by Joachim Jean
“Can I come in and use the bathroom?”
“If that’s all, yeah.” Sweat broke out on Clint’s brow as he moved to the side and let her in.
“Yeah. Sure. That’s all.” She stepped inside and closed the door.
****
By December twenty-third, Nina realized her relationship with Clint was over. She had not called him in ten days, and he had not returned her messages. Her joyful spirits fell to the floor.
The phone rang. Thinking it was Clint, Nina dove for it, only to hear Fran’s cheerful “hello” on the other end.
“It’s my favorite leading lady.”
“Oh, hi.” Nina sank down on the soft sofa cushion, folding her leg underneath her.
“Cheer up, cheer up! Have I got a part for you!”
“A part? In Clint’s play?” She rose up, pushing on the couch arm with her hand.
“What? Broadway? No sweetie, I wish. But I do have a leading role for you in some play in the Pine Grove Playhouse this summer. Rehearsals start in April, babe.”
“The Pine Grove Playhouse? Not Broadway?” Nina tried to steady the quaver in her voice.
“Sorry, sweetie.”
Nina’s control burst, and tears poured down her face. “I was hoping…thinking…maybe.”
“What’s the matter, Nina?”
“Clint and I are over. Finished. Through.” She wiped her cheeks.
“Oh my God! What happened?”
“Norman loved his play, and I…I…never heard from him again.” She closed her eyes tight, hoping to stop crying.
“That dirty rat! What a bastard! I’ll tear his eyes out!”
A small smile played at Nina’s lips. “Thanks, Fran, but can you blame him? Honestly, who wouldn’t run off to Broadway to see his name in lights? What does he need an old broad like me tagging along for? The old theater vampire has stuck again.”
“I’ll kill him.”
“Fran…don’t hate him. I don’t.”
“You don’t? Why the hell not?”
“He’s an amazing man “So, you’re all alone tonight?”
“Yep.”
“Damn. When does Darcy arrive?”
“He’s due late tonight.”
“Thank God for that. Merry Christmas, sweetie. I gotta go.”
“Merry Christmas to you, too, Fran.”
Nina hung up. “Summer stock in Pine Grove instead of starring on Broadway. Which would you choose?” she said aloud.
Maybe she should be grateful to be doing summer stock, doing any theater, since she’d been away so long. She wished she was spending Christmas up there. At least she’d expect to be alone, and she wouldn’t have to watch groups of people bustling about the city, rushing to get to parties with friends or home to their families. In Pine Grove if her neighbors knew she was alone, they would invite her for a cup of cheer.
But when you’re suffering from a broken heart, is there anything anyone else can do? Probably not.
With a house full of food and a tree loaded with gifts and only Darcy and Helen to give them to, Nina felt sad and alone. Having declined all her Christmas party invitations, she knew she’d have to wait patiently to celebrate with her son and daughter-in-law. She stood by the French doors and looked out the window at the frozen ground of Central Park and the bare tree limbs. A glance at the swirling, gray sky told her bad weather was coming.
She switched on the TV and got more bad news. “It looks like we can expect six to ten inches of snow today and maybe more tomorrow. The Mayor is urging people not to travel, as blizzard conditions are expected. No decision has been made yet about airports, but I’d guess closings will be announced within the hour,” said the weatherman.
“Oh my God, Darcy!” Nina covered her mouth with her hand as tears burst through again and poured down her cheeks. Throwing herself down on the sofa and burying her face in a pillow, Nina sobbed. No Clint, and now Darcy and Helen wouldn’t be coming, either. It was more than she could bear.
The doorman buzzed, disturbing Nina’s meltdown. She wiped her nose and eyes on a tissue and learned from him that there was a delivery for her. She slowly made her way down in the elevator. Max handed her a small package from Amazon. She was surprised, as she wasn’t expecting anything from anyone.
“Thanks, Max. Merry Christmas. Will you be here tomorrow and Christmas Day?”
“Only tomorrow. I’m off Christmas Day. Merry Christmas to you to, Mrs. Wells.”
“I hope the kids like the games I got them.”
“They always love your gifts. Thank you.”
Nina rustled up one last, small smile and returned to the elevator. Once back in the apartment, she took a sip of her coffee and sat down on the sofa. “I don’t care if it isn’t Christmas. I need this now,” she said aloud, as she began pulling open the corrugated box.
Inside was a smaller box. There was a note, printed on white paper. It said, “Merry Christmas, from Cory.” Tears pricked Nina’s eyes as she slipped off the top. Inside, under the protective fuzz, was a necklace with the masks of comedy and tragedy, the symbol for the theater, as a pendant.
“Oh, Cory, thank you,” she gushed, to no one.
Trying to hold back tears didn’t work this time, either, and they flooded her cheeks as she smiled a grateful smile. She immediately went to the mirror to fasten the chain around her neck. The silver masks were highlighted against her magenta sweater and looked lovely.
“Bless you, Cory.” She patted the pendant.
As she stood there, something moving caught her eye. She turned toward the window, and the smile fell off her face as she stared at the heavy snowfall.
The phone rang.
“Mom?”
“Darcy.” Nina tried with all her might to keep her tone even and unemotional.
“Are you all right?”
“Okay,” she managed. Obviously, her act had failed.
“Has the snow started, yet?”
“It has.” She turned to face the window again, her brow furrowed.
“They’re talking about canceling flights from here to New York already.”
“I know.”
“We’re not giving up. If we’re a day or two late, is that okay?”
“Of course, Darcy. I want to see you. If I have to wait another day or two, it’s all right.”
“Besides, I gotta meet this guy, Clint. Gotta look him over before he moves in on you.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. It seems to have burned out as quickly as it flamed.” Nina squeezed the tissues in her hand.
“Sorry to hear that. Gotta go. Love you. Merry Christmas, Mom.”
“Merry Christmas to you, too.”
She hung up, went into her room, flopped down on the bed, and cried herself to sleep.
Nina slept though until the morning, waking up feeling grubby, as she had spent the night in her clothes. She took a shower and had a cup of fruit yogurt for breakfast, staring at the blanket of falling snow. It was so thick that she could barely see the apartment houses on Fifth Avenue.
There didn’t seem to be any letup in sight as it accumulated in drifts and the wind picked up, whipping large flakes past her huge windows with a silent ferocity. Depression weighed Nina down. No Clint. No Darcy. No friends for Christmas. She walked over to the French doors and watched people cross country skiing in Central Park. She looked down and could see the snow cover and recover the sidewalk as quickly as the doormen shoveled it off.
She opened the refrigerator and began to remove the four bottles of champagne cooling there she had planned to share with Clint over the holiday. Mentally, she kicked herself for ordering a case. Now, she was stuck with it. Why was I so confident? Foolish woman.
She flipped the TV dial, looking for a non-Christmas related movie, but was unable to come up with one. Instead, she opened the latest Sue Grafton mystery, bundled herself up with a hand-crocheted throw, and read. By four o’clock, she was ready to think about dinner and cut some slices of
f the beautiful ham she’d bought for Christmas Eve.
She added some of her homemade potato salad, celery, olives, and a few slices of brie and cheddar cheese, but found, once the plate was made, she didn’t have much appetite. Her mouth was dry, and her throat wouldn’t swallow.
By five, it was dark outside, and the Christmas lights from the apartments and stores and restaurants in the city barely blinked and glowed through the ever-falling snow outside her window. The doorbell sounded, ringing twice as loud in the empty apartment.
Wearing only her silk robe, Nina padded over to the door then hesitated. It must be a neighbor, since Max didn’t buzz. She opened it a crack and peeked out to see a bottle of Moët & Chandon, tied with a red bow, sitting on the floor. When she looked up, Clint was there.
Nina didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “What are you doing here?” she blurted out, her eyes wide.
“I’m sure you’re mad as hell. But can I come in? Only for a moment. I brought you champagne for Christmas. I can explain everything.”
Nina stood still, weighing the idea of letting him in versus slamming the door in his face. Curiosity got the better of her, and she opened it silently, staring at him. I’ve got to know what happened. Clint took off his snowy boots and left them in the hallway before entering.
As he neared, her heart lurched. She longed to be in his arms, to make her pain go away. But she was afraid. “Where have you been?” she asked, moving toward the sofa.
He followed her. “Can we open this first and make a toast?”
“No.” She placed her hands on her hips.
“Come on, Nina. It’s not so bad. We still have each other.”
“What do you mean, ‘we have each other’? Where the hell have you been?”
“Please, the champagne.” Clint shifted from foot to foot.
When she didn’t budge, Clint fetched two flutes from the kitchen cabinet then focused on opening the bottle. She noticed him stealing peeks at her breasts, outlined so perfectly by the silk robe. She became self-conscious and folded her arms over her chest.
“Aw, spoiling my fun. Okay, here you go.” He popped the cork neatly, barely spilling a drop.
He handed her a glass, and she had to admit it smelled good and the bubbles tickled her nose.
“We have many things to toast to,” Clint said, sitting down on the couch and patting the space next to him.
“Like what?” She eyed him suspiciously, not moving.
“Come sit next to me, and I’ll tell you.”
“I can listen perfectly well right here. Are we toasting to your opening on Broadway?” She lowered her gaze.
“You might think so, but…no.”
Nina’s head snapped up. “What happened?”
“Truth?” Clint turned to look at her.
“Of course.”
"Norman wouldn’t cast you in the lead.”
“What?”
“That’s right. He only wanted to do the play with a famous name as the lead. I didn’t want to, but you’re right about the theater vampire. I got bitten being with Norman. So, at first, I agreed. We went to Hollywood for a weekend to meet with some movie stars. That’s when it happened.”
“What?” Her heart filled with dread.
“As I listened to movie star after movie star read the lines I wrote for you, I couldn’t stand it. I hated the way it sounded, so hollow and phony. I realized if I couldn’t do the play with you, I didn’t want to do it with anyone.”
“Oh, no! You turned down Norman Fallon?” Her eyes got wide.
“Yup! Probably the first high school English teacher ever to do that.”
She covered her mouth with her hand then said, “He must have been furious.”
“He wasn’t happy at first, but when I explained it, he kind of understood. Seems he once felt that way about you, too.” Clint stared hard at her, and she felt color rush through her face all the way to the roots of her hair.
“But I would’ve understood, Clint. It would’ve been okay. That happens in the theater.”
“But it wasn’t okay for me. I don’t want to do it with anyone else. That had to be my decision.”
“Oh my God.” She took a gulp of champagne.
“Wait, there’s more.”
“More?” Nina raised her eyebrows.
“Ashley almost passed out when I told her. After trying to talk me out of it for a week, she gave up. She wouldn’t stop calling me, so I stopped answering my phone. I told her if that was what I had to do, maybe I wasn’t ready for Broadway. She was determined to sell the play, so she dug into her bag of tricks and came up with the perfect idea.” He stopped and took two sips of his drink.
She sank down on the sofa next to him. “Don’t leave me in suspense.”
“She booked the play out of town.”
“Don’t tell me—the Pine Grove Playhouse?”
“How did you know?”
“Because Fran told me I have a job there.”
“I’m doing the play there, and you’re going to be the star.”
“Oh, Clint. Why didn’t you tell me any of this?”
“Because I knew you’d try to talk me out of it…and probably succeed. Then, I’d be miserable, and you’d be miserable…and we’d lose each other.”
Nina ducked her head. “I underestimated you.”
“You thought I dropped you for the theater, didn’t you?”
She nodded, lowering her eyes and sipping the champagne.
“Shame on you. I’d never do that. I told you I love you. I meant it. Now, we get to do the play together and stay together.”
When she looked up, there were tears in her eyes.
“And if the play is successful, I may become their first playwright-in-residence. Of course, I’ll never be able to write anything without my muse. You’ll be there with me, won’t you?”
“I wouldn’t miss it for anything. Besides, I’m playing the lead.” She leaned over and brushed her lips against his.
He wiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb. “I was thinking of something stronger than that for Christmas, Mrs. Wells,” he said, taking her in his arms for a passionate kiss.
“I love you, Clint,” she whispered, then pushed to her feet to refill their glasses.
“Glad you still do. Oh, by the way, I have something else for you.”
Nina stopped and turned. Clint was on the floor on one knee.
“Will you marry me?” He held a small box in the palm of his hand, opened to show a ring with a shiny ruby and two small diamonds on either side.
Nina’s grip on the bottle’s neck slipped slightly as she gasped. “Oh, my God,” she murmured, catching it before it left her grasp.
“Well? It’s uncomfortable down here.”
“Of course. Of course, I’ll marry you.” She rushed over to him.
Clint moved back to the couch and slipped the ring on Nina’s finger. He pulled her into his arms for a tender kiss.
After he released her, Nina returned to the kitchen and loaded the bottles of champagne she had bought back into the refrigerator then stopped to look at the beautiful ring on her finger. She couldn’t stop smiling.
When she returned to the living room, Clint took her by the hand and led her into the bedroom. “It’s been too long for me, without you. Besides, all playwrights should make love to their leading ladies. Theater tradition.”
She closed the door behind her, locking the sound of her giggles into the room.
****
Nina was roused from their bed by the sound of the buzzer.
“There’s a group down here…a woman named Fran?” Max said into the intercom.
“Send them up!”
Nina raced back to the bedroom. She and Clint threw on their clothes, but not before the doorbell sounded insistently.
Clint walked to the vestibule, buttoning his shirt. Nina was slipping into black velvet, wide-legged pants and tunic top. He opened the door and ten cold, snowy people piled
into the apartment singing “Hark the Herald.”
Fran came forward and hugged Nina to her then turned to look at Clint. “What are you doing here? I thought you two broke up?”
“A nasty rumor. We’re engaged,” he replied.
“Oh, my God!”
Fran hugged Clint then Nina. “So, you didn’t need cheering up? We thought since you couldn’t come to the party, we’d bring the party to you.”
“We tromped ten blocks through the snow, and you don’t need us?” Sara piped up.
“Who said I don’t need you?” Nina shot back as she opened her arms to welcome the young woman, who fell in for a hug.
Nina’s guests took off their snowy coats and boots and Clint placed them in the guest room. She took out the food she had planned for Christmas, and they all lined up for a sumptuous buffet. Shady sat down at the piano and played Christmas carols.
Clint’s phone rang. He answered it in the bedroom.
“Dad, did you tell her?”
“I did, Cory.”
“How did she take it?”
“Like I thought she would.” Clint paced.
“See? I told you.”
“Are you at the airport?”
“Nah. They canceled our flight.”
“Oh? You’re going to be here, then?”
“That’s why I’m calling. Can I come stay with you for Christmas?”
A huge grin stretched the teacher’s face. “Of course. I’d love it. But how can you get here?”
“Trains are still running.”
“Get your butt on one, right now. We’re having a party, and we need you.”
“Okay. On my way.”
Clint moved to hang up.
“Wait, Dad.”
“What?’
“Just want to tell you I’m proud of you.”
Emotion choked Clint. “Thanks, son.” When he returned to the party, he sported a big grin. Nina looked at him and cocked her head.
“The snow that’s keeping Darcy away also kept Cory from flying to Switzerland. He’s on a train on his way here.”
“Wonderful! A dream come true.”
“What’s going on with you and Cory?” Clint cocked an eyebrow and feigned suspicion.
“He sent me this, for Christmas.” Nina slipped a finger under the delicate pendant hanging around her neck.