The Christmas Surprise

by R. R. Banks

  For better or for worse.

  I eyed Holly's suitcase sitting on the floor under the window. I had the compulsion to open it and take a peek at the clothes that she had packed for her cruise. There was something about her that just didn't strike me as somebody who would enjoy a cruise, especially one that they took by themselves. I remembered what she told me about the boyfriend who broke up with her on Thanksgiving. I still couldn't believe that she had stayed for dinner with his family afterwards, but now that I had spent the night amongst artificial ficus trees in a motel lobby in the middle of nowhere and had an attempted escape thwarted by a turkey, however, I had a new appreciation of what she might have felt. With my phone not working properly, not being able to find my wallet, and having nowhere to go, I felt helpless. It was a feeling that I wasn't used to experiencing and one that I hated. I was accustomed to always being in control, always knowing what my next step was. Now I felt like I had no idea what was going to happen next and the feeling made my stomach turn.

  I couldn't stop thinking about Charlie. I had been so excited to see him, and now I didn't know how long it was going to be until I would be able to get to him. He had already been disappointed so many times. Even though it had been his mother who had chosen not to bring him to see me, I knew that because he doesn't live with me there would always be a question as to whether I wanted him, or whether I even wanted to see him. I never wanted him to think that way. More than anything, I wanted my son to know how much I loved him and that he was the most important thing in my life. That was why I needed to do this, I needed to get to them and to convince Brandy that we belonged together as a family. If I could convince her of that then I could spend every day with Charlie. I wouldn't have to feel like I was missing important moments of his life, like I was missing him grow up. I knew that he was still such a little boy, but even in the few months since I have been able to see him, he seemed to have changed so much. Seeing him over a computer screen or video chats over the phone wasn't enough. All that did was show me what I was missing and how every day he was getting bigger, leaving behind the baby that I had held the minute that he was born and that realization had completely changed my life.

  I resisted the urge to go through Holly's luggage and opened the drawer in the nightstand instead. Inside it was a blue pocket folder filled with loose sheets of paper. I pulled it out and was flipping through it when the door opened, and Holly came back inside. She looked cold, wet, and angry, but had a handful of bandages. I followed her back to the bathroom and let her apply antibacterial ointment and then tape a thick piece of gauze to my chest with long strips of adhesive.

  That is seriously going to suck when I have to take it off. I'm going to be missing a few chest hairs.

  When she was finished patching me up, I looked at my shirt and sweater. There really wasn't much that I could do about the long slash through the fabric, so I folded them up and put them aside, opening up my bag to pull out a fresh option that didn't look like I had gotten into a skirmish with a very small Freddy Krueger. Holly was looking at me as I straightened the hem.

  "So, what should we do now?" she asked. "It looks like we're kind of stuck here, at least for the time being."

  I was somewhat surprised that she would even put 'we' in a sentence, but I had to figure that she was keeping an eye on me. For all she knew I could find out that the train was coming back and not tell her. Which, to be honest, probably wasn't too far from the truth last night. Now, though, I was feeling less rash. I was willing to set aside my compulsion to one-up her for a time, if for nothing else than to keep myself from going crazy while stuck in what very much felt like was supposed to be a charmingly rustic snow globe.

  "Well,” I said, “according to this delightful cultural guide to Whiskey Hollow," I gestured to the blue folder I left sitting on the bed, "there's a movie theater in the main village. That could probably kill some time."

  Holly looked unconvinced.

  "A movie theater? I didn't notice anything like that on our way here last night."

  "It's probably not very big," I said. "But it doesn't really need to be."

  Holly seemed to think about this for a few seconds and then finally nodded.

  "Okay. I guess that could be fun. And if nothing else it'll use up a couple of hours."

  “Way to be optimistic.”

  She shot me a glare as she reached for her coat and put it back on.

  "Don't push your luck," she said.

  We made our way out of the room and trudged toward the main building, doing our best to follow the footprints that we had already made the last couple of trips. The snow didn't appear to be slowing down any, and by the time that we reached the main building it occurred to me that we really didn't have any way of getting down to the Village. I had already pretty much eliminated the possibility of walking down there and the night before had confirmed that there was no hollow taxi service.

  Suddenly I heard the sound of a tractor puttering towards us. I looked up and saw a familiar face smiling in our direction, one gloved hand waving at us as if we were long-lost friends. As if the thought had beckoned him, Boom Boom was coming our way.

  "Well, hey there, Graham and Holly. Did you have a good night's rest?"

  "Some of us more than others," I said.

  "Isn't it just a beautiful day," he said, looking around by the falling snowflakes like he should be holding a beagle and singing Hark the Herald Angels Sing. "Sure gets you into the Christmas mood, doesn't it?"

  I was getting ready to ask him if he would mind giving us a ride back into the village when I heard a strange sound coming from behind him. I looked around him into the wagon and saw a massive turkey nestle down into the hay. I took a step back and looked at Boom Boom.

  "Is that a turkey?" I asked

  "Sure is. This here's Cornelius. He got out this morning and went running around and when he got home he looked like he was feeling guilty about himself and I found some strings on some of his claws, so I thought maybe he got himself into some trouble. I was coming up here to ask if anybody had seen him."

  Holly was giggling behind me and when I turned to look at her she covered her mouth with her hand.

  "Graham saw him," she said.

  "You did?" Boom Boom asked. "He wasn't rude to you, was he?"

  "He just gave me a little scratch."

  "Cornelius" Boom Boom scolded. "That's not the way to act. Now you apologize to Graham." He climbed off the tractor and walked around to the side of the wagon where he reached in and grabbed the turkey, scooping him into his arms like a small child. "You apologize," he said. "Tell him that you're sorry and that you know that's not the way that we welcome new friends into the hollow."

  The turkey made a few warbling noises and Boom Boom stroked his head lovingly.

  "That's a good boy, Cornelius," he said. "I just can't imagine what got into him. He's usually such a well-behaved turkey."

  "He saw me walking down through the woods," I told him. "I think I might have startled him."

  "You were in the woods" Boom Boom asked. "Why would you do a foolish thing like that? It's cold in those woods and dark, even in the daytime. And those trees just keep getting denser and denser the further you go. Until they aren't dense anymore because you've gotten to the other side, and then they kind of start opening up a bit more and it's easier to see, but you've got to not lose your damn self in there or find a beast of some sort before you can get to that part. Cornelius here didn't attack you. He was trying to help you."

  "You've got a guardian turkey," Holly said. "That's close to a guardian angel."

  "That's right," Boom Boom said. "Feathers and everything. And Corny here is such a nice white color, not like some of those big heritage birds. I bet if he had his back to you and spread his wings out real far, you'd think he was just a short, chubby little angel."

  I stared at him.

  "I'm sure I would."

  Boom Boom looked over his shoulder at the turkey again.<
br />
  "I'm sorry for scolding you," he said. "I take back everything I said. You're a good turkey."

  Cornelius gave a warble that sounded like he was actually listening and buried his head down in the hay.

  "I'm going to have to get him a scarf. It's just too dang cold out here for him." He sighed as though his mind were jotting that down on some persistent to-do list and then he turned back to us with another beaming smile. "So, what are the two of you doing out wandering around. Just enjoying the winter majesty?"

  "Actually," I told him. "We were thinking about heading into the village to see a movie. Maybe grab something to eat."

  "Well, hop aboard! I'll be happy to bring you down there. Looks like I'll be needing to swing by the Hobby Hut and get some yarn, anyway. I can drop you right off at the theater. Sling you a quick tour, if you'd like."

  "We don't know when the movies start," Holly said.

  "Oh, just any old time. Don't you worry about that. You won't miss anything. Climb on in. Cornelius, you scoot over and give them some of the good hay."

  Chapter Eight

  Holly

  I don't think that's how you spell Cinema. No, really. I don't think that's how that word is spelled.

  I stared at the little wooden sign just barely peeking up out of the snow for several long seconds before I realized what was wrong with it. It was spelled with an "S" rather than a "C". As if he could see me staring at it, Boom Boom shook his head.

  "Don't you pay that any mind," he said. "That sign still left over from when this theater showed... other types of movies. None of those anymore, though."

  There was a strange tone in his voice and I couldn't tell if he was happy about the change of entertainment or still deeply in mourning. Graham and I climbed down out of the wagon and looked around.

  "Where's the theater?" Graham asked.

  "It's right there," Boom Boom said, pointing past the wooden sign to what looked like a small house.

  "In the house?" I asked.

  "That's not a house," Boom Boom said. "Not anymore at least. I reckon at some point it used to be, but I sure can't remember anybody ever living there. When I was younger it tried to be a school for a little bit, but it wasn't too long before parents started liking the idea of sending their children up into the cities for school rather than keeping them here."

  "Up into the city?" Graham asked. "I thought that the nearest town was a couple of hours away."

  "Oh, no, that's just Elton. Everton's on the other side the hollow."

  "Then why didn't you tell me about Everton last night?"

  "Because it's on the other side of the hollow," Boom Boom repeated.

  "So?"

  "Well you asked where you could find a hotel, but I just assumed you'd want to be going in the same direction as the train was bringing you. That and I really wouldn't want to send you to the Everton Hotel. It's only about half the size of the Hollow Day Inn and the owner is not nearly as nice as Day."

  It looked like Graham was getting ready to explode. I'd have to remind him that without this man we would still probably be wandering our way out from the train station or be frozen like icicles under the snow. Besides, Graham didn't even have his wallet. Even if we had made it all the way to Everton and found a hotel room, he wouldn't have been able to pay for it. He should probably be grateful that he ended up where he was.

  "Do we just go inside?" I asked.

  "Just go on up and knock on the door," Boom Boom said. "Bambi should be working at about this time of day, but sometimes she's in the back and doesn't know when people come in."

  "Thank you."

  "Not a problem. I'll be puttering around down here for a little bit longer, but even if you can't find me, you'll be able to find someone who can bring you back up to the motel. You two enjoy your movie."

  "We will."

  I smiled and waved as Boom Boom drove his tractor down further into the village and then turned to glare at Graham.

  "You better not piss off the people who helped us and get us run out of town," I said.

  "You sure do have a lot of demands," he said. "And what do you mean, run us out of town? Is this The Music Man and we're going to start selling non-existent instruments?"

  "You just referenced a movie that came out before I was born," I pointed out.

  "And? You've never seen The Music Man?"

  "Not enough times to have it be a frequent part of my reference repertoire."

  He shrugged and started toward the movie theater. I stared at him for a few seconds before following him. I couldn't figure this man out. Just when I thought that I was starting to get a sketch of who he was, he turned around and made a reference to a movie that I would never guess was one of his favorites and that only barely had anything to do with the situation.

  Is it possible that this is psychological warfare?

  We got onto the porch and I looked around for any indication of the movies that they might be showing. I couldn't imagine that this building was big enough to accommodate a movie screen, or that the hollow would have the kind of budget to get any of the newest releases, but I was at least hoping for some sort of indication of what I might be in for. There wasn't any though, and before I could rethink an afternoon at the movies, the door opened and a woman with the same bright smile as Boom Boom looked out at us.

  "Hi, there. Are you wanting to see a movie?"

  "Yes," I said. "When does the next show start?"

  "Just as soon as you get in there and get settled," Bambi said.

  I wasn't sure what she meant by that until I followed her inside. Just as Boom Boom had said, this was not a house. While the outside looked very much like the other dwellings that we had seen in the village and on the way up to the motel, the inside was completely different. Where there should have been a hallway and two front rooms, there was one large open space. Rows of chairs in a variety of forms filled the center. All were pointed toward a wooden entertainment center set up on a small platform. A large box-style TV was shoved into the entertainment center and I could see both a DVD player and VCR in the alcove under it.

  "What do you have showing?" Graham asked.

  "You choose," Bambi said. She gestured to one wall where I saw several shelves containing VHS tapes and racks of DVDs. "Usually I have to put limits on the young ones as to which ones of the movies they can choose to see. But the two of you look old enough that you can see pretty much whatever you want. Just make sure you put it back in the box when you're done. She started for the door that I assumed lead to a back room then turned and looked at us again. "The Honor Box is on the table in the kitchen. Tickets are a dollar fifty each, and prices for the snacks are listed on each item. Cash only, please. Enjoy your show."

  I looked at Graham, somewhat dumbfounded.

  "Want to go pick some snacks?" I asked.

  "Not a movie without snacks."

  We made our way through the main room and into the doorway that I assumed led to the kitchen. Once inside we saw a collection of snacks and canned drinks clustered on the counter and several cake stands filled with homemade treats. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the cash that I had tucked in before we left the motel. Vera always made fun of me for preferring cash to cards, and I couldn't wait to rub it in that finally it paid off.

  "My treat," I said.

  I tucked a five-dollar bill into the Honor Box and then set to perusing the snacks. The only times that I had ever been to the movies with guys were the few dates I went on in high school and early in college, and then with Ben. During those movies I was so fixated on impressing the guys I was with and not drawing any more attention to my size than was absolutely necessary that I never ate anything. They would sit there stuffing themselves while I perched beside them, salivating over the smell of hot buttered popcorn and caramel chocolates.

  That wasn't the case now. Graham had already seen me emerge from a bathroom and fling myself to the floor in response to an assumed impending assault. There wasn't
a whole lot of mystique left to maintain.

  Besides, I don't care what he thinks of me.

  Universe willing, we'd be on our way in a day or two and I wouldn't ever see him again. For now, we were going to watch an old school movie and that meant that I was going to eat as many of the snacks as I could fit in, especially considering that our chase through the motel had cut my breakfast woefully short.

  I tossed a bag of popcorn into a microwave sitting on the counter and counted up the other snacks that we had chosen. I stuffed money into the box, handed most of our purchases over to Graham and pointed toward the theater.

  "Why don't you go pick a movie?"

  "You in the mood for anything in particular?" he asked.

  "Not really," I said. "Just choose something that you like."

  "A Christmas movie it is," he said.

  Fantastic.

  I listened to the popcorn pop for the next few minutes while I roamed around the kitchen looking for a bowl. I finally found one just as the last kernels exploded into fluffy deliciousness and I carried it over to the counter. Pulling the steaming popcorn bag out of the microwave, I poured it into the bowl and promptly followed it with several shakes from a nearby salt shaker. I scooped up the bowl and a couple of cans of soda and carried them out into the theater room, hitting a light switch as I went. It might not exactly be my idea of a movie theater, but I wasn't going to ruin the image anymore with any extra light.

  Graham was already up at the TV when I got into the room and I looked up at him as I sat down the popcorn and the drinks.