The Christmas Layover

by Robert Tate Miller

  “Oh, my goodness,” Peggy said as she and Noel stood up from the couch. “Allison, you look simply ravishing.” Ally loved how Peggy seemed to speak as if she were in a 1940s movie.

  “Doesn’t she?” Tina said.

  “I helped with her hair,” Maddie chimed in, then remembered, “and lipstick.”

  Ally did a little spin at the bottom of the stairs. She was giddy and felt like the lucky sophomore girl who’d been asked to the senior prom. Just as she was drinking in the stares and awes and compliments, the doorbell rang.

  Maddie ran to peek out the window. “It’s Uncle Jake!”

  “All right,” Tina said. “Ally, you’ve got to go back upstairs and come down again. And wait until we announce you.”

  “Great,” Ally said as she scooted back up the steps. Boy, this is fun, she thought. And for a moment, none of the chaos of her real life even mattered.

  …

  On the front porch, Jake could hear voices and scrambling coming from inside his mother’s house. He smiled at the scurrying about, the prepping for his appearance. He adjusted his coat and scarf and brushed a little snow from his lapel. It was really coming down, and a white Christmas was all but guaranteed. He flashed back to a moment some sixteen years earlier when he arrived to pick up Kate for the last Christmas Eve Dance before he went off to college. She too had come over to his mother’s to get dressed. Tina had been there that evening, as well.

  He felt a lump in his throat, but it wasn’t a lump of sadness, it was gratitude. Ally had swept like a sweet breeze into his life, and, even if she was only there for a flickering moment, she had shown him that he could feel again, that loving another was at least possible. He thought back to what she’d said.

  I believe that love never dies. It’s just too strong. I didn’t know Kate, but somehow, hearing you talk about her, I feel like I do a little. And I think if she could talk to you, she’d tell you that you should smile when you think of Christmas. Because it was something she loved so much.

  Jake felt something move in his heart. It felt like a weight had been lifted, as if a fog had just burned away and he could suddenly see clearly. Ally was right. Kate would want him to smile, to believe in the magic of Christmas again.

  “Jake.”

  Jake was startled by the voice. It was so very familiar and seemed to come out of thin air. He turned back toward it, and there she was, wearing her old favorite lavender suede hooded winter coat. Her scarf was cream colored and looped once around her neck, her leather gloves were black. He knew those gloves. He’d held them for her. She looked just as he remembered, and she was dressed just as she was that Christmas Eve, the night he proposed, the night she passed away.

  “Kate?”

  Jake felt a rush of warmth run through him. He felt as if he’d slipped into some waking dream, one he was aware couldn’t be real but didn’t want to awaken from. There was a vision in front of him, and that vision was standing just on the other side of Peggy’s gate, looking right at him.

  The vision of Kate put a gloved finger to her cherry lips. “Shhh. I only have a minute, and I have something important to say.” Jake nodded. He wanted to move to her but found he couldn’t make his feet go in that direction. So, he stood where he was and listened. The vision was in control. “Jake, I know how much you struggle with Christmas shopping. You never knew what to get me.” She smiled. It was a warm smile, full of light. It somehow forced Jake to smile back. “So, I’m going to make it easy on you this year. There’s only one thing I want, and that’s for you to move on.”

  Jake nodded. His imagination was on overdrive as he dipped into his very own little Dickensian Christmas fantasy, with Kate starring as the ghost come to offer up a little sage advice.

  “I may be gone, Jake, but you’re still alive. Stop looking in the rearview mirror, babe. Live your life, find love again. That’s what I want for Christmas this year. Can you give me that?”

  Jake took a moment, his mind spinning, his heart racing. He finally was able to send a message from his brain to his vocal cords, which passed it on to his lips.

  “Yes. I think so.”

  The vision smiled as if pleased at his response, a smile that seemed to be a light unto itself, a glow that filled Jake with hope and joy and all things Christmas.

  “Good,” the vision said. “I believe you.” The vision of Kate looked at him as if for the last time. And Jake somehow sensed he’d never have this dream again. She’d come to him one time, and, though she’d come asking for a gift, he realized she was truly the giver. He felt, standing on that porch, Kate had appeared for a purpose: to give him his future back. “I love you, Jake. I always will.”

  “May I help you?”

  Jake turned back toward the house to see his mother standing in the doorway smiling at him.

  “Are you here for any particular reason?” Noel stepped into the doorway beside her, and then Maddie.

  “Yeah,” Maddie chimed in, playing along. “Why are you here, mister?” Jake glanced back over his shoulder at the fence. The vision was gone. The sidewalk was empty. He turned back to his mother and Maddie. They were watching him with curious looks on their faces.

  Though the vision was gone, the joy and hope and euphoria she’d blessed him with lingered. His spirit soared as Jake put on what he thought was a Shakespearean-era accent. “I’m hear-eth to escort-eth a fair maiden to the dance…eth.”

  “Huh?” Maddie said, and Peggy laughed.

  “Well, cometh in,” Peggy said. “Before you let-eth all the warm air out-eth.”

  Jake stepped inside, and Peggy closed the door behind him. He saw his sister Tina standing at the foot of the stairs. She was smiling at him. Noel was sitting on the couch in the den with baby Chelsea.

  “You look good, brother,” Tina said.

  “Not too shabby,” Maddie chimed in.

  “You look really handsome, Jake,” Noel added.

  “Thank you all,” Jake said. He had debated what to wear for the dance, and finally decided to ascend to the attic and break out the tuxedo he’d bought years before for Tina’s wedding. He was surprised and happy to find it still fit. As he looked at himself all decked out in the full-length mirror on his bedroom closet, Jake thought about Ally. Who are you kidding? he thought to his tuxedo-wearing self. You’re trying to impress her. He didn’t care. This dance was special. His date was special. Why not go for it? If he was soon to say goodbye to Ally, why not go out in style?

  “Okay!” Maddie called upstairs. “The princess can come down now!”

  Jake looked up toward the top of his mother’s staircase and felt like the first time he rode the Cliffhanger Rollercoaster at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park. He’d been nine years old, and it was his first coaster. The first big drop felt like he’d left his stomach somewhere up at the top. It was a strange, breathless feeling, and he was feeling it again watching Ally descend those stairs.

  He could tell by the smile on her face that she was pleased by the stunned look on his. She was quite simply breathtaking. He thought she was beautiful with no makeup in jeans and a T-shirt, but this was a whole other level. She looked stunning, and he knew that his attempts to keep his emotions in check were futile. With each slow, graceful step she took down the staircase, Jake could feel his heart give way a little more. By the time she reached the bottom, he was head over heels in love, and there was no turning back.

  “Hello,” he heard someone say and realized the voice was his own. “You look beautiful.” He thought it was best to play it cool and understated. Telling her she was the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen might be overplaying his hand a bit.

  “Thank you,” Ally said quietly. “So do you.” There was a moment of awkward silence as everyone looked at Ally and Jake, Jake and Ally standing in front of each other, neither sure what came next.

  “Okay, you two,” Tina finally said. “Have fun. The rest of us have to get ready now.”

  “Hold on,” Noel said. “I nee
d a picture before you go.” Noel slowly got up from the couch, handed the baby to Tina, positioned Ally and Jake by the Christmas tree, and took a couple of shots. The first two were just side-by-side, and then she clicked a couple where Jake had his arm around his date, or Ally had her arm looped through his. Jake liked those best.

  …

  “So, where are we going for dinner?” Ally asked as they strolled through the front gate. The snow was still falling steadily, and Ally thought that the neighborhood looked like a Christmas snow globe.

  “It’s a surprise,” Jake said. “Trust me?”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Ally said. “Do I have a choice?”

  “I guess not,” he said. Jake’s pickup truck was idling out front. He guided Ally to the passenger door and then gave her his hand to help her in.

  “Thank you, good sir,” she said. Jake had the heat running in the truck, and it was warm and snug in the cab. Ally saw him slip a little as he jogged around to the driver’s side.

  She noticed that the truck’s speed never went above ten miles an hour on the slow drive into town. She imagined that Jake was doing it for her sake, so that she could take in the lovely white vista compliments of the Christmas Eve snow shower. It was still an hour before the dance officially started, and Ally wondered what Jake had planned for dinner. She sighed. Clock, please move slowly tonight. The final confirmation had come just before they left Peggy’s. A call came from the airline to announce that Flight 1225 would definitely be leaving late the next afternoon on a Christmas Day return trip to Los Angeles.

  Ally was going home, where a rather large mess awaited her. But, in that moment with Jake in the snow, she felt happy and free, and she wanted their magical Christmas Eve to linger as long as possible. Jake put on a station out of Steamboat Springs that was playing nonstop Christmas music.

  Ally gave him a sly look. “Thought you didn’t care for Christmas music.”

  “I decided to give it another chance,” Jake said. “Besides, it’s Christmas Eve.”

  Ally nodded. Maybe he’s made his peace with Christmas. Maybe he’s moving on. Jake didn’t say much on the drive, but Ally could see him stealing glances over at her. She could feel herself blush a little. She felt so at ease in his company. She couldn’t wait to see what came next.

  “And we have arrived,” Jake said. Ally smiled as the truck rolled up to the curb outside Charlie’s Diner. She’d been hoping that was where they were headed.

  “Charlie’s?” she said, as if trying to remember the place. “I’ve heard it’s quite good.” Ally looked at Jake and wondered why he hadn’t gotten out yet. He tooted the horn, and she looked out the window to see Robbie scrambling out the front door as if he’d missed his cue. He was wearing a white coat and black pants. There was a clip-on bowtie on his white cotton button-down shirt. Ally unfastened her seat belt as Robbie opened her door.

  “Good evening, ma’am,” he said as the snow fell on his hair and shoulders and face. “Welcome to Charlie’s.” Ally glanced at Jake. He looked happy. She let Robbie take her hand and help her out onto the snowy sidewalk. She waited until Jake came around, and then she took his arm while Robbie stood awkwardly by, as if he was unsure what to do next. He cupped his hand for a tip, and Jake just winked at him.

  “I’ll get you on the way out.” Ally noticed a sign in the window that read “Closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.” The quote beside it was new.

  Love is the greatest Christmas gift of all.

  Ally waited until she felt Jake’s hand on her back, and then headed for the front door. She thought about the quote. Will I find a new love beneath my tree this year to replace the old? She quickly brushed the thought aside. Too soon. Besides, could a country mouse ever really fall for a town mouse?

  “Merry Christmas. Charlie’s is delighted you could join us this evening.”

  Ally stepped through the diner door first to find Libby and Louie standing shoulder-to-shoulder by the counter awaiting their arrival. Jake closed the door and helped her remove her coat and scarf. He handed them to Robbie to hang on the coatrack by the door while Jake removed his own. Ally felt him step up beside her.

  “Merry Christmas,” she said to Libby and Louie. “I’m so happy to be here.”

  “Wonderful,” Libby said. “Let me show you to your table.” Louie and Robbie beat a hasty retreat to the kitchen while Libby took Ally and Jake over to the best booth in the house. It was front and center by the window, looking out on the snowy Bethlehem square. Jake waited until Ally was seated and then took the seat across from her. She looked out at the falling snow, listened to the soft sounds of Bing Crosby crooning “White Christmas” on the jukebox, and suddenly felt a rush of pure joy. She reached across and took Jake’s hand.

  “Jake, this is so special. Thank you.”

  Jake gave Ally’s hand a little squeeze and looked her in the eye. “Merry Christmas.”

  The dinner was sweet and simple, a meal Jake told Ally his family had every Christmas Eve when he was growing up. On the menu was Louie’s slightly spicy (meatless) chili, along with Libby’s fresh-baked cornbread and honey. Jake showed Ally the proper way to crumble the golden bread into the chili, and she jokingly pretended to hang on his every move.

  As she sat there in Charlie’s listening to the music and dining on that simple fare, Ally wished for a way to freeze that singular moment in time. If only I could just stay right here, she thought. Just for a little bit longer. For she was in a magical place where canceled weddings and broken relationships and drained bank accounts only existed in some distant corner of the Milky Way. For a night, for one enchanted Christmas Eve, she was simply a pretty girl sitting across from a handsome boy and having a wonderful time.

  “Your fortune cookies,” Louie said, placing a cookie in front of Ally and then Jake. Jake gave him a puzzled look. “Picked them up from Chi’s this afternoon,” Louie told Jake in an aside. “Thought it would be a nice touch.” Jake smiled as Louie quickly retreated. He held up his cookie. “Mind if I go first?”

  “Not at all,” Ally said. She watched as Jake carefully cracked open the light brown cookie, reached inside, and removed the little slip of paper. He read it and then slowly nodded. “Well?” Ally said. “Don’t keep me in suspense!”

  “No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible,” Jake read.

  Ally laughed. “So true. But that’s not even really a fortune…”

  “You’re right,” Jake said with a smile. “Now your turn.”

  Ally cracked open her own cookie and slipped out her fortune. She popped a bit of cookie in her mouth and crunched it as she read the message.

  “Hmm,” she said. “Very interesting.”

  “I’m waiting,” Jake said.

  “New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings,” Ally read. She looked at Jake. Wow, she thought. Talk about a fortune tailor-made for me.

  “Do you think that’s true?” Jake asked.

  “I don’t know,” Ally said. “I guess only time will tell.”

  “Come again, and Merry Christmas.”

  About an hour after they sat down at the booth, Libby, Louie, and Robbie saw Ally and Jake off to the dance. Ally was touched that they’d stayed the whole time, knowing they still had to get ready.

  “It’s only a couple blocks,” Jake said. “How about we walk?”

  “Sure,” Ally said. The snow was still falling, but Ally could see the lights of the community center beckoning just up the street and figured her borrowed dance shoes could handle the short jaunt. Jake offered his arm, and she took it, letting him steady her along the frosty sidewalks of Bethlehem. As they walked past the lighted shop windows, Ally could hear the music growing louder, the sound of voices and laughter. She looked at Jake. “This may be the best date of my life.”

  “Good,” Jake said. “That’s what I was shooting for.” Ally smiled and squeezed his arm a little tighter.

  “All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Mariah C
arey was playing when Ally and Jake walked into the community center. Ally marveled at how they’d managed to transform the room yet again since the bake-off. It had been pretty Christmassy already, but they’d added strands of white lights that ran over the dance floor; a dangling strobe light bounced red light off the walls and floor and faces. The dance floor was full of locals and airline folks moving to the music or gathered around the red-and-green-clothed corner tables filled with punch and cookies and snacks.

  “So, here we are again,” Ally said. She felt Jake’s hand intertwine with hers, and a rush of warmth coursed through her.

  “Yeah,” Jake said. “Here we are.” I love a man of few words, Ally thought. She looked around and noticed that those she recognized as airline passengers were now fully integrated with the locals. There was no longer an invisible line separating them. Mariah Carey gave way to Bobby Helms and “Jingle Bell Rock.”

  “So,” Jake said, “wanna dance?”

  “Love to,” Ally said. Jake guided her by the hand in and around the crush of bodies until he found a small clearing near the center of the dance floor. Ally started to twist and turn to the upbeat music and soon realized Tina’s loaner shoes were keeping her from feeling her dance mojo, so she kicked them off, nearly bonking Jake in the shin in the process. “Oops,” she said. “Sorry.” She shook her stockinged right foot in the air. “Much better,” she said to Jake over the music, and they both laughed.

  Ally moved rhythmically to the up-tempo cheery song and realized she hadn’t danced in so long. Tim wasn’t big on going out. Then, Jake took her hand in his and eased her into a turn. As she slowly spun, Ally pretended to lose her balance and leaned back against him, laughing. Jake went with it, moving his strong hands to her hips to hold her. And, for a moment, Ally imagined that everything slowed down: the music, the other dancers, time itself. Jake seemed in no hurry to move her off. Instead, he slid his hands from her hips to her waist and then slipped his arms around her stomach as Ally rested her head back against his shoulder. She could feel the scruff of his unshaven face and her temperature rise. Her heartbeat soon caught up, and she felt flushed and giddy, as if the touch of his body had given her a contact high. Finally, Jake eased her around until she was facing him again. She could see the blush on his cheeks, and she knew he’d felt it, too.