and sees we made that for him, he’d be pretty impressed, huh?’ said Noah, seeming to warm to the idea.
‘He’d be super impressed,’ nodded Olivia.
‘Okay,’ said Noah with a small grin. ‘I’m in then, and we can cook it together.’