by Julie Solano
Finally, a voice comes from behind. “Can I help you?”
“Dash to the Pole.” Jessie May replies.
“Gotcha.” She looks down at her watch. “This must be your first station.” She takes a card out of her smock and reads the instructions. “Your job is to fill this box with Christmas dinner for a needy family. Here’s a list. Check it twice. Don’t miss a thing, or you’ll pay a big price.” Smiling, she adds, “That’s what this clue says anyway.” She hands me a slip of paper. “Come back to customer service when you’ve filled the box, and I’ll give you the signature card and the first toy of Christmas. Remember, the gifts must be wrapped and delivered before you go back to the pole. Understand?”
We all nod and take the list.
“There must be twenty things on here.” I grumble.
“Let’s split up.” Jessie May inspects the paper as she finds the perfect spot to tear the list. “Avery, you take this half. I’ll take this half.”
I feel a bit helpless as I stand by and watch the girls scour their lists. “What about me?”
“Grab a hand basket and go with Avery. She’ll need your help.”
I nod my head. “Okay. No time to waste. Let’s go, Tangles.”
As I chase her through the bread aisle, I can hear her voice drifting back. “You know you're a pain in the ass, right?”
“What?”
“You heard me. And you’re not just slow on the snow. You’re slow on your feet too.”
She grabs some rolls and tosses them back over her shoulder. Thankfully I’m close enough to catch them.
“Can of sweet potatoes.” She begins to pick up speed.
“What?”
“The next thing on the list. It’s a can of sweet potatoes. Keep up, Grandpa!”
She runs down the main aisle, peering left and right. “Back here!” I yell, calling her back to the canned fruit aisle. “Lucky for you I’m slow enough to actually see what I’m trying to find.” I showed her. I laugh to myself when I see her reaction to her useless speed.
She shakes her head, grabbing the can of sweet potatoes off the shelf and throwing it in the basket. “Why are you so slow, anyway?”
Should I answer that honestly and make her feel bad for being such an asshole? Guess it couldn’t hurt. “If you must know, I’m still recovering from an accident.”
“Ski accident?” She stops unexpectedly, and looks me up and down.
I shake my head, “Auto.”
I watch her face change. She looks as though she’s really contemplating what I’ve just told her. “So that’s why you weren’t racing?” She mumbles quietly under her breath, likely thinking I won’t hear, but I understand her well enough to respond.
“Yep.”
“Recent?”
“Thanksgiving.”
A faraway look overtakes her face. “Sorry,” she mumbles softly, shaking her head. She reaches out, setting her hand on the shelf, as she takes in a deep breath and releases it slowly. She’s not talking. Not moving. I don’t know what I said that seems to have her so rattled.
“You okay?” I ask, trying to shake her from her motionless state.
She takes a deep breath and pulls the list back up to her face. “Green beans and cream of mushroom soup,” she looks back toward me, dropping her hand from the shelf. Her shaky voice sneaks through her dimpled smile. There’s a bit of a glint shining in her eye. I can tell she’s trying to pull back a tear, but I dare not ask. I know what it’s like to want to hide my sadness, so I simply nod and point her in the direction of the soup.
“It’s over here,” I motion. I can see she’s still somewhat distracted, but this is a fun race with an unbelievable prize, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to lose this thing. I need to help her snap out of it. I sprint down the aisle, grab the soup, and run it back to the basket. “Catch!” I pant, holding the can above my head, poised to make the shot. Avery lifts the basket just in time to catch it midair.
She shrinks back, giving off a slight hint of fear, but something tells me she’s not going to give me the satisfaction of saying I scared her. “Thought you were a boarder, not a baller.”
“Oh, I’m only boarding cuz my injury kept me off the court this season.” I feel my spirits drop as soon as the thought crosses my mind. I hate that I can’t play basketball. I hate that while all my friends are on the court, I have to stand up on a damn, snowy hill, holding a stupid flag, for a bunch of stupid skiers, who don’t even know that if it wasn’t for that stupid accident, I’d be leading my team to the section championships this season. I hate that every minute of every day I have to fight to forget about all this crap. The accident. Peyton. My arm. Basketball. Pistol. Pistol. It always comes back to Pistol. Where is that asshole anyway? This race is supposed to be a distraction. It’s supposed to give me something positive to do. So why isn’t it working? Push it out of your mind, Woodley.
“Earth to, Caden.” Her voice rescues me from my state of self-pity, allowing me to focus on her probing, brown eyes. “You okay?”
No, I’m not. But she doesn’t need to know that. “One more item checked off the list. What else do we need?”
Avery scans the list. “Let’s see. Brown sugar, marshmallows, butter, and a pumpkin pie.” I stand in amusement as she begins jogging down the aisle, looking left and right. She stops, backs up, searches the aisle signs, takes a few more steps forward, and comes to a stop. Finally, she jogs back to my side. I watch her wheels spinning, when again, she looks down at the list, and back up at the aisle markers that hang from the ceiling. After a few seconds, she shakes her head and takes a deep breath. She’s obviously flustered.
“Are you okay?” I ask, returning the same concern she’d just shown me just moments ago.
“Look, I’m sorry. I know you’re counting on me to help you win this thing, but I’m not even from here. I don’t know this store at all.” Her tone becomes increasingly desperate. “I thought if I ran fast we’d find the stuff sooner, but my strategy sucks. I don’t know where any of this is.” She shakes the list in the air. “You probably know where to find these things faster than I can. Want to take the lead on this one? I’ll make it up to you at the next station.”
I look her up and down, examining her posture. I can see by her body language that it took a lot for this girl to admit she needs help. In fact, she looks like she just ate a huge slice of humble pie. She holds my gaze. Something in her eyes tells me that she’s been through a lot recently. Maybe that’s why she’s so ballsy. On guard. Defensive. She’s protecting herself. Well, if anything, it’s clear I’m not alone in battling inner demons tonight. If I can’t beat mine, maybe I can help her beat hers. Rather than give her a hard time about it, I decide to play nice. “Everything should be on this aisle and the next one over.” I point around the corner.
“Got it. Let’s grab the goods and beat Jessie May to the front. If we want a chance at winning this thing, we’ve got to get out of here.”
We grab the last of the items on the list and throw everything in the box. Jessie May is waiting at customer service, jumping up and down. “Hurry, hurry. We need to figure out our next stop.” She motions us forward.
The clerk checks our box, signs us off, gives Jessie May a toy puppy, some batteries, and hands us a card with our next destination. “Oh and here,” she hands me a large cloth sack. “You’ll want this for the gifts you collect at each station.”
I open the sack as Jessie May gently sets the package inside. “I love the giving tree. It’s pretty cool that we can be part of it this year. I’m glad you’re with me for Christmas, Avery.” I watch the corner of Tangles’s mouth tug downward. She bites at her inner lip, and pulls it into a smile. It’s funny though. The smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes.
We read our card, which requires us to collect fifty dollars for the Salvation Army bell ringer, who’s working outside the store. I laugh and pull out my wallet. “Done!” I cheer. “Best fifty bucks I ever spent.” I throw the m
oney in the pot, collect the second gift of Christmas, and gain access to our next task card.
A half hour stint at the Elderly Manor decorating one of their many Christmas trees has earned us another gift and passage to our fourth task, chopping wood for disabled vets. Finally, something I can really put my heart into. Luckily, I know a lot of people in this town, and they’re crawling all over the place. I scan the street, finally spotting one of my favorite ladies. I wave my arms wildly, trying to flag her down. I’m not sure she sees me through the crowd, but her distinct, green Jeep slowly pulls to a stop beside me. “Hey Sandy Bear, we’re competing in the Dash tonight. Mind dropping us off at the City Park?”
A huge grin covers her face. “Hop on in, Cade Monster.”
I open the door to the back seat, letting the girls load in first. When I jump up front, I’m greeted by an inquisitive smile.
“So, who are the ladies?”
Not sure how to answer that, I remain silent.
“Cat got your tongue, huh? Where’s that little blond you run around with? Is she home with family tonight?”
Boy, way to pull out the challenge questions right out of the shoot. “Not sure, Bear. We’re done.”
“Oh. I see.” Shock is evident on her face. She stays quiet for a couple seconds, then looks up in her rearview mirror. “So, how did you girls meet this little monster?”
I hear some giggling in the back seat. “Oh, we’ve had a couple run-ins here and there,” I finally hear Jessie May’s voice chime in.”
“Run-ins? Do you mean run-overs?” Tangles jokes.
Sandy starts to ask another question, but I turn up the radio, trying to drown it out. I love this lady, and appreciate what she’s doing for me, but I don’t have it in me to sit through The Today Show with Caden Woodley. I just don’t have the answers, and we need to get to the next task fast. “Step on it, Bear. This is a race.”
“Okay,” she singsongs, pressing down on the gas and nearly throwing me into the back seat. “Hey, if you need me to, I can be your driver. It might get you around a little faster. I know you’re still not moving as fast as normal after that terrible accident. I’m just so thankful you weren’t killed.”
Heavy silence suddenly fills the cab. I look back in the rearview mirror and examine the girls’ lack of expression. Avery’s eyebrows are drawn together as she fidgets with her fingernail. Jessie May is turned into her, gently rubbing her on the back. I watch Jessie mouth the words, “You okay?” as Avery nods silently in response. I can’t help but wonder what she’s going through. Something’s definitely not okay with this girl, but she’s certainly fighting whatever it is.
Sandy’s voice draws my attention to the park entrance. We’ve pulled in next to the Upper Lodge. “We’re here. Want me to wait?”
I can’t believe she’s actually doing this for me, but I’m so thankful she is. “Sounds good,” I say, hopping out and opening the door for the girls. “Not sure how much wood we need to chop. You don’t mind?”
“Not at all. It’ll give me a chance to catch up with my friends over there.” She points to a crowd of middle-aged people huddled outside the senior dining hall.
“Be back soon. Come on, girls.” We run toward the lodge to find out where exactly this wood is that we need to chop.
When we enter, we’re greeted by the parade Santa, who directs us to the pile of wood behind the lodge. An old truck sits next to the pile. “We’ve marked a line on the truck bed. Chop and fill the wood to here.” He holds his hand up to the line. “No big air gaps either. I’ll be making sure your stack is solid. When you’re finished, you’ll need to have me check it. I won’t sign you off and give you your next task card unless you do it right. This wood is going to some of my best friends,” he belly laughs. “Ho, Ho, Ho. Good luck.”
He hands me an axe. I look around, trying to find the chopping block. As soon as I spot it next to the front tire, I grab the first piece of wood and balance it in front of me. I stare it down pretty hard before I lift the axe above my head. I haven’t used my arm like this in weeks, and the thought of embarrassing myself in front of these girls has me sweating through my flannel. Bite the bullet, dude, I think to myself before I finally raise the axe. One, two, three. I count in my head before I finally allow myself to take the first swing. The heavy blade crashes down as two new pieces of wood fall to the sides of the block.
Did it. Phew. The axe is a lot heavier than I remember. Jessie May immediately starts grabbing the wood and handing it to Avery, who’s now standing in the truck bed. I have to admit, these girls know how to speed things up. Avery has obviously stacked wood before. I grab another piece, repeating the daunting process. This time, as I lift the axe, a tinge of pain finds its way from my shoulder to my elbow. I have to convince myself to work through the pain. I’ve got to get this done, and I don’t want to embarrass myself. Come on, Woodley. You’re two pieces in. This is nothing you can’t deal with. You’ve got to keep up with these girls or you’re going to look like a wuss. I watch Jessie May carry the newly split pieces to Avery.
By the third piece, I have to take off my flannel. Sweat is dripping down my back from over-exerting my recovering arm. I start in again, grabbing the next piece of wood. As I raise the axe, I glance up at the truck bed to find Avery performing a full body scan. When her eyes meet mine, she looks away quickly. I laugh to myself. She’s embarrassed that I caught her eyeing me. This time, I raise the axe and peek discreetly under my arm. I want to see if I can catch her again.
And again, I catch her watching me. “Like what you see?” I chuckle as I bring the axe back down through the wood.
She’s silent for just a moment. As I watch her intently, waiting for her response, I notice her mocha cheeks blush mauve. “Just thinking about how much faster I could get that done,” she laughs, jumping down from the truck bed. She disappears behind the truck and reappears with another axe.
Where’d that come from? I study the tool in her hand as she moves toward Jessie May. Then slowly, she leans into her and whispers. Jessie May looks over at me. She’s close enough that I can see her eyebrows wander up her forehead and pinch together. Her lower jaw slackens. What’s going on here? Why are they looking at me like that?
“Step aside, Hot Shot. I want to try.” Avery lifts the axe and splits through the wood with ease. “Another piece, please.” I bring her another piece, and watch her crack through it again. And again. And again. She’s so fast, I almost can’t keep up with the fetching and stacking.
Who is this girl? Superwoman? I know my mouth is hanging open, but I can’t believe what I’m seeing. How’s she doing this so fast?
“Don’t just stand there and gawk,” she chuckles. “Get me another piece. Don’t you want to win this race?”
Bending down to get a bigger piece of wood, I find myself shaking my head back and forth. Let’s see if she can chop this piece. I hate to admit it to myself, but that was impressive. “Where’d you learn to split wood like that?”
“Well,” she lifts the ax and slams it down, slicing through the wood like it’s butter. “It’s what country girls do. We hunt, chop wood, ride horses, and show up people who call themselves country boys.” She looks at me through her lashes, popping her eyebrows to signal that she’s talking about me. “Now, hand me another piece of wood.”
I grab another piece and hand it over. “I know what country girls do. I’ve seen lots of ‘em. But none of them chop wood like that. What’s the secret?”
“No secret. Really,” she laughs, looking back at the truck toward her partner in crime. Jessie May is doubled over, covering her mouth. Is she sick? I take another look. No. She’s laughing too. I shake my head, stupefied by how much better than me, this girl is at chopping wood.
“Am I being punked?” I look around, trying to find cameras. “Wait, where’d you get that axe? Let me see it.”
“No, no. I’ve got this. We’ve almost filled our quota. I only need to chop a couple more rounds,” she g
iggles.
By now, I hear noise coming from behind the truck and watch blond hair bobbing up and down.
“Sandy, is that you?”
She comes out waving with a huge grin on her face. “How’d it go over here?”
Avery looks at her and wags her eyebrows. “I showed him up. Just like you said I would.” She gives Sandy a high five.
“Told ya,” she laughs.
I’m totally embarrassed that I couldn’t keep up with Tangles on the wood chopping, and I glare at the two of them, who have obviously schemed against me in some way.
“Okay, that about does it.” Jessie May comes up behind us. “Thanks for letting Avery borrow your magic axe,” she gushes. “Let’s go have Santa check our stack.”
“Magic axe?” I question.
The girls laugh. “Just looking out for you, Caden.” Sandy sets her hand on my injured shoulder and winks. Then she leans in and whispers in my ear, “Word of advice. Don’t let your machismo ruin your recovery. Now go get that stack checked!” She pops me on the bottom, sending me on my way.
“But, magic axe? I don’t get it.”
“And you never will.” She winks at Avery. “Some secrets are only meant for us country girls.”
WE GRAB OUR CARD AND jump back in the jeep. “You kids all done?”
“Yep, got our next task card right here!” I toss the toy over the seat, back to the girls, and look down to read the card. Before I can speak the first set of directions, Sandy’s already screeching out of the parking lot.
“Hold up!” Jessie May squeals. “I’m not even all the way in!” I look over my shoulder to see Avery reaching across the seat. It’s hilarious to see her attempt at keeping Jessie May from flying out.
“No worries! Step on it. Tangles ain’t lettin’ her go anywhere!” I have to laugh, watching the pint-sized princess pull Jessie May back in and slam the door in one fierce motion.
My voice strains to read the blurring card, as we fly over the ruts and bounce around the corner, leaving a heavy trail of dust in our wake: