The Christmas Town

by Donna VanLiere

Please let us know if and when and where you would like to meet again.

  Your friends (truly),

  Mary and Laura

  Miriam folds her hands on the table. “What if she doesn’t reply?”

  “She’ll reply.”

  “But what if she doesn’t?”

  Gloria pushes send. “Why do you have to be negative? Let’s just believe that she’ll reply.”

  Miriam shrugs. “Okay. She’ll reply.”

  Gloria closes the computer lid. “But what if she doesn’t?”

  * * *

  Lauren watches as children arrive the next day at Glory’s Place. When she sees Grayson and his mom walk into the building she waits until he is all signed in and headed to his cubby. He stops when he notices a coat hanging on the hook inside. His face lights up when he picks it up. “Whoa!” Spider-Man’s face is on the right shoulder and when Grayson turns the coat around, there is Spider-Man in midair shooting a web from his hand! “Awesome!” He looks up and notices Lauren smiling. “Did you see this?”

  She nods. “I did. Try it on and see if it fits.”

  The sleeves are a little long but Grayson doesn’t seem to notice. “Where did it come from?”

  Lauren shrugs. “I told you that all you had to do was say something.”

  He runs to show some of the other boys as Gloria steps in next to Lauren. “That coat wasn’t there when I got here a couple of hours ago.” Lauren watches Grayson. “Now how do you figure that coat slipped into that cubby without my noticing?”

  Lauren grins. “A Christmas miracle?”

  Gloria throws her arms in the air. “Another one? What a red-letter Christmas this is turning out to be!”

  * * *

  With only two rehearsals left before the sing-a-thon the children’s excitement ricochets off every wall inside Glory’s Place. Dalton and Heddy have been busy the last two weeks finding red and green scarves for all the children to wear on the day of the parade. “Our treat,” Heddy says, winking at Gloria. Of course, all the children want to practice wearing the scarves during rehearsal and they shriek and laugh, whipping the scarf ends at one another. Lauren and Stacy try their best to maintain control, leading their wiggling, giggling choir through each Christmas song and carol as Gloria, Miriam, Dalton, and Heddy yell out “bravo, bravo” and “more, more” at the end of each song. Cassondra’s solo on “Silent Night” brings tears to their eyes. They have been graced (in Gloria’s words because she doesn’t believe in luck) to work with these kids. They’ve seen some families tear apart at the seams and others who have mended themselves. They’ve watched as some children have flourished while others have given up. It hasn’t been easy work, sometimes it hasn’t been enjoyable, but it has always come with its rewards: a child who finally “gets” addition or division, one who is put back into his home after a few months in foster care, a single mom who lands a better job, a hug at the end of the day from a child who’d had a meltdown at the beginning, and a child’s voice echoing the sound of an angel as she sings.

  Dalton and Heddy collect each scarf before the children leave for home. “Don’t worry,” Dalton says, smiling at their downcast faces. “We’ll bring them to the gazebo on Saturday and after the sing-a-thon you can take them home.” They hand each of the children a candy cane in place of the scarves and Lauren watches as Grayson carefully sticks his inside his new coat’s pocket and presses down to make sure the Velcro sticks. He pulls the hood over his head and pretends to release a web from his hand as he waits for his mom. When he sees her he runs as fast as he can and throws his arms around her. She marvels at his new coat and Lauren swears she can see his chest swelling inside it.

  Gloria and Miriam work at wiping down the tables and chairs, Heddy straightens the front office area, and Stacy and Lauren begin to sweep as Dalton prepares the mop bucket. Lauren pulls her phone from her back pocket and Miriam grabs Gloria’s arm. “She’s looking at her phone!”

  “Keep working,” Gloria hisses, dipping her rag into the hot, sudsy water and wiping a chair.

  They both bend low to the table, scrubbing the area in front of them over and over while keeping their eyes on Lauren. “She’s moving,” Miriam whispers, dunking her rag into the bucket of water on the table.

  “I have eyes, Miriam! Move over, for crying out loud! We look suspicious!”

  Miriam moves to the end of the table and watches as Lauren walks over to Stacy who’s sweeping near the front door. Stacy holds on to the broom and leans over to look at Lauren’s phone. Both of them look solemn, serious. “Are they reading an obituary?” Miriam asks.

  “It doesn’t look good,” Gloria says, moving to a table closer to them. She cocks her head to make out what they’re saying but Dalton’s whistling is all that she can hear. Their faces are just too hard to read.

  “They’re laughing now,” Miriam says between her teeth. “What does that mean? Do they think we really are nut jobs?”

  Gloria glares at her. “You look like a puppet. Move your mouth before Dalton and Heddy think you’re having a stroke!”

  When Lauren moves away to finish her sweeping, Gloria and Miriam burst into activity. They keep their heads low as Stacy approaches. “Lauren has heard from the two women,” she whispers. She continues to sweep as she notices Lauren looking over at them. Gloria and Miriam just catch each other’s eye before stacking the chairs and assume that Lauren is answering their e-mail when they see her typing into her phone.

  The door closes behind Dalton, Heddy, Lauren, and Stacy as they leave for the day, and Gloria locks it from the inside. She and Miriam scramble to the office where Gloria sits at the desk. “You have to pull up your personal e-mail, not Glory’s Place’s,” Miriam says, twisting her hands in front of her.

  Gloria begins typing on the keyboard. “I know that, Miriam!” They watch the screen load and Gloria clicks on an e-mail from Craigslist, reading aloud: “Dear Mary and Laura, Thank you for contacting me. I really would like to meet you.”

  “What a relief,” Miriam says. “I was about to tell her the whole sordid story today.”

  Gloria continues, “I will be in Grandon tomorrow and could meet you at noon at Betty’s Bakery. Let me know if that works, Kelly.”

  Gloria high-fives Miriam and then types WE WILL BE THERE in all caps.

  TWENTY-FIVE

  They watch for Lauren in Gloria’s car across the street from Betty’s. When her car pulls in front of the restaurant, Miriam reaches for her door handle. Gloria catches her arm. “Let her get inside and find a table.”

  “This wait is excruciating.”

  “I’ve had butterflies in my stomach all morning. This meeting has been running through my mind since yesterday. I put a piece of burned toast on Marshall’s plate and called it breakfast. What would my mother think?”

  Miriam looks at her watch. “It’s 12:02!”

  “Let’s go!”

  They lock arms and dart out to cross the road together, nearly getting themselves run over. A man honks and slams on his brakes as they laugh and hurry for the door. The restaurant is packed, the lunch crowd is in full swing, but they can see Lauren setting her things down at a corner table. They walk up behind her and Gloria puts her hand on her back. “Hi, Miss Glory!” Lauren says, hugging her.

  “Hello, Kelly dear.”

  Lauren’s smile fades and her eyes dart from Gloria to Miriam.

  “We’re so happy you replied to our e-mail,” Miriam says.

  “What?”

  Gloria puts her hands on Lauren’s shoulders, looking at her. “I’m Mary Richards and this is my friend Laura Petrie.”

  Tears spring to Lauren’s eyes and she covers her mouth. “I don’t…”

  Gloria sits at the table and Miriam pulls a chair out for Lauren. “I saw your notice on Craigslist. I set out to answer you but someone thought I should be cautious.”

  “The news is filled with crazy people,” Miriam says, slapping her hand on the table. “I thought I was responding to you
r ad in place of Gloria. I thought she had listened to me about not answering you but I should have known better. Since when has Gloria ever listened to me?”

  Lauren places her fingers on each side of her head and shakes it. “You really are Mary Richards and Laura?”

  Gloria nods. “Guilty as charged.”

  “When I was delivering the box to Frank that day, I kept calling here and asking Holly for Mary Richards…”

  “She didn’t see her,” Gloria says. “She only saw the regular crowd, which includes us.”

  “And when I was supposed to meet my mom and Holly didn’t see two women she didn’t know…”

  “Ta-da!” Miriam says.

  “So you were here that night?” Gloria and Miriam nod. “Holly’s never going to believe this.”

  “We were so glad that you decided to give us one more try,” Gloria says. “But you didn’t need to put an ad on Craigslist.” Lauren looks confused. “You have a family right here in Grandon.” She pats her hand. “You have me and Miriam and Dalton and Heddy and Holly and Stacy and that cute Travis Mabrey from the parks department.” Lauren smiles and a tear sneaks its way down her cheek.

  “We are imperfect people,” Miriam says. She looks at Gloria. “Some are more imperfect than others, but we are closer to each other than we are to some of our own family. Dalton and Heddy are like siblings to me and Gloria is like a much older, dowdy aunt.”

  Gloria and Lauren laugh as Lauren wipes her eyes. “From the very first day I felt like you accepted me here.”

  “No,” Gloria says. “You accepted us. Do you know how many people walk around with wounds and scars from their past and keep people at arm’s length? Some people keep others at a distance their entire lives but you don’t do that. God led you here to witness an accident and that led you to coffee with Stacy, which led you to helping with our fund-raiser and creating the sing-a-thon! None of that was us. That was you. Despite your past you’ve kept your heart open.”

  Lauren shakes her head.

  “It’s true,” Miriam says. “It’s much easier for people to shut down and close themselves off. Your Craigslist posting told us that this was a young woman who hadn’t shut the world out yet. She was searching for what Christmas is all about.”

  “There were so many times that I felt so stupid for putting that ad on Craigslist.”

  Gloria hands Lauren a napkin. “Everybody wants to know why we’re here, so we search for that answer. We want to know who we belong to so we search for those people and all the while God is whispering, ‘Here I am.’”

  “We search for something or somebody to believe in and for somebody to believe in us,” Miriam adds. “It’s what everybody wants.”

  “You searched for a family and we were all here right from the beginning,” Gloria says. “Now all we have to do is get you to move here!”

  Lauren laughs. “That won’t be hard! I’m so ready to get out of Whitall.”

  Miriam thinks for a moment. “Who is Kelly, by the way?”

  “My middle name. In case somebody I knew saw the posting on Craigslist.”

  She looks at both of them. “Who exactly are Mary Richards and Laura Petrie?”

  “Oh, my!” Gloria says. “We have so many classic TV episodes to share with you.”

  “They’re TV characters?”

  Miriam nods. “From The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Dick Van Dyke Show. Ironically, they’re both played by the same woman and I’m not quite sure what that says about me and Gloria.”

  “It says that you think like me,” Gloria says, winking at Lauren.

  Miriam is horrified. Her back stiffens. “No. That’s preposterous.”

  “It also says that I was right about answering the Craigslist ad from the beginning.” Miriam’s face is stony but her lip lifts into a curl. “Go ahead. Say I was right.”

  Miriam looks around the restaurant. “Who’s ready for some nice tea and lunch? My treat!”

  Gloria laughs out loud, looking at Lauren. “I’m afraid this is what you’ll be dealing with in our family.”

  “It’s okay. I’m kind of used to it already.” Gloria and Miriam lift their heads to the ceiling and laugh out loud again. “I do wish I’d known you longer,” Lauren says.

  Gloria and Miriam put their hands on top of hers. “Families are built over time,” Gloria says. “And you came along at just the right time.”

  The world is full of great sadness and loneliness, however here at this small Formica-topped table with its shiny metal napkin dispenser and sticky ketchup and mustard bottles, there is joy. Life can hurl a string of bad things our way and we can hurl a string of bad things at each other and ourselves, but home always calls to us. Tears of homecoming swim in their eyes as they laugh with the joy of being together. They are happy, in the sense of knowing that this happiness will be fleeting, as it always is, but that joy will live on long past this moment. The world can be cruel and offer good reason to give up hope but today proves that a corner spot at a coffee shop with unlikely family members can restore hope.

  TWENTY-SIX

  Ben’s line at work has gotten longer each day. Last night, he stayed up until eleven-thirty writing new messages.

  My mom says the most beautiful mess she’s ever seen is on the living room floor each Christmas! Enjoy the mess and Merry Christmas. Ben

  Charles Dickens said to honor Christmas and keep it in your heart all year long. I think that’s pretty good advice! Merry Christmas. Ben

  For God so loved the world that He gave! Hoping you receive His gift at Christmas! Merry Christmas. Ben

  Maria and her children, Cassondra and Aidan, spend several minutes waiting in line and Ben picks out a card for each one of them. “You don’t have to give each one of us a message,” Maria says. “You might run out.”

  “I’m all set, Mrs. Delgado,” he says, handing both Cassondra and Aidan a card.

  “And who’s riding with you on top of the carriage in the parade?”

  Ben reaches for the remainder of her groceries and puts them inside a bag. “I know who I’m asking but she hasn’t been around in a few days.”

  Maria lifts her eyebrows. “But the parade’s tomorrow!” She pats him on the shoulder and says, “If she doesn’t show up there are plenty of people who would love to sit with you on that carriage!” She pushes her cart toward the exit doors as Cassondra runs ahead of her.

  “Lauren!” Cassondra says, hugging her. “What are you doing here?”

  “I kind of like getting a message from Ben and it’s been a while so I was grabbing a water and a message before I head home.” She smiles at Maria. “Hi, Mrs. Delgado.”

  “All they can talk about is the sing-a-thon tomorrow! They’re very excited.”

  Lauren squeezes both Cassondra and Aidan to her. “I’m excited, too! It’s going to be great!”

  “I donated a box to the auction,” Cassondra says. “I think it might bring in a thousand dollars.”

  Lauren grins, listening to her. “I’ve heard a lot about that box!”

  “It’s the prettiest box you’ve ever seen. Trust me.”

  Lauren laughs. “Oh, I do! I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” She waves good-bye and heads to a refrigerated case near the front for a bottle of water. She is disappointed to see that Ben is not here today. As she steps into the vestibule the opposite set of doors slide open and she smiles as Ben walks through them, zipping up his coat.

  “I’ve been looking for you!” he says, throwing his arms in the air.

  “And I was looking for you! I didn’t get a message today.” He reaches inside his coat pocket and pulls one out, handing it to her. “Wow! Thanks! That’s what I call service!”

  “Go ahead. Read it.”

  The vestibule becomes chilly every time the outside doors open so she zips her coat up higher as she reads.

  The Christmas parade will not be the same without you. Would you ride on the carriage with me and wave at people and wish them a Merry Christmas? I
only get to choose one person to help me and I know you’ll do a great job! Merry Christmas. Ben

  She looks at him. “Really?”

  He looks at the floor and then up at her. “I’ve been waiting to ask you for a long time. I haven’t seen you in a few days.”

  “Why me?”

  He shrugs. “I just thought that since you’re new in town, this would be a great way for you to see the town and most everybody who lives here all at once, and that it’d be a great way for them to meet you!”

  She laughs. “I’d love to! That’s really nice of you, Ben. Do you do this every year?”

  He shakes his head. “Nope. First time.”

  “I don’t know what to say. Thank you! What time do I need to show up tomorrow and where do I go?”

  They walk into the parking lot and he notices his mom pulling in and turning into the space where she normally parks as she waits for him. He begins to walk toward her. “Nine-thirty in front of the parks department building. We will be in the first carriage. Right in front of the parade.”

  She smiles, watching him walk away. “I’ll be there! Can’t wait!” Lauren opens her car door and slips into the seat, smiling.

  Stacy’s car is warm as Ben gets inside. “Well! I did it! I asked her to ride on the carriage for the parade.” He is beaming, so proud of himself.

  “Are you serious? So you saw her again? When?”

  “Just now. When I got off work. I walked right through the doors and there she was.”

  Stacy puts the car in reverse. “With not a minute to spare!”

  He looks sheepish. “If she hadn’t shown up I was going to ask you, Mom. Hope you’re not disappointed.”

  She laughs. “I get to be with you every day. So how did you do it?”

  Ben crosses his arms as if he’s being interviewed by the local news station. “Well, I walked out the doors and there she was and she said that she had come into the store to get one of my Christmas messages. So I pulled a card right out of my pocket and handed it to her.”

  Stacy pulls out onto the road, her face wide with surprise. “You put it on a card? What did it say?”