The Christmas Edition

by Robin Shope

  Joe reached over, grabbed her left leg and gave it a squeeze. “You seem to have gone somewhere.”

  She took hold of his hand and held on to it. “No, I am right here with you.” He made her heart race. Last night Lucy slept peacefully—dreaming of the almost kiss, soothed by the hope of a first kiss. Today, she closed her eyes and tried to imagine his arms around her and his lips on hers.

  “Thanks for asking me along today.”

  “I must make a small correction. I didn’t just ask you along; we both have work to do and I need you.” Her blush was immediate. She noticed Joe’s eyes. They were soft gray, almost pale, but right now they were darker, emitting a strong emotion.

  Joe pulled to the side of the road and got out. Lucy wondered if they had a flat tire and was surprised when he opened her door and pulled her out onto the snow. With tenderness, Joe drew her to him. She didn’t have the sense to look away. She was locked in this moment and knew she’d carry it to her grave. His touch made her melt into him. His arms kept her from falling. Joe brought his lips within an inch of hers. He looked into her eyes as if asking if this was all right. Her breath caught in anticipation of what the next moment would bring. She wouldn’t turn away this time. The sun was high now, casting them in winter radiance. “Joe…”

  His mouth prevented her from saying another syllable. This was their first kiss, happening right here at the side of the road just under the snowy boughs of tall pine trees. Joe kissed each hand, her neck and then her lips. He used his lips as one would use their fingers when plotting the way to go on a map. Then he gathered her even closer. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him for all she was worth.

  He stepped back and whistled. “We needed to get that out of the way. Now, its time for us to get to work.” Joe helped Lucy back into the vehicle, and within minutes, they were on their way. Once they reached Delavan, they turned onto the brick street of Walworth Avenue. Joe parked in the first available spot. “Should I apologize for kissing you back there on the road?”

  “You better not!” Lucy threw her arms back around his neck and kissed him again. She couldn’t get enough of Joe’s fabulous lips. By the delightful feel of them, she guessed they had gotten a lot of practice over the years. “Okay! Now I think we’re really ready to start our day.” She breathed. “Here are your press credentials.” She handed it to him to wear around his collar, just like she wore hers. Lucy grabbed a hold of her camera case with one hand and opened the car door with the other.

  As soon as her feet hit the street, there was no mistaking it. The town’s decorating committee had done an excellent job. Garlands were strung from lamppost to lamppost all the way down the street and more garland swaged across the street. At each of the two intersections, a giant bell was hung. Wreaths decorated every store’s entrance. Each was unique, indicative of the store’s wares. Bradley’s Department Store had a wreath made of miniature sweaters. Coachman’s Music Store had small instruments on theirs. The antique store had icicles made of antique silvered mercury glass with hand painted decoration. Elizabeth’s Family Restaurant had the day’s blue-plate special displayed. Boutelle’s Bakery had wedding cake toppers wired onto their wreath. For two blocks on either side of the street, door wreaths greeted customers. Lucy took pictures of them all.

  Joe started his man-on-the-street interviews and Lucy caught pictures of him with the townspeople.

  “Why is Christmas your favorite holiday?” Joe asked a high-school girl named Tina.

  “Because of the great presents!” She squealed effectively diminishing Lucy’s hearing capacity for the day.

  “But don’t you get presents on your birthday and other times of the year?” he pressed.

  Tina’s brow wrinkled. She hadn’t considered this. “Yeah, I guess. It’s just more special now.”

  “In what way is it more special?”

  Now she seemed to understand. “It’s the time of year that my family seems to really get along.”

  “Why is that?” Joe pushed.

  “All year long we seem to go our own way. Mom and Dad have their work schedules. I play softball, then basketball and then track. But Christmas brings us back together. We go to church and that makes us think of others, like those we love. We’re a closer family for it, for a little while at least.”

  “Good answer!” Joe gave her a high-five and wrote down her full name so he’d get it right for the article. “Now be sure to buy The Turtle Creek Newspaper between now and Christmas so you can read all about yourself.”

  “Give me your best smile,” Lucy instructed.

  Tina stood in front of the bank and posed one foot in front of the other. Lucy took a head shot which revealed a mouth filled with braces. “Excellent!”

  Lucy took Joe’s arm. Today she felt bold, so she acted on those feelings. It paid off as Joe smiled broadly at her and kissed her cheek.

  “Who’s next?” she asked.

  “You tell me who strikes your fancy.”

  Lucy looked up and down the street and then she made her decision. “How about that older couple walking right toward us? They look like they might be a good interview.”

  Joe approached them by first showing his credentials. “If you have a moment, I would love to ask you a few questions for The Turtle Creek Newspaper.”

  When the lady saw Lucy with her camera, she pulled off her knit cap and began to straighten her hair. “I guess it’s all right. My name is Blanche and this is my husband, Herbert.”

  “Nice to meet you both,” Joe shook their hands. “How many Christmases have you spent with this man beside you, whom I assume is your husband?”

  “Sure enough, Herbert is my husband.” She took Herbert’s hand. “We have been together not nearly long enough. Only five years.”

  Lucy was surprised by her answer. “Five years, huh?” she butted in to Joe’s interview and then shot him an “I’m sorry” look. His smile told her he didn’t mind so she continued. “Love happened late in life?”

  “Just the opposite. Love happened early in life while we were still in grammar school. It continued on through high school, but then the war came and Herbert left. I married someone else. He came home and married the daughter of a gas station owner which has since gone out of business.”

  “Gas was cheap back then, ten cents a gallon,” Herbert had his first say.

  “So how did you two finally get back together?” Joe asked.

  “Death,” Herbert said.

  “He means the death of our spouses. You have to forgive my husband’s abruptness,” Blanche explained. “Both our spouses ended up in the same nursing home. It’s terrible losing your loved one, but Herbert and I were there for one another. That’s where we reconnected. After they died, we married. It seemed natural, almost meant to be.”

  “And we haven’t spent a day apart since,” Herbert squeezed his wife’s hand.

  “So we are making up for the lost years and Christmas has become a miraculous time of the year for us. We know we have more days behind us than ahead so we make every moment count, every Christmas meaningful.” Herbert and Blanche looked at each other in a unique way, as if they could read one another’s thoughts. Lucy adjusted the settings on her camera and took their picture.

  When the couple walked away, she caught Joe wiping a tear from his eye. He looked at her as if he needed to offer an explanation. “That wind is so sharp.”

  But there was no wind today. “It sure is,” she agreed sharing this moment with him was special.

  Joe’s next pick was a young couple coming down the street with three kids. “This one is all yours,” Lucy said and stepped back.

  Again Joe introduced himself and flashed his credentials. The woman was anxious to answer Joe’s questions but the husband looked irritated. The middle-school boy tugged at his father’s arm as though he had somewhere he wanted to be instead of out on the street, answering questions. The two smaller girls danced around their parents.

  “What is you
r Christmas wish?” Joe asked the woman.

  “Peace on earth.” She grabbed the shoulder of one of the girls just before she ran into the street.

  “Nice sentiment,” Joe agreed.

  “Did you say ‘peace on earth’? I want peace in our family! These kids are driving us nuts!” the man complained.

  Joe wasn’t deterred. “Oh, so the little blessings haven’t been tamed yet?”

  “Not by any means,” the man scowled. “The holidays make it worse. They get all jazzed up on candy and thoughts of Santa bringing them presents. All I hear about for months leading up to Christmas is what I can buy them.”

  “I envy you,” Joe said as he looked from child to child and then back to the man.

  “Huh?”

  “What a great time in their lives to teach them about giving,” Joe told them. “There are angel trees all over town. They remind us of the needs of others. More important, the recipients are reminded that they are not forgotten. This is a way your children can get involved by helping someone their age.”

  “You know that is a great idea, hon,” the woman told her husband who immediately warmed to the idea.

  Joe and Lucy followed the family into the bank. Just inside the door was a five-foot tall tree covered with paper angels. Each angel had the name of a child written on it along with his or her Christmas wish. Lucy and Joe stepped back to watch in silence as the Humphrey family started a family tradition.

  Mrs. Humphrey patiently explained to her children about how not every child is as blessed as they are. It seemed to fall on deaf ears until she took one of the angels down from the tree. “On Christmas morning, this child by the name of Kylie would love to have a Barbie doll.”

  “You mean Kylie only gets one gift?” the taller of the two girls asked.

  “That’s right,” Mr. Humphrey said. “But there will be no gifts for any of these children if others don’t help.”

  His words struck a chord with all three children. The boy began to read the information on the angels, trying to connect. In a few minutes, he had made his choice and pulled an angel off the tree. “This kid is my age. He wants a football. Can we get him one?”

  “Of course,” his mother answered. “What about you girls?”

  The girls both agreed to give something, too.

  “Then let’s do that.” Mrs. Humphrey and the girls became absorbed in looking at the many names and wishes.

  “Is it all right if I get a present for two kids, Dad?” the boy asked. “Buy me one less gift and use that money so someone else can have a Merry Christmas.”

  One of the girls added, “I want to do that, too. I will give my allowance so this other girl by the name of Mary Lee can have a pair of pajamas.”

  Lucy took photographs capturing the moment when the holidays changed from being all about them into being about helping others.

  After the Humphrey family left, Joe said, “This is turning out to be my best Christmas.”

  “Mine, too.”

  Joe threaded his fingers through Lucy’s. “What now?”

  “Now it’s time for food. I’m hungry.”

  Table of Contents

  The Christmas Edition

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two