Hutch didn\u2019t bother knocking before letting himself in to Starsky\u2019s place. He could barely push the door open wide enough to get inside. A large box overflowing with tinsel, ornaments and other Christmas paraphernalia sat right in the middle of the foyer.<\/p>\n
\u201cStarsky, what is all this?\u201d Hutch grumbled, trying to get past without tripping over the box.<\/p>\n
\u201cChristmas decorations!\u201d Starsky said over his shoulder. \u201cFor the Big Brother, Big Sister party tomorrow night. Molly and Kiko are coming over later to help me haul it all over to the community center.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
He was sitting at the dining room table, preoccupied with something Hutch could not see. The table was heaped with Christmas stockings, ribbons, Santa coloring books, red and white striped candy canes, a half dozen tiny Christmas trees, plus several menorahs, a sack full of gold wrapped chocolate coins, and three dreidels.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou must have cleaned out the holiday aisles of several stores!\u201d Hutch exclaimed, leaning over to kiss the bare neck between Starsky\u2019s red sweater and hairline. He smelled strongly of chocolate.<\/p>\n
When Starsky turned to grin at him, there was a smear of chocolate on his lower lip.<\/p>\n
\u201cCandy at 10:30 in the morning?\u201d Hutch swiped away the evidence with the ball of his thumb, relishing in the opportunity to stroke his skin.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou ever seen one of these?\u201d Starsky held up a rectangular box about the size of a large children\u2019s book. On the front was a lively scene of Santa Claus distributing gifts under a decorated Christmas tree, plus a beribboned kitten and puppy cavorting on the rug, ready for the festive morning. The picture was punctuated with small flaps numbered one through twenty-four. Starsky had already pried open the first door above Santa\u2019s head, and eaten the chocolate inside.<\/p>\n
\u201cAn Advent calendar.\u201d Hutch nodded. \u201cAlthough we had far more religious ones when I was a kid, without chocolate. Usually Bible quotations.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s it for, exactly?\u201d Starsky asked, pulling up door number two for his second piece of candy. \u201cExcept to give a kid a buzz every morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo prepare the child\u2014\u201c Hutch poked Starsky in the ribs. \u201cFor the birth of Jesus. To remind them that Christmas is more than presents and cookies.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs if!\u201d Starsky said with mocking scorn, opening a third door situated over an ornament in the Christmas tree.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t just open all of them!\u201d Hutch protested. \u201cOne a day.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHutch.\u201d Starsky chuckled. \u201cToday is December tenth, so I get ten pieces.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEight,\u201d Hutch countered. \u201cGive me two.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo chocolate every morning,\u201c Starsky mused, pushing his fingernail under the flaps for days four and five, \u201cor Bible quotations, gets you ready for Christmas?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve talked enough about Jewish high holidays for me to know that there are nine days between Rosh Hoshana and Yom Kippur, and Hanukkah has eight days,\u201d Hutch said, taking his candy out of the two open spaces. The chocolate was smooth and creamy on his tongue. \u201cThe buildup is important\u2014getting ready, thinking about the event\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTonight is the last night of Hanukkah,\u201d Starsky added, popping the chocolate from doors six, seven and eight into his mouth at the same time. \u201cThe festival of lights\u2014Dreidel song and chocolate gelt.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat exactly are you celebrating?\u201d Hutch asked, pushing aside some of Starsky\u2019s holiday loot to make room at the table for his arms. One of the menorahs tumbled over, spilling its birthday cake sized candles into the mess. He picked them up, slotting them into the candle holder.<\/p>\n
\u201cWay back when,\u201d Starsky gestured over his shoulder.<\/p>\n
Hutch had to grin. They\u2019d both learned a smattering of sign language over the years, from Larry and RC, two deaf men they\u2019d met when investigating a crime, as well as some of the kids at the Marshall Center. Starsky had unconsciously used the sign for time passage.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was this revolt, and a bunch of Jews only had enough lamp oil for one night. Miraculously, it lasted eight days and the guys survived.\u201d Starsky frowned slightly, opening door nine directly over the kitten. \u201cI guess it\u2019s all about light, and proof of God, that there are miracles all around us, all the time.\u201d He chewed the chocolate thoughtfully as if he\u2019d never considered the story from that angle before. \u201cI\u2019m not up on all the significance. We didn\u2019t go to synagogue all that often.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cActually,\u201d Hutch said, putting his hand out for another piece of chocolate. As he expected, Starsky rolled his eyes and broke the last candy in two, giving them each a morsel. \u201cAdvent is very much about the same thing; waiting for the light of the world, God\u2019s gift, and that the birth of a little baby is a miracle.\u201d He smiled when Starsky cocked his head, nodding. \u201cMy grandfather used to give powerful Christmas time sermons, but it\u2019s been a long time since I went to eleven o\u2019clock services on the twenty-fourth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe birth of any baby is a miracle,\u201d Starsky said softly, pushing aside several bags to reveal a small plastic cr\u00e8che set. The tiny baby Jesus lay in a hay strewn manger, his arms out as if reaching for Mary. \u201cWhether or not you think he\u2019s the one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome people act as if there\u2019s all this difference between the way Christians and Jews believe.\u201d Hutch paused, not exactly sure what he was trying to say. \u201cCan\u2019t dispute that Jesus was Jewish. Christians followed in his lead.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAll the same guy up in the sky?\u201d Starsky quirked a grin.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a passage\u2014of course I can\u2019t remember the entire thing, but it\u2019s from Isaiah.\u201d Hutch closed his eyes, searching through the vast library of facts and quotes he\u2019d memorized in his life, to Sunday school under the watchful eye of his Grandmother Anna. \u201cA tree will grow out of the stem of Jesse and a branch grows out of its roots.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJesse, King David\u2019s father. Judaism is the basis of Christianity?\u201d Starsky interpreted with a shrug. \u201cSeems to me pretty obvious but I know that\u2019s not how lotsa people think.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve never talked about this before,\u201d Hutch said, not really surprised at Starsky\u2019s astute summation. \u201cReligion, belief. You know, before I came to California, met you\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe high point in your life, blintz?\u201d Starsky stood, walking into the kitchen. \u201cWant some coffee? Need to wash down all that chocolate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Minnesota, I\u2019d met a handful of black people, at the university, but I\u2019d never met anyone who wasn\u2019t Christian.\u201c Hutch frowned, recalling his naivet\u00e9. \u201cYou hear all these rumors, prejudice nonsense. I\u2019d known you for months at the academy before one of the other cadets called you a hebe, among other things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Starsky turned from the coffee pot, the can of Yuban still in his hand. \u201cYou slugged him!\u201d he exclaimed. \u201cI remember hearing that Hutchinson had attacked Douglass. I couldn\u2019t believe it!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNearly got me expelled.\u201d Hutch shook his head. \u201cI had to do a lot of mea culpas, swear it would never happen again. Funny thing was, I didn\u2019t even actually know what hebe meant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHebrew,\u201d Starsky explained, spooning coffee into the pot. He sounded sad, remote.<\/p>\n
Hutch stood, pulling Starsky into his arms, some of the coffee grounds spilling on the counter. \u201cI didn\u2019t know and I didn\u2019t care. By that time, I\u2019d already formed an opinion of a good, honest, caring guy. You were Jewish? That was new and interesting but didn\u2019t change what I thought about you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re one of a kind, Hutchinson,\u201d Starsky twisted in the embrace so they were facing each other, close enough to kiss. \u201cIn New York, when I was a kid, it made a lot of difference, all right. You knew who was a Jew, Catholic, protestant. It marked you for life. Laid down a line in the sand\u2026put you in a separate gang.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut at least you knew there was variety,\u201d Hutch mused, troubled and vaguely angry at his past self. Why, he wasn\u2019t quite sure, but all sorts of feelings of inadequacy were suddenly emerging as if he should have dealt with this years ago. \u201cFor the first fifteen years of my life, I thought ninety-five percent of Americans were blond and blue eyed. The only black guy I\u2019d ever seen before college was an African in a damned Tarzan movie.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve been holding out on me!\u201d Starsky accused with a glint in his eye, playfully smacking his arm.<\/p>\n
Hutch stared at him, still caught up in his own guilt. Belatedly, he realized Starsky was using one of his distracting tactics to take the sting out of the discussion.<\/p>\n
\u201cNever told me you went to Tarzan flicks!\u201d He grinned. \u201cWhich one?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt had Tarzan, Jane, some apes, and what does it matter?\u201d Hutch colored his response with a hint of irritation because it was expected. \u201cStop changing the subject.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHutch, yeah, where we come from matters some, just like what our parents think about stuff,\u201d Starsky said sensibly, pouring two cups of steaming coffee. He doctored his own with milk and sugar, and pushed the other cup to Hutch.<\/p>\n
\u201cNature versus nurture, Dr. Freud?\u201d Hutch teased, wondering how their conversation had ranged so far from the meaning of an Advent calendar. He took a sip of the coffee. Starsky did make a fine cup.<\/p>\n
Starsky narrowed his eyes. \u201cThis one of those you-didn\u2019t-go-to-college cracks?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, you\u2019re absolutely correct,\u201d Hutch surrendered, smiling. \u201cI\u2019m impressed. It\u2019s what we learn as we go along, right? Look past the clich\u00e9s to see the real person.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOpen doors,\u201d Starsky said thoughtfully, glancing at the calendar on the table. \u201cIf you were defending\u2026\u201d he chuckled, \u201cmy honor way back at the academy, long before I saw you as more than a Ken doll with a quick brain and a bitchy wife\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou thought that?\u201d Hutch groaned, pretending insult. Truth be told, it was another pretty accurate assessment. He\u2019d been a stickler for the rules in those days, still half in the law school vibe he\u2019d tried to escape, and chronically confused with Nan-Van\u2019s conceited view of life and their marriage. \u201cStarsk, you\u2026got through to something in me on that first day at the shooting range. I\u2019d never even held a pistol before, but you were there, coaching, giving pointers while the teacher never even noticed a thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI almost forgot that.\u201d Starsky leaned closer, one hand on Hutch\u2019s waist. \u201cYou caught on quick. Faster\u2019n Colby.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGod, he made up for it, though, didn\u2019t he?\u201d Hutch grimaced at the memory of their former friend turned assassin.<\/p>\n
Starsky cocked his finger as if taking a bead on Hutch\u2019s chest. \u201cHe got what was comin\u2019 to him. You\u2019ve got a good heart, Hutch, through it all, you always want to believe the best about people. What your little baby Jesus would want, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s what we should all want, but don\u2019t have,\u201d Hutch said, tucking his chin to kiss Starsky on the mouth. The taste of coffee flavored chocolate invaded his senses.<\/p>\n
\u201cMmm.\u201d Starsky licked his lips. \u201cThis is what I want every morning until December twenty-fourth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly in December?\u201d Hutch chuckled.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan I make a New Year\u2019s resolution to kiss you daily?\u201d Starsky laughed, giving him a quick peck on the lips.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s valid until New Year\u2019s,\u201d Hutch said loftily. \u201cBut I\u2019ll spin the dreidel for a kiss tonight, and you can earn a kiss a day opening those little doors.\u201d He flicked his finger at the calendar.<\/p>\n
\u201cSee how easy it is for two religions to come to a consensus?\u201d Starsky nodded with satisfaction. \u201cWe got time to move this discussion to the bed? I didn\u2019t even smooth out the sheets this morning\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI never stand on ceremony.\u201d Hutch started for the bedroom, only to freeze when the doorbell rang. \u201cDamn,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n
Starsky snickered, palming the rising thickness over his groin.<\/p>\n
\u201cStarsky!\u201d Kiko called from the front step.<\/p>\n
\u201cHutch!\u201d Molly chimed in.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow\u2019d they know I would be here?\u201d Hutch asked, libido shrinking as fast as Starsky\u2019s erection.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m gonna guess cause your car is parked in the driveway?\u201d Starsky shot over his shoulder, going to open the door. \u201cHey, kids, you\u2019re early.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHo ho ho!\u201d Kiko crowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou ever had an Advent Calendar?\u201d Starsky ushered them over to the table, pulling out two more of the flat boxes decorated with Santa delivering gifts.<\/p>\n
Hutch collected his coffee cup, enjoying the noise and happiness of two teens in the house. He and Starsky would probably never have any children of their own but these two, plus the special needs kids at the Marshall Center, had their own places in his heart. This is what the holidays were about: love, family, generosity and friendship. Didn\u2019t matter how or what you believed in.<\/p>\n
\u201cNope.\u201d Molly grinned, examining hers. \u201cSmells like chocolate!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTastes like chocolate!\u201d Kiko opened the first two doors to collect his candy.<\/p>\n
\u201cGets you right in the mood,\u201d Starsky said, glancing over at Hutch with a sultry expression.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor Christmas!\u201d Hutch added, crossing his legs suddenly and gulping coffee.<\/p>\n
The End<\/p>\n
Hutch didn\u2019t bother knocking before letting himself in to Starsky\u2019s place. He could barely push the door open wide enough to get inside. A large box overflowing with tinsel, ornaments and other Christmas paraphernalia sat right in the middle of … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2017\/calendar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/opening-doors-advent-calendar.jpg\")
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