The Christmas Portrait

by Phyllis Clark Nichols

  When I woke up Tuesday morning, I heard talking in the kitchen. Daddy was home, and Uncle Luke was cooking breakfast. Uncle Luke was a better cook than Daddy because he never had a wife to cook for him. After their parents got killed in a car wreck, Uncle Luke, who was just seventeen, had to cook because Daddy was doing everything else to take care of things.

  I dressed and went downstairs. I stood in the den and listened for a minute because I knew Daddy would stop talking if I went in the kitchen. Then I wouldn’t know a thing.

  “Guess the police chief was full of Christmas spirit because he brought Fields to the hospital last night for a supervised visit. Fields acted so grateful she had been found, and he kept telling her how everything was going to change. He told her that her mother was alive, and he hoped she would be coming home.”

  “Where was she?” Uncle Luke asked.

  “Staying with her sister in upstate New York. Apparently the marriage was on the rocks, and she left to clear her head and get some help with a drinking problem. She wrote to Laramie, but Fields never gave her the letters, for fear of losing his daughter too.”

  “Unforgivable,” Uncle Luke muttered.

  “Who knows why people do the crazy things they do?” Daddy said. “But Fields seems to have had a huge wake-up call. He couldn’t stop shaking my hand, telling me how grateful he was for taking care of his daughter.”

  I walked loud across the wood floor to the kitchen so they’d hear me coming, and they wouldn’t think I was snooping around just to hear what they were saying.

  After hugs and good mornings, Daddy made me a cup of hot chocolate and poured himself a cup of coffee. Then we sat down at the table while Uncle Luke sifted the flour. Daddy acted like I was a grown-up and just started talking. “Laramie’s doing well.” Then he started asking me all these questions about how I knew Laramie was outside last night.

  “Well, I was in my room, but I wasn’t asleep good yet. She threw something at my window to get my attention.” I didn’t tell them I was sitting at my desk drawing. I didn’t figure that was important for them to know.

  “Why did she come here of all places?” Daddy asked. “Were you especially nice to her at school?”

  I shook my head. “Not really. But I have been talking to her more lately.” I didn’t say why—that Laramie was the only kid in my class who knew what it felt like to not have a mama.

  Uncle Luke just kept cooking while we talked. Nothing smelled better than bacon frying in the morning.

  “Why did Laramie run away?” I asked.

  “Well, she told the sheriff that she got scared because she saw her daddy’s friends had drugs. And when she told her daddy to ask them to leave, they had a big argument. She was so scared and mad that she just ran away. Apparently she hid in a shed behind the school.”

  “That must be the shed where the janitor keeps the bird food. She volunteers all the time to fill up the feeders.”

  Daddy put his coffee cup down. “Thankfully she had mind enough to bring a snack and a bottle of water and a blanket with her. Said she planned to stay just long enough to get even with her dad and then go back home. But she was scared of how he’d react to her running away, so she came here instead.”

  It didn’t sound like the whole story to me. “But if she just ran away, how did she get hurt?”

  Daddy shook his head. “She said she ran into a tree limb in the dark.”

  Uncle Luke pointed the fork he was using to turn the bacon straight at Daddy. “And do you believe her or do you think she’s covering for her dad?”

  “I think she’s telling the truth. She had a pretty good gash on her head that could have been made by a limb. She said she slept a lot, so she may have even had a slight concussion from it, which is why she didn’t come to us sooner. Her dad has a pretty bad temper, but I don’t think he’d hurt her like that.”

  I looked at Daddy. “I think she came here because one time I told her you were a paramedic, and she knew you could help her.”

  “What happens now?” Uncle Luke asked, shooting a glance at me like he wasn’t sure the answer was one I would be allowed to hear.

  Daddy sipped his coffee. “They’re keeping her at the hospital for a day or two because she has nowhere else to go. She certainly can’t go home by herself. The police are trying to find somebody to take care of her ’til they can get her daddy cleared or they can find her mama.”

  Uncle Luke turned off the stove. “Why don’t we bring her here? We could all take care of her.”

  Daddy nodded slowly. “Don and Susannah were cleared to become foster parents recently. Laramie just might be the perfect trial run for them. No diapers or middle-of-the-night feedings. And she knows Kate, so Kate can go over and keep her company.”

  Uncle Luke said, “Good idea. A female touch may be what’s needed here.”

  What with Aunt Susannah Hope’s hovering, and her disliking ruckuses, and having to breathe in a paper bag all the time, I wasn’t so sure she was ready for taking care of Laramie. And I knew Laramie was not ready for Aunt Susannah Hope. Laramie knew how to be nice, but as Granny would say, “She could be a handful.” I knew sass and bad words would never be at home at my aunt’s house. But I didn’t say anything.

  All the talking about Laramie was done when Daddy went to get Chesler for breakfast. We had scrambled eggs and crispy bacon and real hash browns, not the kind that came out of the freezer looking like a deck of Skip-Bo cards dipped in grated potatoes.

  After breakfast Daddy went up to take a shower and Chesler went to his room to dress. Uncle Luke started to collect the dishes, but I said, “Dishwashing’s my job, Uncle Luke, especially since you made real potatoes.”

  I should have taken a good look at that kitchen before I volunteered, though. Pots and pans and spills and scraps of potatoes and eggshells were everywhere. I didn’t know you could mess up so many dishes just cooking breakfast for four people.

  Uncle Luke helped me get things stacked up at the sink and took out the trash. Then he poured himself another cup of coffee and went to the den to read the newspaper, leaving me to do the dishes.

  Mama left me a whole list about how to wash the dishes. Now when Daddy washed the dishes, he just grabbed whatever was closest to the sink and started washing, but I liked to do it the way Mama said, and I didn’t even have to look at the list anymore. With the sink full of hot water just covered in suds, I started with the juice glasses and the coffee cups. Mama said, “No greasy smudges if you wash them first.”

  I was scraping egg off the plates when my friend the redbird lit in the cedar tree. She balanced herself on that limb and stretched her wings, soaking up the winter morning sunshine. Reminded me of Granny stretching and rubbing her arms in front of a warm fire. Then the redbird sat and chirped like she was talking to me. If I could chirp back, I’d tell her how pretty she was and how I wished I could touch her and how glad I was that Laramie was safe.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  AFTER DADDY SHOWERED, he stirred up a pot of chili in the crock-pot. Then he told me, “I’m meeting Granny Grace over at Aunt Susannah Hope’s. Your Uncle Luke’s here to take care of you.”

  I was glad to hear that we could stay home, and Uncle Luke and Chesler could do boy things while I finished my drawings. But right before Daddy walked out the door, he said, “Luke, how about taking the kids out to the woods and cutting a few holly branches? Grace wanted us to put some red berries in the garland on the staircase, and I haven’t gotten around to it.”

  “Translated, that means you don’t want her to come over here and see that you haven’t been following orders.” Uncle Luke laughed.

  “You got it!” Daddy headed out the door.

  “Ches-ler! Katy J!” Uncle Luke almost sang our names. “Report to the kitchen for duty.”

  Chesler barreled down the steps with mismatched clothes on, holding his shoes and socks. He hadn’t brushed his hair, and it was still in swirls like somebody had pin-curled it and had just taken th
e clips out.

  “Put on your shoes, and get your coats. We’re going holly hunting.” Uncle Luke lifted the lid off the chili and gave it a stir.

  “Who’s Holly? Is that another little girl who got lost?” Uncle Luke smiled and winked at me. “No, red top, holly like holly berries. Your granny wants holly berries in the cedar garland. And we all know we do what Granny Grace says, right?”

  “Yeah, if you do, you get chocolate fudge with peppermint. And quit calling me red top. That’s Granny Grace’s rooster.”

  “Fudge sounds like a good enough reason for me to do what she says.” Uncle Luke zipped up his coat and put on his hat.

  “Coats on?”

  “Yes, sir.” Chesler and I saluted and said it together like Uncle Luke taught us a long time ago.

  “And zipped?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Gloves on?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Ears covered?”

  “Can’t hear you!” Chesler giggled and grabbed Uncle Luke around his thighs.

  “Good, then let’s go. Nothing like Kentucky woods in December.”

  The snow had hardened overnight, crunching under our feet. Uncle Luke made a game out of stepping in his footprints in the snow.

  I didn’t want to cut the holly at the edge of the woods because I wanted to leave it for the redbird. I was scared she’d go away if she didn’t have some berries. So when Uncle Luke pulled out his clippers at the first bush he came to, I said, “Hey, Chesler, wouldn’t it be fun if Uncle Luke took us on an adventure in the woods?”

  “Yeah, yeah, a real adventure!” Chesler tried to jump up and down in the snow.

  “Yeah, Uncle Luke, let’s do it. We got our tracks right here in the snow if we get lost.”

  Uncle Luke agreed and took off at a quick pace like he was daring us to keep up. He took big steps sometimes and little steps sometimes and then sideways steps. Chesler kept falling down trying to keep up, or maybe he was just falling on purpose to make Uncle Luke laugh. When we got to a holly tree with berries, Uncle Luke snipped and put the branches in the baskets Chesler and I had.

  As we headed back, I said to Uncle Luke, “Granny Grace asked me and Chesler what we were planning to give Baby Jesus for His birthday this year. She told us about the shepherds and the wise men and the gifts they gave.”

  Chesler piped in. “Yeah, the shepherds gave the baby a lamb, and He didn’t even need one.”

  “Well, I don’t think the baby needing something is the point, Chesler.” Uncle Luke kept walking, and we tried to keep up.

  “Yeah, but if we get Baby Jesus something for His birthday and all, how do we get it to Him? I mean, how do you get something to heaven?” I was nearly out of breath from walking so fast to keep up with Uncle Luke, but I wanted to hear his answer.

  Uncle Luke smiled. “Good question. I think what your granny meant is that you can give something to somebody who needs it, and it’s like giving it to Jesus.”

  “You mean, somebody else gets His present?”

  “Oh, He’ll know all about how you gave something to somebody in need, but He won’t get the present. He’s in heaven, remember?”

  “But how do I get a present to heaven?”

  I was disappointed when Uncle Luke’s beeper went off, but he probably didn’t know the answer to my question anyway. He fished it off his belt and looked at it. “Gotta get back to the house to make a call.” Whoever beeped him put a big smile on his face and made him walk even faster. “We just might be having someone special over for lunch today.”

  “I know. It’s Miss Applegate.”

  “Yep, you got it. If I had a prize, I’d give it to you.”

  “So can I call Miss Applegate ‘Miss Lisa’ when she’s at our house? She said I could last time.”

  “You call her Miss Applegate until she asks you to call her Miss Lisa. Then it’s okay, but don’t ask.”

  Chesler butted in. “We saw you kissing Miss Applegate once out behind the barn at Granny’s. Are you gonna marry her?”

  “Well, that’s a big question coming from such a small bundle of red coat and blue mittens. Do you think I should?”

  “Yeah, yeah. She’s real pretty, and she makes good peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in shapes. She made me one that looked like an Indian teepee. And she stuck some pretzels together with peanut butter to look like a campfire.”

  “Well, if she can do all that, maybe I should think about marrying her.” He smiled big. “But John Chesler Harding Junior, if you mention this to Miss Applegate, then I’m going to make you watch cartoons until New Year’s, do you hear?”

  “That means zip it, Chesler,” I told him. “No more talk about Uncle Luke and Miss Applegate getting married. That’s none of your business.” Then I turned to Uncle Luke. “But I think you should marry her too, Uncle Luke. She looks at you the way Mama looked at Daddy. That’s all I have to say.” Then I zipped it.

  Uncle Luke smiled, and we kept walking. When we got to the back porch, he grabbed an empty bucket before we went inside. “Okay, give me the baskets of holly and you two hang up your coats and junk. I’ll put these branches in some water until Lisa gets here. Maybe she can help us figure out how to put this holly in the garland.”

  That wasn’t all I hoped she would do. I had to figure out a way to get her to my room so she could see what I was drawing for Granny Grace and Aunt Susannah Hope. And maybe she would know how to get a present to heaven. So far nobody knew, not Pastor Simmons, not Emily, not Uncle Luke. And I didn’t want to ask Daddy, because he’d just get sad.

  Uncle Luke said he needed to get cleaned up. I knew why. Miss Applegate. Good. He’d be busy for a while, and Chesler could entertain himself. I’d get my drawings ready for Miss Applegate to see.

  A half hour later Miss Applegate rang the doorbell. Uncle Luke sent me to answer it. Usually she dressed like a bouncy cheerleader, wearing jeans and a T-shirt and her long hair up high in a ponytail. But when I opened the door, Miss Applegate looked all grown up. She had on a long red coat made of wool, and when she took off her coat, she had on black slacks and boots and a black sweater with sparkly red and green Christmas balls on it. Her blonde hair hung down over her shoulders, and her blue eyes looked like two of Daddy’s keepsake marbles.

  I took her coat and hung it on the hall tree, and we stood at the bottom of the stairs, chatting. I knew the second Uncle Luke was at the top of the stairs even though I hadn’t heard him. Her eyes lit up, and her bright red lips spread out all across her face. Uncle Luke bounded down the stairs and hugged her with both arms like Daddy used to hug Mama, and I think if I weren’t there, Uncle Luke would have had red lipstick all across his face.

  We sat at the table and had the hot chocolate Uncle Luke made, and then he asked Miss Applegate to help us with the holly.

  “Okay, we’ll need wire. Do you have some?”

  “I’ll check in John’s tools.” When Uncle Luke went to the garage to look for the wire, I told Miss Applegate I wanted to show her something upstairs but she had to keep it a secret. Uncle Luke came back in, and she said, “Shh, we’ll go look later.”

  Uncle Luke grabbed the basket of holly and followed her to the stairs. The two of them, standing on the steps, poking those holly stems in the cedar garland, looked like they belonged in a Christmas movie. And when she poked herself with the wire, Uncle Luke rushed off for medicine and acted like she had cut her finger off. He doctored and bandaged it and then kissed it. They were in love. Even I could see that.

  Uncle Luke went off to set the table for lunch and that was my chance. I grabbed Miss Applegate and pulled her toward the stairs. “Uncle Luke,” I called. “I have to show Miss Applegate one of my projects up in my room. We’ll only be a minute.”

  My sketchbook was on my desk and the two photographs of Mama were lying on top. Miss Applegate looked at the photos first, and when she opened my sketchbook, she couldn’t believe it when I showed her the pictures I drew of Mama. She had to
sit down on the bed to look at them. She really studied the first one before she turned the page to the next one. Nothing, not one word, came out of her mouth.

  I stood beside her. “I don’t want to forget how Mama looked. But look how the pictures are all smeary.”

  “Smeary is okay. The drawings are beautiful, Kate.” She hugged me. “And you’re never going to forget how lovely your mother was. Your eyes and your heart will remember, and now your hands and fingers will remember too because you’re drawing her.”

  “But I don’t know how to keep the drawings from smearing.”

  “What if I take them home with me and do something to make sure they won’t? And I’m pretty certain I have a couple of extra frames for them, as well. Would you like that?”

  “I’d really like that. Then I can keep it a surprise from everybody. If I don’t have to get frames, I won’t even have to tell Daddy.” I watched her close the sketchbook. “Miss Applegate?”

  “Hey, Kate, don’t you remember? It’s okay to call me Miss Lisa when we’re at your house.”

  “Thank you, ma’am, Miss Lisa. Can I ask you a question?”

  “What question?” Uncle Luke showed up at the doorway just then, with a look on his face like—if you ask her that question I told you not to ask, you’ll be in this yellow room on bread and water until the snow thaws.

  I turned to him. “I was hoping Miss Lisa might know how to get a present to heaven by Christmas. You remember what Granny said.”

  “A present to heaven? By Christmas?” Miss Lisa looked at Uncle Luke. “Oh, my goodness.”

  That meant she didn’t know. “It’s okay, it’s a hard question. You don’t have to answer it.” I didn’t tell her that nobody else I asked knew the answer either.

  “Daddy’s home.” Chesler’s voice was like a trumpet all the way up the stairs.

  “Coming!” Uncle Luke walked over and held out his hand to Miss Lisa. “Come on, you two artístes. It’s almost lunchtime, and that tub of chili’s smelling real good.”