Tommy sat back at the table and Molly heard a plastic lid being unscrewed from a glass bottle. She heard liquid splashing into the glass and smelled the sharp, sweet smell.

I reached into the box and slowly pulled out a bright orange crocheted cat. Was this supposed to be Garfield? Garfield would never smile like that.

We even had stockings hanging near the fireplace - stockings that looked suspiciously identical to my uncles’ white tube socks with the blue and red stripes around the tops.

A haze of smoke separated me from them. I wanted to taste what was cooking in those pots.

Finally, we made it out the door. That opened a whole new world of distractions.

I was mystified. From where I sat, I couldn’t see a thing on the dark strips.