The Gift of Goodbye
Page 22
Santa let out a big “Ho, ho, ho,” then handed Daniel and Mara each a gift. Then he turned to Chase and me, already knowing the year we’d gone through and knew the list was long. Santa handed us each a present from his bag. Then there was Lucas and Benjamin. “Well, boys, what do you have to say for yourselves?”
Lucas stared over at Benjamin and Benjamin stared right back at him. “Santa, we’ve been good. We’ve gone to school and helped Mom all we could when she asked us. We love shooting hoops with each other and with our dad when he can. Is that good enough?” Lucas and Benjamin asked.
“Sounds great to Santa. Here are your gifts.”
Thomas looked over at Beth with all the love in the world in his eyes and asked her if she’d been good.
“I’ve been as good as I could be all year long, Santa,” she said. “Life has been interesting in the Cutler household this year, but it’s also been filled with love and caring for one another.”
“Well, then, this pint-sized present is for you, ma’am,” Santa said. “Hope you like what’s inside. I’ve got to go now. My bag is empty and I need to fill it up again before I stop at the next house.”
Santa had returned to the Cutler home, and Thomas seemed to be gone quite a while before he returned and put his arm around Beth as she opened her gift from Santa. When Beth opened the small box and got a glimpse of what was inside, she threw her arms around Thomas’s neck. In the box were the keys to a new SUV. Her old Chevy van was on its last leg and she still had four children to transport to school and around the city. “Did Santa happen to leave the SUV in the driveway while you were out, Thomas?”
“I do believe I did see something in the driveway, but it appeared to be as white as the snow, so I’m not sure. Let’s all go look.” Thomas led the way followed by Beth, then the rest of the family and friends. Everyone piled in as Beth put the key in and started up the SUV. “Hang on, everyone, Beth is at the wheel.”
Beth took us on a trip around the neighborhood so we could see all of the lights and decorations in the yards. The houses could have been on any Christmas card, especially with the smoke circling out of the chimneys. As she pulled back into the driveway, Beth said, “Let’s go have us some cookies, candy, and pie to eat, along with coffee and punch to drink. What do you all say?”
“But, Mom, what about all of those other presents under the tree?” Benjamin said.
“You’re right, Benjamin,” Beth replied. “We’ll have treats right after we open all of the presents under the tree.”
This time Thomas, not Santa, handed out the presents under the tree. The excitement in the room rose to fever pitch as each and every gift was opened. Once again, I had to take pictures capturing the looks on everyone’s faces at they opened their presents. Colorful Christmas wrap covered the living room floor. There just wasn’t time to properly throw it in the garbage bag Beth was holding. Once the presents were all opened, the boys and men started to ball up the gift wrap and toss it toward the bag Beth was holding.
“Great shot,” they shouted back and forth.
Back at the table, after the treats had been passed around and everyone had their mouth full, I said, “I’ll play Christmas carols if anyone would like to sing along.”
Ashley and Savannah jumped up and down.
“Let’s sing the ones you played at the hospital that day,” Ashley said.
“Yes,” Savannah echoed. “I didn’t really get to sing that day, either.”
“Do you think we could get your dad and mom, as well as Daniel, Mara, Lucas, Benjamin, and Chase, to sing along, too?” I smiled, glancing around the table.
“I’m still eating,” Lucas and Benjamin choked out, staring at one another.
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll start playing and singing and whoever wants to join in can.” As I played and sang “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer,” Ashley and Savannah joined me. When I struck up “Jingle Bells” I heard a few more voices join in, and when I played “Frosty the Snowman”, everyone seemed to join in, singing loud and clear.
Last I played “Silent Night,” and as we all sang softly and reverently, Mara passed out candles and lit them for everyone to hold until the end of the song. The tree lights twinkled and the candle lights flickered as Christmas Day came to a close.
Finally, the Cutler family stood in the doorway and wished Chase and me, along with Mara and their son, Daniel, a “Merry Christmas” as we climbed into Daniel’s old blue Hyundai that would take us back to SoHo.
Chapter 23
The days between Christmas and New Year’s had been busy at the Emporium, so I was glad to sit back and relax on my ride home from the store. I heard my phone ringing in my pocket. It was Chase, so I answered. “Hi, Chase. What’s up?”
“I’ve been asked to cover Times Square on New Year’s Eve. Would you like to spend the evening with me?”
“Oh, Chase. I’d love to. Maybe I can carry something for you so I look official.” I laughed.
“That’s my girl. Always helping out no matter what she’s doing.”
“I don’t know if that’s a compliment or not, Mr. Reporter Man.”
“Believe me, it’s a compliment. You’re one of the kindest people I’ve ever met, Anna Louise.”
“I don’t know about that, Chase.”
“Well, I do. Life with your mother may not have gone well, but look at how you reached out to Savannah when she wasn’t being treated right by her mother on that bus. You have a heart full of love to give, Anna Louise.”
“Thanks, Chase. But, I could say the same thing about you. Remember, I’m the young woman you reached out to that day in the Blue Sky.”
“You did indeed have my heart beating faster that day, Ms. Armstrong.”
“Okay for you, Mr. Monroe.” I chortled, wondering if hanging up would be considered kind.
“Now, back to the reason I called you. It’s supposed to be cold on New Year’s Eve, so we’ll have to bundle up while I do a few interviews with people in the crowd, cover several live musical performances, then participate in the hourly countdowns to midnight. Last, but not least there will the ball drop.”
“Sounds like you’re going to be busy, but it should be fun, too. I can hardly wait.”
“I’ll be ready for that midnight kiss, Miss Piano Girl. Just think, a million people will be exchanging kisses in Times Square that night.”
“I’ll be ready, too. But, I have to work during the day on New Year’s Eve. Do you want to meet me at the Emporium and then walk from there?”
“Sounds great. Gotta go, but I’ll see you at the Emporium on New Year’s Eve around five o’clock.
“See ya, Chase. Bye.
Things slowed down to a snail’s pace at the Emporium on New Year’s Eve. I told Thomas about Chase covering Times Square and that I’d be going with him. “Have you and Beth ever gone out into the crowd at Times Square?” I asked.
“Years ago when we were young like you and Chase. It’s crazy, but fun. Take it all in while you’re in the crowd. There is nothing like it in the world.”
“Watching the New Year arrive in countries all around the world was always one of the most exciting parts of watching the Times Square celebration on television. The beautiful lights and fireworks going off all around the world.”
“This year you’ll be right there in the middle of it all. It’ll be something you’ll never forget. Times Square will be lit up from top to bottom and the crystal-encrusted ball that’s dropped at midnight will take your breath away.”
“Oh, Thomas. I’ll be saying a prayer to Mr. Cutler as I watch the ball drop, but I’ll also have a huge smile on my face for all of the good things that have happened this year.”
The front door opened and in walked Chase with his backpack and camera flung over his shoulder.
&nbs
p; “Happy New Year, Thomas,” Chase said. “I’ve come to steal your right-hand-lady away from you for the night.”
“Happy New Year, Chase. We’ve been talking about the Times Square celebration for at least the last hour or so. You young people go and have a good time. I’ll watch for you on television.”
“Thanks, Thomas,” I said.
Stopping at the eatery across the street from the Emporium, Chase and I each had a hot bowl of soup and a hefty sandwich to go with the soup to last us all night. We both stopped at the restrooms on the way out, knowing it would be our last chance before entering Times Squares and getting lost in the crowd.
As the evening grew darker, Times Square lit up from one end to the other. I just stood in the street and stared up at all of the buildings until Chase tapped me on the shoulder, saying we needed to move on. Music blasted from the stages as the big screens all up and down Times Square came alive with celebrations going on all around the world. Fireworks were going off over the harbor in Sydney, Australia. Balloons were flying over Tokyo Park in Japan. And soon the giant ball would be lowered over Times Square in America.
I had bundled up like Chase had suggested, but as the crowd grew, I began to feel warmer and warmer. I unbuttoned my coat, but left my scarf wrapped around my neck. I stuffed my mittens in my coat pockets. I chuckled as I stood off to the side and watched Chase interview a number of people in the crowd. The place was hopping and the revelers were having a good time. I couldn’t believe all of the crazy glasses and outfits. Somehow I even ended up with a pair of glasses that were a hoot. “This is the most fun I’ve ever had,” I shouted in Chase’s ear.
“I’m glad you’re having fun. It won’t be long before John Lennon’s song ‘Imagine’ will be played and the ball will start to drop in Times Square.”
“I’ll be counting down with the rest of the crowd,” I said. “I still can’t believe I’m here, Chase.”
“Believe it and savor it for the rest of your life.”
“I will. You’re the best.”
Then the crowd grew quiet and the huge numbers came up on a screen and the ball began to drop. 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-0 everyone yelled out. The crystal ball slowly came down and everyone started to kiss as the New Year began. Chase drew me into his arms and kissed me with a passion I’d never felt before. I kissed him back, knowing that he was the one for me. “I love you, Chase Elliott Monroe,” I whispered in his ear.
“I love you, too, Anna Louise Armstrong,” he yelled out into the night air. He hugged me tight, then we began to find our way out of Times Square and into a cab taking us to his place near the New York Times newspaper.
Chase set his backpack and camera down on the floor as we entered his apartment, then he reached into his refrigerator and brought out two waters, handing one to me and taking a deep swallow out of the other.
“Do you remember when we shared our first water together, Anna Louise?”
“Of course I do. It was the first day we met at the Blue Sky when you helped me clean my trashed apartment.”
“And tonight, a year and a half later, we spent the evening celebrating New Year’s Eve together in Times Square.” Chase’s eyes took on a sensual look. “You came to New York and learned to live on your own. Then, you achieved your goal of playing Carnegie Hall, and being the person you are, you even reached into your heart and forgave your family. I couldn’t love you more, Anna Louise, but what do you see in your future?”
“Well, in my near future, I see working at the Emporium with Thomas and his family, playing with the Chamber Orchestra of New York, and going to Julliard for a semester. I still want to become a great concert pianist, but don’t know if I want to travel the world doing it. There are so many fantastic places to play right here in New York. And then there’s this great guy I’ve come to know, who makes butterflies flutter in my stomach every time I see him. What do you see in your future, Chase?”
“Butterflies, huh?” Chase laughed. “I love being a reporter at the newspaper, but I want to work my way up until I become editor-in-chief one day. I also see an amazing woman, who plays the piano like no one else, in my future, too, if she will have me.”
“I hope that woman is me,” I replied as I threw my arms around him and kissed him over and over again.
“Glad to hear it,” Chase said, “since you are indeed that woman. I love you, Miss Piano Girl.”
“I love you back, Mr. Reporter Man.”
The New Year had begun on just the right note.