Well, she thought, as she dabbed on the lipstick, she now lived in that future. She had survived. She had been wrong to take away Brendan’s choice in the matter. She took the locket from inside her blouse and draped it on the outside. Your heart has been hidden for too long, she told herself.
She headed back to the department store, rode the escalator to the fifth floor, and made her way to the North Pole. There was Brendan in his final act for the season, doing his best to come across as a jolly Santa, but it was a subdued performance. When he finished up with the last of the children, Mrs. Murphy stepped up to the stage.
His face flashed with joy when he saw his Mary Margaret standing there in front of him. He took off his Santa hat, and came down the stairs to greet her. When he saw the locket, tears filled his eyes. “You kept it then? All these years?”
“I’ve never taken it off.”
Brendan was afraid to speak, afraid to ask why she had come. They walked together down the escalator, and through the store. He kept looking at her, and couldn’t help but notice how happy she appeared. She seemed years younger, just like the girl he had known. But he didn’t want to allow his hopes to rise.
They left the department store, and after a few steps, Brendan stopped and faced her. He waited for her to answer the asking in his eyes.
Mrs. Murphy smiled, linked her arm in his, and continued walking. “Would you care to be having dinner with me?” she asked. “I know of a little place. A fine Irish pub not far from here. I thought we could discuss our plans for Christmas.”
Brendan let his face fill with hope. There was his sweet girl smiling up at him. Surely it could mean only one thing.
“What are you saying, Mary Margaret – what does this mean?”
Mrs. Murphy laughed and took his hands. “Quite simply, that there’s life to be lived!”
A few last minute shoppers and workers rushing home couldn’t help but notice the striking older couple walking arm in arm, both dressed in red, and clearly in love. The children who passed them believed they were seeing Mrs. Claus with Santa, and tugged on their parents’ hands to stop – then stood open-mouthed and wide-eyed when, in the middle of the bustling, crowded sidewalk, the couple in red stopped, embraced, and kissed.
About the Author
Linda Mahkovec writes about the search for beauty and meaning, and the awe and delight on finding it. Most of her stories are set in the places she has lived and loved: small town Illinois, the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, and New York City. She has a PhD in English, specializing in Victorian Literature.
If you would like to learn more about Linda visit her at her website. You can reach her on Facebook or Twitter.
Christmastime 1941 Page 17