by Alex Bailey
Hyun’s incurable grin remained in place while she stared blankly.
“Disney World!” Sophie quickly plugged her ears and waited for the Hyun eruption.
No squeal. No yell, scream, or wail. In fact, Hyun said nothing. Her mouth flew open and her brows rose and scrunched together to form the letter M. “So why you?”
“Rick’s going to London—”
“Nice!”
“Right? I wouldn’t mind taking his place. He’s covering the queen’s knighting of her corgi handler.”
“Her corgi handler gets a knighthood?”
“Apparently, he’s been in their service for over forty years and . . . well, you know how much they love their corgis. Anyway, so Rick asked if I’d take Ariel since she’s out of school, and spend some time there with my parents.”
“And you said yes? Just like that?”
“What else could I say? It’s Ariel’s Christmas wish.”
“It’s gonna be brutal.”
“Oh, don’t I know.”
Sophie hopped off the desk, erratically wringing and releasing her hands. “It’s Ariel’s wish. To spend time in the place Natalie loved so much.”
“Makes sense to me.” Hyun picked up a snow globe with Mickey and Minnie Mouse building a Mickey-eared snowman and shook it until the snow was so intense that the snowman was no longer visible. “She misses her mother, Sophie. And so do you. It’ll be good for both of you.” She set the snow globe down and picked up a Stitch stuffed animal wearing a Santa hat.
Sophie hung her head. She knew Hyun was right.
“Hold it!” Hyun bolted upright. “What about Darren? Denver? Does he know?”
“Yup. And he’s not too happy about it either.”
“So...he’s going to Denver without you?”
“No, nothing like that. I’m taking Ariel on the twenty-first, after school. Darren’s not coming until Christmas Eve.”
“Which is when you were supposed to be going to Denver,” Hyun gave her a look between confusion and complete joy.
“Right. But we’re pushing Denver to the day after Christmas. I thought it was pretty sweet of Darren to compromise, since I’m the one changing plans. Anyway, my parents will already be there, since—”
“They live there.”
“Right. Darren and Rick will come down on the twenty-fourth to spend Christmas in Florida—”
“Wait.” Hyun set the stuffed animal back in its proper place on her desk among the myriad Christmas and other Disney items, and focused on her friend.
Sophie knew what was coming. Hyun knew her better than anyone and picked up on everything.
Hyun stared directly at her. “You can’t even say it, can you?”
Is she really doing this to me? She knows I already said it. Hyun’s just trying to torture me. “I told you where I’m going to be spending Christmas.”
Hyun frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. “Come on. You’ve made the decision to do this for Ariel. Which, by the way, I’m super proud of you for doing it. I wish it was me taking her.”
“I wish you were too, Hyun,” Sophie whispered under her breath. The best of all worlds—Hyun and Ariel both in their happy place, and Sophie not having to deal with any of it.
“I’ve never really understood why you don’t like Disney coming from such a die-hard Disney family.” Hyun leaned forward and picked up a small piglet toy.
“I dunno. It was just always my parents’ and Natalie’s thing.”
“It could be your thing too, you know.”
Sophie shrugged. “I feel like a Disney villain for not wanting to go.”
“But you are going, so you’re going to do it right. With a smile.” Hyun’s smile returned. “Just say it.”
“Okay, they’re coming down to spend Christmas in...Disney. Rick will stay there with Ariel, and Darren and I will head to Denver the day after Christmas. We’ll still have plenty of time to ski.”
“Sounds like a reasonable compromise.”
“Not to Darren. He’s pretty upset about it,” Sophie returned to her seat on the corner of Hyun’s desk. Recalling the fight she’d had with Darren over the trip was as annoying as the fight itself. He’d acted as if it was something Sophie wanted to do. Getting through to him that it was what she needed to for Ariel had been exhausting.
“He’s getting to go to Disney!” Hyun threw her arms in the air and waved them over her head, as if she were riding a wild rollercoaster.
“Hyun, believe it or not, there are people in this world who are not as thrilled as you about spending time in,” Sophie made air quotes, “the Happiest Place on Earth. Especially at Christmas, when he was expecting to be skiing with his family.”
Hyun’s smile didn’t fade, but she lowered her arms. “Well, I don’t want to live in that world. And I don’t understand those types.”
“Well, I’m one of them. So, I do get it.”
“And besides, Disney World is not the ‘Happiest Place on Earth’, that’s Disneyland. The Magic Kingdom is ‘The Most Magical Place on Earth.’”
Sophie rolled her eyes. Of course she would know that.
“All right, back to the fun stuff. You leave on the twenty-first. Staying in Celebration with your parents? You’re so lucky, they live like ten minutes from the parks. I bet your parents are thrilled.” Hyun’s natural squeal had returned. “They love Disney as much as me!”
“They’re thrilled all right,” Sophie took in a deep breath and held it for just a moment before blowing it out. Talking about the trip was getting her down. “But we can’t stay with them. They’re remodeling, having the wing with the spare bedrooms redone. All new carpet, new bath, paint, the whole shebang. I guess I need a place to stay. Can you help me? The last time we went was Natalie’s graduation, before mom and dad lived there. We stayed at a campsite in my parents’ RV. But I need a hotel. And I’ll need two rooms—one for Ariel and me, and then when Darren comes on Christmas Eve, a separate room for us.”
“Right. We need to get on this. It’s so close to Christmas, it may be hard to get a reservation. What does Ariel like?” Hyun scooted her chair up to her desk and typed on the keyboard, bringing up a list of hotels. “What about Art of Animation? There’s an Ariel room! How cool would that be?”
“Actually, I think Natalie and Rick took her there.” Sophie tried to sound excited, since it was a great idea, but she just couldn’t conjure the enthusiasm in her voice. “It would be nostalgic, I guess.”
Hyun selected the resort and the dates, but there was no availability. “Let’s try it this way.” She put in the dates and allowed the website to select the available hotels. “Hmm, there’s a cabin available in Fort Wilderness. It’s not exactly a campsite.”
A tingle shot up the back of Sophie’s neck as she shivered at the thought of staying anywhere near the campgrounds—the last place she’d stayed with her family. With Natalie. “No thanks. I want a real hotel. With a restaurant in it, in case I don’t feel like going out. What else is available?”
Hyun scrolled down the screen. Every hotel had a note beside it, stating it was unavailable. She accidentally hit the back key and said, “Ah! Now I have to start over.” When she pressed the search button again, a single hotel popped up as having available rooms. “That’s strange. There was nothing a minute ago. Now, there are rooms.”
“How’s that possible?” Sophie said. “A second ago it wasn’t available.” She worried that it might be a mistake. “Hurry, grab it. Whatever it is. It’s the only choice. And if there’s not a second room for Darren and me, we’ll stay someplace else.”
“Another option, if you don’t like this one,” Hyun offered, “is you could stay somewhere else and trek to the park each day.”
“No thanks. Just book it.”
“It’s the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Pretty expensive.”
Sophie wasn’t worried about the expense. Her brother-in-law was a big-time reporter. He could afford it and had said to go all out for hi
s daughter, though Sophie had decided he was really doing it for Natalie. She pulled a piece of paper from her jacket pocket with Rick’s credit card information, and handed it to Hyun. “Rick’s paying for it. He said to do whatever it takes. And it’s perfect! Ariel loves animals.”
“There’s a room with bunk beds,” Hyun said.
“Do you mean only bunk beds? Like I’ll have to climb up and down?” Sophie wasn’t thrilled with it, but she’d do it, if it was required.
“No, it’s got a queen and then bunk beds. And it faces the savanna, so you’ll see the animals right outside your window. I’ve heard the views are spectacular!”
“Book it. Now, before it’s gone. But is there more than one room available? For just me and Darren on the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth? If not, I guess we can find something off property.”
“Yes.” Hyun pulled away from the keyboard, and with an eerie look, she said, “Sophie, this is unheard of. Two rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge for the exact dates you need? Available three weeks before Christmas? It’s a Christmas miracle!”
A feeling, similar to the time she stuck her finger in a light socket when she was nine, coursed through her. It did seem awfully miraculous, when just a minute before, nothing registered as being available. “Book it before it’s gone!”
Hyun scrolled through the screens, booked the rooms, tickets, hotel shuttle, and pushed the send button. When the confirmation lit up the screen, Hyun high-fived her friend.
Sophie’s anxiety calmed quite a bit. At least they would have a place to stay and tickets to get in. But she had so many other questions. “Now, for everything else. What’s the weather going to be? I assume it’s a lot like here in L.A.? And since it’s been a while, I need to know where to eat and what to do in the parks.” Sophie’s head filled with the vision of Walt marching down Main Street, wagging a finger at her because she missed the most important thing. Whatever that was.
Jeannette, their project manager, peeked around the cubicle wall. “Hyun, you’re supposed to be in the ten o’clock meeting.”
“Oops,” she said with a cheerful, but slightly embarrassed smile. “Sorry, Jeannette. On my way.” She grabbed a notebook and pen and headed away from her cubicle, leaving Sophie’s brain a little less mushy but not quite solid yet.
“But, I still need help...” Sophie called after her friend.
Hyun yelled over her shoulder as she got farther away, “Join the Professor Disney Facebook group. Ask all your questions there. It’s a great group of Disney lovers, like me. They’re all so very helpful, and Professor Disney, the admin, knows everything there is to know about Disney, the parks, history...everything. Join it.”
Sophie sauntered back to her desk and logged onto her computer. Thirty-six emails. Big decision: read emails now or join the Professor Disney Facebook group. She read her emails.
Chapter 3
When Sophie walked into her apartment, the dread of having to deal with her upcoming trip weighed heavily on her. She still hadn’t joined the Facebook group Hyun suggested, and had no desire to do so. The trip was only a few weeks away and she needed to book the airline tickets, help Ariel pack, shop for Christmas gifts, and a billion other things. Just join the group. Get this planning stuff over with!
Sophie set her Michael Kors black leather satchel, which doubled as her handbag on workdays, on the sofa, then threw off her suit jacket and tossed it on top of her bag. I need wine before I start this. After grabbing a glass of her favorite bottle of Shaggy Dog Pinot Noir, with the picture of an adorable Old English sheepdog on its label, she opened her laptop and brought up the Professor Disney Facebook group. She clicked on the picture of the administrator, and a man in a Goofy hat stared back at her. His real name was Ray Bueno, and between the hat’s wide bill and his sunglasses, the only thing she could make out was a dark short-cropped beard and mustache surrounding a grin as big as the Cheshire Cat. She clicked the join button and a post popped up with the group’s rules and a request to introduce herself.
I can do this. I really can. And do it without embarrassing myself. Sophie took in a deep breath before typing.
“I’m not really a fan. I’m here for help for my upcoming trip to...”
Well, that’s really going to inspire someone to help me. The first thing out of my mouth to a group of fanatics is, that I’m not really a fan? What is wrong with me? I don’t want to do this—that’s what’s wrong with me.
She backspaced and started again...
“My 8-year-old niece, Ariel (who lost her mom, my sister, this past year) has asked to go to Disney World for Christmas to ride her mom’s favorite ride, Carousel of Progress. Could you please help with any suggestions for places to eat, things to do? It’s been a few years since I’ve been.”
Much better!
Instantly, she received ten hearts and five sad faces. The first comment came in...
“So sorry for your loss. What a great aunt you are!”
That’s nice, but not really all that helpful. I need suggestions, not well-wishes. The next comment was a bit more helpful.
“Take Ariel to the Frozen sing-along. There’s a holiday song, only during the holidays, that she’ll love. And take her to each park to see the lights.”
Another—
“There are decorations in the hotels and a pretty cool life-size gingerbread house in the Grand Floridian.”
Comments flowed in.
“Fireworks at HS were awesome.”
HS? Oh that’s right, they changed the name from MGM to Hollywood Studios.
“We took the kids last year to the Candlelight Processional in Epcot - they loved it. Oh, and the storytellers in the countries, kids loved that too.”
“Adding on to Epcot—food booths. You can’t get these items year-round.”
“There are special things at the resorts—you’ll have to check yours, but we stayed at Wilderness Lodge and there were carolers strolling around, people playing guitar, and Santa.”
“Whatever you do, stay away from MK on Christmas day. And Eve. And pretty much any day in December. The crowds are insane!”
Sophie definitely knew what MK was. Magic Kingdom. The place she most dreaded returning to on Christmas day.
“MK on Christmas day, even though it’s the busiest place on earth, it’s still the most magical!”
When the phone rang, Sophie welcomed the interruption. She’d had enough of that for one day. She didn’t need to say the word; Hyun wasn’t around. “Hey, you,” she spoke into the phone.
“Wanna get something to eat?” Darren, asked.
“Yes!” Anything to get my mind off the upcoming nightmare of this trip.
“Can you meet me at Chez O’Shay? I’m Uber-ing to it now. Be there in about seven minutes.”
“I’ll beat ya.” She threw the phone in her bag, grabbed her keys and jacket, and ran out the door, missing over one thousand likes on her Professor Disney post.
SOPHIE RUSHED INTO the Chez O’Shay restaurant, stood at the hostess stand, and peered into the small dining room. She glanced at the Irish landscapes hanging on the walls and made a mental note to put Ireland on her short list of places to visit. Across from the bar, she spotted Darren, her very attractive blond boyfriend, seated at a table for two. She smiled, and he waved her over. When she reached the table, she bent over and gave him a kiss on his dimpled cheek. “You have no idea what a lifesaver you are!”
“I ordered you a glass of white wine. I just really needed a drink. Couldn’t wait. And the server recommended this new wine and said you’d love it.”
Okay, white’s not my favorite. But I’ll give it a try. There were also water goblets in front of each of them. “Thanks. What’s up?”
“Your brother-in-law.”
“Rick?”
“He’s going to be the death of me.” Darren picked up his menu and held it up to his face so Sophie couldn’t see his expression.
“Why? What’s going on?” She thought Rick and Darren go
t along famously. Rick spoke very highly of Darren’s work and always had good things to say about him. And Rick had been the one to introduce them at Darren’s request.
Darren lowered the menu just enough to see Sophie’s concerned look. “He’s cutting back on travel, so now I have to take on more of his trips.”
She understood. Rick was slowing down to spend more time with Ariel. As much as she liked having Ariel with her, she knew it was the right thing for Rick to do. “Well, he is the anchor. He’s supposed to be anchoring.”
“Yeah, he sits in the chair during the week, but he’s always preferred to do the mundane trips on the weekends.”
“You love to travel, so what’s the problem?”
“To Indianapolis? What would I possibly want to go there for?” He took a swig of his Blue Moon beer.
“For a scoop? You’re the one always saying Rick gets all the scoops and leaves you with the spoons.” Sophie chuckled, knowing full well Darren would never have said it in that manner. That was completely Sophie’s interpretation of Darren’s assessment.
He laid his menu down and gave her an annoyed look. “I don’t know how long I can stay at this job, Sophie. They treat me like a junior reporter! I get all of Darren’s leftovers.”
“But you are a junior reporter. That was the deal you made when you took the job.”
He fidgeted in his seat and hid his face behind his menu. When he mumbled something Sophie couldn’t hear, she wondered if she should even ask him to repeat it.
She decided to change the subject. “I booked the hotel today. Or should I say Hyun booked it for us. We’re staying at—”
“Good. I just want it over with, so we can get to Denver. Skiing. My family. Remember?”
How could she forget? It’s all he had talked about for the past year. He spoke constantly about how he hadn’t had a vacation in eighteen months and was looking forward to his two weeks on the slopes.
“I know how you feel. I’m not really looking forward to going to—Florida either. It’s gonna be really difficult.”