Three Christmas Wishes

by Sheila Roberts

  “You’re quiet,” he observed.

  “Just thinking.”

  “About what?”

  “About us.”

  His hands tightened on the steering wheel. “Yeah?”

  “I’m sorry I’ve been so awful lately.” The words had trouble crawling up her throat.

  “You’ve been through a lot.”

  That was Mike, always giving her the benefit of the doubt. “It was childbirth, not chemo.” Jo shook her head. “I’ve been selfish. I don’t want you to be like George Bailey.”

  “Huh?” He shot her a puzzled look.

  “I don’t want to keep you from your dreams. If you need to reenlist, go for it. I’ll support you.” Oh, Lord, what was she saying?

  What she needed to say. This marriage wasn’t simply about her and what she wanted. And it wasn’t just about what she thought was best for them. She and Mike were a team, and lately she hadn’t been much of a team player.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.” Other wives in her position might’ve had a different answer, but she knew that for them this was the right one. Although she wasn’t happy about it, she’d get there. Or close, anyway. Eventually.

  “What changed your mind?”

  “I don’t want you to be like poor George Bailey, never getting to live your dream.”

  “It’s just a movie, Jo.”

  “I know. But this is real and I don’t want you to look back years from now and say, ‘I could’ve been so much more if it wasn’t for my wife.’”

  “I would never say that,” he protested.

  “Maybe not to me but you would to yourself. That’s not how I want us to be.”

  He nodded and his grip on the steering wheel loosened. They got home and she fed the baby and put him to bed. Then she and Mike went to bed.

  He held her in his arms and kissed her hair. “Thanks, babe. That took a lot.”

  She smiled at him. “What can I tell you? I’m a sucker for a man in uniform.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Maybe it was crazy to be happy on the day she should have been getting married, but Riley was. Response to her invitations had been enthusiastic and she was going to have a full house for her party. Most of her extended family except the farthest-flung were coming, as well as her friends and fellow teachers (except Emily), and the senior center was bringing a busload. Even a few of the more spry residents of the nursing home would be attending. Her non-wedding reception was the talk of the town.

  It had especially been the talk of the teachers’ lounge. “I bought a new dress for the occasion,” Marge had informed her. “And I’m making Leo wear a suit.”

  “That’ll be something to see,” her best friend Stella had said. “I still can’t believe you’re doing this,” she’d told Riley just as Emily walked into the room.

  “There’s no sense wasting a good party,” Riley had replied, “and I may as well celebrate my lucky escape,” she’d added, which made Emily frown.

  “We’re happy to help you,” Stella had said. “I think we should pin a medal on you for courage under fire. Here you’ve had to put up with seeing that woman every day but you managed to be civilized. If my friend had betrayed me like that, I’d have pulled her hair out.”

  Emily’s face had turned as red as a Christmas stocking and she’d fled the room.

  “Stella, she heard you,” Marge had scolded.

  The offender had merely shrugged. “The truth hurts. It’s about time we stopped tiptoeing around the subject, anyway.”

  For a moment Riley had felt almost sorry for Emily. Almost. She hoped Sean was worth it for her.

  And that was the last thought she gave to Sean and Emily. She had more important things to take care of, like getting ready for her big day.

  Jo was worried about taking the baby out again after the family visit the night before, convinced that he was going to come down with a cold any minute. So at five o’clock on Saturday afternoon, Riley went to her place to get fixed up, bearing her wedding gown and all the trimmings.

  Mike let her in. He had the baby in one arm and hugged her with the other.

  “Welcome home,” Riley said, juggling her party duds.

  “Thanks. It’s good to be home.”

  Good to be home. That was a positive sign. Maybe he and Jo had worked out their differences regarding his reenlistment. She pointed to the sleeping baby. “Look at you. Daddy of the year.”

  “I’m workin’ on it. Go on back to the bedroom. Jo’s got a bunch of makeup and curling irons and shit ready for you. Us guys’ll hang out here and watch ESPN,” he said and went to the living room.

  The living room resembled a magazine layout with everything in place. The bedroom was just as neat. Even the bed was made. “How do you keep this place looking like a model home?” Riley asked as she laid her gown on the bed. “Didn’t you give birth two weeks ago?”

  “We’re not that messy. Well, the kitchen is. Mike’s been cooking.”

  “It must be great to have him home,” Riley said. Mike looked happy, her sister looked happy. Another positive sign.

  “It is. Come into the bathroom and let’s do something with your hair.”

  “So, everything’s okay with you guys?” Riley persisted as she followed her sister into the bathroom.

  “Everything’s great.”

  “He’s not reenlisting?”

  “He is. I told him he could.”

  Riley practically fell onto the edge of the tub. “Seriously?”

  Jo shrugged. “I was being unrealistic. You know, in the end I want him to do what he needs to do. I want him to be happy. He’d want the same for me.”

  “So you can live with him being gone.”

  “I’ve done it for eight years. I’ll manage. And it’s not like I don’t have a support system in place. You guys will all be there for us, and so will Mike’s family. I’m sure Mikey will never have a Little League game that doesn’t have somebody there rooting for him. And it’s not like I’ll be lacking in childcare. Heck, if Mom had her way we’d move in with her and Dad, and she’d watch Mikey twenty-four-seven.”

  Jo did a good job of making it sound like a breeze to let her husband go every three months but Riley knew better. “You’re pretty amazing, sis.”

  Jo shrugged. “Not really, not compared to the wives who’ve been doing this for a lot longer than me and with more kids to handle. I guess when a man enlists, so does his family. Anyway, that’s enough about me. Today it’s all about you.” She picked up the curling iron. “Come on over here and let’s make your hair look fabulous. Up with some soft curls falling on one side of your face, right?”

  “That’s what I’m thinking.”

  “Okay, then,” Jo said and got to work. “By the way, if you want to talk about amazing, I’d say you’ve been pretty amazing yourself. You not only bounced back from getting hurt, you also soared, and I’m proud of you. We all are. I hope you know that.”

  Riley looked at their reflections in the mirror—her stylish sister and her, about to become stylish (for the evening, anyway). They were both smiling. Caption this moment Happiness. Life had its downs, its sad times and bad times, but in moments like this they faded into the shadows.

  She reached up and squeezed her sister’s hand. “Thanks, sis. I love you.”

  “Right back atcha,” Jo said and got back to styling her hair.

  Twenty minutes later it was a thing of beauty. They moved on to makeup and in another ten minutes it was time to shed her blouse and jeans and get into her gown. Finally, made up, sprayed, perfumed, gowned and adorned with Grammy’s pearls, Riley studied herself in Jo’s full-length bedroom mirror. “Wow.”

  “Wow is right,” Jo said. “You look like a princess.”

&n
bsp; “I feel like a princess,” Riley said, grinning at her lace bodice and the sparkly tulle skirt. The faux fur stole was enough to keep her warm on her way to the party.

  “You really should wait and let us drive you to the club.”

  “No. I want to get there early and check everything out,” Riley said. And perhaps allow herself a moment of...reflection. Not mourning. She wasn’t going to mourn the loss of Sean. She refused. This was going to be a happy night.

  “Okay,” Jo said dubiously, handing over the bag she’d put Riley’s other clothes in. “Be careful with the hair and for heaven’s sake lift your skirt when you get out of the car.”

  “I will,” Riley assured her. “Thanks for making me beautiful.”

  “You already were beautiful. See you in an hour.”

  Another hug and Riley was ready to roll.

  “You look stellar,” Mike said when she came back down the hall in her gown. “Sean was a fool.”

  She murmured her thanks and sailed out the door, Princess Riley going to the ball.

  About halfway to the ball, Princess Riley’s coach had a flat tire. “Oh, no,” she groaned. “Seriously?”

  She stepped carefully out of the car and checked the back left tire. Yep. Flat as a pancake. How could that happen? And on her non-wedding day of all days! “Just shoot me now.” So much for getting to the golf club early. She’d be lucky if she even made it there on time.

  A truck rolled by with a couple of teenage boys in it who lowered the window and hooted at her. “Thanks for helping,” she called after them. Sheesh. Where was Prince Charming when you needed him?

  Stopping right now. Except the car pulling up behind her didn’t contain Prince Charming. It held Prince Poop and his new princess—who wisely stayed in the car while Sean got out. “Riley, are you okay?”

  Resentment reared its ugly head but she smacked it away. “Actually, I am now.”

  He had the grace to look chagrined. “I’m a shit. What can I say?”

  “Not much. But you know what, no hard feelings,” she added. “I forgive you.” She glanced over at Emily, who was hiding. “Both of you.”

  He nodded, obviously embarrassed. “Looks like you’ve got a flat.”

  He didn’t say anything about her wearing a wedding dress, the coward. Emily had probably told him all about the party.

  “Flip your trunk.”

  “You don’t need to help. I’ll call Triple A.”

  “I’m here and I’m happy to help.”

  “No, it’s okay.”

  He took a step closer. “Riles, I really am sorry about what happened. Let me at least change your tire so you can get to your party. You look great, by the way.”

  “Thanks.” She hadn’t wanted him to see her in her wedding dress until the big moment. Funny. Now there was no big moment, but here he was, seeing her in it. Did he feel the tiniest bit of regret?

  Did it matter?

  Another car pulled up, a patrol car, which was becoming an all-too-familiar sight. Out stepped Officer Knight. “Is there a problem here?”

  “I had a flat tire,” Riley explained.

  Officer Knight seemed confused. “You’re getting married, after all?”

  Sean’s face reddened and Riley could feel hers heating up, as well. “No,” she said, not looking at Sean. “But I’m having a party, anyway. Why waste such a fancy gown?”

  Officer Knight grinned. “Good for you. Well, let’s get you on your way.”

  “I’ve got it, Officer,” Sean said. “Riles, pop the trunk.”

  “Oh, Officer Knight, this is my former fiancé,” Riley said, taking perverse pleasure in introducing the offending former groom. No resentment—really—but, hey, she was human.

  Officer Knight didn’t offer a hand to shake. In fact, he looked as if he’d like to cite Sean for having the nerve to stop.

  “We, um, it didn’t work out,” Sean said lamely and darted a glance at Emily, as if hoping for some kind of telepathic moral support. No support there. She was still slumped in the passenger seat of his car, trying to be invisible.

  Yet another person joined the party. Here came Lizbeth Parker, girl reporter, smelling a good story. “Hi, there,” she said to the three of them. “What’s going on?”

  “Nothing, Lizbeth,” said Officer Knight. “Move along.”

  “I had a flat tire on the way to my non-wedding reception,” Riley told her. Then couldn’t resist adding, “My former fiancé stopped to change my tire. Wasn’t that sweet of him?” Was it totally evil to put Sean in the hot seat? Would Santa cross her off his list for being naughty?

  Lizbeth grinned, a coconspirator in naughtiness. “Do tell.”

  “I guess if you don’t need me, I’ll leave,” Sean said.

  “I don’t.” And wasn’t it a relief to realize that!

  He skedaddled and Officer Knight got busy changing Riley’s tire while Lizbeth Parker pumped her for more details.

  Okay, this probably sounded stupid. Riley shrugged as she finished. “It was too late to cancel the venue.”

  “This will make such an inspiring story,” Lizbeth gushed. “Can I take your picture? I just happen to have my camera in the car.”

  Why not? Practically everyone in town knew she’d been dumped and was now a non-bride. If her story could inspire someone else who’d gotten her heart broken, why not? “Sure.”

  Lizbeth hurried to grab her camera. “Stay where you are by the tire,” she told Officer Knight. “Let’s get you in the picture, too.”

  He shook his head but cooperated. After all, this kind of thing was good publicity for the police department.

  “This is really impressive,” Lizbeth said after she’d finished with her shots. “I bet that party’s going to be something else.”

  Hint, hint. “Would you like to come?” Riley asked.

  Lizbeth smiled. “Would I? Oh, yeah. You’re going to be a local hero by the time I’m done with you,” she promised.

  That would be a change from Lizbeth’s last write-up on her, but Riley didn’t care about being a local hero. She just wanted to have a good time tonight and provide a fun evening for a lot of other people, as well. The tire fixed she thanked Officer Knight, promised to throw the non-bridal bouquet in Lizbeth’s direction and then got in the car and finished her journey to the club.

  The Olympic Room looked elegant and inviting with candles shimmering on linen-clad tables, crystal winking in the candlelight. There, in one corner of the room, sat her cake with its gold ribbon and red poinsettias, surrounded with more candles. Two buckets dressed up with ribbons and containing red carnations waited by the door, ready to go home with the guests when they left. The whole scene was fit for a fairy tale.

  Without Prince Charming. Who needed him, anyway?

  Sharla Green was there, checking everything off on her list. At the sight of Riley she hurried over. “You look beautiful.”

  “Thanks.” Riley took a little spin, making her skirt flare out. “I feel beautiful.”

  “I’m glad you went ahead with this,” Sharla said. “I hope you have a wonderful evening.”

  “I will. I’m glad I didn’t cancel the party.”

  “That’s the spirit,” Sharla said encouragingly. “Everything’s ready in the kitchen. If there’s anything you need, I’ll be around.”

  Riley thanked her and then went over to the window to enjoy the view. Here it was, the big day, the day she’d been planning for so long, the day she’d thought was ruined. She did feel a moment of melancholy, but that was all she allowed herself. Things hadn’t worked out with Sean, but surely in the end it was for the best. If they’d been meant to be together, he’d never have left.

  “Here’s our girl!”

  She turned to see Mom and Dad and Gra
mmy entering the room, coats over their wedding finery, all beaming at her. Mr. Right might have been all wrong, but you could survive that when you had such a loving family to fall back on. She hurried across the room and hugged them all.

  “You are a vision,” Mom said. “Jo did a beautiful job of getting you ready.”

  “You forgot one thing.” Grammy held out a small silver gift bag with spangled tissue paper peeking out of it.

  It wasn’t hard to guess. “My garter?”

  “I made it for you to wear. You may as well break it in tonight.”

  Riley hugged her again. “You’re the best grandma ever.”

  Grammy smiled. “I know. But we won’t tell that to the other grandma.”

  Who had flown in from Arizona, along with her third husband. “I won’t,” Riley said.

  “Give me your coats,” Dad said, “and I’ll take them to the coat check.”

  While he went to get rid of their coats, Riley slipped on her garter.

  “Hey, there are some things a brother doesn’t want to see,” called Harold, walking into the room, his wife beside him and their daughter, Caitlyn, bouncing ahead, adorable in her red velveteen flower girl dress.

  Riley smiled and lowered her skirt then held out her arms to her niece, who ran to her gleefully. “Don’t you look pretty in your party dress.”

  “I get to stay up late,” Caitlyn informed her.

  “She’ll be buzzing with cake and mints, anyway, so what the heck,” said Harold, who came up and hugged Riley. “You look good, sis.”

  “Better than good,” added his wife, hugging her, too.

  “I feel better than good,” she said. “This is going to be fun.”

  New guests arrived, cousins from Seattle, bearing gifts.