by Emma Miller
They talked about things that might let Marjorie see how much he cared.
“How about a nice vacation, something like a second honeymoon?” Laura asked.
“That’s what the cruise was supposed to be, and obviously that didn’t do the trick.”
“Jewelry?”
“I gave her a new necklace for her birthday, and she liked it, but no, I don’t think that’s the answer. She usually buys jewelry to match the clothes she gets at the store, so that isn’t typically something she wants.”
“Flowers,” Laura said. She couldn’t ever remember her father sending her mother flowers.
He shook his head. “Your mother never has liked flowers. She said they just die and remind her of funerals.”
Laura squished her nose at that. “Gee, thanks for ruining the way I think of them, Mom.”
He grinned at that. “There’s got to be something I can do.”
Laura pondered it while she ate but wasn’t coming up with anything. She was still thinking about it when a cute Asian girl bounced up to the booth. Laura had noticed her moving around the restaurant from table to table, but she’d been too absorbed in her thoughts about her mother to pay much attention. The girl was a teen, sixteen or seventeen, Laura would guess.
“Hi,” she said, “do you have any Secret Santa stories you’d like to share for the Claremont News?” Then she looked up from her small notepad and said, “Oh, hey, you’re not from Claremont, are you?”
“I’m not,” Laura’s father said, “but my daughter moved here a few weeks ago.” He pointed to Laura.
“Oh, yeah, I met you Wednesday night at church,” she said. “I’m Nadia Berry. Brother Henry is my grandfather.”
Laura nodded, the memory clicking into place. “I remember now.” Then she asked, “You said something about a Secret Santa?”
“Oh, yes,” Nadia said. “See, I’m hoping to get a degree in journalism after high school. I’m a senior now. And the newspaper is letting me intern there. They’re letting me do a seasonal story on Claremont’s Secret Santa. Have you not heard about our Secret Santa yet?”
Laura shook her head.
“Oh, well, it’s pretty awesome,” Nadia said. “See, several years ago—we can’t figure out exactly when it started, which is something I’m trying to determine for my article—a Secret Santa started helping folks out in Claremont at Christmastime. Usually, the things start happening the day after Thanksgiving, which is today, and that’s why I wanted to write a story about it.”
“What kind of things?” Laura’s father asked.
“Clothes for kids that need them, groceries and things like that. But also bigger things,” she said, glancing at her notepad. “One man said that he couldn’t make his mortgage one Christmas and didn’t know how his kids were even going to have a Christmas, and Secret Santa paid his note and delivered toys for the kids. Another lady said she had hospital bills that she couldn’t pay, and when she called in December to get the balance, she learned it’d been paid by Secret Santa. He’s known to do big things like that, but also little things, like leaving candy canes for people to find and so they’ll see where he’s been. But I’m pretty sure lots of folks put the candy canes out now, just because it’s fun and to throw people off his trail.” Nadia grinned. “See, we really don’t want to know who it is. We just like talking about it. It’s fun for it to be a mystery, don’t you think?”
“Yes, I do,” Laura said, amazed at all of the uniqueness of this small Alabama town. A Secret Santa.
“Everyone loves surprises,” Nadia continued, “especially when it means something special or helps you out in a big way.” She looked at her notes. “It’s like Mandy Brantley said earlier, ‘It doesn’t have to be anything huge, just something to let a person know someone cares and understands how they feel.’” Nadia looked up from the pad. “Mandy said Secret Santa sent her a card the first Christmas after she lost Mia and also sent a Bible storybook for Kaden that became his favorite. It was the story of Moses,” Nadia said. “I’m definitely going to include that in my article.”
“Well, I don’t have a Secret Santa story to share since I just moved here,” Laura said, “but I look forward to your article. It sounds like you’re going to do a great job.”
“Thanks!” Nadia exclaimed, and then said to Laura’s father, “Nice to meet you.”
“You, too,” he said, finishing off his fries and smiling.
“What is it?” Laura asked.
“I think I have an idea for what I should do for your mom.”
Ten minutes later they were back on the square. “What’s your idea?” she asked.
“I thought I spotted...” He scanned the storefronts. “Yep, there it is. I knew I saw one. Come on.” He walked purposefully, but Laura had no clue where they were headed.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
She spotted the Tiny Tots Treasure Box toy store, Gina Brown’s Art Gallery, The Grind coffee shop and The Sweet Stop candy shop in their path. But she didn’t think any of those would have something that he’d want to buy her mother.
Then he stopped in front of the Claremont Jewelry Store and gazed at a collection of rings in the window.
“I thought you said she didn’t like jewelry,” Laura said as he moved toward the door and walked in.
“She doesn’t like any ol’ jewelry,” he said. “But everyone likes surprises, especially when they mean something special,” he added, quoting Nadia.
Laura wasn’t sure what he had in mind, but she followed him over to the ring cases. There was only one gentleman working at the store. Laura remembered meeting him at church Wednesday night and again yesterday at the Thanksgiving dinner but couldn’t recall his name. He finished up with another customer, then moved to the opposite side of the jewelry case from Laura and her dad.
“Well, hello. It’s Laura, isn’t it?” he said. His voice was so kind and friendly, and again Laura struggled to remember the name.
“I’m so sorry,” she said. “I met so many people at church....”
“No problem,” he said with a smile, “there are a lot of people to meet in Claremont. A lot of folks have told me about what a good job you’re doing at the bookstore. My grandson comes to the book club with you on Mondays, and he’s loving it.” Then he shook his head and added, “I’m Marvin, by the way. Marvin Grier. And I own the jewelry store here. Is there anything I can help you with?”
“Wedding rings,” her father said.
“Okay. Are we looking for an anniversary type band or a traditional set?”
“Traditional set.”
Laura watched in amazement as Mr. Grier withdrew two satin-lined trays of stunning wedding rings. The bell on the door sounded as another customer came in behind them, and Mr. Grier said, “I’m going to help him and give you a little privacy while you make your decision. Just let me know if you have any questions.”
“We will,” Thomas said. He waited for Mr. Grier to move farther away and then explained, “When we first got married, I didn’t have any money to pay for a nice ring. I asked her on our ten-year and then our twenty-year anniversary if she wanted a nicer one, but she said she didn’t, that she loved the one I gave her in the beginning.”
“I’m sure she does,” Laura said.
“But our wedding was so quiet and low-key, and so was our engagement. We just wanted to get everything done quickly and be married. It didn’t really give her the chance to enjoy the moment, you know.” He frowned. “I asked her to marry me, but there was no surprise to it. She went with me to pick out the ring, and then we put it on her hand right there in the store. And then we went to the courthouse and got married.”
Laura had never really thought about the details of her parents’ wedding before, and now it seemed like it wasn�
�t all that special.
“I want to give her a ring that tells her if I had a chance to do it all again, I’d choose her, and I’d give her a ring like this.” He picked up a huge marquise solitaire. “She always liked this cut.” He handed it to Laura. “Try it on for me, will you? Y’all wear the same size ring, don’t you?”
“Yes,” Laura said, and before she could stop him, he slid the ring on her finger. She stared at the sparkling huge stone. “Wow, Daddy. That’s really something.”
“You think she’ll like it?”
“It looks like Mom,” Laura admitted, taking another glance and then sliding the ring from her finger.
“I think so, too.” He held it up to the light and admired the way it shone. Then he checked the price tag and winced.
“You don’t have to get something so big,” Laura said, knowing he didn’t make a lot of money and probably didn’t have that kind of cash lying around to purchase an extravagant ring.
“Yeah, I do,” he said, “and I’ve been tucking away money into savings over the years. I can’t think of any better reason to spend some of it.” He grinned. “I’m going to do it right this time, down on one knee, the whole nine yards. And I’m going to make sure Marjorie knows that I chose her then, and I’d choose her all over again. Thinking I’ll give it to her on Christmas, so keep it a secret, okay?”
“Okay.” Laura nodded. “That’s a wonderful idea, Daddy.”
Thomas kept looking at the ring he’d selected, while Laura’s attention focused on another set. The ring had two small stones on either side of one a little larger, nowhere near as big as the one her father had selected, but in Laura’s opinion, quite elegant. Beautiful.
“You want to try that one on?” Mr. Grier asked, and Laura realized that she’d been so enthralled with the pretty ring that she hadn’t heard him return.
“Oh, no, I don’t have any reason to,” she said, but her father and Mr. Grier urged her.
“Try it on,” her dad said, and Mr. Grier lifted the ring and slid it on her finger.
“A perfect fit, don’t you think?” he said as the bell on the door sounded and another customer must have entered. Laura didn’t turn to verify the fact, her attention unable to veer from the sight of that ring. She’d never had a wedding ring on her finger before, but she couldn’t deny it looked good there. Felt good there, too.
“That’s right pretty on you, Miss Laura.”
She turned to see Zeb Shackleford standing behind her and peering at the ring.
“Oh, I was just, I don’t know, trying one on since my dad is looking at one for my mom,” she stammered. “Mr. Zeb, this is my dad, Thomas Shackelford.” She shook her head. “Thomas Holland, I mean. Sorry.”
“Nice to meet you,” Zeb said.
“You, too,” her father answered, then turned his attention to Mr. Grier to discuss payment options.
Laura slipped the ring off and fumbled to put it back in the tray. “Don’t know what I was thinking,” she said, attempting a laugh toward Zeb.
The older man simply nodded as though he knew exactly what she was thinking, dreaming.
While her father continued surveying the ring in the light and attempting to make his final decision, Mr. Grier touched the one Laura had tried on. “Those are princess-cut diamonds,” he said. “The three stones represent the past, present and future trio of your love.”
As if the ring wasn’t already calling Laura’s name, she was even more drawn to it because of the symbolization. “That’s beautiful,” she said, then she turned her attention back to the person actually planning to purchase a ring today. “So, Daddy, what did you decide?”
“I’ll take it,” he said.
“That’s great,” Mr. Grier answered, and then they walked toward the back of the store to let Laura’s father pay for his purchase.
“No harm in trying on wedding rings and dreaming a bit,” Zeb said softly.
“I suppose not,” she said, sneaking another peek at the ring before looking into Zeb’s kind face. “What are you shopping for, Mr. Zeb?” He mentioned nearly every day that his sweet Dolly had passed on and that he looked forward to seeing her again. He also mentioned that they hadn’t had any children, which was why he was so attached to all of the kids he read to each week. So Laura wondered who he was buying jewelry for.
“One of the girls at the hospital, her name is Faith,” he said. “She has a charm bracelet and wanted some new charms for Christmas. I asked Mr. Grier to order one that I thought she’d like.”
Mr. Grier had apparently finished taking her father’s payment because the two of them made their way back to where Zeb and Laura stood by the display case.
“Zeb, your charm came in yesterday,” Mr. Grier said, reaching beneath the counter and pulling out a small white box.
“You want to see it?” Zeb asked Laura.
“Sure.”
Mr. Grier opened the box to reveal a tiny pink heart charm.
Zeb’s mouth rolled in as he looked at the tiny charm. “We call Faith a little sweetheart,” he said. “She wasn’t supposed to make it this long, but God had other plans. She’s still hanging on and touches all of our hearts every time we see her.” He touched the delicate heart. “And her favorite color is pink. So I thought this was perfect.”
Laura was moved by the elderly man’s thoughtfulness. “It’s incredible,” she said. “David and I are still going with you next week to read to the children at the hospital, right?”
“I’d hoped you would. I’d like for you to meet them, and for them to meet you.”
“I’m looking forward to meeting Faith,” she said.
“I’m looking forward to you meeting her, too. Faith, well, Faith will change your life.”
Chapter Thirteen
Whimsical murals from stories in the Bible covered the walls of the children’s floor at Claremont Hospital. Zeb led Laura and David past the floor’s lobby, which displayed a huge Noah’s Ark scene, complete with fun, colorful animals lining up in pairs to hop on the boat. In the distance, a bright rainbow filled the sky, and the words I have set my rainbow in the clouds hovered in the center.
“That’s gorgeous,” Laura said.
“Why, thanks.” A nurse wearing scrubs covered in teddy bears stepped away from the nurse’s station to greet them. Her name tag read Shea Farmer. “We got the murals two years ago. As a matter of fact, they’ll be mentioned in the paper this week in an article Nadia Berry is working on about Secret Santa.”
“Secret Santa painted your murals?” David asked. “Didn’t you kind of figure out who it was when you saw them painting?”
The lady laughed. “No, Secret Santa didn’t paint them, but he sent the money to a woman who did the work. And it was pretty awesome, because she had been several months without employment, and she said the money she received for the murals helped her catch up on her bills and also allowed her family to have a real Christmas.”
“That’s wonderful,” Laura said.
“I know,” she said. “So, Zeb, the kids have been especially looking forward to tonight’s visit, since you told them you were bringing some friends.”
“Are they all in the playroom, Shea?” Zeb asked.
“Everyone except Faith,” she said. “I told her you’d visit her room.”
Laura recognized the name from the jewelry store. The little girl for whom Zeb bought the charm and whose favorite color was pink.
“She had a rough day?” Zeb asked.
“The day after chemo is always rough,” Shea said, “but I know it’ll cheer her up to see you.”
Zeb nodded and then continued down the hall to a large room with toys and books bordering the walls and a group of children seated in the center.
“Hey, Mr. Zeb!” a little boy called. He looked ab
out the same age as Kaden, but his skin didn’t have the rosy glow that Kaden’s had. Instead it was pale, if not tinged slightly yellow. “Are those your friends?”
“Yes, Avery, this is Mr. David and Miss Laura, who I told you about. Mr. David owns the bookstore that gives y’all the books we read.”
“Cool!” another boy said. He sat in a wheelchair with a portable IV hooked up to a rolling pole. He had red hair and freckles and a beautiful smile.
“What’s your name?” Laura asked.
“I’m Timothy, but you can call me Timmy if you want. That’s what everyone else does. I’m seven.”
“Well it’s nice to meet you, Timmy,” she said.
Zeb addressed the kids. “Now, like I told you last week, Mr. David and Miss Laura are going to start coming with me sometimes and will be reading to you from the Boxcar Children books. They’ve been reading them with some other kids at their bookstore each week and thought you might enjoy them, too.”
Laura held up her copy of the book. “Ready to get started?”
They all nodded or answered “Yes!” and Laura took a seat in the middle of the group then opened the book to the first page.
“If it’s okay with all of you,” Zeb said, “Mr. David and I are going to walk down the hall and visit Faith while Miss Laura reads.”
A little girl with brown pigtails bobbed her head. “Faith will like that,” she said.
“That good for you?” David asked Laura.
She nodded. “Yes, it’s fine.” More than fine, really, because these children were undeniably anxious to hear the story, and she realized as she read that they were even happier about sharing the story than the kids in her weekly book club. The boys and girls surrounding her were confined to a hospital room the majority of their day. But now, as they leaned forward to hear every word about the story, they escaped their sickness, escaped their pain and lost themselves in the world of the Boxcar Children.
Laura read for an hour, answering questions whenever any child raised their hand, and she loved every minute. When Shea reappeared, Laura was saddened that it was time to leave, but the nurse explained amid the children’s groans of disappointment that it was time for them to go to bed.
