The Christmas Journal

by Jackson, Kimberly B. ;

  “I’m going to bed,” James said, walking toward his room.

  Ashley retreated back to the couch. What her father said about putting it in the Lord’s hands replicated throughout her mind. She’d noticed the Bible on her father’s dresser when she’d gone into his room. How had her father found God, but she’d lost Him?

  CHAPTER NINE

  Cy busted through the front door, waking Ashley from her slumber. “Hey, all, I’ve got news.”

  Ashley pulled herself up to sitting on the couch as her father entered the room, clearly also freshly awoken. Cy paced back and forth, clearly agitated.

  “I talked with my cousin. He said there’s nothing he can do. He’s tied up with a big case and can’t be pulled away. He did, however, give the names of some other attorneys that could help, but it’ll be expensive to hire one.”

  “What are we going to do?”

  James sighed, then walked from the room. “Well, I guess the first thing to do is to eat breakfast.”

  Cy and Ashley looked at one other, each surprised by the remark. Her dad almost behaved as if there were no problem at all, while Cy was frantic. Stating he wasn’t hungry, he stormed out, headed back to the lodge.

  “Dad, do we have enough money to hire a lawyer?”

  “No, but it will work out.”

  “How do you know?” Ashley blurted, upset with her dad’s demeanor.

  “I have peace, baby girl.” Ashley looked away.

  “You have peace. Do you know what I found in mother’s room?”

  “No.” James looked puzzled. “I don’t understand what you’re upset about. The lodge will work out.”

  “Look, I know you are not my dad.” Ashley’s passion spilled into her voice.

  James sat down at the table. He used his thumb to wipe away the one tear that ran down the side of her face. “Oh…you found out,” James said calmly, not upset at all—as Ashley would have wanted him to be.

  “That’s all you have to say?”

  “No.” James stood and went to the well-worn, oak antique desk that sat in the corner. He pulled out a folder and fumbled through. Returning with an envelope, he handed it to Ashley. Lifting the outer flap, Ashley took out the bent papers. The first was a birth certificate listing James as her father. The second a letter written by her mother, to James, while he was stationed in the Army in Alaska. The latter told him about the birth of his baby and apologized for not informing him of the pregnancy.

  “I don’t understand.” Ashley wiped the tears from her eyes.

  “You are my daughter. Your mother didn’t want to tell me about you, because she knew I would leave the army and come back. She didn’t want me to get into trouble. I was nineteen at the time, and you mother was only seventeen, so her parents still controlled everything. They wanted her to put you up for adoption. When she heard you cry, she couldn’t sign the papers. Your grandparents kicked her out of the house, and then she contacted me. I got emergency leave from the army and came back to get you both.”

  “Is that why we never had any contact with my grandparents? Because they didn’t want Mom and me?”

  James shook his head. “I found out I wasn’t listed as your father on the birth certificate, so I had that changed. That’s why you have a second birth certificate.”

  “Oh, Daddy!” Ashley ran to him and hugged him as hard as she could.

  “I don’t understand why you didn’t ask me about this. This must have been torture for you carrying this around.”

  “It was no picnic.” Ashley wiped her eyes again. She sat down on the couch, joined by her dad. “Dad, what about Adam…I mean, Cy? Why was Mom going to get him the night she died?”

  “How did you know that Cy is Adam?”

  “I heard him on the phone with his family. He used the name Adam.”

  “Who told you that your mother was going to get Adam?”

  “Mom did, actually. I found her journal—her ‘Christmas Journal’ as she called it.”

  “Oh yes, the notebook.” Hesitating for a moment, he took a deep breath. “I’ll guess I’ll start at the beginning. Cy is the son of your mom’s best friend, Linda. They had a falling out a few years before you were born.”

  “Do you know what happened between the two?”

  “Your mom’s boyfriend in high school was Jason Bridges. When your mom was about fifteen, she went out of town for a couple of weeks to visit her grandparents. Something she’d always done since she was a youngster. Apparently, while she was gone, Linda and Jason started to see each other. Long story short, Linda ended up pregnant. When your mother returned, Linda told her about Jason and what happened between the two. They never spoke again.”

  “That doesn’t explain why you would end up with Adam.”

  “Well, it turns out Jason wasn’t a stand-up guy—go figure—and he ended up leaving Linda and the baby. When your mother heard about it, she reached out to Linda, and they resumed the friendship. You and Cy were practically raised together until…” James paused, his voice tensed.

  “Linda was working one night at a twenty-four hour diner on the highway. It was frequented a lot by truckers, and late-night travelers. It had been robbed three times already before Linda started working there. Early one morning around three a.m., a man walked into the eatery and started shooting. Linda died instantly. Your mother immediately wanted to take Adam and raise him, but I felt like he needed to be with any family he might have left. When I found out they were going to put Adam in foster care, I finally gave in. Truthfully, I still didn’t want him. After your mother died, his aunt reconsidered and took Adam to live with her family. I have to admit that I tended to not be the nicest person back then, a grump of sorts, but your mother always saw the good in people…even if they were not so nice to her.”

  He hung his head, his voice faded to barely audible. “After your mother died, I hit rock bottom. Your aunt showed up one day and took you back to her home to live. I just tumbled deeper into depression and the bottle.”

  Ashley laid her head against her dad’s chest. “So you didn’t send me away?”

  “No. I was drinking so bad that one of your mother’s friends called your aunt to come and get you.”

  “Dad, I talked with Reverend Clark. He told me that he was the driver that caused the wreck.”

  “That poor man.” James paused. “He has been through so much. He asked me to forgive him. I have to admit it was only a short time ago that I was able to see the Reverend, but when I did and talked with him, I was finally able to forgive him.”

  “What caused the change?” Ashley sniffed, her eyes red and swollen.

  “It was Cy.”

  “Cy! What did he do?”

  “He found me passed out in a bar. I was sick with pneumonia, but that didn’t stop me from drinking. The next thing I knew, I was at home, and Cy was taking care of me. When he told me who he was, I knew I had been given a second chance. I had to make everything right. Reverend Clark came to talk with me, and I decided to ask the Lord into my heart.”

  “Does Cy know all of this?”

  James sighed, his nostrils flared. “He knows most of it. The part about him coming to live with us after his mother’s death and why you were sent to stay with your great aunt, I didn’t discuss with him.” James hugged Ashley even closer. “I know I didn’t do right by you growing up.”

  “Dad, I understand. I spent so many years believing that you didn’t want me around, that you didn’t love me. You were grieving and doing the best you could do with all you’d been through.”

  “That’s no excuse, Ashley. You should have been my top priority, but I put you last, along with everything else. I need to ask your forgiveness.”

  “Of course I forgive you.” Ashley hugged her dad again. She had her answers…the answers she’d always wanted to know.

  CHAPTER TEN

  The screen door opened to Cy and the town mayor, Jeremy Kennedy, standing in the doorway. “James, the mayor wants to talk with
you.”

  “Yes, Mayor Kennedy, come in. How may I help you?”

  “I received a phone call this morning from a very persistent lawyer. I think we can resolve this without any lawsuits. Don’t you?”

  “Maybe. What have you got to offer?”

  “The counsel and I took another vote. We asked Charles Turner to recuse himself since he has a personal agenda. I am happy on behalf of the town to grant your license to open the lodge.”

  “He-haw.” Cy slapped his hat against his leg. “We’re in business!”

  Mayor Kennedy shook hands with James and left to return to his office.

  “Cy, I thought you said your cousin didn’t have time to take on the case,” a happy and surprised Ashley asked.

  “That’s what he said. But I got a text from him a little while ago saying his court date today had been postponed, so he wanted to call the mayor and see what could be worked out.”

  “We can never thank him enough. Tell him he has a couple of free nights at the lodge when he comes into town.” Ashley put her arm around Cy and squeezed. “He’ll be treated like royalty.”

  “I’ll second that. Seriously, tell him we appreciate him taking the time out of his busy schedule and calling the mayor for us,” James said as placed the business license in a frame so he could hang it in the lodge.

  “I will. I guess I’ll go out and finish painting the last piece of trim on the side of the cabin. Then I’ll hang the large wreath on the front door. All the outside lights are now up.”

  “All the cleaning is done as well. Each room is ready. Seven foot Christmas trees are up and decorated in the larger rooms, four-foot Christmas trees adorn the smaller rooms. Everything is just waiting for occupants.” Ashley proudly stated.

  James put his arm around both kids. “We are open for business.”

  “Good, because I just booked our first customers yesterday—a church group of ten that wants to see nature, particularly the changing of the leaves.”

  “Why don’t we go to town and eat lunch? I have a surprise for you both,” James suggested.

  After a quick bite at the local cafe, James directed Cy to turn into the local printing shop. Within a few minutes, James and another man brought out a large object covered with paper. Although Ashley and Cy kept questioning him about the item, he never revealed a single word.

  As they drove into the driveway of the lodge, James asked Cy to help him. Ashley returned inside, waiting for the revelation her dad had in store. From the window, she watched Cy dig two deep holes, then he and James took the square piece and set the legs in the holes. Then Cy used quick-setting concrete, and after that dried, he covered it with dirt.

  James called Ashley outside. He pulled the paper covering off. A new sign loomed in front of the threesome.

  THE CHRISTMAS LODGE.

  In memory of two wonderful women:

  Elizabeth Moore and Linda Bridges

  “That’s perfect, Dad.”

  “It is. Thank you, James.” Cy wiped a tear from his eye.

  “Everything is now finished,” James remarked as he stood in front of the sign, looking adoringly at it.

  Ashley smiled. “Wonderful, because while I was inside, I booked two additional groups coming within two days of each other.”

  * * *

  The Westward Baptist Church bus pulled up to the lodge. James helped the ladies down from the bus, while Cy unloaded luggage and carried it in. Ashley signed everyone in and handed out the room keys with a proud smile. “Welcome to the Christmas Lodge. Please enjoy your stay.”

  Looking to her right, she touched the picture of her mother that hung beside the small reception desk located to the left as one entered the lodge. “I love you, Mom. Thanks for leaving me your Christmas journal. It guided me to find the truth. Above all, your daily words helped me to remember how much you loved Dad, Cy, and myself. I will always be grateful for that.”

  Please enjoy this sample from The Christmas Answer by Kimberly B. Jackson.

  Donna slowly made her way toward a rustic log cabin. Chickens pecked and darted across the yard. There was little grass, mostly dirt, with an old washing machine placed just outside the porch. Not certain what to expect, Donna made her way up the steps, startled when the door swung open.

  “Welcome, welcome. Come in. You must be from the missionary group.”

  “Yes, I’m Donna Dubois.”

  “Hi, Donna Dubois. I’m Sara Cagle.”

  Donna extended her hand only for Sara to reach out and hug her instead. The cabin was small and dark. A wood stove burned, presumably providing the only source of heat for the small home. Sara, a tall, slender, fifty-something woman with long gray hair, moved around some clothing sprawled across the couch.

  “Make yourself at home. Please sit down.”

  Donna dusted off the couch before she sat, only to wish she had not made that gesture in front of Mrs. Cagle.

  Mrs. Cagle offered a smile. “Tell me a little about yourself. Are you married or do you have any children?”

  “I am married, but we have not been blessed with children.”

  “You’re still young. It will happen when it is supposed to happen.”

  “I’m sure you’re right.” Choosing not to discuss the circumstances surrounding her life with a person she just met, Donna feigned a smile. Sara stood and lifted two of Donna’s suitcases.

  “Let me show you where you will be sleeping.”

  Grabbing the third bag, Donna followed Sara to a back room that was divided in two by a quilt hanging across a rope.

  “I’m sorry, but you will have to share a room with the little ones. I’ve moved the older boys out to the back porch.”

  Shock pulsed through her as she took in her accommodations. Sara placed her luggage close to the bed, and Donna followed suit with the bag she carried.

  “Let me show you the rest of the house and where you can freshen up.”

  I hope they have running water at least, Donna thought—uncharitably, she knew. Sara led Donna back to the living room, and then into the kitchen where a small table butted against the wall. Walking past it, they exited onto the back porch that was enclosed with plywood. Two makeshift beds were placed on the floor. Donna then followed Sara into a tiny room that contained an old claw tub, a commode, and an aged, cracked sink that contained rust and a dripping faucet. Leaving Donna there to freshen up, Sara walked off.

  Donna looked around the small bathroom. Trying not to be judgmental about her living arrangements, Donna resolved to put on a happy face. But, as she looked down at the rusted, old sink, her smile quickly deteriorated.

  With much vigor, Donna cranked a faucet on, but nothing came.

  “Great, no hot water.”

  Facing the inevitable, she turned on the cold faucet to a small steady stream. Cautiously, she positioned her hands under the freezing cold water and placed her hand on her face to refresh her appearance. The cold water cut through her whole body, giving her chills.

  What did she get herself into?

  This lady didn’t appear as if she could afford to feed her own family, much less a complete stranger. Donna looked around for a towel to dry her hands with, but found none. She was forced to wipe her hands on her shirt. “This is ridiculous. I could be at home resting instead of living in some rundown shack.”

  Resolving to make the best of matters, she stepped out of the bathroom and went into the living room where Sara waited. Donna sat, careful not to look at the couch this time. “Well now, Sara, tell me a little about yourself. I know you have some children.”

  “I actually just have two boys, sixteen and eighteen. They work at the coal mines just as their father did before them.”

  “Coal mines?” Donna couldn’t hide her shock. They were so young!

  “Their uncle is the foreman. Daniel is too young to go in the mine yet, but his uncle pays him under the table for labor work. Christopher just began mining after his birthday last month.”

  “Y
ou mentioned something about little ones.”

  Sara nodded her head. “Yes, my little gifts from God. Jessie is the oldest—she’s seven and Lexie is five. They came to live with me after my cousin, Eloise, died. Her husband had passed on two years earlier from black lung.”

  “Black lung?”

  “Black lung is a disease that miners can contract from breathing in coal dust over a long period of time. I pray my boys don’t ever have to experience such misery. They watched their father die a painful and slow death. I know it’s always in the back of their minds.”

  Donna shook her head. “I don’t mean to be out of line, but why aren’t the boys in school?”

  Sara looked shamefully down. “We need the money. I work at a sewing factory, but the income I make doesn’t go very far. Besides, the boys aren’t much on schooling.”

  Donna decided not to pursue the conversation. Sara seemed uncomfortable talking about her two boys working at the coal mine.

  The front door swung open. Two tall, slender young men entered, followed by two adorable little redheaded girls. Sara stood. “Daniel, Christopher, this is Donna Dubois. She is the missionary worker I told you about, who will be staying with us for a while.”

  Jessie and Lexie peeped from behind the boys, looking curiously at Donna. Bending down to Jessie and Lexie’s level, Donna told them how much she enjoyed meeting them. Then she stood and expressed to Daniel and Christopher how sorry she was to put them out of their room. They politely replied that they didn’t mind, but still she hated the thought of the boys sleeping on the floor in that cold, half a room.

  Announcing dinner would be ready in a couple of hours, Sara told the children to do their homework. After they finished eating, Sara sent the children to prepare for bed.

  Sara looked at Donna. “If you don’t mind, I think I’ll turn in also. Five o’clock comes very early in the morning.”

  “Of course, I’m tired myself. Well, good night then.” Donna went into the room she was sharing with the little girls. The well-behaved youngsters were already in their pajamas and tucked in when Sara came to kiss them. After she left, Donna quietly changed into her flannel pajamas and slipped into bed. She was thankful Ellie suggested she pack thermal underwear. She had a feeling she would be wearing the warm attire a lot.