Chapter 8
Frankie—Santa’s Crew
New York City
Mid-November
T he massive tree usually arrives between two and three on a Saturday morning in mid-November.
After working at Grand Marshall for a few years, Frankie created her own tradition of watching the FDNY hoist the famous Norwegian spruce during the early hours, but not too early.
The entire process could take anywhere from twenty-four to thirty-six hours, not counting the days it took to decorate.
She set her alarm for six o’clock and planned to arrive by seven. This would be her fifth year.
The management of raising the tree didn’t draw a big crowd, at least not yet.
She feared someone would make this awe-inspiring ritual a “thing,” and turn it into a big commercial megillah.
But over the years, she recognized a few of the same people were always milling about.
Frankie decided it was time for everyone to formally meet.
On her way uptown, she stopped at Magnolia Bakery and bought two dozen cupcakes to give to the firemen and the crew, who were diligently working to make the season merry and bright.
She also came prepared with a box of muffins and five cups of coffee for her fellow tree-hoisting spectators.
As she approached a recognizable foursome, she said, “If you’re lactose intolerant, I apologize,” and held out the carboard tray of caffeine.
The two couples acknowledged the gesture with nods and thanks.
“That is so thoughtful,” one of the women remarked. “And I like everything dairy! I’m Judith, by the way, and this is my husband, Victor.”
“Nice to meet you, Judith, and Victor. I’m Frankie.”
Frankie passed the box to Victor. “Can you hold this for a sec?”
“I might run away with it,” he replied with a devilish grin.
“Not if I catch you!” Judith remarked.
The second couple spoke up next. “I’m Leonora, and this is Marvin.”
“Greetings!” Frankie chimed in. “Give me a second. I’ll be right back, and Victor, you better not disappear with our goodies!”
“Not to worry. I’ll tackle him before he can get to the curb,” Judith added, and gave her husband a gentle elbow in the gut.
Frankie carried the two dozen cupcakes over to the barricades set up near the tree.
Standing on the side was Captain Dag Dorph of Engine 54/Ladder 4/Battalion 9, FDNY Station.
Frankie nodded, smiled, and held up the box of cupcakes.
He flagged her past the barriers. “Good morning, young lady. It’s alright if I call you a ‘young lady?’” he asked awkwardly.
“Better than a few other names I’ve been called,” Frankie said, chuckling. She handed over the treats. “I thought your crew could use a sugar rush.”
“Thank you so much.” He graciously accepted the token of appreciation. “I’m sure my guys will be incredibly grateful. They’ve been here since midnight, waiting for the flatbed.”
“So, I heard it can take somewhere around thirty-six hours to get that baby secured?” Frankie wanted to confirm what she had read.
“Sometimes more, depending on the trunk, if it’s crooked or not. They usually check that in advance, but you never know when you start trimming the bottom.” The sound of electric saws drowned out any further conversation.
Before she turned to leave, she shouted, “Enjoy! And thanks for all you do for the city!” Frankie held out her hand, and got a firm shake from the fire captain.
When Frankie returned to her newfound friends, Judith proceeded to explain that they were retired and lived in Staten Island. Leonora followed, saying she and Marvin lived in Queens.
“So, how do you know each other?” Frankie asked.
“From that.” Victor pointed to the tree with his free hand. “We’ve been coming for almost fifteen years and spotted these two awhile back. It’s become a tradition now. We meet for breakfast at Andrew’s Diner and walk up Fifth.”
“That is so cool,” Frankie said. “People think New Yorkers are not very friendly, but I’ve seen plenty of interaction to contradict that notion.”
“So true,” Judith said. “One time I was carrying a shopping bag that was a bit too heavy for its contents. Well, the handles broke and all my shoes went flying all over the sidewalk.”
“How many pairs of shoes did you have?” Frankie asked as she wrapped her hands around the warm cup of coffee.
“At least a dozen. I was clearing out the collection from under my desk,” Judith explained.
“I wasn’t going to wear my Charles Jourdan pumps on the subway, so I decided to keep my work shoes at work.
One night we were going out, and I was looking for a specific pair, and then I realized that most of my shoe wardrobe was tucked away in my office.
That’s when I decided to bring them home.
Anyway, it was raining, there were delays on the subway, the bag got soaked and the handles broke, and several hundred dollars’ worth of shoes were strewn all over the sidewalk.
I was ready to cry, but a few people stopped to help me.
Someone went inside the store and came out with a few bags, and they helped me rescue my footwear.
” She turned to the group. “Now wasn’t that nice? ”
“Sure was,” Frankie said, and nodded. “I love to hear stories like that. I know this city can be less than paradise sometimes, but the people are basically kind. As they say, we are more alike than we are different.”
“I’ll drink to that.” Victor reached into a pocket on his jacket and produced a flask. “Anybody care for a warmer-upper?”
Frankie checked her watch. It wasn’t even nine in the morning, but no judgment. She simply wasn’t ready for a jolt. “Thanks, but I’m the designated driver.”
“Oh? You have a car here?” Leonora asked.
Frankie chuckled and said, “No, but I have a lot of turf to cover, meaning making plans for my peeps. I’ve gotta be sober for the rest of the day.”
“Too bad. This is some rather good bourbon.” Victor put a small splash into everyone else’s cup. “Maybe next year,” he said to Frankie.
“I’ll be sure to have all my plans nailed down before this beauty stands tall.”
“What are you planning?” Judith asked casually.
“My boyfriend and his brother own a restaurant near the Flatiron Building, and their mother and aunt are going to be visiting from Italy.”
“Have they been here before?” Victor asked.
“Giovanni’s mother used to live here when the boys were growing up, but she moved back a few years ago to be with her sister-in-law.”
“Whereabouts do they live?” Marvin asked between pulls of his morning wake-up beverage.
“Salerno.”
“Lovely area,” Leonora said. “We took a vacation on the Amalfi Coast. It was glorious.”
“Yes, it is. A bunch of us went there last year to celebrate New Year’s Eve.”
“That must have been very exciting!” Judith chimed in.
Frankie thought back to the night when they had to rescue Randy and Rachael from the local polizia . The memory brought a smile to her face.
“Care to share?” Judith asked.
“We had a rather raucous celebration.”
“Isn’t that what New Year’s Eve is for? Although I barely make it past eleven,” Victor joined in.
“We were waiting for two friends who had decided to rent a Vespa and tour Mt. Vesuvius. Unfortunately, they were run off the road. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but when the police arrived, Rachael didn’t have her passport, and the police officer thought she and Randy were in the wrong.
Anyway, it took several hours before we found out where they were.
In jail. We knew there was no way they were going to make it out of the slammer that night, so we packed up the food and wine and headed to the tiny police station in Albori.
The officer was so kind and let us set up tables on the roof.
I suppose he appreciated the change of pace for what would have most likely been a very boring evening.
Plus, he couldn’t resist our invitation to share our food.
Then, at midnight, we experienced the most spectacular pyrotechnics display I have ever seen.
The fireworks reflected off the sea. It was truly magical. ”
“That doesn’t sound too bad, actually.” Victor added, “How did you get your friends out of there?”
“Giovanni’s mother and aunt were at a party where the brother of the host happened to be a judge.
It was way past midnight when Giovanni was able to contact his mother, but she got the judge and his brother to drive to Albori and bail out the wrongfully accused.
” Frankie took a beat, then continued, “Although I have to say, Rachael is more than capable of ending up in jail on her own.” Frankie’s face was beaming as she recalled the situation.
“That sounds like a hoot!” Leonora roared.
“It was, but not without a bunch of angst and quick thinking,” Frankie said.
“Sounds like you have a fun bunch of friends,” Judith replied.
“Yes, I do. And it’s those same friends who I’m doing the planning for this year. Again.”
“Are you going someplace special?” Leonora asked.
“Yep. Right here. I cannot think of anywhere else that is as festive as New York during Christmas. Don’t get me wrong. Italy is very festive, but New York is something quite different.”
“Agreed!” Victor held up his bourbon-laced coffee.
Frankie’s story of the previous year piqued Judith’s curiosity. “So, what do you have planned for your friends? And how many are you?”
“There are four of us from high school. We reconnected at a class reunion a few years ago and decided to go on a singles’ cruise.” Frankie shuddered. “We were all apprehensive, but agreed the worst thing that could happen was that we would have a good time island-hopping in the Caribbean.”
“Couldn’t be too bad,” Leonora said.
“And much to our surprise, each of us ended up with a significant other.”
“You met your boyfriend on the cruise?” Judith asked.