The heavy front doors swung open with a loud thud.
Grandfather stepped onto the polished white marble floor inside the bright foyer.
He set Leo down gently near a warm air vent in the corner.
He handed the wooden airplane back into the boy's cold fingers.
Grandfather: You stay right here where it is warm, Leo.
Richard stepped into the foyer from the grand dining room hallway.
He held a crystal glass filled with expensive imported red wine.
He lowered his eyes and looked at his father with complete indifference.
Richard: Dad, it's just a small punishment for disobeying us.
Grandfather: You locked an eight-year-old boy out in a blizzard!
Richard: He needs to learn proper manners if he lives here.
Victoria: He was ruining the appearance of our evening dinner party!
Victoria walked up beside her husband with her arms crossed tightly.
She looked down her nose at the small boy sitting near the wall.
Victoria: He brought trash into my decorated living room hall.
Grandfather: That boy carved a present for his family with his own hands!
Richard: We do not put wooden junk under our Christmas tree, Dad.
Grandfather took two quick steps forward across the slick white marble floor.
His face was red with intense anger as he faced his son.
Grandfather: Small punishment?! I've got a small punishment for you!
He did not use violence, but his voice shook the entire hallway.
He slammed his heavy cane onto the marble with a sharp bang.
Richard flinched back so quickly that he stepped on his own coat.
He lost his balance and fell sideways against the glass wine cart.
The metal cart tipped over with a massive shatter of glass bottles.
Expensive red wine splattered across the snow-white carpet and marble walls.
Victoria: Stop it! What are you doing in our house?!
Victoria rushed forward to grab her husband's arm off the floor.
She tripped on the edge of the tipped silver tray on the ground.
She stumbled backward out of control toward the giant holiday display tree.
Her heels gave out as she fell into a pile of gifts.
Fancy wrapped cardboard boxes collapsed beneath her as ribbons scattered everywhere.
Grandfather: The gift isn't cheap—you are cheap!
The room fell into a dead and icy silence after his words.
Richard stared up from the mess of red wine and broken crystal.
Victoria tried to pull herself up from the torn green wrapping paper.
Leo watched silently from his safe spot by the warm furnace vent.
Grandfather: You two have forgotten where every dollar you have came from.