Twisted Family Holidays Collection
Page 5
“No need,” Johnson mouthed in return and turned to the girl. “Enjoy your day, young lady.”
“I will!” the girl exclaimed. She smiled and looked into her gift bag to verify that she did, indeed, just get the prized book for half-off. “Thank you so much. You don’t know what this means to me.”
Johnson’s heart, again, turned to mush. “Well young lady, today is your lucky day. The drink is on the house as well.”
The girl charged Johnson and gave him an unexpected hug.
Johnson gave her a return pat on the back and then headed for the glass-front door. “I’ll be back in a while.”
“Hanna will be here soon to help out,” Jimmy shouted. “So take your time Mr. J.”
Chapter Two
Johnson smiled as he stepped into the fresh, spring air. Just a slight chill was left over from the recent snowfall. The winter and spring had been plentiful in terms of snowfall. It had been several years since the town of East Jericho had that much snowfall. In fact, so much snow fell that the state’s governor retracted her claims of an official drought.
Johnson took a deep breath, absorbing all of nature’s scents, along with the faint aroma of fresh chimney fires. He then took a sip of his coffee and viewed the hills, marveling at how the town’s structures fit perfectly within the spaces between, and on top of, the rolling hills. Behind the hills were more hills and then mountains that leaked fresh white frosting all along the countryside. Johnson walked along the wooded sidewalk, past the end of his store, which now included the recently obtained, and cleverly-remodeled, corner unit. He looked to the area west of the town, opposite the hills, out into the valley cutout below. Johnson noticed several travelers coming to the town’s—two—four-star hotels.
Johnson ate his bagel while he watched the action. He noticed the travelers jumping out of various vehicles, no doubt in a hurry to check-in. Those who had already checked-in were coming and going, many of which were taking the wooden stairs that led to-and-from the town and hotels. Some of those moving about, no doubt, were there for Linda’s café. The restaurant recently changed ownership, as well as its breakfast menu. The tasty breakfast dishes had been highlighted in a travel magazine and online review blog. But even before the sudden notoriety, Johnson tried every dish on the breakfast menu. All were “superb,” as the articles said, and he agreed. What he liked most, however, was their price. All plates were under five dollars and some as low as three-fifty.
He took another sip of his Sulawesi, and glanced at the highway that ran north-south, just to the west of the town. The highway disappeared into the lush green bush, now topped with white, a quarter mile beyond hotels, just before the valley floor met the western hills and climbed back up the escalator to Heaven.
“I guess I’m pretty blessed too, Mr. Jimmy,” Johnson told himself. “I must be very blessed as well.”
After several lost moments admiring the snow-enhanced surroundings, Johnson discarded his small paper plate and turned back toward the heart of the town. Just as he was about to take another sip of the coffee, he froze. There she was. In a millisecond, he contemplated his plan of action. If I say something, what can I say that won’t sound absolutely stupid? Come on Daniel, think of something.
Like a stalker from the shadows, Johnson crept along the store’s outside wall, carefully stepping around the wood and metal benches. He watched the woman he called Mary walk along the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street. When he got to the corner of the building, he stopped and crouched, like a wild cat of prey. Suddenly, from behind, a voice rang out.
“Are you okay there Mr. J?” The voice belonged to Charlie Sheraton, Hanna’s best friend since grade school.
The voice caused Johnson to fall back a bit and spill coffee down his shirt. “Oh, that’s just great.” Johnson instinctively wiped his shirt, but kept an eye on Mary.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. J!” Charlie shouted and helped him to his feet. As she did, she noticed the obvious, almost creepy, glare at the woman on the other side of the street, who had stopped to window shop. Charlie then appeared to notice Johnson was out in the brisk air without a jacket. “Let me get your jacket, Mr. J. Wait here.”
Johnson nodded, but kept his eyes on the prize.
Charlie returned quickly and helped him put on his black leather jacket, and zip it up. “There you go, Mr. J. No one will ever know you spilled on your shirt.”
Johnson smiled, he knew he was exposed.
Charlie glanced across the street. “She’s a pretty lady,” she said. “Mr. J, I think you should go say hello.”
“Then what do I do? It’s been a long time since I approached a woman.”
“How about saying something like, I love your breakfast menu.” Charlie straightened Johnson’s jacket and smiled. “I’ve seen you eating the omelets.”
“You mean she’s the new owner of Linda’s?”
“She is.” Charlie cheered. “And she has offered me a part-time job after spring classes.”
“You don’t say?” Johnson puckered his lips and nodded several times.
“I do say.” Charlie raised the collar on his jacket. “Now, Mr. J, go and say something sweet…Anything.”
“Hmm. I’ll try, Charlie. Thank you.”
Charlie slowly backed away and tiptoed to the entrance of the store. “I’m going to get a coffee now, Mr. J. Just go talk to her.”
Johnson nodded as he continued to watch Mary duck inside Jensen’s Hardware and Pet Emporium. “Maybe I can help her with some electrical assistance,” he whispered. “I am a bit of a handyman.” He checked his jacket, black jeans and boots for any remnants of food or drink, or anything else that might have nested in his clothes. He wiped some lint off of his pants and stood straight. Johnson took two deep breaths for courage and made his way across the street.
Once inside the store, Johnson saw Mary across the way. Her light brown hair was pulled back into a bun, with curly strands falling along her face and just behind her ears. Her cheeks were porcelain, and dark ruby covered her full lips. Tiny red stones emphasized her delicate lobes, and were somehow highlighted by her hazel eyes. Her beige coat stopped just below her skirt hem, and her white ankle socks folded with lace, just above her black lacquer flats. The vision of perfection froze Johnson. He gulped and, cautiously, moved toward her.
A half a dozen feet from the mystery woman, Johnson’s heart stopped, and his breath escaped his lungs. “Oh God,” he was able to mutter, despite the feelings of panic and lack of essential organ function.
The woman noticed him and looked up. She smiled.
Johnson stopped and gulped again. His dry, desert mouth had no fluid remaining, so he quickly took a sip of his coffee. With his mouth once again lubricated, Johnson spoke. “I was wondering…” he paused and looked back out the front window at his shop. He then pointed his finger and continued. “If you’d―”
Before he could get the words out, the mystery woman interrupted. “I’d love to have a cup of your java,” she said. “And some of your conversation as well.” The woman delicately held out her hand to shake. “My name is Mary, and you are the one they call Johnson, correct?”
Johnson’s head snapped back. “A…that’s right.” He smiled at the idea that his happenstance name assignment was correct all along. Johnson shook Mary’s hand.
“But,” Mary said, in a coy manner, slowly twisting from side-to-side. “Can you help me with a leaky faucet first?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
Chapter Three
“This coffee is wonderful,” Mary raved. “I’ve never had such a wonderful blend.”
“Well, I’ve tried yours and it’s pretty good too.” Johnson tried not to stare into her eyes, or gawk at any other body part. But Mary’s soft, inviting glow, and demure presence, was more than he
could overcome and Johnson found himself staring and smiling often. When he caught himself, he looked down at his coffee cup, now exchanged for an oversized, house ceramic cup. Don’t be creepy, he reminded himself. This is just the first meeting.
“It’s a secret recipe,” Mary continued, interrupting Johnson’s thoughts before they became too disparaging. “It’s been in our family for hundreds of years.”
“Hundreds, huh?” Johnson playfully asked.
“Yes,” Mary replied and winked. “And if I divulge the secret ingredients, I’ll have to vaporize you.”
“Vaporize, huh? Yikes, that sounds like a horrible death.” Johnson chuckled. “I don’t ever want that to happen.”
“No, I don’t suppose you do.” Mary joined in on the chuckle, which quickly turned to laughter.
When the laughter subsided, Mary looked around, admiring the bookstore. “I love what you’ve done to this place. But you didn’t have to shut it down because of me.”
“The kids were planning an extended lunch anyway. They wanted to go to the big mall, and I didn’t want us to be interrupted. So, you did not shut it down, I did.”
Mary turned in her seat. “What goes over there?” she asked.
“Well, in order to stay in business, I needed to find ways to generate more revenue. So I took a risk and used some of the insurance money that my late wife left us. I decided to expand the store and add some revenue-enhancing fixtures.” Johnson smiled and puffed his chest. He pointed to the area in the northern section of the store. It was a small teller-like section, one you might find in an old western town. “In the corner that you are looking at, I set up a little postal area, which also handles money orders and other cash transactions.”
“That’s always a handy thing.”
Johnson turned slightly to the left. “Here, is the kitchen area. It’s not too special, but it accommodates a little baking that my daughter loves to do. And a few sandwich dishes that her soon-to-be fiancé handles, along with the wonderful coffee that we’re drinking.”
“Another winner, I must say.”
“And over there…” Johnson pointed to the entrance area and beyond. “That is where I bought the extra space and moved all of the books, CD’s and albums to.”
“Yet, you managed to keep it very rustic and country-old,” Mary added. She smiled and absorbed the ambiance.
In the background was the faint sound of music. A playlist of melodic, mellow songs, even love songs, put together by Johnson, rang throughout the store. He smiled as he watched Mary sway with the music.
“That’s Todd Rundgren!” Mary shouted. “I love it.” She lightly sang the lyrics to “I Saw the Light.”
He’d found another reason to like the bewitching woman in front of him, and smiled brightly. “I’m a big fan of your place as well.”
Mary sipped her coffee and smiled. “Thank you, I’m not sure it quite feels like mine, just yet. I inherited it from my aunt Linda. She was a kind soul who couldn’t have children of her own. When my mother got sick, Linda took me in. She took care of me until Mommy got better. She was very much like my mother, and in some ways even better.” A look of distant sadness overcame Mary.
Johnson saw droplets of fluid form in her eye, wondering how they kept from rolling down her cheeks.
“It must have been hard to lose her.” He reached across the wood-top table and laid his hand on Mary’s.
The touch seemed to sooth Mary and she, in turn, laid her free hand atop of his. For several seconds they stayed locked in a mini-embrace. All the while, the physical contact sent ripples of chills through Johnson’s body.
Johnson finally broke the silence. “I’d like to see you again,” he said. “I mean if you are interested of course.”
Lips closed, Mary gave a polite smile, which morphed into a large, bright smile. “I’d like that. I’d like that a lot.”
Chapter Four
Johnson awoke startled. He looked around his room and then reached for the usually empty space beside him. True to life, it was empty again. He sat up and looked out the window. “Sunny and bright,” he said. He then made his way to the bathroom to take care of his morning duty. The digital alarm clock soon blasted the morning traffic report, followed by Blondie’s, “One Way or Another.”
Johnson sang the lyrics while he washed and groomed for the morning’s adventure.
Hearing the jolly sounds, Hanna made her way to the bedroom door. She smiled before she knocked. “Something good must have happened,” she whispered. “He’s never in a good mood in the morning.”
Johnson heard the knock. “Yes?” he shouted through the bathroom door. “What can I do for you this wonderful morning?”
“Wonderful morning?” Hanna whispered with a giggle. She then shouted, “You can start by giving back my father and leaving this world before I perform an exorcism.”
“Ah, I believe your father, like Elvis, has left the building.”
“This can’t be happening.” Hanna paused, not knowing what to do, or say, in her current state of shock. “Well, whoever you are, we need to get to the store, and try to figure out how we’re going to stay in business.”
“I’ll catch up to you, honey. Have Jimmy brew up some more of that Sulawesi he brewed yesterday. And tell him to order up some more, before we run out.”
“Who the hell is Jimmy?” Hanna whispered. She looked at the hardwood floor, sighed and began to tear up. He’s starting, she thought. She wondered what her father might be going through. Hanna was keenly aware of the mental troubles of aging adults. She had just finished up a class in human development that covered late onset schizophrenia and other diseases of the brain, including early onset dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. “He’s losing it,” Hanna mumbled. “But he’s way too young. I can’t take losing another parent just yet.” Hanna shook her head. “He’s barely fifty,” she continued her whispered dialogue. “Oh, Daddy, please don’t lose it.” Hanna wiped her tears and, in a shaky voice, shouted, “I love you Daddy!” She turned and headed for the front door.
****
Johnson stopped at the flower shop on the way to the store. He considered ordering a dozen roses, but he didn’t want to seem too forward, just in case. In the same vein, he didn’t want to seem disinterested, or aloof. So with the assistance of, Mabel, the flower shop owner, Johnson went with a dozen red carnations—the color of love.
Johnson did order one rose, however. That one he would deliver in person―if, that is, the carnations were accepted as a token of his affection.
While Johnson made his way to the bookstore, he saw a thousand things that reminded him of Mary, and a thousand more that he wanted to buy for her. He stopped at one of the two jewelry stores in town and glanced at engagement rings. This town hosts hundreds of outsider weddings, Johnson thought. Why not a homegrown one? He looked over a host of different engagement rings, then shook his head. “You’re getting a little ahead of yourself there, Daniel,” he whispered. “The flowers are a good start though.” He smiled and thought, Be cool, take your time, enjoy the ride.
When he arrived at the store, Johnson was looking down, distracted by the memory of the sweet smile of the perfect woman who, in the wake of a glance, had stolen his heart. He opened the door and began to step inside. When he looked up, he saw the darkened, one-room store, which looked a lot like the one he bought before the accident, before the awful day that took his wife’s life. Hanna stood directly in front of Johnson. Next to her was Dino, a young, disgruntled progressive, who agreed to work for five dollars an hour—under the table. Next to them was the town’s banker, briefcase in hand.
Johnson froze. “No,” he whispered in shock. “It can’t be…” Johnson gave a squinted stare at Hanna.
Hanna returned the stare. Seeing and feeling the anguish in her father�
�s eyes, she couldn’t help but tear up. She quickly covered up her reaction with her hands. Hanna then wiped the undercarriage of her eyelids and cleared her throat, trying to sound unaffected. “Daddy,” she said. “This is Felix; he’s from the town’s bank. We need to talk to him about a few things.”
Johnson just stared, then turned and looked about the town. All of the locals and tourists were walking around in short sleeves and many were in shorts. The weather was more than mild with temperatures around eighty one degrees. Not even a trace of snow. Johnson turned back to Hanna. “When was the last rain or snow we had?”
Hanna looked at the others and shrugged.
Dino spoke up. “It hasn’t rained in months, dude. We’re in a drought, don’t you remember, Mr. J?”
Johnson did not respond.
Concerned, Dino asked, “Are you okay, Mr. J? You don’t look so well.”
Johnson stood stiff and blank-faced. “Oh shit…” he finally muttered, with a jerk of his head. He dropped the rose and, as fast as he could, ran away from the town, toward the stairs that would take him to hotels and shops below.
Chapter Five
A bottle of Budweiser, bought from the hotel lobby bar, was the first thing Johnson saw when he awoke in his hotel bed. The Lodge at Jericho was the preferred hotel of the locals. It was not particularly better in anyway than the other hotel, Winter’s Playhouse, except that locals were allotted much more latitude. Locals, particularly store owners, were often comped rooms in return for hotel guest privileges. When high rollers and return guests needed favors, such as the newest adult book release, store owners would immediately honor the request at the store owner’s cost, or gratis. Consequently, next to the Budweiser was a half-smoked cigar.