But the very next day, you gave it away

 

Bom didn't want to be spitting with envy but she really felt left out when Joon left with Poppy and Niah for Seoul.

"I should be going to," she spoke up about it, even if Brian wasn't really listening. He was wrapping the last of the Christmas presents to put under the tree. "Dad's never met any of you."

"You know, we can't afford to go," Brian's monotone voice did nothing for Bom's mood. She burst in spill of tears.

"But," oh she imagined how many times her dad asked her to come home, but she wouldn't. She just couldn't. Of course, she was with someone else back then and after that fell apart there was Brian to take care of. Yes, she'd been taking care of people ever since then. And what good had it done her?

"You'll be all right," Brian pulled her in. "What about the boys? You have to think about the kids."

Truly, it was too late to be homesick, but she was. She didn't want to be and if Joon could have just stayed here. If Niah could be here.

"What if they-" She didn't want to say it. She was worried. She really was. It was an awful feeling. Usually, she was so brave. She never let anything bother her. Not even Ivy's mother who she knew deep down hated her, but only wanted her around to find out what was going on with her daughter. It pained her to think that was the only value she had at her job. But it was probably true. 

"We'll have a good Christmas. They want you have a good Christmas." Brian told her. After all, there were presents from her family back home waiting to be unwrapped on Christmas morning.

"He might be on a bender," Christine called Gage about the matter. She'd sent Ting and Tony to Kevin's. She thought they needed to give Alfie some room. Christmas was going to be a disaster after all. 

"What do you mean?" Gage did sound concerned.

"Oh, I don't really know," Christine told Gage that Alfie got a phone call from his mother and it had upset him. "He's been drinking ever since."

Gage said he'd come over, but he said he wasn't sure how he could help.

"Well, I don't know either, but I don't want to be alone with him," Christine said goodbye and called Nora then. "I need you."

"What's the emergency?" Nora wanted to know. She was baking Christmas cookies.

"What do you think?" Christine practically talked in code. Nora would know.

"Again?" She sighed as if she was ready to give someone a piece of her mind. "All right, I'll be there."

It wasn't like Alfie was breaking things and yet he was breaking Christine's heart to see him this way. She thought he was so promising and then to see something so trivial as a phone call made him so moody.

"You need to eat something," she told him who was opening another bottle of wine. It was his third one. It didn't seem to matter how cheap it was. He drank it in a rush.

"Why? Why should I?" He slurred.

For a second, she wondered who he was even looking at. No way, would he try to be wayward with her. He couldn't. Not Alfie. Christine cringed at the thought as he came near ready to hug her. The doorbell rang. Thank god, Gage arrived, but his son was with him.

"What's he doing here?" This was no time to have a first grader here for an intervention.

"Well, I was going to take him to  my cousin's house, but..." Gage sighed. "They won't be back for another hour or so. They said he could sleep over."

This was worrisome to Christine. There was nothing here for him to do, but she hurried the little one to the kitchen while she told Gage to go take care of Alfie. This was definitely going to be a long night.

So she heard Gage being all friendly and happy to see Alfie. Telling him he'd started the party without him. It wasn't long until Nora showed up with cookies and she soon found Alec something to do in the kitchen. They would make pizza while the guys talked.

Christine was thankful Nora could help out with Alec. It was like she was his long-lost babysitter and they had a lot of catching up to do. Oh, she hoped Gage could take care of Alfie before he did something he'd regret.