Melody's Christmas

by ID Johnson

  “Unusual?” Melody scoffed. “Like what?”

  “Like when you hear someone order a Coke and the waitress asks what kind, and she doesn’t just mean do you want diet or regular; she’s clarifying as to whether they actually want Coke or Pepsi, or whatever else might be available.”

  “So you mean how some people say Coke instead of soda or pop?”

  “Exactly. But that’s just one example. I could go on and on. It’s like a whole ‘nother country.”

  Melody laughed. “I think that’s Texas.”

  “What’s that?” Reid asked, his forehead crinkling.

  Realizing he must not be familiar with Texas’s tourism slogan, she just shook her head. “Never mind. Baby steps. You’ll be a true Southerner before you know it. I mean, as close as you can get in West Virginia. This isn’t exactly Georgia, you know.”

  “Southern enough for me,” Reid replied, glancing back down at the menu.

  “True,” Melody nodded. She’d always felt a lot more Southern than anyone else she knew in Chicago.

  Before she could comment further, Valerie was back, a smile on her face and her blonde, curly bob swinging as she came to a stop. She set their drinks on the table. “Sorry about that. We are swamped. How was the parade?”

  “Wonderful,” Melody said, beaming. “They really outdid themselves this year.”

  “Good. Aww, I’m so sad I missed it.” Valerie let out a sigh, and then shaking her head, she said, “Maybe next year. Alrighty, what can I get you, Melody? Your usual?”

  “Yes, please,” Melody said, glad that Valerie knew her well enough to take her order without having to rattle it off.

  Valerie took a few notes on her pad and then turned to Reid. “And what can I get you, sweetie?”

  Melody tried to hide her smile as she saw Reid’s eyes grow slightly larger at the compliment. “I’ll have the same,” he said, handing her their menus.

  “Alrighty,” Valerie repeated. “I’ll get it out as quick as I can. Let me know if you need anything.”

  Once she was out of earshot, Melody started laughing. “It’s a Southern thing. You wouldn’t understand,” she said.

  He cracked a grin. “Oh, is it? I’ll have you know, I am actually a sweetie. Valerie knows me better than you think.”

  “You’ve never met her before,” she said, calling his bluff.

  “That might be true, but she’s quite intuitive.”

  She giggled and flipped her hair over her shoulder. “I would have to agree there may have been a little interest there. But Valerie and I have been friends for a long time, and I don’t think she’d hit on you while we are here together.”

  Reid leaned in closer. “So what you’re saying is I should come back alone?” Melody’s mouth gaped open, and he began to laugh. “You know I’m just kidding.”

  “Hey, if you like her, then maybe you should.” She hoped he knew that she was teasing.

  “Nope. Not interested,” he replied, no longer laughing. “I meant to tell you, you look beautiful tonight. That sweater really makes your eyes sparkle.”

  Melody felt the red rising in her cheeks. “Thank you,” she said. Feeling a bit bold, she added, “Blue always looks good on you, too.”

  Reid glanced down at his sweater as if he couldn’t remember what he had on. “Oh, yeah. Well, I was going to go with the red, but I thought red eyes might be a bit more appropriate for a Halloween parade.”

  “Probably so,” Melody laughed, taking a sip of her iced tea. “Do you think Michael had fun?”

  “I know he did,” Reid replied. “And he’s going to talk your mom’s ear off. It was really nice of her to volunteer to take him.”

  “It was,” Melody agreed, running her fingers through the condensation from her glass. “She’s really good with kids.”

  “So are you,” Reid replied.

  “Nah, just Michael,” Melody said, shaking her head. “He’s a special little boy.”

  “Yes, he is.” Reid ran his hand through his hair. “Did you have fun?”

  “I did,” Melody replied with a nod. “The parade really was great this year. They added a lot more floats. I couldn’t believe how many people were there.”

  “It was crowded, but it’s nice to see so many people enjoying themselves, spending time with their families.”

  The mention of spending time with family at the parade made Melody think of her dad, and she felt her face fall a bit. Hoping Reid wouldn’t notice, she took another sip of her drink.

  Clearly, he did notice. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say anything….”

  She cut him off. “No, it’s fine. It’s… fine.”

  “You probably have a lot of memories of your dad at the parade, huh?” he asked quietly.

  Nodding, Melody said, “Yes, I do.” She meant to cut her words off then, but whether it was her tendency to ramble or the fact that his blue eyes were watching her so intently, she continued to speak. “I lost my dad the Christmas Eve before last, so of course, that year was awful. Nothing was as it should be. And then, last year, I didn’t even bother to go to the parade. I tried to go to the festival, but I ended up running out after just a few songs. It was just so hard to sit there, surrounded by the things he loved, at the time of year he held most sacred, and know he wasn’t there—that none of those moments we shared would ever come around again.”

  Reid was quiet, listening to each word and seeming to contemplate a fitting answer. She knew there was nothing he could say to comfort her, though. So many people had tried over these past two years, but no one was capable of saying words that did not exist. He reached across the table, and she realized he wanted her hand, which she gave to him. He took her hand in both of his, and this time, rather than the electric tingles she was used to, she felt warmth radiating from him. Though his hands were rough from years of work, his touch was soft and comforting. With a single touch, he was able to convey the message so many others had tried and failed to speak.

  Eventually, he said softly, “I’m so sorry, Mel.”

  She felt a tear in the corner of her eye, but she didn’t brush it away, and despite the sadness, she realized she was smiling. “No one ever calls me that—except for my dad. And you.” He looked surprised, but before he could attempt to apologize, she said, “I really like it when you call me that.”

  The crooked grin she found so endearing was back. “Good.”

  Melody took a deep breath and let it out. There was more she wanted to say, but she hesitated to do so. Even though this didn’t feel like a first date, it really was one, and she didn’t want to alarm him. At the same time, she thought he needed to know how much he had already helped her make the holidays special again. “There are so many things I’ve done this Christmas that I never thought I’d do again. You and Michael have changed everything for me. You’ve made me see the magic of the season again. And even though things will never be the same for me ever again, at least now I know I can decorate a Christmas tree and have a snowball fight without constantly thinking of only my dad.”

  Gently squeezing her hand, Reid said, “I’m not sure what it was that made Michael approach you in the hardware store, but I’m so glad that he did.”

  “Me, too,” Melody said, smiling at him. Michael seemed to possess a bit of Christmas magic himself.

  Reid cleared his throat and pulled his eyes away from her. “There’s just one thing, Melody, that I think you should consider.”

  She leaned forward a bit, having no idea what he might be about to say. “What’s that?”

  “Music, Mel,” he said, glancing back up at her. “Do you think you’ll ever…?”

  “No,” she said, and though she was tempted to pull her hand back, shocked he’d even mention the subject, she stayed perfectly still.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, shrugging. “I don’t want to butt in. It’s not my place. I just… more than one person has mentioned to me what a beautiful voice you have, how talented you are, and I guess I’m
just sad that Michael, and I haven’t gotten to hear for ourselves.”

  Melody stared at him for a moment, not quite knowing what to say. “Music is something my father and I shared. Without him there… it’s like a song without a beat. Like a bunch of disjointed chords that clash when they come together. I hear music in everything, but none of it sounds like a song.”

  She could tell by his expression that he didn’t quite understand, and she couldn’t blame him. How could he? It didn’t even make sense to her when she thought it in her own mind, let alone voicing it aloud. So many people had attempted to get her to sing again these past few years, to play the piano, but she couldn’t. She just couldn’t.

  After a long, awkward silence, he cleared his throat again and said, “I hope you find your song again, Melody. I really do. I think you have the ability to touch a lot of people, and even though you don’t need music to do that, I think it’s your gift.”

  Melody was at a loss for words. How could someone she’d only known for a few weeks who’d never even heard her sing, seem to know her so well? If he’d been talking to the Melody before her father died, he’d be absolutely spot on. But she wasn’t that girl anymore. She’d known in her heart the moment her father passed away she’d never be that girl again. Now, sitting in a diner, holding the hand of the first man who’d ever truly spoken to her heart, she began to feel something different there. What was that soft, glimmering spark inside of her? Why did she suddenly feel as if she might have been wrong and her song was still alive after all?

  Before she could say anything in response, Valerie was back with two heaping portions of chicken fried chicken with mashed potatoes, white gravy, and a huge helping of green beans. “Alrighty,” she said, as Melody and Reid moved their hands so she’d have room on the table. “Here we are. I’ll come back and refill your drinks in a minute. Is there anything else I can get you?”

  “I think that will do it. Thank you,” Melody said as Valerie gave them a nod and hustled off to help another table.

  “Now, would you say this chicken is fried like a chicken or like a steak?” Reid asked, eyeing the meal he probably didn’t even realize he’d ordered.

  Placing a paper napkin in her lap, Melody chuckled. “Definitely chicken.”

  “If you say so,” he sighed. “I’m still not sure how you can tell.”

  “Just try it. You won’t regret it,” she assured him, cutting hers into small pieces before she finally took a bite. It was just as delicious as it always was.

  After Reid’s first bite, he nodded and said, “I have to agree with you there. Y’all sure know how to fry up a chicken like a chicken.”

  Melody laughed, secretly praying she didn’t somehow manage to shoot mashed potatoes out her nose at his teasing impression of a Southern accent, and they continued with their meal, the conversation becoming much lighter and carefree. By the time Valerie was back to take their plates and offer some coffee, Melody was too stuffed to order pie, even though it was delicious, and her side hurt from laughing so much.

  With the plates gone and so much space on the table, Melody wondered what she might have to do to get Reid to hold her hand again. Since she wasn’t willing to talk about her dad or music anymore, she figured that she’d just have to see if he took her hand later, perhaps on their way to the truck. He was quiet, and Melody wondered what he might be thinking about. There were still so many things she wanted to know, but the most important topic of all seemed so invasive, she wasn’t exactly sure how to approach it or if she even should. Maybe they’d had enough heavy discussion for one night.

  Valerie set their coffees down and the check, which Reid grabbed before Melody could even think about reaching for it. He took care of it and Valerie wished them both a nice evening, insisting they holler if they needed anything else.

  “Thank you for dinner,” Melody said, with a shy smile.

  “Thank you for agreeing to come on a date with me—and Michael. And for everything else.”

  Melody raised an eyebrow. “Like what? Having you fix my door knob or set up my Christmas tree?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Picking my son up from school, going Christmas tree hunting with us, helping us decorate our tree. Shall I go on?”

  “All of that was fun,” she said shrugging.

  “So was fixing your door knob and setting up your Christmas tree,” he said raising his eyebrows and taking a sip of his steaming coffee.

  “Well, at any rate, thank you,” she said dismissively.

  “You’re welcome,” he replied, setting his mug down. “And by the way, I’m not sure if Michael mentioned this to you, but Santa Claus is going to be at the library tomorrow.”

  “What? He is? No, he didn’t mention it at all.”

  “I think my sarcasm is growing on you,” he said with a crooked grin. Melody raised and lowered her eyebrows a few times without commenting, which made him chuckle. “So… you wanna go? I promise it will be riveting.”

  “Do I wanna go? Yeah, of course I wanna go. Oh, wait you mean with you?” She waited for his mock shocked face to set in, and then she giggled. “I’m just playing. Yes, I’d love to go.”

  “Well, technically, it was Michael who wanted to ask you first,” he said, as if she had hurt his feelings. “So if you said no, you’d really be saying no to him.”

  “You know I want to go,” she said, swatting at him, though she didn’t reach anywhere near far enough across the table to actually hit him. “What do you think he’s going to ask Santa for?”

  Reid became slightly more serious, and Melody remembered the conversation they’d had in the hallway when she’d been helping them decorate the Christmas tree. “Hopefully it will be something I can buy at a store. I have gotten him some things I know he’ll like, and some stuff he needs, like pajamas and socks, but I’m honestly not sure what his big request might be.”

  Melody nodded and took a drink of her coffee which was almost cool enough not to be scalding now. She much preferred Delaney’s cocoa, but there was no substitute for it, and she wasn’t about to ask for hot chocolate here. “I’ve been thinking about what to get him myself, and I have no idea.”

  “You don’t have to get him anything,” Reid said quickly.

  “I know I don’t have to,” she replied, emphasizing the “have.” She shrugged again. “I want to, though.”

  “You’ve given him the best gift of all—the gift of time. He loves spending time with you more than he could ever enjoy a toy or some other present he’ll just toss under his bed or in the toy box.”

  “If it goes under his bed, it will be lost at sea,” she reminded him, trying to keep her expression serious. “I will continue to give him as much time as I can, as much as he wants or needs. But it would be nice to be able to get him something he can unwrap, too.”

  “I guess that rules out a puppy,” he said exhaling sharply.

  Melody laughed. “Maybe if I wrapped it right before I gave it to him….”

  “Hopefully, he’ll tell Santa what he wants, and we can get some ideas from that,” Reid suggested. He glanced at his watch, and Melody realized they’d probably need to get going soon. He had to be wondering what Michael was up to.

  She wasn’t ready to let him go just yet, though. With a deep breath, she said, “Can I ask you something?”

  His expression showed her that he was concerned about what she might be about to say, but he replied, “Sure.”

  Attempting to keep her voice as carefree as possible, Melody asked, “Did Michael’s mom really leave when he was only a few weeks old?”

  As if he could tell the question would have something to do with his ex-wife, he seemed to have been bracing himself. He said, “Yes. He was a little over a month old when she decided she’d had enough of being a mom.”

  Melody couldn’t believe her ears. How could anyone walk out on Michael? On either one of them? “I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “That must have been very hard on you.”

  “It
was,” he replied, nodding. “Taking care of a newborn is never easy, especially when you’re trying to do it by yourself. My parents helped. We’re very close. They’d be visiting for Christmas if my sister hadn’t given them a cruise as a gift. But… you know, we made it work. I managed.”

  Melody smiled in sympathy and wished she could say more; it always bothered her when people gave her that look, but what else was there to say? She couldn’t say she understood because she didn’t. Finally, she managed, “He’s very lucky to have you.”

  Reid scoffed. “I guess,” he said. “I mean, there are probably better parents out there. People who have a better understanding of how to properly raise a child. But I’m doing the best I can, and he’s not a criminal—yet. So I guess I’m doing okay.”

  Melody laughed. “He’s a great kid. And you’re an amazing dad. I honestly don’t have any idea how anyone could walk out on… on you… on either one of you.”

  He held her gaze for a long while, and Melody felt the hair on her arms stand up as if there was actual electricity in the air. Breaking the tension, he looked down at the table. “Rebecca and I had our issues long before Michael was born. She wanted me to make more money—but she also wanted me to travel with her. She wanted financial security and freedom at the same time, which is impossible when you’re young, unless your parents are independently wealthy, I guess. I think we were too young when we got married. She didn’t know what she wanted to do with her life, and eventually she realized, whatever it was, she couldn’t do it with me. That was before Michael, though. I guess we thought if we had a baby we’d figure it out. But clearly we didn’t, and by the time she was in her last trimester, she was already voicing that she thought we’d made a mistake. I was hopeful that, when the baby arrived, she’d change her mind. She’d see his face and instantly fall in love with him. And that’s exactly what happened to me. I mean, I loved him even before he was born, but the second I held him in my arms, I knew my life would never be the same. Rebecca knew that, too, I guess. The idea that brought me unimaginable joy made her feel trapped and hopeless. So she left.”