Merry Christmas 2011
Black Friday was over today having begun in the wee hours of the morning, and now Amanda was getting email after email from major retailers with their online holiday sales. It was after all, almost cyber Monday. When would it stop, she thought? Finally, she screamed out to the computer, “Aren’t you listening? I don’t have any money. Stop sending me these emails.”
It was her own doing; that awful debit card. It was too easy to use and too easy to forget to write down every time she used it. The other three credit cards she had were maxed out before the holiday season began. She was not a bookkeeper, but she was told the best cupcake baker in town. And if things didn’t improve soon, she was going to lose her business.
—
“Daddy why do birds float on cloudy days, and seem to fly straight and fast on sunny days?”
Sam looked down at his eight-year-old son, Noah, who was kneeling on his bed, elbow resting on the window sill, and chin on his hands. Outside the sky was a silvery gray and filled with darker gray puffy clouds. As the two of them gazed from the second story window, Sam realized his son was right. Today flocks of birds rose high into the clouds, then swooped down gracefully floating from what appeared to be cloud to cloud until they split of with some diving for the ground and others rose and fell over and over until they were a tiny speck in the father and son’s eyes.
“I want to fly like that one day, Daddy.”
“I hear you son. I hear you.”
—
Carolyn walked in the back door, dropping her purse on the kitchen table. Exhausted, she didn’t think her sixty-year-old body could stand another day working at the grocery store; forty hours a week, five days a week standing at the cash register. She was grateful that God gave her strong hips and knees. Good thing because without this job she and her son Robbie would have been on the streets.
Robbie was sixteen years old and the light of Carolyn’s life. The sweet precious child she and her husband Roy thought they would never have. And then one day her doctor said, “It’s a miracle Carolyn. You are going to have a baby.”
“But, I’m forty-five years old!” Carolyn said.
After the shock, she and Roy celebrated and cherished that boy even after he was born with Down Syndrome. With the mind of a five-year-old, Robbie was a happy son. Carolyn always thought it was strange that Robbie stopped aging the same year his father died of a sudden heart attack. Even with Roy’s life insurance, Carolyn still had to work full time. She did this so that Robbie could go to special schools. Today was Friday. Carolyn suddenly realized the bus from Robbie’s school was late. The last thing Carolyn heard was the telephone ringing.
—
Charlie was sitting on the cold padded examining table watching the doctor pace around the room. He was talking but Charlie wasn’t hearing what he was saying. Well, every now and then the doctor would get close to Charlie and he caught a few words or even a sentence or two. Charlie had been hard of hearing in his right ear for over twenty years. Came on when he was in his forties. And it wasn’t until the last year that the left ear started giving him trouble. Now he could barely hear out of both ears.
Finally the doctor stopped pacing and talking. He pushed his glasses up his nose, raised his head and smiled at Charlie. “Looks like you are in remission Charlie. The cancer is gone and you are as good as new.” The doctor was close enough for Charlie to hear the good news, but when he didn’t react like the doctor expected, the doctor questioned him more.
“What’s wrong Charlie?”
“It’s my hearing Doc. I seemed to have lost it.”
—
Amanda called her best friend and former business partner, Alice and asked her to cover the bakery on Saturday. Alice was the one who had the business skills while Amanda was the baker with the cooking skills. Alice quit when she got pregnant. The baby was six months old now, still sleeping a lot and such an easy baby, Alice was glad to leave the baby at home with her husband and help her old friend. Amanda needed to go into the city and see her father, Charlie James.
Amanda loved her father and it worried her that he lived alone, three floors above the Irish pub he and his brother, Amanda’s Uncle Matt inherited from their father. Now her cousin Trey, named after his father and their grandfather Matthew James was in charge of the pub. And ever since her father was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma last year, Charlie had cut back his part at the pub, and Amanda’s trips to visit her father had became more common. In his mid-sixties, Amanda was amazed at Charlie’s strong body and classic good looks with his silver gray hair and deep blue eyes, something they shared.
Calling her father Charlie was not unusual for Amanda. It was after all what her mother and the customers had called him. Driving east on Interstate 70, Amanda’s heart lurched with the recent loss of her mother. Two years seemed like yesterday. The pancreatic cancer was diagnosed and left them with a matter of weeks to say good-bye. Not for Charlie, however. He and his wife of forty years lived each day as it was their last. A good morning kiss, a good night kiss, and never a harsh word heard between the two and lots of happy thoughts in between. Amanda could only pray that she should be so lucky to see that kind of love in her own life.
—
Sam walked into his son’s bedroom and opened the curtains over his bed. Noah was buried in his Spiderman sheets and fleece blanket. He’d out-grown most of his super hero toys and books, but the strength and courage of Spiderman seemed to help Noah cope with life. The gray clouds from yesterday had disappeared and the blue skies gave Sam hope. Maybe today will be a good day, he thought.
“Wake up son. Let’s go get a Christmas tree.”
The last week had been a good week for Noah. His tutor was able to keep him current with his school work and his nurse who was also his sitter said he appeared stronger than usual. Sam’s wife left them a few months after Noah was born with a weak heart. The doctors said he would grow and thrive until he out grew his heart. That time came last year and now only with a heart transplant would Noah grow old. Sam legally divorced his wife right after she left. She disappeared from their lives; then Sam tapped into a trust fund his grandfather had set for him. After college Sam opened his own insurance and investment agency making it a success and hired the necessary people to help him raise his son, Noah.
When Noah didn’t get out of bed, Sam knew something was wrong. Noah had been asking to get the Christmas tree since before Thanksgiving. Touching his son’s forehead with the palm of his hand, Sam realized his son was burning up with a fever. He called the pediatrician who called Noah’s cardiologist who called an ambulance. Sam packed an overnight bag for Noah and then grabbed his own bag from the back of the closet; a bag he always kept packed ready just in case they got the call that a heart was available. Sam was not prepared to go to the hospital because Noah was sick. Sitting on his son’s bed, Sam looked out the window and saw the lights of the ambulance as it raced down the street toward their house.
—
Sitting in the soft winged back chair, Carolyn could not stop crying. Sometimes she found herself sobbing and not able to catch her breath. She noticed that the I.C.U. waiting room was almost empty and yet fully occupied. Assorted blankets, pillow and tote bags were scattered among the different sitting areas; each a little camp for the families waiting to see their loved ones behind the double doors down the hall.
When Carolyn answered the phone the night before, she had collapsed into a chair at the kitchen table. “It was an accident Mrs. O’Reilly,” said the police officer on the other end of the line. He told her that Robbie and his classmates were out in front of the activity center of his school raking leaves and planting pansies in the garden. A young mother drove into the driveway across the street. She got out of the her car then got her baby out of his car seat and when she closed the door, it knocked the gear into neutral and the car rolled back down the driveway. All the students saw the car and were able to get out of the way, but Robbie’s was kneeling down planting flowers; his back to the car. It happened so fast. The car stopped just short of running over Robbie, but not soon enough. The impact threw him into the concrete steps crushing his head. Carolyn’s precious son was brain dead.
Suddenly the waiting room filled with laughter, tears and the nervous chatter of families praying for miracles. Carolyn looked down at the picture, one she always carried with her, of her Robbie when he was five years old. All she saw was his bright smile and Spiderman t-shirt.
—
Charlie and Amanda sat at the bar in the pub. The noise of the four o’clock happy hour crowd was getting to both of them. Amanda was becoming impatient with her father because he wouldn’t answer her questions and Charlie was mad at himself for not being able to carry on a decent conversation with his daughter. He kept saying, “What’d you say?” Amanda finally suggested they go for a walk. It wouldn’t be dark for a half an hour and she loved downtown St. Louis during the holidays. Walking around the old neighborhood would be good for them both. But when they tried to cross the street, a car came from out of nowhere. It honked and Amanda stopped. Charlie didn’t. She grabbed him before the car hit him; turning her father to face her she asked, “Charlie can you hear me?” Charlie shook his head NO.
Amada put her arms around her father and together they walked back to the pub. Unlocking the side door, they climbed the stairs up to Charlie’s apartment. Amanda put on a pot of coffee and Charlie lit the logs in the gas fireplace. In the quiet of the warm room, father and daughter opened their hearts to each other. He telling her of his hearing loss, his loneliness, and his desire to do something new and worthwhile. She told her father how her poor business skills had put the bakery at risk, and how tired and lonely she was and that she had no time for a social life. They looked into each other’s eyes and saw the other.
—
The ambulance drive to the hospital on the west side of St. Louis had not been as long as Sam remembered. Or maybe this time things were more urgent. The doctors told Sam that Noah had a virus. They could do nothing about it; that it needed to take its course. And more importantly, Noah’s heart most likely would not last through the virus. If ever he needed a miracle, it was now. Sam and God had discussed Noah’s progress throughout his eight years. Sam was confident that God had Noah’s back. Sam had always been honest with Noah about his illness and fragile heart. They both trusted God every step of Noah’s journey. Today was no different.
Sam was praying silently in the hospital chapel when Noah’s cardiologist sat down next to him. Putting his arm around Sam, he said almost in a whisper, “We found a heart for Noah.” Sam looked up and saw for the first time the stained glass star shining brightly above the alter.
—
Carolyn had only been allowed to see Robbie once. His head was completely bandaged but she could see one eye, his nose and lips. She gently kissed his cheek, held his hand, and prayed thanking God for Robbie’s life. Since that time, the doctors had not let her visit him. When the nurse came to her and asked her to join her in a private room, Carolyn knew Robbie was gone. Anytime a family lost someone, they were taken to the side room and told privately. It was Carolyn’s turn. She made the walk as in a trance, not seeing the sad faces of the other people in the waiting room as she passed them.
When she entered the room, Robbie’s doctor was there along with another doctor she didn’t know. He introduced himself to Carolyn telling her he was cardiologist. It wasn’t long before Carolyn realized what they were asking. Robbie always thought of himself as a super hero, saving people’s lives. Now was his chance. Unlike a lot of children born with Downs, Robbie’s heart was strong and healthy. According to the cardiologist, there was a little boy in the hospital who needed a new heart. He had been waiting for over a year and Robbie’s heart was a match. Would Carolyn let Robbie give it to the boy, they asked.
An over-whelming sense of peace came over Carolyn. She stood up tall, held her shoulders back, took the hands of each doctor, and said, “What are we waiting for?”
—
Two weeks had passed and Amanda would not believe that she had convinced her father to leave St. Louis and move to her home in Ellisville. Her house was at the edge of town on the south side; a rental she and Alice shared when they got out of college. Alice’s family was from Ellisville and she convinced Amanda that the bakery would do well here and that country boys were a lot cuter than city boys back in St. Louis. Amanda was more a “suit man,” but it was not like all the jeans, boots, and cowboy hats the local boys wore out in the west County weren’t bad to look at. Alice had found her man quickly, but Amanda was still looking.
Getting Charlie settled in Alice’s old room was quick and easy. Getting him away from the TV and computer games was going to be more of a challenge. After a week of sitting around the house Charlie just snapped. Amanda was covered in flour dust and busy working on a special order when her father suddenly walked into the bakery carrying his tool box. Looking up from her project, Amanda smiled at Charlie. Before she could ask what he was doing, Charlie spoke.
“I noticed the toilet is running in the restroom and the drawer pulls in the kitchen are loose and well, you’ve got a few things that need fixing, and I’ve been keeping up the pub my whole life,” he rambled on. “I thought I’d help you out here at the bakery.”
Amanda was thrilled. She’d let things go to focus on the baking, even neglecting to change simple things like burned out light bulbs. She had not invited her father to her home to be her handy man but if doing things to help her gave him some purpose, then so be it. She smiled at Charlie and went back to her baking. Later she would deliver the cupcakes to the hospital for the Christmas party.
After making all the repairs he had come to fix, Charlie decided to take on the burned out florescent light in the showroom next week. Amanda was in the back kitchen doing the last minute decorating and packing the cupcakes. Her high school help would be at the bakery soon. Charlie took advantage of the quiet to call his new insurance agent who would also be his investment counselor. He had transferred all his business in St. Louis to a local agent in Ellisville. He told Charlie he had an appointment later in the afternoon, but he had time now and invited Charlie to come to his office. As it turned out, it was only a block away so Charlie told Amanda he was running an errand, and would come back later for his tools and see her at home for dinner. He heard her say good bye and thanked God for his new hearing aids. The ear doctor told him that his bad ear would most likely never get better, however the good ear that got worse while he was taking the chemo for the cancer might actually get better, but it would take time. Time he had, now that he’d beat the cancer. He just needed somebody to share it with other than his daughter.
—
Sam was checking his emails when his office assistant announced his next appointment, Mr. Charles James. At six feet tall, the two men shared broad shoulders and the same wavy hair although Mr. James was gray. As they shook hands, their blue eyes met each other with respect. Same noticed a twinkle in Mr. James’ eyes as well as the hearing aids in both ears. He wasn’t sure if he needed to speak up or not but his new client beat him to the answer.
“Call me Charlie, Mr. Richardson,” said Charlie.
“And you can call me Sam, Charlie,” responded Sam.
“I can hear you just fine with these new hearing aids,” Charlie added and then he told Sam he might get his hearing back in his good ear and pointed to his left ear. Charlie told him that he just moved to Ellisville from the city; that he lived with his daughter Amanda. They talked for a while and Sam learned that Charlie needed auto insurance but not homeowners. Instead he was going share the rent to the house and wanted to talk about some renters’ insurance. Amanda didn’t have any and he felt it was important they get it. Charlie also wanted to talk to Sam about investing in his daughter’s business, but he’d get back to that later.
Sam had to leave for his other appointment and Charlie had to get his tools. So the two men said good-bye. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve; they agreed to meet after the holidays to make some final decisions. When Sam opened the door to leave the office, he held it for Charlie. As they walked outside, they were met with gray clouds. “Looks like snow,” said Charlie. At once a flock of birds floated passed the two men. Sam thought of his son and how he used to love to see the snow falling, floating down in swirls not unlike the birds on a cloudy day.
—
Carolyn was ringing up her last customer when her manager came over and asked her to stay on an extra thirty minutes. He told her she could have an extra thirty minutes off tomorrow. Carolyn had plans for the evening and didn’t want to be late, but she was never one to say no to her boss. So, of course, she agreed. When the shift ended she hurried to the back room and loaded up all the wrapped Christmas presents into two big boxes. The bright holiday wrapping paper and big green and red bows would delight all the children at the hospital.
She had volunteered to help with the hospital Christmas party for the children after Robbie’s accident. Carolyn thought about skipping Christmas this year, but Robbie would not understand that. He loved getting presents, but he loved more giving presents. What better way to honor his life than to give away presents to the children at the hospital? So she asked for donations from all the employees at the grocery store. And now it was time to deliver them.
—
When Charlie got back to the bakery, Amanda’s help was about to close up. Amanda told her she could leave early. She told Charlie that Amanda had called and asked if he’d go by the grocery store and pick up some white napkins and paper plates. She was so busy baking she forgot to order some from her supplier and needed them for the party she was catering, and would he bring them to the party?
Charlie was leaving the grocery store with the plates and napkins. As he walked toward the door when he saw this amazing woman pushing a grocery cart filled with wrapped presents. Barely over five feet tall and maybe 120 pounds, she was pushing that heavy basket like it was a feather. “You look like a woman on a mission,” said Charlie with a smile.
The automatic door opened and the two of them approached it together with Charlie stepping back for the woman. All at once they were greeted with soft snow flakes falling but not sticking. The woman went for her car and Charlie his. He tossed his bag into the second seat of his truck and glanced over a few rows to see the woman struggling with the boxes of presents. Charlie walked over and asked, “Where are you headed with all those presents?”
“To the hospital for the children’s Christmas party, “ she answered.
“Well, it just so happens that is where I’m going. You don’t know me but I’d like to offer you and your presents a lift.”
“I know who you are Mr. James. Your daughter, Amanda, is the Cupcake Diva. She’s been shopping at the grocery store since she opened the bakery. She told me about the Irish pub, that you lost your wife a few years ago, and how happy she was that you decided to leave the city and move here to Ellisville.”
“Please, call me Charlie. But I don’t know your name.”
Carolyn blushed and said, “Carolyn McIntire O’Reilly and I would be honored to have you escort me and the presents to the party.
Together the two of them got all the gifts into the back of Charlie’s red pick-up truck under the Leer snug top he had opted for when he bought the extended cab Silverado. He helped Carolyn up into the cab and went around to the other side and got into the truck. While driving to the hospital Carolyn told Charlie about her son Robbie, the accident, and their life together, her practically raising him alone, holding down a full-time job at the grocery store.
Carolyn thought she might be rambling too much and all the while Charlie could barely keep his eyes on the road, wanting to look at Carolyn’s pale skin and freckles sprinkled generously all over her face. He imagined her hair was red, like his mother’s, before it turned gray. She was Irish after all. Before they got out of the truck at the hospital Carolyn said, “Thank you Charlie James. I know we just met, but I feel in some way that we have known each other for a long time.”
“I feel the same way Carolyn McIntire O’Reilly,” replied Charlie taking her hand in his.
—
When Sam got to the hospital, he could taste the snow, although it was just a fine mist. He practically ran to the elevators that led to the children’s wing of the hospital. In his arms were two tote bags filled with ornaments, wooden stars, painted gold, like the stained glass star in the chapel. He and Noah discussed how they would contribute to the Christmas party. They decided they would be responsible for the Christmas tree. Sam bought a ten foot silk tree for the atrium and strings of lights. In the past the hospital used real trees but Sam wanted to give them a tree they could use year after year. Someone else was bringing the food and presents for the children. Sam thought about the staff. He commissioned a local artist to design and make the stars. He and some of the staff hung most on the tree, but the rest he carried in the tote bags.
As Sam entered Noah’s hospital room, he was amazed at how good his son looked. He had recovered from the virus and there was so far no rejection of his new heart. The doctors had him up and walking around twenty-four hours after the surgery. Sam secretly hoped Noah would be able to come home on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day at the very latest.
Noah was dressed in his Spiderman flannel pajamas, suede moccasins, and fleece robe. Sam saw Noah’s pink cheeks and big smile and asked, “Are you ready for the party son?”
“Let’s go, Dad,” Noah responded and the two of them started walking down the hallway.
When the father and son arrived, they saw that many of the children were sitting in wheel chairs or had been wheeled out in their beds. Others were sitting or standing around the room on the chairs and couches. The lights on the tree were beautiful. Behind the tree, the long high windows that encompassed the entire wall of the atrium were covered in snow which was falling in big wet flakes.
“It’s snowing Dad,” shouted Noah. Sam heard his son but did not turn his attention to the windows. Instead his eyes were focused on the attractive woman setting up the food. Tall and thin, her long red hair was pulled up into a pony tail. She was wearing jeans and high heeled boots and a red sleeveless silk blouse. Over her clothes she wore a pink gingham check apron tied behind her neck and at her waist. Embroidered across the front was “Cupcake Diva.”
Sam watched as she carefully placed a delightful selection of red and green mini cupcakes on what looked like a metal Christmas tree. She worked silently and quickly. He suddenly found himself walking over to her. Reaching into one of the tote bags he said, “I think you are missing something for your cupcake tree,” and he handed her one of the gold stars.
Upon hearing his voice, the woman turned and said, “Thank you.”
Sam looked into her beautiful blue eyes and thought to himself, I know those eyes! Before he could introduce himself to the woman they heard a loud cry of oooh’s and awe’s. Walking into the atrium were a man and woman carrying two huge boxes of Christmas presents. The man was tall with silver hair. He was wearing a red long-sleeved sweater, blue jeans and tennis shoes. The woman was petite with a fluff of gray hair. She was wearing a Christmas shirt, red silk vest, jeans, and tennis shoes.
Noah said, “Look Dad. It’s Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus in blue jeans.” Sam laughed and hurried off to help the woman with the presents while Charlie took the paper plates and napkins over to Amanda. He then hurried over to the tree to help Carolyn and Sam. Amanda asked Noah if he wanted to help her put out the napkins. He did and while he helped he told Amanda about he and his father, his life without a mother, his being sick so many years and about his new heart.
Amanda looked at the child and saw how brave and strong he was and her heart went out to him. And then she looked at the beautiful tree and all the shining gold stars, and then she looked at Sam, the man responsible for such a generous gift and her heart leaped for joy.
Charlie, Carolyn, and Sam walked over to the table filled with the beautiful desserts. Sam noticed that the woman had taken the apron off and untied her pony tail. Her long red hair draped over her shoulders, Sam felt the embers of a flame in his heart; feelings he thought he would never trust again.
Charlie said, “Mr. Richardson, I see you’ve met my daughter Amanda.” Sam knew where he’d seen those blue eyes. He smiled at Amanda and did a slight bow. “And this is my new friend, Carolyn McIntire O’Reilly,” said Charlie. And then to Amanda he put his hand to his face and whispered, not too softly, “She’s Irish, you know.”
“Carolyn brought all the presents tonight in honor of her son Robbie,” said Charlie. “He was in an accident and passed recently. He was an organ donor and gave the gift of life.”
Noah was standing in front of his dad. Amanda saw Sam’s hands squeeze Noah’s shoulders. She said, “And this is Sam’s son Noah. He’s a patient here at the hospital because he just got a new heart.”
Carolyn kneeled down and took Noah’s hands and said, “You must be a very brave boy Noah.”
Noah smiled and said, pulling his robe open, “I am because my hero is Spiderman.”
All four adults stood in silence, Charlie holding Carolyn’s hand; Sam’s right hand on his son’s back and left hand barely touching Amanda’s fingers. In the silence, they could hear the carolers singing by the Christmas tree, “…..Do you hear what I hear.”
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