Melody's Christmas

by ID Johnson

  Just as it had the night before, the feel of his hand in hers gave her the sensation of warmth and safety. Melody felt herself relax and decided to concentrate on enjoying the moment, and as they continued to slowly make their way to the front of the line, they began a discussion of popular Christmas movies which completely took her mind off of her mom, her dad, music, everything except for Reid and his uncanny ability to quote holiday films.

  When there were only a few other families in front of them, Michael looked up and said something to his friend before trotting over to join them. “Dad, we read Olive the Other Reindeer,” he said, slipping under the tinsel.

  “That sounds like a great book, buddy,” his dad said. “Did you have fun with Hailey?”

  “Yeah. She’s going to church tomorrow. Am I going with Mrs. Gregory?”

  “As far as I know,” Reid said. He’d let go of Melody’s hand when Michael approached, and while she missed the comfort of his touch, she understood why he wasn’t ready to show any sort of intimacy in front of his son. “Unless you wanted to kidnap one of these polar bears and ride it.”

  “Dad!” Michael said as if he were exhausted by too many dad jokes. “You could take me.”

  “I can’t tomorrow, buddy.” Reid scooted up in the line, and they were almost to the front.

  Michael hung his head, and Melody felt sorry for him. She had no idea why Reid refused to go to church, even to see Michael practice, and she knew it wasn’t her place to say anything in front of the child, but she wanted to ask him as soon as she could. Likewise, she wouldn’t mind picking Michael up and bringing him home herself. Even though she hadn’t been planning on staying for rehearsal, she did want him to have a familiar face in the audience because she knew how much it meant to him.

  When it was Michael’s turn, his disappointment melted away, and he bounded forward onto Santa’s lap, a huge smile plastered on his face. One of the elves guided Reid and Melody to a little waiting area as another snapped Michael’s picture. Melody couldn’t help but giggle at how animated he was as he told Santa who knows what. The magical old elf was quite patient and let Michael go on for a bit. Then, it seemed as if he must have asked Michael what he wanted for Christmas because Michael suddenly grew quite serious. He asked Santa something, and Santa shook his head. Michael’s eyes focused directly on her face, and Melody smiled and waved, but he didn’t wave back. Instead, he used both of his tiny hands to cover his mouth as he leaned in to Santa and whispered something. Santa’s eyes went to Melody as well, and he was quiet for a second before he leaned into Michael’s ear and whispered something back. Michael nodded, though his face was still quite serious, and then Santa must have said something funny, because Michael began to laugh. After another moment, Michael wrapped his arms around Santa’s neck and then hopped off of his knee. On his way over to them, an elf handed him a candy cane, and Michael smiled.

  “Why don’t you take him over to look at the polar bears, and I’ll go check out the pictures,” Reid said, and Melody nodded. She wondered if he had noticed the odd exchange between the two, but she couldn’t ask him just now.

  “Dad! I met Santa!” Michael exclaimed, lunging at his dad.

  “I know!” he replied, catching him. “Did you tell him what you want for Christmas?”

  “Uh huh!”

  “What did you ask for?” Reid asked.

  “It’s a secret,” Michael replied, closing his lips tight.

  Reid let out an exaggerated sigh. “All right. Well, why don’t you go over there with Miss Melody for a minute, and I’ll be there in a bit.”

  “Come on, Michael,” Melody said, extending her hand, which he took. “Let’s go check out this polar bear.”

  Standing in front of the wooden cutout, Michael glanced up, and said, “Wow—he’s tall. And furry.”

  Melody giggled. “Yes, he is. Did you have fun talking to Santa?”

  “Yep,” Michael replied.

  Knowing that he hadn’t been willing to tell Reid anything, she doubted Michael would tell her either, but she wanted to know if Michael had asked for the gift she suspected he had. “I bet I can guess what you asked for.”

  He looked up at her out of the corner of his eye. “Bet you can’t,” he said shaking his head.

  Melody pretended to think. “Hmmm. Was it… a football?”

  “Nope.” His eyes were trained on the bear again.

  “How about… some tinker toys?”

  “What are those?” he asked, his forehead crinkled up.

  “They’re like Legos,” she explained, “only made of wood.”

  “Nope and nope.”

  “How about a Red Ryder BB gun?” she asked, running her hand through his hair.

  Michael looked at her like she was crazy. “Noooo.”

  “All right. I give up,” Melody said with a sigh. “I guess I can’t figure it out. What was it?”

  Michael glanced over her shoulder as if he was looking to see if his dad was nearby. When he saw that Reid was still talking to the elf with the pictures, he tugged on her coat sleeve. Melody bent down, and with his hand up to cover his mouth, he whispered into her ear, “I asked Santa for a new mom.”

  Melody dropped to her knees. Even though that is what she had suspected, actually hearing him say it was still a shock. Trying to keep her expression nonchalant, she asked, “You did?” Michael nodded sharply. “What did he say?”

  “He said he’d see what he could do, but that was a tough one this close to Christmas,” Michael said with a shrug, his face showing disappointment.

  “I’m sure that would be difficult, Michael,” Melody agreed, stroking his hair again.

  “But, Miss Melody. I didn’t ask for just any old mom.”

  “You didn’t?” she asked, confused.

  “No,” he replied, his little face quite serious. “I asked for you to be my mom.”

  Melody felt all of the color drain out of her face as she fumbled for a response. Luckily, Reid came up behind her just then and said in a cheerful voice, “All right, little man. You ready to go?” He helped Melody up, and she could tell by his expression that he could see something was troubling her, but he didn’t ask just then, and as Michael agreed that he would be ready to go so long as they could stop and get a cheeseburger, Melody followed them toward the door.

  “Do you want to see the picture?” Reid asked, handing it over.

  Melody took it and felt her countenance change. Michael looked overjoyed sitting on Santa’s knee, and the man smiling back at him looked absolutely genuine. Melody wished that he was the real Santa; maybe then he could make Michael’s wish come true. “He’s so adorable,” Melody said, handing the picture back to Reid.

  When they got outside, Michael immediately noticed a group of children building a snowman over in the side yard of the library. “Dad! Can I go play?” he asked.

  Reid seemed to hesitate but finally said, “Yeah, sure. For a few minutes.” Michael was off and running before the sentence got out of his mouth. “That kid. Always running. No wonder he has to eat six pounds of candy every day in order to survive.”

  Melody giggled and made her way to a bench not far from where Michael was playing, her mind going back to the first time she’d sat on a similar bench with Reid to watch Michael play in the snow. As he had done the first time, he hurried to brush the snow off and then sat down beside her. This time he sat much closer, his arm around her shoulders. Despite the cold, Melody felt warm all over.

  “Did he tell you what he asked Santa for?” Reid asked quietly.

  Even though she was hesitant to do so, Melody nodded. “Yes. But I’m kind of afraid to tell you.”

  He let out a nervous chuckle. “Why is that?”

  “You might be the one riding the polar bear off into the sunset.”

  “That bad, huh?” he asked.

  He was running his fingers through the ends of her hair, and Melody found the sensation more than slightly distracting. “I’ll let you be th
e judge of that,” she replied. “Just hard for me to say.”

  “Well?”

  “He asked Santa to make me his new mother,” she said with a loud exhale.

  Reid’s eyebrows raised, and he stared at her for a long moment. “I see.”

  “Santa told him that might be hard to do on such short notice,” she further explained.

  “And how did Michael take that?”

  Melody sighed. “He seemed disappointed. I’m sorry, Reid. I don’t know why he’s decided that I’m supposed to be his mom. It’s like… since he first met me, he immediately picked me out for that purpose.”

  “I don’t know either,” Reid replied, “but I’m glad he did. Melody, I’m not sorry that Michael feels the way he does about you. I’m surprised because it’s only been a few weeks, but it’s not hard for me to imagine he could love you already.”

  She was looking into his eyes now and couldn’t pull herself away. “I love him, Reid. I honestly do. It must sound so bizarre to hear someone say that about your child, but it’s like he’s just… supposed to be in my life. Is that crazy?”

  “Not at all,” he assured her. “Because he’s not the only one who’s fallen for you.”

  Melody could hardly believe what she was hearing. Did that mean what she thought it did? She didn’t know if she should laugh or cry, and with his soft lips so very close to her own, her first instinct was to lean in and show him just how much she felt the same. But with Michael and his friends playing nearby, she knew that was not an option, so she finally managed to say, “Maybe there is such a thing as Christmas magic after all.”

  He looked at her lips and then back to her eyes before clearing his throat and scooting away from her just a bit, and Melody was certain he was having the same thought she was. “Of course, I know we still need to take our time and not rush into anything. It’s only been a few weeks, after all.”

  “Right,” Melody agreed quickly, wondering how her face could feel so warm when she was sitting outside in the cold. “I guess we don’t need to wonder how Michael will feel about it.”

  Reid laughed. “No, I think his reaction might be a little different than yours when you found out about your mom dating again.”

  Melody felt the urge to elbow him in the ribs but didn’t do so. She realized now she’d been acting selfishly, and she owed her mother an apology. In fact, she wanted to make sure she was home when her mother got back from her date so she could speak to her right away. Slowly, Melody was beginning to realize how other people were managing to let the world continue to spin despite her father’s absence from it, and she knew now that it wasn’t her place to force her ideals on anyone else, especially when she had been willing to make so many exceptions herself.

  Michael’s laughter was so loud, they could hear it ringing through the air even across the lawn. It reminded Melody of how joyful he was when he was on stage singing, and she looked at Reid, the question forming on her lips before she had a chance to stop it. The words were almost out when she inhaled sharply, the moment of hesitation enough to make her stutter a few times and then close her mouth quickly.

  He cocked his head to the side and gave her a curious look. “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she nodded. “I just… I was going to ask you something, and then I decided it wasn’t my business.”

  Reid cleared his throat and readjusted on the bench. “I’m sorry, Melody. I know how important church is to you, and I promise I will work on it, but it will be very difficult for me to even consider ever returning to religion.”

  Melody felt her eyes widen. She hadn’t realized it was such a serious matter. “Do you mind me asking what happened?” she asked, quietly.

  He ran his hand through his hair and shrugged. “I guess… I just decided after Rebecca left that any God who would let that happen, after I’d spent years doing what I believed He wanted me to, wasn’t really who I thought He was. Rebecca and I spent years actively involved in our church, and then He let her just walk out of our lives. So I decided to walk away from Him the way that He let Rebecca walk away from me.”

  Melody absorbed his statement and turned her gaze to the expanse of undisturbed white in front of her. She could understand that. She’d had similar feelings herself when her dad passed away, and several times since then, if she was completely honest. “There were times when I screamed at God, when I asked Him how He could do this—especially on the day we celebrate the birth of His son. I get it. I do. But I came to the realization one day that I needed Him far more than He needed me. And it turned out He still had a place for me if I was willing to accept it.”

  “I guess I’m just not there yet,” Reid replied, absently running his free hand down the side of his jeans.

  Melody turned to face him now. “Okay. I can absolutely understand that. So I won’t ask you to go to church for Him,” she looked up, and then returning her eyes to meet Reid’s she said, “I’ll ask you to go for him.” She nodded at Michael. “You don’t even have to come to the service. Just come and watch him sing. You won’t regret it, I promise.”

  Reid opened his mouth as if he would protest, but Melody cut him off. “Come on, Reid. Take a chance. See what unfolds. You never know when something magical might happen.”

  That crooked smile began to play at the corners of his mouth. “Is that a Murphy Family rule?”

  “That’s rule number one,” she replied, nodding. “And probably the best one of all.”

  “How about I promise I’ll think about it?” he asked.

  Melody nodded. That was better than nothing, and if that was all that she could get for now, she would take it. It still left room for another bit of Christmas magic. Reid pulled her in closer, and she rested her head on his shoulder, watching Michael dash around chasing a friend. The child’s laughter rang out in the air, and Melody could hear a song in it, clear, true, and just as beautiful as any melody she’d ever heard before.

  Melody spent the rest of the afternoon with Michael and Reid, eating a late lunch and enjoying the sights and sounds of Christmas. Eventually, she’d decided she needed to get home so that she could speak to her mom, and reluctantly, Reid had taken her back to the house. There was no question of a kiss goodbye with Michael along for the ride, and Melody had simply squeezed Reid’s hand on the front porch as she thanked him for a lovely day and went inside. Secretly, she hoped she’d see him tomorrow, but she had no idea whether or not he would consider her advice and come to rehearsal. While she wanted to think he might, she knew it wasn’t likely. She was living proof that convictions were difficult to break free of.

  Her mother’s car was not in the driveway yet, but she wasn’t sure if that meant she wasn’t home yet or that she hadn’t stopped off to get her car as planned. She hung her coat on a hook by the entryway and slipped out of her boots before making her way to the kitchen, where she expected her mother might be if she were home. She found it empty and decided to busy herself by cleaning up a little bit. When her mother came in an hour or so later, Melody had just finished unloading the dishwasher.

  “Oh, it looks nice in here. Thanks, honey,” Sarah said, leaning against the kitchen counter. “How was Santa?”

  “Good, Mom,” Melody replied, crossing the room to face her. “How was Mr. Haywood?”

  Sarah’s smile broadened. “We had a nice lunch. We got so busy talking, we completely lost track of time.”

  “That’s nice,” Melody said. Taking a deep breath, she added, “Mom, I’m sorry about how I reacted last night. It wasn’t fair of me. If you’re ready to try dating again, who am I to tell you not to?”

  Sarah seemed surprised at first, her eyebrows rising a bit, before her smile returned and she lovingly patted her daughter’s hand. “Thank you, Melody. That means a lot to me.”

  “You’re welcome, Mom.”

  Crossing around the counter, Sarah wrapped her arms around her daughter and kissed her forehead. “Sometimes the song in your heart is louder than t
he words in your head, darling, if you’ll only allow yourself to listen.”

  Melody was still stammering for words when her mother patted her on the shoulder and went back out the way she had come. While Melody was certain she knew exactly what her mother was saying to her, she hadn’t realized that her mom had also been ignoring her heart, and she wondered just how long the concern for her daughter had prevented her mother from moving on. Sighing, Melody rested her hands on the counter and prayed that she would have the strength to try to listen to her own song again. Maybe, if she really concentrated on it, the music inside of her could set her free from the prison she’d constructed for herself built on convictions she now realized had less to do with her father than they did her own insecurities.

  Chapter 14

  Melody exited the assembly area of the church where the ladies had put together another nice luncheon for those who would be staying for festival rehearsal and made her way into the sanctuary. She’d sat with her mother and Mr. Haywood this time, along with Michael and the Gregorys, and the more she’d gotten to know Curtis, the more she could see why her mother was attracted to him. He was certainly a successful, respectable man, and Melody felt foolish for ever having tried to convince her mother not to follow her heart.

  Michael hadn’t mentioned his father at all—not even once—the entire time Melody had sat right next to him. She found that peculiar but didn’t nudge him because she wasn’t sure how he felt about Reid not being there. Whether or not he had made up an excuse or just told Michael he didn’t want to talk about it anymore, she was certain it would still be difficult for the little boy to stand on stage and look out at the audience to find his father’s face missing.

  Once in the sanctuary, she slid into her usual seat on the end of the pew and watched as Michael took his place between Hailey and another friend. Mrs. Gregory was just about to lead them into the first song when she saw Michael’s face brighten, and glancing up, she realized why he was so happy.