Melody's Christmas

by ID Johnson

  “Is this seat taken?” Reid asked, gesturing to the pew beside her.

  Unable to find words at first, Melody slid over so that he could take her spot, and he sat down beside her, wrapping his arm around the back of the pew behind her. Finally, she managed to say, “Well, hello there.”

  “Hi,” he said, grinning at her a moment before he returned his attention to Michael who was waving furiously. Reid waved back, and Michael returned his focus to Mrs. Gregory who also smiled at them momentarily before beginning the song.

  “Did he know you were coming?” Melody asked, leaning over and quietly whispering into his ear.

  “Sure,” he shrugged. “What? He didn’t say anything?”

  “Not a peep.”

  He laughed. “Good boy. I told him not to tell you. I thought it should be a surprise.”

  “Oh, I’m surprised, all right,” she admitted. “Pleasantly surprised.”

  Though his eyes had been glued on Michael, he turned to look at her then and squeezed her shoulder. Saying nothing, he returned his gaze to his son.

  After a few songs, Melody’s curiosity got the better of her. “What made you change your mind?”

  Reid shrugged, as if he hadn’t just made a potentially life altering decision. “You did. I mean, I thought about what you said. I was being stubborn for no apparent reason, and I was letting it affect the people I care the most about. You were right. What Michael expects of me is far more important than any ridiculous expectations I may have placed on God that He has no obligation to fulfill. Now, that doesn’t mean I’ll be joining a Bible study group anytime soon, but I’m willing to open my ears again—and my heart.”

  Since Melody knew kissing him for the first time in church would be more than a little inappropriate, she reached up and interlaced her fingers with his where they rested on her shoulder. “I’m so glad you were able to do that,” she said, smiling from ear to ear. “I know it means everything to Michael. And to me.”

  He squeezed her hand back, but then, turning to face her, he said, “Just promise me that, if the opportunity presents itself to you to truly listen to your own heart, Mel, you’ll take it, okay? Life is too short to miss out on the special moments, the moments we have to really make a difference for someone else because of anxiety or fear.”

  She stared into his piercing blue eyes and thought for a moment it was as if he were looking into her very soul. She knew exactly what he was asking of her—that should the moment arise, she’d take a leap of faith and trust herself, and God, that she could do whatever she needed to in order to prove her love to others. In her case, that would mean she’d have to face the music again, and while she couldn’t imagine ever being strong enough to scale that wall, she found herself nodding. After what he had done to show her he was listening, to show Michael he was more important than anyone else, how could she do anything but promise that she would at least try?

  Melody returned her attention to Michael hoping that she’d have plenty of time to grow comfortable with the idea. After all, whenever one tries, there’s always a chance of failure, and facing her fears and finding she wasn’t able to overcome them was even more terrifying than the idea of never hearing her song again.

  The Christmas Festival was an all day event that started the morning of Christmas Eve with a craft fair, as well as various baking, art, and craft contests, activities for the children, and of course, the Christmas concert at the church. Most of the events were outside or in different buildings around the downtown area, but the concert would be held in the sanctuary of the First Baptist Church like it was every year.

  Reid picked Melody up mid-morning and they spent most of the day walking around visiting the booths and checking out the contest winners, including Mrs. Gregory’s sugar cookies. Soft Christmas music played over the downtown PA system, and even when a familiar song came on, Melody realized it wasn’t bothering her as much as it had before. Somehow in the past few weeks, she’d learned to associate ideas other than memories of her father with the songs that used to make her heart ache.

  Michael particularly liked the pony rides a local farmer had provided, and Melody was pretty sure he’d stay glued to the back of that horse all day long if Reid didn’t tempt him down with the promise of a trip to Delaney’s for a muffin.

  Once the sun started to drop below the horizon, the Christmas lights began to twinkle, and the crisp air had a note of magic in it. Melody had always thought Christmas Eve was the most magical night of the year. A light snow began to fall as she and Reid walked hand in hand—Michael grasping her other hand—toward the church so that he could get ready for the Christmas concert. He was skipping along, attempting to catch snowflakes on his tongue, bubbling over with excitement that he would soon be singing and saying his line for all to hear.

  The program didn’t start until 6:00, but Mrs. Gregory had asked all of the children to be there by 5:00 so that she could make sure those that had costumes were dressed and that everyone was prepared. As soon as they entered, Michael ran off to join his friends, and Reid shook his head as usual, watching him go.

  Walking into the sanctuary, Melody saw the smiling faces of a few parents and children who had arrived already, but as soon as she saw Mrs. Gregory’s expression standing in front of the stage, she knew something was wrong. She did not wear the countenance of a woman pleased as punch to have won the Christmas cookie contest.

  “Oh, Melody, thank goodness,” Mrs. Gregory said, rushing over to meet her. “Darling, I need your help. The children need your help.”

  Melody felt her heart skip a beat and a knot formed in her stomach. “What’s wrong, Mrs. Gregory,” she asked, thankful for Reid’s hands behind her on her shoulders.

  Mrs. Gregory brushed white hair off of her forehead where a thin layer of perspiration had begun to form despite the chill in the air. “It’s Mrs. Watson,” she explained. “I sent Allen over to pick her up about a half hour ago, and he said she was so feverish, he decided to take her immediately to the hospital. He’s afraid she has pneumonia.”

  “Oh, my goodness!” Melody exclaimed, her hands flying to cover her mouth. “Poor Mrs. Watson! Is she going to be okay?”

  “I pray she will be, but Allen hasn’t called me back yet. Now, Melody, you know I wouldn’t ask this if I weren’t really in a pickle, but without Mrs. Watson here, I’m the only one who knows how to play piano. The adult choir is singing to prerecorded music, so I can’t borrow a pianist from them.”

  Melody knew what she was getting at before she even asked, and she involuntarily felt her head begin to shake no before the question was even out of the older woman’s mouth.

  “Melody, dear, there’s no one else. I can play, but then you’d have to lead the children in the songs. Or you could play and I’ll lead them as planned. But, darling, I need your help, or else there are going to be an awfully lot of disappointed children and parents tonight.”

  “But… Mrs. Gregory, I don’t play piano anymore. And I certainly don’t sing.”

  “I know dear, but, don’t you think that your father would want you to do this?”

  The question was a bold one, and Melody’s immediate response was both defensive and rude, so she bit her tongue. Before she could think of something suitable to say, Reid was excusing the pair of them and dragging her a few steps back down the aisle. “Melody, you have to do this,” he said in a calm voice, looking her in the eye.

  “Reid, I can’t,” Melody exclaimed. “You can’t honestly expect me to go up on that stage—the very one I was supposed to be singing on the night my father died—while he was rushing home so that I wouldn’t have to go on by myself…. There’s no way.”

  His expression softened as he realized exactly why it was that Melody harbored so much guilt about music. “Oh, Mel. I didn’t know.”

  She let out a sigh. “If I hadn’t told him to hurry, maybe….”

  “Melody, Mrs. Gregory told me an eighteen wheeler slid on an icy patch and hit your father
’s car. She said there was nothing at all he could have done differently. He wasn’t even speeding.”

  “I know, but still…. If he hadn’t been trying to get back here to play for me, so I could sing at the festival, maybe the accident wouldn’t have happened.”

  Reid pulled her into his shoulder and wrapped his arms around her, clearly not caring who may be looking on. “Melody, you can’t blame yourself for what happened to your dad. And you can’t continue to sacrifice the music you love so dearly because you think it was your love for music that cost him his life. These kids need you, and you can get up there, and you can play, and you can make this Christmas magical for this entire town.”

  Melody took a step backwards and looked up into his pristine blue eyes. “What if… I get up there, and I can’t do it?”

  “There’s only one way to find out,” he said, the crooked grin she loved so much on his face. “A wise woman once told me, ‘Take a chance. See what unfolds. You never know. Something magical might happen.’”

  Listening to him recite her father’s number one rule word for word brought tears to her eyes, but she knew in her heart that Reid was right. Even if she got on stage and couldn’t make her fingers fumble through the songs, she had to try. Her head was still shaking side to side, but her mouth was saying, “Okay. I’ll try.”

  “You’ll try?” he repeated, nodding up and down slowly until her head began to move the right way.

  “Yes, I’ll try,” Melody repeated.

  Mrs. Gregory was next to them now. “Did I hear you correctly?” she asked, smiling. “You’ll try?”

  “Yes,” Melody said again. “But I can’t wear this. Do I have time to go home and change?” While she was wearing jeans and a nice sweater beneath her coat, she’d never worn something so casual on stage at the Christmas Festival before.

  “Hurry!” Mrs. Gregory said, waving her hands as if she’d push them out the door. “I’ll keep an eye on Michael. Thank you, Melody!”

  Reid had her by the hand and was rushing her toward the front of the church, and Melody tried to take things one step at a time, hoping that once she was actually sitting in front of the piano, she would have somehow accepted what she was about to do, though the idea of being on that stage again terrified her to the core.

  The hustle through the crowd back to Reid’s truck and the short drive to her house was a blur, though Melody was aware that all the way home he was holding her hand, his thumb tracing calming circles near her thumb, and before she knew it, she was standing in front of her closet peering inside, wondering what to do.

  She knew she had an appropriate dress hanging in the back of her closet. She’d shoved it back there exactly two years ago when she’d been so disgusted by it she’d never wanted to see it again. Her father had picked it out for her. It was white with silver rhinestones, and though it was a little fancier than anything she’d worn for the festival before, it went perfectly with the song he’d written for her to sing that night. There were other garments she could have worn, but standing in front of the closet, she realized, if she was going to face her fears, she may as well face them completely.

  Not having the hour it usually took her to get ready for anything, she pulled the dress out and slipped it on, barely managing the zipper on her own. She ran into the bathroom and fixed her makeup and pulled her hair up into a chignon, though it was a bit messier than she’d have liked. She grabbed some earrings out of her jewelry box and then ran back to her closet to find the matching shoes her father had also picked out for her. She remembered how he’d laughed that he’d put some glitter on his loafers so they’d match as she slipped on the silvery white heels.

  Fifteen minutes later, she carefully made her way back downstairs. Reid was still standing where she’d left him, right in front of the door, and when he saw her, his expression shifted from worried to mesmerized. “Do I look like I just threw this on?” Melody asked as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

  “Oh, my,” was about all he could manage at first.

  “Reid, I’m not sure I can do this.”

  “Melody, you look absolutely stunning.”

  “Thank you,” she said, blushing. She knew he was at least one statement behind her, so she looked at him, wide eyed, waiting for him to catch up.

  “You can, Mel. I know you can. But even if you fall off the stage or some nervous kid pukes on your shoes, the most important thing is that you are going to try.”

  Melody couldn’t help but laugh, which she was sure was the point of his examples. “Do you think that one of those things might happen?”

  “Nah,” he said, “so hitting a few sour notes won’t matter at all so long as you don’t have any vomit on those sparkly shoes.”

  “The shoes are one thing, but if anything happens to this dress, the guy who talked me into this is paying for it!”

  He began to laugh. “You’re so funny, Mel. Gosh, I love you.”

  Melody froze, her eyes doubling in size. It only took him a moment to realize what he’d said, and even though there was color creeping up his neck, a much more serious Reid placed his hands on her hips, and pulling her close to him said, “I mean… what I meant to say was, you’re amazing, Mel. I’ve never met anyone so kind-hearted and generous, so intelligent and selfless. And for all of those reasons and a hundred more I don’t have time to list, I love you, Melody.”

  More than ever before in her entire life, Melody felt like singing. She felt like dancing, like twirling around and shouting from the rooftops. Sliding her hands up his arms until they were resting on his chest, she said, “I love you, too.”

  “You do?” he asked, quietly, just a few inches away from her now.

  “Mmm hmm.” The scent of him was overwhelming, and her eyes fluttered from that ocean of blue to those soft lips.

  “You sure about that?”

  “Absolutely,” she whispered, completely caught in his gravity.

  Reid leaned in, his mouth just a fraction of an inch from hers, and Melody closed her eyes, her breaths coming in short gasps, the fragrance of pine and leather making her heart staccato. When she thought she could wait no more, he closed the distance, and she felt the soft brush of his lips on hers. She ran her hand up to the back of his head and leaned in, hoping he sensed just how long she’d been waiting for this moment.

  Once he released her, Melody took a step back, and looking into his twinkling eyes, she said, “Now that’s a Christmas memory I’ll never forget.”

  Reid laughed. “Me neither. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” She would never grow tired of hearing him say those words.

  “Now come on, lady. I need to get you to the church on time.”

  “Well, I am wearing white,” she reminded him with a giggle as he helped her slide into her coat.

  “Maybe we’ll save that for next Christmas,” Reid said as they walked out into a gently falling snow.

  Even though she was in a hurry, Melody stopped and looked up at the sky. The stars lit the expanse of the heavens, and the snow glistened in their light as it floated down to Earth. All around her, she heard the soft tinkling sound of the snowflakes as they fell, and in her heart, Melody could hear the music. She could hear the song in the falling snow.

  Chapter 15

  Finding a parking spot was not easy, and Reid insisted on dropping Melody off at the church and then going to park the truck. She didn’t want him to be late, but she knew she had to be on time, and the program would be starting in just a few moments, so he wished her good luck and she ducked inside, trying to concentrate on his proclamation at her house instead of the butterflies in her stomach.

  When Melody reached the sanctuary, she saw her mother seated with the rest of the adult choir members in the first few rows next to Mr. Haywood. Melody waved, and by the expression on her mother’s face, she could tell Mrs. Gregory had spoken to her. Sarah mouthed, “You look gorgeous!” and Melody silently thanked her before rushing back stage.

>   “Oh, Melody! Thank heavens!” Mrs. Gregory said as she rounded the corner. “My goodness! Look at that dress. You look like an angel.”

  “Thank you,” Melody said, slipping out of her coat and tossing it on a nearby chair. “My dad bought it for me.”

  “It’s lovely,” Mrs. Gregory said, squeezing her arm. “We are just about to go out on stage.”

  “Miss Melody!” Michael shouted running over to her. This time he did not hurl himself at her. Instead, he stopped about a foot away and gazed up at her, saying, “You look so pretty!”

  “Thank you, sweet boy,” Melody said.

  “Are you going to play the piano for us?”

  “I am,” she assured him.

  “Yay!” Michael shouted, no longer able to keep himself from squeezing her midsection. “I love you, Miss Melody.”

  “I love you, too, Michael,” she said, hugging him back.

  “All right, children. It’s time,” Mrs. Gregory said. “Now, go out on stage and take your places.”

  Melody could hear the church pastor saying a few words to the audience, likely introducing the children’s choir, and she took a deep breath, trying to focus on what Reid had said—all she had to do is try.

  “I placed all of the sheet music on the piano already,” Mrs. Gregory explained. “I’m sure you know the right order by now, but they should all be in the correct sequence.”

  Unable to speak, Melody only nodded.

  “Thank you again for doing this,” she continued. “Your father would be so proud of you.”

  Swallowing the lump in her throat, Melody said, “Thank you,” which is all she could manage, and after Mrs. Gregory was several steps in front of her, she finally managed to get her feet to move.

  “One step at a time,” she thought to herself. She saw the piano there, saw the music, saw the bench waiting for her, and as Mrs. Gregory said a few opening words, she slipped onto the bench and looked at the music for the first song.

  She knew all of these carols by heart, had played them each a hundred times, and could likely play much more complicated renditions than these with no sheet music at all, but tonight, she would focus on one song, one chord, one note at a time. At Mrs. Gregory’s signal, Melody readied her hands, saying a silent prayer for guidance, and began to play.