by Gordon Ryan
“Welcome home, Señorita Callahan,” he smiled. He reached for her hand, bowed slightly and gently kissed the back of it and then stood straight again. “Señor and Señora Callahan, Señorita Callahan, may I introduce my companion this evening, Beverly Walters. Señorita Walters is the daughter of a business associate who is visiting in Utah, staying here in the hotel in fact, and she graciously accepted my invitation to dine this evening.”
Smiling pleasantly, Katrina extended her hand to the young woman. “We are very pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Walters.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” the young woman responded.
“It will be pleasant to have Teresa home again for the holidays, will it not?” Seby said to Katrina. “Is there any word from Tommy?”
“Yes and no,” Katrina laughed. “Yes, it’s good to have Tess home, and no, we’ve heard nothing from Tommy, the scoundrel.”
Seby smiled. “Don’t judge him too harshly. From what I read in the papers, they have a very difficult job down there.”
“They certainly do, and Coolidge ought to bring them home,” Tom interjected. “A great waste of time and manpower if you ask me,” he blustered.
“Thomas, Henri has located our table,” Katrina interrupted, “and just in time too, if we’re to avoid politics. Very nice to see you again, Seby. You must drive up from the ranch and see us over the Christmas holidays.”
“It would be my pleasure, Señora. Tom, nice to see you again.”
The group began to walk past Seby’s table and Teresa smiled politely at Miss Walters again, nodding and smiling at Seby.
“Are you home for long, Teresa?” he asked.
“Probably until late January, I think. Then I have to travel to Los Angeles.”
“Perhaps we shall see one another,” he added.
“Perhaps,” she smiled. “Very nice to meet you, Miss Walters. I hope you enjoy Salt Lake. Be sure Seby takes you on a tour of Temple Square and to see the view of the city from the hills up above the Avenues.”
“I will,” she smiled back. “And by the way, I was in New York with my father, and on Sebastian’s recommendation, we took in your play. It was quite excellent.”
“Why, thank you. Then we have you to thank for ticket sales, Seby,” Teresa laughed.
“My pleasure, Señorita. Enjoy your meal. I believe your parents are seated.”
“Thank you, Seby, and good evening to both of you,” she said. Henri waited to seat her, and as the maître d’ adjusted her chair, Teresa caught her mother’s eye.
“Miss Walters is a beautiful woman,” Katrina said, her eyebrows slightly raised, which Teresa immediately noticed.
“Yes, isn’t she?” Teresa responded.
“So then, ladies, what shall it be? The prime rib is always good,” Tom said, opening the menu, oblivious to the signals passing between mother and daughter about the new woman in Seby’s life.
“I’ve invited Seby for dinner on Christmas Eve,” Tom said as he walked into the parlor two days before Christmas.
“Oh?” Katrina said, glancing over at Teresa. “And how did that come about?”
“He came in to the bank today,” Tom answered, draping his overcoat over the back of a chair in the room. William, right behind Tom, immediately picked up the coat.
“Would you like a hot drink, sir?” William asked.
“I would,” Tom responded after a moment. “Anyone else?” he asked.
“No, thank you, Thomas. William has already provided for us. We’ve actually just come in from shopping. It’s a shame you don’t own stock in ZCMI. I’m afraid we’ve greatly increased their annual earnings statement,” Katrina smiled at her husband.
“Hmmm, I’m not surprised. One of you alone can do a great deal of damage to the bank account, but two together, well, the store manager was probably wringing his hands in delight.”
“Surely you exaggerate, Dad,” Teresa grinned as she rose and went to sit on the arm of her father’s chair.
“Not by much, Tess, not by much.”
Tom removed his shoes, placed them by the side of his chair, crossed one of his legs, and began to rub his foot.
“Thomas Callahan! I’ve asked you dozens of times not to perform your, uh, personal functions while downstairs.”
Tom glanced up at Teresa, sitting on the side of his chair, and winked. “And I never do ... when we have company. Tess is family,” he teased, “aren’t you, Tess?”
“Oh, my goodness,” Katrina exclaimed, shaking her head in what she knew was a losing battle, “you can take the Irishman out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the Irishman, I guess,” she remarked.
“Or something like that,” Tom laughed. “Of course, Katie m’ darlin’, I could come over to the divan, and you could rub these poor ole tired feet for me like you used to do when you were less concerned about propriety.”
“Don’t Katie m’ darlin’ me, Thomas. Just wash your hands before dinner.”
“Why?” Tom continued, taunting his wife.
“Enough of this, I say,” Katrina said, a smile beginning to cross her face as she recognized that Thomas was, once again, goading her.
“Back to the subject at hand, Thomas. Did Seby have an appointment to see you, or did he just ‘drop in’?”
“I think he was just in town, Katie. Why?”
Katrina again glanced at Teresa. “Just wondering. So he came into the bank to say hi and left with a Christmas Eve dinner invitation?”
“I guess that’s what happened,” Tom said.
“Well,” Katrina said, rising from her chair, “Seby is always welcome in our home. You know that, Thomas, and apparently,” she said, touching Teresa’s shoulder as she walked by, “so does Seby. I’d best let Helen know that we’ll be having another guest for dinner tomorrow night,” she said, departing the room.
“What was that all about, Tess?” Tom asked, shifting feet and beginning to rub on the other one.
“Dad, I think Mom is beginning to believe that Seby came by looking for a dinner invitation.”
“Why would he do that? He has plenty of friends besides us.”
“Dad,” Teresa laughed, kissing his cheek and sliding off the arm of his chair to stand beside him, “I think Mom may be right,” she said, following her mother out the parlor entrance.
“Your hot chocolate, sir,” William said, crossing paths with Teresa as he entered the parlor.
“William, does your wife confuse you sometimes?”
William responded without hesitation, his face unperturbed and serene. “No, sir, she does not. She confuses me all the time. Will that be all, sir?”
“Yes, William,” Tom said, standing from his chair and laughing, “that will be all. I’ll just take these shoes upstairs and wash my hands before dinner.”
“Very good, sir. Cook says dinner will be ready in twenty minutes.”
“Fine, William. That’s just fine.”
Chapter 6
Tom, Katrina, Teresa, and Seby were seated in the parlor of Valhalla in front of a roaring fire. From where they were gathered a large Christmas tree standing in the foyer underneath the circular stairway was visible through the open doorway. Music was playing softly on the gramophone and light conversation had ensued throughout the evening, following a dinner of roast lamb, boiled potatoes, canned peas and corn, and rice pudding. The dinner was capped by Tom’s favorite dessert, prepared by Katrina from a recipe she had brought back from New Zealand: pavlova, a sort of creamy pie with a thick meringue on the top, sprinkled with various fruit slices and chocolate flakes. Ever since their visit to Christchurch, where their niece, Emily Callahan, had introduced them to the fabulous dessert, Tom had often pleaded with Katrina to prepare it. At first, she had been unable to make the recipe work, but after she had fiddled with the ingredients and the amount of time she baked it, based on Salt Lake City’s altitude, far different than Shenandoah Station in Canterbury where Emily lived, she had finally found the right
combination. Dinner guests at Valhalla looked forward to the treat, and New Zealand pavlova had almost become a staple in the Callahans’ holiday fare.
“So, Seby, what does 1924 hold in store for you?” Katrina asked.
The atmosphere in the room this evening was markedly different than it had been the first time Seby had sat there years prior, with the exact same occupants. Then, Teresa was going through the trauma of learning some things about her mother’s past that Katrina had never shared with her daughter. But this night everyone appeared to be quite relaxed, and Seby was leaning back comfortably in a large leather chair. In spite of the differences in their ages, Seby and the Callahans had become good friends, and Tom often functioned as a financial confidant in Seby’s business dealings. Sebastian Stromberg remained, however, as had his Mexican grandfather, Don Sebastian Cardenas, a reserved individual, and, to date, he hadn’t revealed to the Callahans anything regarding his romantic involvement or marital intentions, if any.
“Who knows, Señora?” Seby grimaced. “The world is changing so rapidly. Even my own country is far removed from the Mexico I knew as a child.”
“Change isn’t all bad, Seby,” Tom said.
“Sí, Señor,” Seby agreed. “In spite of my original opposition to it, much good has come from the revolution. However, the politicians continue to change as frequently as the seasons,” he said, turning his hand back and forth in a vacillating gesture.
“Ha! Mexico doesn’t possess that distinction alone,” Tom laughed.
“No!” Katrina declared emphatically. “I’ll have none of this on Christmas Eve. No politics this evening, gentlemen.”
Tom winked at Seby and nodded toward Katrina.
“Katie, we bow to your wishes, but, in fact, in that same spirit, I do have something we can discuss.”
“What is it, Dad?” Teresa said, shifting her position on the divan next to her mother and pulling her legs up underneath her.
“We’ve exchanged gifts this evening, as is our custom—at least since ‘Father Christmas’ stopped coming to Valhalla,” he laughed, pursing his lips and blowing a kiss toward Teresa.
“And as you each know, I recently celebrated my forty-eighth birthday and simultaneously, the third anniversary of my membership in the church. Last week,” he continued, still looking toward Katrina, “Katie and I had a private dinner down in Sugar House to celebrate the second anniversary of our temple vows—our ‘eternal anniversary’ as she calls it. All things considered, I have much to be thankful for and most of it—with the exception of Tommy and PJ and PJ’s family, most of it is right here in this room. My heart couldn’t be more full. And so,” he voiced a bit louder, “I thought that inasmuch as we have shown our love for each other with our Christmas presents this evening, there is someone who we may have overlooked.”
Katrina looked panic-stricken, trying to think who might have been left off their gift-giving list. “Who, Thomas?” she said, “I’m certain we thought of ...”
“Not to worry, Katie,” he smiled, motioning her back into her seat. “It’s not that kind of gift. Knowing Seby was coming this evening, and that we were not hosting the usual large Christmas gathering of family, friends, and business associates that Valhalla is known for, I tried to think of how we might make this a more, well, a more spiritual experience for each of us. After all, it is His birthday we celebrate.”
Katrina smiled with relief and leaned back into her seat. Looking across the room at her husband, the thought leapt to her mind that the Thomas Callahan she was seeing this evening, and in fact had seen for the past several years, was a far cry from the Thomas Callahan of years gone by. Always a good husband and a considerate, loving father, despite his temporary failure to show that love to Tommy during those terrible years after the Titanic, he had grown quickly in his understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ. For two years he had been serving as stake financial clerk under Stake President Robert Thurston, his longtime partner and family friend. Tom’s commitment was such that he often went to the temple, sometimes alone, as he frequently did on Thursday evenings while Katrina attended Tabernacle Choir practice.
Tom continued his words, breaking into Katrina’s thoughts. “So, in honor of His birthday, I propose that we each—”
The sound of the brass knocker on their front door startled all of them. Tom glanced at Katrina as if to ask who it might be, but she only shrugged her shoulders.
Following his first two years of service to the Callahans, their butler, William, had been given a gift of a trip to Vancouver for himself, his wife, and their two grown children, to visit their extended family. They had left earlier in the week, so Tom rose and walked to answer the front door himself. Opening the door, he was surprised to see the Thurstons standing on the porch. Those inside the house could hear the familiar voice of Alice Thurston crying out, “Merry Christmas to all!”
“Well, this is a pleasant surprise,” Tom said to the couple. “Please, come in out of the cold. Is it ‘Robert and Alice,’ or ‘President and Sister Thurston’ we have the pleasure of greeting?” Tom laughed.
After stomping their feet on the exterior woven mat, Robert and Alice stepped into the foyer. Upon hearing Alice’s voice, Katrina rose from her seat and quickly stepped from the parlor to greet her guests.
“It’s Robert and Alice,” Robert said, removing his overcoat and shaking Tom’s hand. Katrina and Alice exchanged hugs, and Robert and Tom each greeted the wives, then Tom led the couple into the parlor.
“Good evening and Merry Christmas,” Robert said to Teresa and Seby as they entered the room. Seby immediately rose from his chair and reached for Robert’s hand.
“Good evening, President Thurston—Sister Thurston,” he said.
Teresa stood beside the group for a moment until Seby had paid his respects.
“Hi, Uncle Robert,” she said, hugging him and then Alice.
After everyone was seated, Tom said, “This is an unexpected surprise, Robert.”
“I know,” Robert laughed, a bit hesitant, “we were just sitting alone at home, thinking about our kids and the grandkids and wondering how they were doing on their visit to our daughter-in-law’s family in California, and suddenly I said, “Let’s go see Tom and Katrina. Alice said, ‘Well, what took you so long to decide that, President Thurston?’ I said to her, ‘It’s not an official visit, Alice.’ And then she said, ‘Of course it’s not. We love them, you silly boy.’ Then we both started laughing, I got our coats, and here we are.”
Everyone in the room laughed, then Katrina said, “And we’re very glad you did. With most of our kids and PJ’s children so far away, we know how you feel. Pretty soon it will be only us old folk getting together,” Katrina said, bringing another spate of laughter into the room.
“Mother!” Teresa exclaimed, “I’ll always be here with you,” she teased.
“Yes, dear, of course you will,” Katrina said in mock agreement. “And you’ll never get married, and never have children of your own, and never move away. Right?”
“Mother!” Teresa cried.
“So,” Robert said, “are we interrupting anything?”
“Certainly not, Robert. In fact, you’ve made our evening complete. I was just about to propose that we each offer another gift.”
“Another gift?” Robert queried.
“Yes,” Tom nodded. “A special gift. We’ve all exchanged our Christmas presents, and I was just about to challenge everyone in the room to consider what gift they might give if Christ came to be with us this evening. A true gift that we might each feel appropriate for Him.”
Robert settled back into his chair. “Now that, Tom, is a tall order.”
“Indeed.”
Upon hearing Tom’s proposal, Katrina quickly stood and said, “How about Teresa and I prepare some hot cider for everyone?”
“Need some time to reflect, eh, Katie?” Tom teased.
She pulled a face at Tom, then said, “You’ve been thinking about th
is for days and want us to give an immediate answer. Of course I need some time,” she said, ruffling his hair as she passed his chair on the way to the kitchen, followed by Teresa.
“I’d like to help ... and have time to think, too,” Alice said, also rising and following the two women.
Left alone in the parlor, Tom, Seby, and Robert sat quietly for several moments, watching the fire blaze, each lost in their thoughts about Tom’s challenge.
Robert spoke first. “I would have given second thoughts to popping in had I known you’d be searching my soul, Tom.”
Tom stood and walked to the fireplace where he jabbed at the glowing coals with a poker. He then stood straight, leaned against the mantelpiece, and looked at his old friend.
“Robert, do you remember when a young Irish lad came to your home very late one night, or, better said, very early one morning, in the company of your home teacher, Brother McKay, and a Catholic nursing sister?”
“I certainly do, Tom. I believe you were the hospital engineer then. And I also remember the young lad who visited me in the hospital after my appendectomy and who taught me a few things about chess.”
“That seems so long ago doesn’t it, Robert? Yet tonight’s challenge of thinking of a gift for Christ could probably be met just by reading your journal,” Tom said, his voice now soft. “As Katrina said, perhaps I’ve had more time to think of a good answer, but, Robert, I’m the one who needed more time. I’ve only just come to understand Him, to seek Him. You—each of you I mean,” he said, gesturing toward the kitchen where the ladies had gone, “have lived your life trying to follow Christ.”
