Merry Christmas, Miguel

By KC

We have this huge Christmas party every year. It takes care of a lot of obligations (hey, my Saturday evenings are already booked, you know...Chat), and despite all of the work, it's a lot of fun. This years' bash was a little late in the holiday season, but seemed to be even more special for that reason. Anywhere from 40-70 people usually show up, sometimes all at once, but usually spread out over the afternoon and evening. Sometimes, it gets so crowded that I never even know who is there…

I was doing my Martha Stewart imitation, artfully arranging food of all sorts on the buffet table. This year's crowd was unusually hungry, and I was very thankful that I had made extra of everything - and that my parents had arrived with a smoked turkey and a smoked ham (usually I just roll my eyes and distribute it to departing guests; not this year!). As I was placing some mini quiches on a platter, my friend Bonnie wandered over.

"Hey, who's that really good looking guy?" she inquired, reaching around to grab a chip and some salsa. "You've never introduced HIM to me."

"What good looking guy?" I muttered, slapping her hand as she began to attack my Tupperware box of quiches. "It can't be anyone we know, unless it's that new-hire in Dennis' department. Where is he?"

"Last time I saw him he was out on the patio. Just sitting on the retaining wall, not talking to anyone. Curly dark hair, black suit, white T-shirt, red carnation in his lapel - absolutely yummy - hey, and so are these."

"Will you get away from here!" I laughed "I know you've been starving for a week for this, but we won't run out, you don't have to steal it out of my hands. I guess I should go check out this mystery guest, huh…would you take these out to the patio table? Thanks!" I shoved the platter into her hands and turned back to the kitchen. My niece Erin was pulling more stuff out of the oven, trying to ignore our godson Steve, who was sitting on the floor in the adjacent den, watching her. I thought, children, you've known each other since you were babies. NOW you decide to get interested in one another? This should be funnn…

I looked out the kitchen window, hoping for a glimpse of this mysterious stranger. Nope, I recognize all the faces out there, I said to myself, even though I hadn't had a chance to greet some of them. Dennis was relieving Bonnie of the platter, laughing as some of his work buddies began to grab at its' contents. My mom was in the corner by the bougainvillea, talking to some of her friends, waving her wineglass around like a weapon; my dad was busy flirting harmlessly with some of my friends at the opposite end of the patio. Other small knots of people stood around, or had pulled groups of chairs into circles to talk and munch.

Telling Erin that I would be outside, and that she'd be able to go off duty in half an hour, I went to say hello to the guests who had arrived while we had been at work in the kitchen. My husband grabbed me as I passed, planting a kiss on my cheek…"great time, sweetie, as usual!" he whispered. "Thanks to all your help, sweetie!" I murmured back, returning the kiss. "Seen anyone you don't know?"

"Uh, no, I don't think so. But with this crowd, who can tell?" he answered, smiling, and turned to respond to a question from his boss.

I wandered around the patio, laughing and talking with friends and neighbors. We are so lucky to know all of these people. It was great to see former colleagues, to watch people who had not met one another previously make the first tentative gestures towards friendship; and most of all, to watch them all eat like they would not get a meal for the rest of the year. I AM my mother's daughter, after all.

"KC! Wait!" my best friend Norma grabbed my arm as I walked towards Mom's group. "WHO is that man?" she whispered loudly. This time I didn't even have to wonder. Someone who none of us knew had crashed the party.

"I don't know, you're the second person to mention him. Where is he?" I said. She turned and started to point, and then dropped her hand. "Well he was there a second ago. Good Lord, he is fabulous! You would not believe the eyes…"

"Well, this is cool. I wonder who he is…do you think he came with someone? I guess I have to really check this out now. Come on!" We walked all around the perimeter of the house, people everywhere, but no stranger. However, Steve and most of the male guests had gravitated to the front yard, where they were staring at a sleek black Jaguar parked in the school lot across the street. We grinned at each other as we heard comments such as, "Wow, I didn't know teachers were doing so well these days!" Perhaps this was my mystery guest's vehicle??

"Norm, are you sure you saw him? Maybe Dennis put something in the punch the way he's always threatened to, and you all are hallucinating." None of the drooling men had seen anyting out of the ordinary, so we wandered to the back again, and looked over the re-formed groups of people. No stranger.

Just then, my former boss (and dear friend) Sue, spotted me and waved us over. "KC, you've been holding out on us!" she said breathlessly. "There's this man…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, best looking man you've ever seen, perfection in an Armani suit, right?" I was starting to get a little ticked. "And where did you spot him?"

"Inside, helping himself to the buffet. WOW! He's fantastic… And, guess what? Your mom was talking to him."

"OH NO!" I giggled, my irritation dissolving just thinking about THAT encounter. "Well, that should drive him out of here fast. Can you just hear it, now? 'Young man, you must speak up, I am hard of hearing.' I'd wish I had been around for that!"

"I couldn't get close enough to hear what they were saying, but I can tell you he has some kind of accent, Sue laughed. " He seemed to be getting a big kick out of Clare. And ooh, he is a fox!" My crowd of searchers grew by one as we moved back into the house, trying to spot this mysterious man.

"He sure is good at keeping out of MY sight," I muttered, looking around the living room. My mother was giving me that "come here immediately" look over the crockpot full of meatballs. I went, search party trailing behind me.

"Dear, I was just talking to a friend of yours. I don't think I have met him before. Who is he? He is very handsome, and very charming." Mom pulls no punches. She shoots straight, and she expects a detailed answer.

"Well, Ma, I think that maybe he works with Dennis…" I began.

"In THAT suit? No way! Much too expensive. He is from Italy, or something, I could hardly understand him, but he speaks English very well. It's just this dratted hearing aid…did he maybe come with the Rockholds?" Our neighbors are world travelers, and they seems to make friends wherever they go - a stream of international visitors is constantly in and out of their house.

"That might be it. I'll find Chris and ask him. Mom, did he tell you his name?"

She peered into space, thinking. "I believe it was Mick, or Mike, or something like that; as I told you, it was difficult to hear him. How many people are here, anyway? And have you seen your father? I hope he's not eating too much!" She was momentarily distracted by questions from Sue and Norma about our interloper, and I took the opportunity to glance around the room.

Mind you, it's not a big house. But the design is open, and it's great for parties. Even in a roomful of people, you can pick out details…oh my God. There, by the tree. The girls were NOT kidding. The most incredibly handsome man I had ever seen was standing there, staring at me. Smiling faintly, almost challengingly. Holding a glass of wine in one hand, other hand in the pocket of a pair of perfectly tailored pants. Oh my God. I discreetly elbowed Norma. "Psssst! Is that him?" And I swear I just took my eyes off him for about 20 seconds. But when we looked over again, he was gone.

"SEE? I told you!" Norma cried. "Isn't he amazing? Are you sure you don't know him?"

"I've never seen him before in my…wait! He looks familiar, but I can't place him," I said faintly. I honestly felt dizzy. The force of those eyes…well, what else would a perfect hostess do? I started moving again, walking through all the rooms of the house, looking. Nothing. This dude must be a wizard, able to disappear and appear at will. I found Chris; he told me that they currently had no one visiting; the mystery deepened.

As the afternoon passed, I kept one eye on the table, to make sure that everyone would not starve, and the other one on the crowd. My unknown guest popped up occasionally; talking to several people (who, of course, came running to find me, demanding to know who he was), helping himself to our food and wine, and two or three times, standing apart from the crowd, watching me. I had an overwhelming urge to get Dennis and demand that he throw this guy out. But, I had a funny feeling that he would probably be able to permanently disable my husband, strong as HE is without a lot of effort - this man just looked so dangerous! Dangerous…dark…gorgeous…accent…wait a minute. I indeed did know someone who matched that description!

I tore out of the house, looking for Susan. There - talking to my dad. I slowed down, and sedately walked up to them. "Hi, you two!" I said brightly. "Uh, Susan, can you come help me with something for a minute? I'll bring her right back, Dad!" He waved us on, and we started back into the house.

"What's up?" she asked.

"Miguel Bain. Here."

"WHAT?" she screamed. Heads turned; people stared at us.

"SSSHHH, you crazy chica, pipe down!" I whispered, moving down the hall towards Dennis' office. "Susan, this sounds totally nuts, but I swear to you, Miguel Bain is somewhere in this house! People have talked to him, he's been eating and drinking, he was even flirting with my mom!" I pulled her into the room and hastily shut the door. "What the hell do you think is going on?"

"KC," Susan began, looking at me in concern. "Now, think about this for a minute. Miguel Bain is not real. He is a fictional character, no matter how much I want to think otherwise. You have been working way too hard, and you're really tired. I told you not to invite so many people, it's just too much for you…"

"Yeah, I hear you, chica. But listen to this!" I provided the detailed descriptions from Bonnie, Norma, Sue, Mom, watching Susan's jaw drop a little further with each word. "Tell me that all of this doesn't sound JUST like him!"

"Wow. How could this be? Did Dennis put something in the punch?" We looked at each other and started laughing helplessly. "Come on, I'll help you search for him," she said, and we set off once again to track down…Miguel. Unbelievable!

He kept staying one step ahead of us, heaven only knows how. As the evening went on, and people began to leave, I thought for sure we could corner him, find out what was going on. But although I spotted him once, silently laughing at me, I could never catch up with him. Susan finally and regretfully headed for home, making me swear that I would call with full details the minute I found him.

Folks were starting to wind down, drinking coffee, reluctant to leave. Erin, Norma, and I were in the kitchen starting to clean up a little when Dennis came in. "Honey, we've got a little problem," he began. Yeah, I though, more than you know!

I thought for a few seconds. "Let me guess - Paul, right?" I smiled. Our friend Paul is a wonderful man, but he simply cannot drink. In past years, he had brought a designated driver along, but this time he had shown up alone. Oh-oh. "Well, pour him into the guest bed and let him sleep it off, sweetie. We can make sure he's OK in the morning and then send him home."

"I wish," Dennis sighed. "He is insisting on going home. Would you be really upset if I drove him?"

"Den - all the way to Long Beach? It will be midnight before you get back!" I looked at him in dismay. "Are you sure he won't just agree to stay?" As my spouse shook his head, I sighed in return. "Well, then I guess we have no choice…"

"I hate to leave you with all this," he said, grinning.

"Right, I'll bet you do!" I shot back, snapping him with a dishtowel. "Get out of here, so you will get home at a decent hour. And, please drive carefully - don't let the fumes overcome you!" He laughed again and left the room. A few minutes later, Paul carefully walked in and hugged me. I had guessed right, the fumes were overwhelming. Den would have to drive with all the windows open! We girls continued cleanup detail, pausing to hug departing friends and see people to their cars. No sign of Miguel, I thought. I guess we were having one of those group experiences you read so much about. By 10:00, we were the only ones left in the house. Or, so I thought.

What a day. I was beginning to get a headache. Leaving the two women washing the final stack of platters, I walked back to our bedroom to get some aspirin. Someone had dropped an empty plastic cup in the hallway, and as I knelt down to pick it up, I heard a voice in the darkness.

"A lovely party, carina."

Oh my God. "Th..th..thank you, Mr. Bain. It IS you, isn't it?"

"Yes, how flattering that you recognize me!" he responded. A hand appeared, lifting me to my feet; the poor cup dropped again and rolled into the laundry room. He drew me into the room, lit only by the Malibu lights on the patio. '"I've been waiting for you. It took you long enough."

"I don't understand," I whispered. "How did you get here, why are you here…what's going on? What do you want with ME?" And where the hell was Susan when you needed her?

"Ah, yes," he laughed. "I figured you would want to know. That's one of the reasons I waited. Plus, it's safer after dark. Well, carina, I am on the run - what did you expect? My last assignment was a little more…trouble…than I anticipated. And what better place to hide? American suburbia! When I drove down this street, and saw all the cars, I knew I had the perfect spot. No one would EVER look here for me. I hope you don't mind."

He hopes I don't mind. I was just stupified. It really was him. And, oh, he was in my bedroom. I stared over his shoulder, at the largest object in the room. Oh boy…

"Miguel, er, you're a friend of my brother's, right? He put you up to this; he's always teasing me about this Banderas thing…" A celebrity impersonator; that would be just the kind of stunt Bill would pull. "And wow, where'd you get that car? It's not exactly inconspicuous…"

"Who is Banderas? Someone else who wants to get me? I have enough enemies, thank you. And, no, I am not acquainted with your brother. However, I believe I met your mother earlier? A charming woman. It is my car. You ask too many questions, nina." He was laughing again.

I stared up at him; the light reflecting in his eyes made them look even larger, darker, sexier. He slowly pulled me further into the room, towards the bed. Yikes...and then he gently pushed me to sit down. I hugged the edge, stiff with fright and…something else. He sank down beside me.

"Look, Miguel, I don't think this is such a good idea. There are people here still." As I spoke, I could hear Norma laughing, moving to the hall closet to grab her coat. "KC?!! Where are you? I've gotta go! Erin is leaving, too." I started to rise, started to answer her, and he pulled me back down.

"Sshh, wait a minute," he murmured. "Tell her you are going to lie down for a while, you will call her tomorrow. You can do that, can't you?" His hand caressed my cheek gently (whoever would equate Miguel Bain with gentleness? Well, only me and JoAnn, I guess…). LIE DOWN? He smiled down at me and continued, "you can do this, for me, yes?"

"Uh, Norm, Er," I called weakly. "Can you let yourselves out? I'm really feeling, um, unusual and I think I'm just going to turn in. I can clean up the rest of the mess tomorrow…thanks for your help."

Footsteps came down the hall. Erin said, from the doorway (thankfully configured so that she could not see the rest of the room), "Are you OK? Do you need anything? I'm going to meet Steve down at Starbuck's, and everything is pretty much done." My heart raced, and Miguel's hand slipped down to hold my neck, still gently, but almost like a warning. "No, no," I said, gulping. "Honestly, I just need to get some sleep, I guess. I'll talk to you both tomorrow, OK? Thanks again, and have fun, honey."

"No problem," she replied. "Take care, and I'll call you in the morning. Hey, did you ever find that guy?"

Oh man…"Uh, nope. 'Night!" Well, it wasn't really a lie. He had found me, after all. I listened, holding my breath, until I heard the front door close.

"Good job, carina," he said. "Very good. Now, where were we?"

"You were, um, explaining how you came to be here, I think. Look, this is pretty unbelievable…Miguel…" he was pushing me, holding my shoulders, back, down, lifting my legs onto the bed, oh Lord. "Miguel, please…"

"Please what? Please do what you know you want me to do? My pleasure - I saw how you looked at me earlier. And you saw how I looked at you, carina." His voice was like black velvet, flowing around me. "I think you want this just as much as I do, yes? I think you do…" And he kissed me. And kissed me. And drove every thought right out of my little chica head. Wow - this man can kiss (well, even though he never got near a woman in the movie, you kind of figured, right?)! And his hands…you know how the romance novels talk about 'his hands burned through her'? Yup, they're right. Sliding down, and then up my leg…and his tongue, everywhere…and the things he was whispering in between kisses! I was lost.

No, wait a minute. I wasn't. I began to push him, just a little, and then harder. "Miguel, stop, STOP. I cannot do this. Get off me, I must be insane, but I can't do this."

He reluctantly stopped and drew back to stare at me. "You are sure? Why?"

"I'm nuts, that's why…I am a married woman, Miguel. And I love my husband very much. This is like my greatest fantasy, come to life…well, I would have really preferred Ramirez, but what the hell…but it just isn't possible. I am very flattered, I am more than a little aroused, and I am about to cry because no one will ever believe this and I am probably passing up the opportunity of a lifetime. But yes, I am sure."

He looked at me a little sadly. "Who the hell is Ramirez? I am most disappointed. You would have been a superb lover."

Ms. Superb snorted rather inelegantly. "Who, ME? You must be joking."

"Don't underestimate yourself, mi amor. I know what to look for," he smiled, and bent his head to kiss me again. Delicious…I suddenly could not open my eyes again, and slowly drifted off. I heard a whispered "Happy Christmas, carina," but I think I was dreaming by then.

Next thing I knew, the sun was shining through the door, and I was snuggled against someone. Oh no…I was afraid to look. I had so hoped the whole thing was a dream. And then I heard the warm, sleepy voice of the man I loved.

"Hi, honey, you must have been really wiped out. You were out like a light when I got home. It was a good day, wasn't it?"

I turned over and kissed my sweet Dennis. "Yes, it was a terrific day. I'm sorry I couldn't stay up until you got home. Is there a big mess in the kitchen?" And, is there anyone lurking somewhere in the house?

"Nope, mostly everything is clean and put away! We owe Norma and Erin big time for this one, babe. That cool car is gone from the school lot; I had to keep Gary and Steve from marching over there to check it out, did I tell you? I did find one cup - in the laundry room, of all places. Oh, and I found this…" he reached over and grabbed something from the nightstand. A red carnation, petals drooping and fading. I stared at it for a long minute, wondering what to say.

"A souvenir of our day, I guess," I finally murmured. "Maybe we should preserve it." Along with a truly great memory…Merry Christmas to you, too, Miguel.