by Greg Kincaid
“I’ll do it.”
Mary Ann glanced in the direction of the nearly ten boxes of Christmas decorations that George had brought up from the basement shortly after Thanksgiving, when she usually started her holiday preparations. “George, I’ll be back on Thursday around two. Our annual Christmas party is at six. I’ll have to scramble to get the house cleaned and the cooking done. Would you mind terribly taking the decorations back down to the basement? I’m just not going to have time this year to set them out. I guess we’ll just have to make do with red and green table linens. Maybe, if you have time, you could just set out a few things?” She looked at him uncertainly. “And maybe do something about that tree?”
George was ready to object to the idea of taking all the decorations back down to the basement when he realized that any objection would probably mean he’d have to do more himself. Having no confidence in his ability to get that right either, he just said, “No problem. I’ll take them back down.” He looked at the nearly bare tree and said, “I’ll see what I can do about that, too.”
She continued, “It’s going to be a busy week. Will you be okay?”
George had been thinking the same thing. He asked nonchalantly, “Doesn’t Santa have magic powers, so he can sort of be everywhere at once?”
“I suppose so. You worried about my magic powers?”
“You’re going to wear yourself out.”
His words rang hollow, so Mary Ann prompted, “You’re worried about me?”
“Okay, well, I guess that’s only part of it. I’m worried that I can’t get all of this done.”
Mary Ann considered making another quip about the Claus sofa but decided against it. She took a far subtler tack. She bent down and kissed George on the cheek. “Thank you, George. You’re right. This is my project, not yours. You don’t have to do all the women’s work. That wouldn’t be fair. For you, I mean. Would it?”
George felt trapped. Sometimes it was hell being married to the debate coach. “Who knows what’s fair? I’ll do what I can.”
Mary Ann picked up her car keys and her purse. She called out, “Come on, Elle. Let’s fire up that sled. On, Donder! On, Blitzen! And all that.”
—
After Mary Ann left, George finished his morning chores and sat down to read the paper. He scratched the top of his Lab’s head. Christmas looked up lovingly, a clear invitation for George to editorialize on life in the McCray household. “Say, boy, we’ve got ourselves in a real fix this year. What do you think we should do about it?”
Christmas set his head back down on his paws, then rolled over onto his side, sighed, and closed his eyes.
“My sentiments exactly.” George reached down and pulled up the lever, allowing the lounge chair to further recline. He picked up the remote and turned on the TV.
—
That same frosty morning, Doc Pelot stood on his front porch and handed the four hundred dollars to Link Robinson, whose old truck was packed and running, just waiting for its driver to point it south. “You sure this is what you want?”
Link was firm. “Maybe you think I’m running away, but I’m not. Doc, it’s not that. Not at all. I’ve got to support my family. What good’s a dad without a paycheck?”
Doc Pelot frankly thought he might be right. Still, something about the tone Link used to say it wasn’t right. “Link, there’s more to being a dad than a paycheck.”
“If I don’t pay child support, I go to jail. Six months after I lose my job, my wife divorces me. I move into a dingy apartment and my kids don’t want to be with me. A man without a paycheck seems pretty worthless to me.”
“You’re taking a beating over this, but you’re the one doing most of the thrashing.”
Link’s voice elevated with his irritation. “Your children aren’t relying on you for their next meal.”
“You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. You tried the easy way out, and that didn’t go so well for you. Didn’t for me either.”
“That’s just it. I need the job in Texas. At least for six months. That’s when I get the second half of the signing bonus. After that, maybe I can find something else, closer to home.”
“I sure hope it doesn’t take six months. Your children need you. Still, when you get down there, it might be lonely. You need to find a group and go to the meetings. Once a week minimum.”
“I’ll be busy. I’m going to sign up for all the overtime they’ll give me.”
Doc Pelot knew that Link was at risk with no support. “It’s not like Crossing Trails. In big cities they’ll have dozens of meetings, at all hours of the night and day. You want me to try to make some calls for you?”
“Don’t bother. Not yet. Let’s make sure I get the job first.”
Doc Pelot put his wrinkled old hand on Link’s shoulder. “Of course you’ll get the job.”
“I hope so.” He grinned. “Your four hundred dollars hopes so, too.”
Doc Pelot held out his hand. Link shook it. Doc said, “Call me if you need anything.”
He didn’t like the haunted look on the young man’s face, but he wasn’t sure what, if anything, he could do about it.
Link got into his truck and headed for I-35 South. The forecast was for snow, but he doubted it would catch up to a driver moving at eighty miles per hour. He picked up his phone and called Abbey. He didn’t like calling her. The tension was palpable, even oppressive. Was it him? Her? He didn’t know, but he tried to remain neutral. “Abbey,” he began, “I just want you to know that I’ll be out of town for a while.”
“Texas?” she asked.
“That’s right. I want you to know that I scoured for jobs within three hundred miles of Crossing Trails. There was nothing. I’ll keep looking, but this is what I found. I have to take it, if they’ll give it to me.”
“I’m not happy about it, Link.”
“Neither am I,” he said.
“I know. I’m sorry for you and for the kids. It’s not right.”
“If I get it, I want to be the one to tell them. I want them to know that this is what dads have to do sometimes.” He choked up. “I’m not leaving them.”
“Of course you’re not.”
“Are you good with it?”
“Yes,” she said. “I don’t like it, but I understand. Will you be back in time for Christmas?”
“If I get the job, they might put me on a trash truck as I walk out the door and not let me home for six months. I just don’t know.”
“You’ll try, though. Right?”
“Abbey, everything I own is in the back of my pickup. Doc Pelot loaned me a little money to get started. It’s an eight-hour drive down there and the same back. Sixteen hours is a long time to drive so I can I hug my kids for ten or fifteen minutes on Christmas Eve or one weekend a month before I stick them in a sleeping bag on the floor of an apartment where they don’t want to be.” There was a long pause as the tension amped up. He put it simply: “I’m not sure that it’s worth it.”
“It is definitely worth it.”
“Why?” Link asked.
“Because that’s what dads do. They make sacrifices. In ten years they may not remember one thing I did for them on Christmas. The meals, the errands, the presents. None of it. But they’ll remember that you drove up from Texas to spend Christmas with them. It meant that much to you. That’s a sacrifice they’ll never forget. And, Link…”
“Yes?” he answered.
“Don’t ever tell yourself the kids don’t want to be with you. It’s not true. They do. And if that means you stay in the house for a few days when you come to town and I move out, then that’s what we’ll do. I’ll make it right for you, if you’ll make it right for them.”
Laura didn’t know how to tell Todd. She asked the doctor to confirm the test results again. Twice, then three times. But, Laura admitted, maybe she was just trying to buy herself some time on this whole thing. She was a nurse; she knew that medical labs make mistakes. She had no idea how Todd was
going to react. He would likely be frightened. So was she. She pulled Gracie closer to her. Now more than ever, she might need this blessing of a dog. She whispered into Gracie’s ear, “Don’t worry, we’ll get through this.”
The next day, after the results were confirmed for a final time, she called him at the shelter. She tried to keep the worry from her voice. “Todd, can you talk to Hayley about your not working late tonight? I have something important we need to talk about.”
—
Hayley had just recited a panicked inventory from one of her to-do lists, and Todd’s ears were ringing. Still, he let her know, “Hayley, sorry, but I can’t work late tonight. Laura just called and wanted to make sure I could get home on time.”
“It’s kind of busy here. Link is gone for a few days, we can’t get anyone to fill in for him, and we have all the holiday adoptions we’re trying to do this week.”
“Laura says it’s important.”
“Well, of course, then,” Hayley said, wondering if everything was going okay for Todd and Laura. Living together was a lot different from maintaining a long-distance relationship, but she didn’t want to butt in or offer advice unless he asked her. “It’s okay, Todd. I’ll manage.”
“Thanks. I can probably come back in later tonight—if you need me to.”
Todd was about to learn that there are times in life when there is no going back. Not later. Not ever.
—
That evening, after they’d spoken and Todd had gotten over the shock, George received a call from Todd. “Dad, can I talk to you and Mom about something? It’s important.”
Given their last family conference, George could not fathom the nature of the newest crisis. “Sure, Todd, but Mom left on a little trip this morning, so she’s not around. I mean, Anna Claus is out of town.” George paused, hesitating to offer his own assistance, not because he didn’t want to help his son but because he assumed what Todd needed was some first-string parenting—and George’s version wouldn’t qualify. “She’ll be back on Thursday afternoon. Do you want to wait and come out then?” Todd hesitated, so George added, “Or you could call her on her cell phone.”
“I already tried to call her. She didn’t answer. Laura and I will be out in twenty minutes. We might need some help.”
George looked over at the dining-room table with the cards, the ten ornament boxes stacked beside them, and the almost barren Christmas tree.
George knew that sarcasm was totally lost on Todd, but for his own entertainment he said, “No problem, Todd. I’ve got nothing but time on my hands. Come on out.”
If his B-team version of parenting would suffice, that must mean that Todd was looking for something simple—advice or money. Maybe shacking up had made a few unexpected dents in Todd’s checkbook. George smiled at his own inadequacies. Mothers are best with the messy, emotional tasks—empathy, kindness, and understanding. All the gushy stuff—tears and hugging.
George took a few ibuprofen to help with the pain in his legs and found a basketball game on ESPN to watch while he waited for Todd’s old truck to labor up the hill and meander down the driveway. When half an hour had passed and Todd and Laura still had not arrived, George, growing a bit anxious, decided to put his hat and coat on and take Christmas outside. Sometimes moving the leg helped with the pain. The cold north wind was gusting, but at least there were plenty of stars in the sky.
George limped out from under the canopy of trees that surrounded his old farmhouse toward the barn and identified the constellations he knew—the real Christmas lights, he thought. This time of year, Orion was easily visible. He found it first and worked his way counterclockwise around the night sky. He’d made it sixty degrees before he heard Todd’s truck creeping up McCray’s Hill. George looked down at the dog that walked with him in the night. “Come on, Christmas. The sun never sets on the Bank of George.”
—
Dodge City had expanded way beyond the split-rail fences of the O.K. Corral, where famed lawmen, the likes of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, kept the peace. Today unruly cowhands were kept in line by detour signs and orange traffic cones. New road construction was everywhere. Mary Ann looked at her watch. Her half hour of lead time was quickly evaporating. Traffic congestion was a foreign concept to a Crossing Trails resident. She waited an astonishing five full minutes to get through one intersection. Her cell phone rang. The call reminded her that her battery was low and her car charger wasn’t working. She didn’t recognize the number, but it was a western Kansas area code. She answered, “Mary Ann McCray.”
“Hello, Mary Ann, this is Donna Miller, the manager at the mall. I was checking to see if you were getting close?”
“I think so. The traffic is bad. Lots of road construction.”
“My fault, I should have warned you. What intersection are you at?”
After she identified the cross streets, Mary Ann added, “Going west.”
“Good, you’re almost here. Five more minutes. Don’t worry, we may have a bigger problem than your being a few minutes late.”
Mary Ann’s phone beeped with another call. It was Todd. He was most likely just checking on Elle, so she ignored it. He would have to wait. “What’s the problem?” Mary Ann asked.
“We were expecting thirty or forty kids this evening. Fifty tops. That’s the most we’ve ever had. You’ve got a big line. Lots of kids.”
“Really? How many?”
“Several hundred, and they’re still pouring in through the door. They’re asking if they can have your autograph.”
Mary Ann glanced at Elle. She looked so cute in her doggy Christmas suit. At first the idea of bringing the dog had held no appeal. Now Mary Ann was glad she’d brought her. Santa had elves. She needed a helper, too. Dogs were such great icebreakers with kids. Elle was a master at greeting, putting kids at ease. It might be a longer night than expected, but Mary Ann was excited. Maybe the message was getting through. Sticking. “Don’t worry, Donna, if there’s anything I can handle, it’s kids. We’ll all have a good time.”
“There are also two local television crews and a few reporters. They asked for some time with you. I mean, if you don’t mind. I know you’re doing this for free. We usually pay Santa. It’s a lot to ask.”
Mary Ann thought it was a bit ironic that Santa only appeared when paid. She’d told the mall to give her appearance fee to the Crossing Trails Library fund.
The signage for the mall was well lit. She saw it just ahead. “I see the mall now. I’ve got to let the dog out, and then I’ll be right in.”
“I’ll meet you by the main entrance.”
Mary Ann parked the car at the edge of the lot, where there was a wide strip of grass, only partly covered by snow, the peaks still white but the roots stained black by mall traffic. Being fully warned by Todd, she put the leash on Elle and held it tightly before letting the dog out of the car. Elle sniffed about. Mary Ann prodded her. “Hurry up, Elle, we’ve got work to do.” Elle squatted. When she was finished, she looked up at Mary Ann for approval. “Good job, Miss No-Elle.” Mary Ann hurried to the front door, with Elle tagging along, her short legs churning swiftly.
Todd and Laura appeared surprisingly nervous. George wondered if they’d burned down their apartment complex. “Have a seat. Do you want something to drink?”
Todd said, “No, thanks.”
Laura muttered under her breath, directly to George, “You might need one.”
George glanced at her. “Really?” He wondered how big a check he was going to have to write.
Christmas got up off the floor and meandered over to Todd. Todd ran his hands into the dog’s fur before looking up at his dad and diving right into the subject excitedly. “We’re getting married.”
George was taken aback, but frankly, he realized in that moment, he’d hoped for it. Someday. Not necessarily this day. He stood up, glowing, surprised but happy, and said, “Come give me a hug, young man. That’s wonderful news.”
Todd rose and gave his fa
ther a good long hug. He then pushed himself back from his father’s bearlike embrace and matter-of-factly let the other shoe drop. “It’s ’cause we’re having a baby. So we need to do it soon. Tomorrow.”
George had started to reach out to Laura for a congratulatory hug as he reflected back in time. “I can remember three Christmases ago when you just started dating. Just like it was yester— Wait, what did you say?” He froze, then turned back to Todd.
“I said we’re getting married tomorrow and having a baby!”
“You mean like a little human baby. Not a puppy.”
“Yes, Dad. It’s going to be our baby.”
“Not a kitten or a make-believe one?”
“No, Dad. A real person. Not a toy.”
George collapsed into his chair, and his eyes welled up—with what feelings he didn’t quite know. “A real baby? Tomorrow?”
Laura came to his rescue. She put her hand on George’s shoulder. “Yes, Mr. McCray, it looks like you’re going to be a grandfather. Again.”
Without Mary Ann to model the appropriate emotions, George was entirely on his own. Joy seemed right. He’d try that. “Well, this is a happy day for all of us.” He steadied himself by asking more questions. That’s what Mary Ann did. Always asked lots of questions. Way too many. “When will the baby arrive?”
It was too early to know absolutely, but of course she had a good idea. “Late summer.”
“Who else knows? About the marriage? About the baby?” George asked.
Laura smiled at George. “On both counts you’re the first. We want to get married right away and then tell everyone about the baby later. We think it will be better that way.” She didn’t feel the need to add that they didn’t want to spend the rest of their marriage feeling awkward about the baby’s birthdate. More important, they didn’t want their child to wonder about the timing—or for the child to question if he or she was wanted.
“Really? Just me?” George asked, feeling a bit honored.
“Yep,” Laura said. They had worked out the details earlier that day. For their own reasons, they both wanted to move quickly. “We’ll stop off at my mom and dad’s house on the way home and tell them about the wedding.” As much as Laura loved her family, she’d had a strong instinct that telling the McCrays about the wedding first would be easier, sort of a dress rehearsal for how she’d tell her own parents.