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Never in his wildest dreams did he expect to find a buddy to go ice fishing with at his son’s impromptu cabin for Christmas, so dad isn’t lonely for the first Christmas after mom passed away, plan. Yet they’d all found so much more, given that their families felt far more complete as a single family unit. And at the end of the day, discussing which fish they could catch nearby made both Duke and Peter realize far more quickly than their son and daughter how things should be.
“To think,” Duke said, “Both of them were so stubborn about getting along with each other, I was a bit worried they wouldn’t see what was under their noses the whole time.”
“I think we could have still managed,” Pete said, tying a hook to his line as they sat in the warm shack on the ice, away from the cold outside. “I think had things not worked out this Christmas, we might have been able to finagle something later on.”
“True, true. Those two are meant for each other, and had they been too obstinate in realizing it,” Duke said. “I really like the idea of our families spending Christmas together, but with the rest of the family siding with us, I don’t think they’d have much say about that in the future. I’m already looking forward to next Christmas, particularly the sweet potato mash Ariel made.”
“That good, huh?”
“It made for a good Christmas surprise for Mark,” Duke said, “And it brought back so many memories. It was harder for her to make it once she got sick. Anyways, what kind of fish do you think we’ll be able to catch?”
“Well…”