Reality : A Santa Barbara story
By Kevin Hardy						Accueil   Home

December 25, 2024

Santa Barbara, California

It was an uncharacteristically brisk day in Santa Barbara, even for late December; a day with a crisp, grey sky and slow moving chilled air, a day that was built for contemplation. Eden Castillo sat on the spacious bedroom balcony of her rediscovered home, Cruz's favourite blanket wrapped loosely around her shoulders, staring out at the ocean that was as still as she had ever seen it.

"You look a little lost, darlin'," a thoughtful Cruz whispered into his wife's left lobe.

Eden smiled softly, she breathing in deeply as the warmth of Cruz's breath sweetly caressed her cheek and neck. "Not lost," she elucidated, while placing a palm over Cruz's hand. "For the first time in a long time I know exactly where I am."

"What are you thinking about?" Cruz prompted.

Eden shook her head gently. "What's real, and what's not," she explained somewhat cryptically, "I haven't always known."

Cruz pulled a twin deck chair across the teak surface and sat next to Eden, placing his arm inside the blanket and wrapping it around her silken waist. "Maybe in the grand scheme it doesn't really matter, pal. You and me are often at our best when faced with a huge dose of unreality."

Eden grinned, her lips curling crookedly in her sweetly unique way. "Isn't that the truth," she agreed. "Do you realize it has been over two years without a kidnapping, a murder or illegitimate family member in sight?"

"Talk about something that don't seem real," Cruz laughed.

"Do you regret any of it? Eden asked, as she turned towards him, her green eyes gripping his heart like no one else's ever could.

Cruz nodded slightly. "Yes and no," he started. "I regret not always handling things better, for not always making things easier for you," the man confessed. "But I truly believe in my God, Eden, and I believe in you. The person I haven't always believed in is me, which shortchanged you I realize now. You know, humans have this insatiable need for planting both feet firmly on the ground, for knowing everything that is coming next and making plans for every outcome. I've been as much a victim of that as anyone, and it hasn't always served me well."

Cruz pivoted his head, his gaze locking onto the formation of the slightest of swells on the dark water. "You and me, we're at our best when we say fuck reality and embrace the magic. Did you know for years after you were gone I thought to myself maybe Captain Anderson and Amelia existed only in our minds, that our honeymoon was just a fantasy, and that Kris was just a confused old man? It wasn't until you came back that I realized who the hell cares if the dude was real or not. It was you, it was me, and it was our magic, baby. As long as the feeling is real, the rest is just noise."

Before Eden could respond, there came a roar of activity from inside the house. It was a pleasing maelstrom of screams, cries, and laughter. Cruz and Eden rose, entered their bedroom, and then walked down the spiral stairwell into their living room. This was a festive space, and one that truly rivaled even Kris Kringle's own cabin, where they had spent such a transcendent time so many years earlier. Wreaths, bells, garlands, and stockings decorated the space, the centrepiece of which was a giant Douglas Fir tree, just like the ones that had traditionally adorned the Capwell atrium during Eden's younger years. The house was alive and the energy electric. Chip & Stella Castillo were unbundling Vicky and Lane, both children outfitted in their Christmas best. Adriana & Mikey Donnelly were soothing their own little one; Eden's namesake was six-months-old on this very day.

"Abuele y Abuela!" the two-and-a-half-year-old Vicky shouted as she saw her grandparents descend, excitedly showing off the Spanish Cruz had been teaching her.

From the stairs, Cruz proudly surveyed the scene, his left hand pressed tightly against a quickening heart. He gripped Eden's shoulder as his coarse cheek rubbed lightly against hers. "Reality, unreality, I could care less, darlin'," he proclaimed.

Eden beamed, as she planted her moistened lips on Cruz's morning stubble. "Merry Christmas, honey," she spoke warmly.

"Merry Christmas, baby."

The Beginning

Based on characters created by Bridget and Jerome Dobson in association with New World Television and the National Broadcasting Company.