OUR FIRST HOLIDAY SEASON

SOON THANKSGIVING WAS UPON US. IT WAS JUST THE TWO OF US, BUT WE WANTED A THANKSGIVING ANYWAY. PROBLEM WAS, WE HAD NO MONEY. SO, WE TOOK THE LITTLE DIAMOND NECKLACE TO THE PAWN SHOP. WE WERE ABLE TO GET A LOAN OF 15.00 FOR IT. THAT SEEMED LIKE SO MUCH MONEY TO US, AND WE WALKED TO THE LITTLE GROCERY STORE. WE BOUGHT A CHICKEN, AND THE REST OF THE MEAL. WE WALKED HOME IN THE COLD AND PUT OUR GROCERIES AWAY, AS I WAS PLANNING THE BEST THANKSGIVING MEAL EVER! WE HAD THE AFTERNOON OPEN, AND GOT A CRAZY IDEA. WE ONLY HAD 5 DOLLARS LEFT, BUT WE WENT TO A LOCAL BIKE SHOP AND RENTED A BICYCLE FOR TWO, AND DECIDED TO TOUR THE ARMY BASE. I WAS ON THE FRONT AND MARTIN PEDALING FROM THE BACK. WE RODE EVERYWHERE, THE WIND MAKING OUR FACES RED AND COLD, BUT IT WAS SUCH FUN! AFTER A WHILE, IT SEEMED TO ME THAT IT WAS GETTING HARDER AND HARDER TO PEDAL. WHAT I DIDN'T KNOW WAS THAT MARTIN WAS STICKING HIS LEGS OUT TO THE SIDE AND MAKING ME DO ALL THE WORK! WE CAME TO A CURB, AND MARTIN WAS NOT PAYING ANY ATTENTION, AND, AS WE BUMPED OVER THE CURB, MARTIN ROLLED OFF THE BACK! SUDDENLY THE BIKE SHOT FORWARD, AND THE PEDALLING WAS A BREEZE! I TOOK OFF, AND HEARD SHOUTING FROM BEHIND ME- "WAIT, HONEY WAIT! STOP, HEY STOP!" I TURNED AROUND TO SEE MARTIN LOPING ALONG LIKE A GIRAFF, WAVING HIS LEFT HAND AND RUBBING HIS BACKSIDE WITH HIS RIGHT. I STOPPED THE BIKE, AND JUST DOUBLED OVER LAUGHING AT HIM. "THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR MAKING A PREGNANT LADY HAUL YOU ALL OVER THE BASE!" HE FINALLY CAUGHT UP TO ME, AND GRACIOUSLY OFFERED TO TAKE THE FRONT OF THE BIKE. I LET HIM, (AND DID MY SHARE PEDALLING BY THE WAY) AND ON THE WAY HOME, WE STOPPED FOR HOT CHOCOLATE. IT WAS SUCH A NICE DAY, ONE I WILL NEVER FORGET. ON THANKSGIVING DAY, WE ATE THE CHICKEN AND FIXINGS AND SAID OUR THANKS FOR THE GOOD LIFE WE HAD. AGAIN, WE HAD NO IDEA THAT WE WERE SO POOR.
SOON, IT WAS CHRISTMAST TIME. MARTIN'S FAMILY SENT PLANE TICKETS FOR US TO GO HOME. WE WERE SO EXCITED TO SEE EVERYONE AND SHOW THEM HOW WELL WE WERE DOING. UNFORTUNATELY, WHEN WE GOT ON THE PLANE, MARTIN THOUGHT HE WOULD PLAY A LITTLE TRICK ON ME. HE LOOKED OUT THE PLANE WINDOW AND LOUDLY ANNOUNCED, "HEY LOOK, THERE IS A BIG CRACK IN THE WING!" OF COURSE I PANICKED, BUT SO DID ALL THE PASSENGERS AS WELL! THE NEXT THING WE KNEW, THE FLIGHT WAS POSTPONED WHILE A CREW WENT OUT TO INSPECT THE WING. THE PILOT CAME BACK AND BEGAN TO LOOK FOR THE PRANKSTER. MARTIN WAS SCARED TO DEATH. WHAT DID THEY DO TO SOMEONE WHO CAUSED SUCH A RUCKUS? IT SEEMS THAT YOU GET A STERN WARNING THE FIRST TIME AND ANOTHER WARNING THAT HANDCUFFS WERE AWAITING ANYONE WHO CONTINUED TO CAUSE TROUBLE. THAT WAS THE END OF MARTIN'S IMPISH SPIRIT, HE SAT QUIETLY FOR THE REST OF THE TRIP. OH, EXCEPT FOR THE NEED FOR A BARF BAG. IT SEEMS THAT HE DOES NOT FLY WELL. ON CHRISTMAS EVE, I GOT A SPECIAL GIFT. DEEP IN THE NIGHT, WHILE SLEEPING ON THE FLOOR, I FELT MARTIN TICKLING MY TUMMY. "STOP IT" I GRUMBLED IN MY SLEEP. TICKLE, TICKLE AGAIN. "I'M WARNING YOU, STOP IT!" I GROWLED. I LAY BACK DOWN. TICKLE, TICKLE. OKAY BUDDY, THAT'S IT AND I SHOVED HIM TO MOVE HIM OVER. THE ONLY THING WAS, HE WAS SOUND ASLEEP. AS I SAT THERE, TICKLE, TICKLE, RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF MY TUMMY. THEN I REALIZED, IT WAS THE BABY MOVING FOR THE FIRST TIME! OH MY GOODNESS! I SQUEALED AND WOKE MARTIN. HE WAS LIKE, "WHAT?" AND I TOLD HIM ABOUT THE BABY MOVING. "WELL, I WONDERED WHAT WAS WRONG WITH YOU!" HE SAID. SO, FOR THE REST OF THE NIGHT, I LAY AND WAITED FOR THE LITTLE 'TICKLE, TICKLE" THAT MY BABY WAS MAKING. SHE WAS LETTING ME KNOW THAT SHE WAS RIGHT THERE WITH US ON CHRISTMAS. HOW SPECIAL THAT WAS FOR ME. LOVE, NANASEE