Celeste (Gemini 1)

soon as we did it. Mommy and Mr. Kotes began to

sing "Happy Birthday to You," and I looked off to the

corner and saw Daddy standing there. smiling. I was

absolutely positive I did. I turned quickly to Mommy,

who smiled and nodded at me, and then I looked at

Noble in hopeful anticipation. His attention was on

our gifts, and even though he was looking in Daddy's

direction, he didn't appear to see him.

After the singing. Daddy was gone. I felt like

crying even though we had so much happiness around

us. Noble began to rip open gifts, lunging for another

one as soon as he saw what the one in his hands was,

especially if it was clothes. I was given clothes

mostly, and more books to read. The gift that made

Noble the happiest was a set of electric trains from

Mr. Kotes. He was so excited about it, he gobbled

down his cake and anxiously waited for the rest of us to finish. Mr. Kotes had volunteered to help him get it all set up in the living room. where Mommy had said they could be, on the floor beneath the grandfather's clock that never banged or ticked. So many things in our house were there just because they were always

there.

Noble and Mr. Kotes went in and began to

connect the tracks. While they did that, I went into the

kitchen to help Mommy with the dishes, but really to

tell her I had seen Daddy again, finally.

"I though you had," she said. "I could see it in

your face.

Celeste," she said.

"Didn't you, too?" I asked, a little confused. "Sometimes, on very special occasions, the

spirits can select whom they want to see them, and

even if you have the gift, you might not see them. I

think your daddy wanted to give you something

special. It was his gift.