Stranded On Christmas
By: Rachel Burns
Text Copyright © 2014 by Rachel Burns
All Rights Reserved
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, incidents and dialogues are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 - Not Good Enough
Chapter 2 - Stranded In The Cold
Chapter 3 - Waking Up With You
Chapter 4 - Merry Christmas
Chapter 5 - Shotgun Wedding
Chapter 6 - A New Routine
Chapter 7 - Happy Anniversary
Chapter 8 - Everyday The Same Thing
Chapter 9 - A Chance Taken
Chapter 10 - A Little Surprise
Chapter 11 - Bedridden
Chapter 12 - Having To Say Goodbye
Chapter 13 - Hostage
Chapter 14 - Divorce
Chapter 15 - A Farewell Dinner
Chapter 16 - I Need You
Chapter 17 - Time To Go
Chapter 18 - Hospice
Chapter 19 - Surprise
Chapter 20 - Happy Birthday
Chapter 21 - More Tests
Chapter 1 - Not Good Enough
Jessie
I stood perfectly still right behind him and thought about the act of chance, which had brought me here to exactly this house at this time. It had been a case of bad luck.
Some people called luck a lady. Personally, I thought of her more like a moody bitch. Luck had never really served me well.
The man, I was standing behind, was my husband. It had been a shotgun wedding without me being pregnant. I had only said 'yes' because I hadn't had a choice. He was basically keeping me against my will.
But right now he was protecting me. He was usually the person that I needed protecting from. He was a very strict husband. Even if he had been so nice to me after tragedy had hit us.
It all started right before Christmas …
… I had been working in my office when the phone rang.
I answered and smiled to myself thinking that life couldn't get better. It was my boyfriend. He wanted to see me right after work.
I hung up my phone and looked under my desk. My wiener dog, Pumpkin was in her basket, which was hidden under my desk.
I grinned at my small light brown lap dog. “That was him,” I told Pumpkin, petting over his long back. “He called saying that he wanted me to meet him before we take off this evening. I have a funny feeling that he wants to pop the question.”
I sighed and looked out of the window for a moment, just picturing it. I had a feeling that he wanted me to have a ring on my finger before he took me to meet his parents.
I felt like such a grown up. Usually, I still felt like a kid. By that I meant I still felt like I was me. I hadn't really changed other than the fact that I was wearing grown up clothes now.
I pictured Jamie down on one knee opening up a tiny box with a ring in it. The diamond would sparkle as light reflected off of it. He would offer me the ring, a sign of his love, and I would say yes. Then we could live happily ever after.
I went back to work. I needed to hurry, so I could get out of here on time. I even had to work ahead. I wouldn't be back at my desk until next year after the holidays. Jamie was taking me home for Christmas. I figured I would be meeting my future in-laws. I hoped they were nice.
I powered through the in-coming tasks and did what I could to see they were filled before Christmas.
When I was finished, I got out Pumpkin's leash and off we went. I left him in the car while I went into the bar area of the restaurant. Jamie said I should meet him there.
My first clue that things weren't going to go as I planned was the blond woman with her arms around Jamie's neck.
I stopped dead in my tracks. A thousand different explanations went through my head, like the idea that she might be a cousin. Perhaps she would be riding along with us, and she was thankful for the ride, really very thankful from the looks of things.
I walked over to him with a stupid grin on my face, telling myself not to look like a jealous needy girlfriend. Maybe he needed someone from the family as moral support when he asked me to marry him.
Naturally, she wouldn't be the other woman. Jamie had told me to come here, not the other way around. I wasn't catching him at anything.
“Hi, Jamie.” I sounded too peppy and very unnatural.
The woman straightened up and walked off.
Usually, I would have given him a kiss, greeting him in a way just I could greet him. But my shoulders were stiff. They refused to lean in towards him as I sat down across from him. I was sitting up perfectly straight. My pose was defensive.
Why was he still smiling? He should be explaining.
“Hey, Jessie. Thanks for coming.” He laid his hand on my knee. I wanted to pull it away from him. Bells and whistles were going off in my head, warning me to brace myself. We had been together for over a year now. I had such a bad feeling.
“I have something to tell you.”
Tell, not ask, I thought.
“I met the most amazing girl last week. I didn't want to say anything until I was sure, and I didn't want to break it off on the phone either. But I think she is the one.” He was grinning from ear to ear as he shared this life-changing information with me. Didn’t he realize that it would change my life too? This wouldn’t be improving my life.
I wanted to slap that grin right off of him. I was mad as hell. He had been seeing her for a week, and we had sex on Tuesday evening. So he was seeing us both at the same time.
Did that mean that I hadn't passed some sort of odd sex test?
I looked over his shoulder and saw that she was standing in the hallway by the restrooms, watching us. She was beautiful and wearing an expensive looking red dress. Her blond hair was twisted up in an elegant bun. She was thin, and her dress was so tight. Her thinness didn't come from her finding the perfect dress to hide her trouble spots. She didn't have any to hide. She was drinking a glass of wine and just waiting for me to leave.
I had a picture in my head that this was her idea. She would have wanted to see me, so she could figure out whether or not I was real competition.
I wasn't. I was a very simple boring girl. I had blond hair but it was mixed in with a lot of plain brown. My eyes were plain brown too. I wasn't fat, but I wasn't thin either.
If I were him, I would have chosen her, too.
“Farewell,” I said, standing up. This didn't need to be drawn out. I wanted it over with quickly. That would be better for me. Just seeing her wasn't good for my self-esteem. I could never, no matter what, be as beautiful as she was.
He didn't protest, so I just turned away from them and left. At the door I paused and peeked back at them. She was in his arms, smiling, and he was smiling back at her.
At least he was happy. I did want that for him, but it shouldn't have been so easy for him to say goodbye to me.
He didn't love me, and he never had.
I hurried to my car. I needed to have a good cry, and I needed it now. I didn't want anyone to see me.
It took me forever to open the car door. My pointer finger kept hitting the wrong button, lock, over and over again. Once I could see straight enough to push the right button and unlock my car, I sighed, relieved.
I took a deep breath and got in quickly. Pumpkin jumped onto my lap and started to lick my face. I laid my head down on the steering wheel to bawl, thankful for the darkness, so no one could see me.
It was cold and snowing out, or I would have probably stayed in
my car for hours, but the reality of the coldness made me drive to my apartment. I was cursing myself the whole time. Of course someone like Jamie wouldn't be interested in me.
I had the money – but not the looks. The company was my idea. I had built it up on my own. I offered people a personalized system. We did things for people that help them fulfill their dreams.
Sometimes I was on the net, searching for a rare baseball card. Other times I was on the phone hiring a plumber to go to a woman's house when her husband wasn't home. The plumber would fix what was broken in a way that made it look like the husband had done it himself.
Sometimes I arranged for craftsmen to meet up with husbands at the hardware store. They would make friends and go over to the man's house and the men would 'try' to fix the problem together.
I had a list of craftsman willing to do that for me. They were especially good actors and great guys. The wives were happy when they had running water again, and the husbands thought that they had done something great for their family. Everyone was a winner.
I lived for my company. It was all I had, and it was closed over the holidays. There was nothing to divert my attention.
I looked over at Pumpkin sitting in the passenger seat next to me. It was clear that he would remain the only man in my life. His love was at least real.
I went up to my apartment and looked for food, so I could make myself something to eat. For once I wasn't hungry. Which was good because I had cleaned out my refrigerator and thrown out all of my perishable food, so it wouldn’t go bad while I was away.
I needed to lose the few extra pounds that I had on me, get a decent makeover and maybe buy some new clothes. No, I definitely needed new clothes. After my extra weight was gone, my things wouldn't fit anymore.
If I changed myself, then I could get a man.
Feeling something, like a spark of hope, I walked over to my bookshelf, the one with the weight loss books. I had several favorites. That thought depressed me all the more. I had stood here before, and I had never lost a pound. Instead, I had been gradually gaining.
I felt disgusting and like a failure. I let myself fall on the sofa. It was a helpless situation. I couldn't lose the weight, and I would never find a man. I was getting older and less interesting by the second.
Wasn't there even a saying about me being more likely to be hit by lightning than to get married?
I bawled until I started to get a headache. I got up and looked at my packed suitcases. I had gifts for Jamie's parents in them and a special gift for him, too. It was that stupid expensive watch Jamie had been pining after. He had practically been begging for it.
Why hadn't I seen that he was more interested in my money than in me?
I decided to drive up to Canada. The idea had just popped into my head. My favorite aunt and uncle lived up there. I was their godchild. They had raised me, and they would love to see me.
I whistled for Pumpkin who had gone to his basket for one of his many naps. His head perked right up, and he came running. I turned off all the lights and slipped into my boots. With a suitcase in each hand we walked out of the door and down to my car. I put in my bags. Then I opened the car door for Pumpkin, so he could jump in. I went back into my apartment and got his basket, doggy dishes and a sack of his food. I locked up and went off on my mission to make myself feel better.
I filled up the car with gas along with about a thousand other people at the local station. It was the last one before you get on the highway, so it was popular on a day like today. Christmas vacation was starting, and everyone was on the road to visit their families. The gas stations here in Chicago were stuffed on a normal day, but today it was crazy.
Once I had a full tank, Pumpkin and I were off for good.
I thought about stopping at a restaurant to get something to eat, but then I would have to leave Pumpkin in the car. It was too cold for something like that. Besides, I desperately needed to lose weight. Less food meant less me, and the less I was, the more men would be interested in me.
Maybe I could really do it this time. I didn't have that much to lose, just two dress sizes. I might even be a knock out if I had a bit more self-discipline.
Being loved had to be better than any food could taste?
Chapter 2 - Stranded In The Cold
Jessie
This was the single most stupid idea that I had ever had. I could hardly see out of the windshield. The wipers were going as fast as they could, and I could hardly see the road. I was worried that I would hit another car or get hit by one driving behind me.
I hadn't seen another car in over an hour. Of course, I was the only one dumb enough to be out in a blizzard.
The guy jabbering away at me on the radio was giving out a storm warning. I wished I had heard the warning before I took off so poorly prepared. I didn't have my cell powered up. This was just asking for trouble.
I turned the heat down low and started to pray that a city would come into sight. I was running low on gas and I feared that I wouldn't be able to keep the car on the road.
I looked over at Pumpkin. I had not only endangered myself but also him. I had a very bad feeling about this. I didn't think that we would make it. But I wasn't about to give up. I had to continue, and I had to try to stay calm. I could never do this if I lost my wits.
I knew I was totally lost. I must have missed my turn off. By this time, I should have been at my aunt and uncle's house. I was going slowly but steadily.
I needed a miracle to help me get the car somewhere safe. I needed a gas station and motel, one that would take dogs.
I would lie and check in, leaving Pumpkin in the car. Get him in when it was safe. Great, now I had a plan, but I needed a warm room to carry out my plan.
I couldn't do it. The car was starting to make loud noises of protest. Tears built up in my eyes. The car was slowing down. Then it just stopped. I turned the key to shut it off. What was I going to do? I couldn't see a thing. Now no one would see me either.
I wasn't even positive that I was on a main road. For all I knew I could be stranded in the middle of a field or inches from running into a tree. I could even be parked right in front of someone's house.
I honked the horn in what I hoped would be the SOS pattern. I did it over and over again. After five minutes, I gave up.
I looked over at Pumpkin. He wasn't worried. He had faith in me to take care of him.
I had failed him.
I patted my lap, and he jumped onto it. He cuddled with me, trying to lick my face, like I was the greatest thing since sliced bread.
I started to cry. This was it. I had killed myself, and I was even taking Pumpkin down with me.
My car door opened. A man was standing beside me, looking down into my car. Was he an angel, coming to collect us? He was blond with blue eyes, supporting my angel theory. His face was cut so fine and yet rugged. He was the most handsome man I had ever seen.
“Are you all right, miss?”
I lifted my head away from the steering wheel. The cold wind was blowing in at me. I was freezing now. I figured that heaven would be warmer, so this must actually be happening. “I'm lost, and I ran out of gas.” I told him.
“Okay, first things first. I need to get you into the house. Are you hurt in any way besides being cold?”
Him saying the word cold was making me notice exactly how cold I was. I was shivering with my teeth chattering. “I'm fine, otherwise.”
“Great,” he sighed with relief.
“I'm so sorry for this.”
“That's all right. Just come on out, and I’ll help you walk to my house. It isn't that far.”
“I have my dog with me.” I leaned back, so he could see Pumpkin.
He reached in and grabbed hold of Pumpkin, slipping him inside of his jacket. Pumpkin must have been seriously cold because he didn't bark at him. He hated strangers, especially other men. He had never warmed up to Jamie.
Maybe I could learn a thing or two from my dog. His insti
ncts were, clearly, better than mine. And his were telling him that this guy was okay. I got out of the car. My feet sank deep into the snow.
“I'm truly sorry for making you come out in this weather,” I told my rescuer.
“That's okay. I have a fire going. Come on, let's get you warmed up. I'd bet you would love a cup of hot chocolate, too.” He reached around me.
I was leaning on him as I tried to walk through the snow in designer boots, cursing myself for wearing tights and a skirt today.
“Thank you so much. You’re being really great about this.”
“Well, I'm not going to let you die.” He was smiling at me. He looked even better when he smiled.
It took about ten minutes to get to his house through the high snow banks. I still feared that I would freeze to death on the way.
I exhaled relieved when he had us in the house with the door closed tightly behind us. It was nice and warm in here. I felt a need to rub the feeling back into my legs. The cold wind had bitten at them. The tights were proving to be completely inadequate against the cold.
“I need to get your car off the road. I don't think that anyone will come by tonight anymore, but we don't need another scare tonight.”
“But the gas is all gone.” I was a little proud that I had still been on a road, despite the rest of my stupidity.
“I'll get my tractor and pull it off the road. Don't worry about anything. You can go up to my room and take a warm shower. I'll take care of everything. Just tell me your name first.”
“It's Jessica. And you are?”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jessica. My name is Gideon. I'll be right back. Do you need anything from your car?”
“Yes, if it isn't a bother?”
He waited patiently for me to continue.
“I have a couple of suitcases in the trunk and Pumpkin's basket, doggy dishes and food are in the car too.”
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