Chapter Seven #2
“Come in, there’s hot ham rolls.” I led Sam and her mother to the grill. “And please, take as many gifts as you like, we have so many. There’s food parcels in the corner as well.”
“Bless you.” Sam’s mother gripped my hand and I could see her eyes going misty. “This is the miracle we needed.”
“Oh, well, it’s ... it’s all we could do.” I said, around a lump in my throat. “You’re so welcome.”
I realised another group was hesitating in the driveway. “Please, help yourself, I’ll be around.”
Walking down the driveway, I did my best to encourage the new group in. It seemed that just a friendly smile was what they needed, and the couple who turned up after that.
Before I knew it an hour had passed. Aster came out to jam a woolly hat on my head. “Have you eaten?”
My stomach rumbled. “I... no, I’ve been busy.”
“Come on.” Aster led me inside to where Tane was sitting on a folding chair and eating from a plate.
“He got you too?” Tane asked as Aster pushed me down into the chair.
“Ah, yes.”
Aster handed me a plate of food and a bottle of water. “Now, where’d that kitten go?”
He disappeared again.
“Merry Christmas.” Tane bumped his water bottle into mine.
Tane
I looked up when someone called my name, and my face broke into the thousandth smile of the evening.
Kelly was waving to me from a van parked at the end of the driveway. Kids were pouring out of the van, two redheads, a tiny blond, an Asian-looking kid and two black kids with natural hair.
I set my place down and got up to greet her.
“This is amazing, Tane.” Kelly was dressed in a fluffy red sweater with white trim and black buttons sewn down the front. “Thanks for inviting us.”
“Of course.”
She hugged me and then let go, turning to the kids and waving them forward. “Come on, goblins!”
“Are these all yours?” I was a little boggled at the sheer number of kids.
“Fosters, yeah,” Kelly said. “My wife and I just love kids, and we figured this was a good way to get as many as we wanted.”
“That’s awesome. I have a big extended family back home.” I led her and the gaggle of kids into the hall.
“You must miss them, this time of year,” she said.
“Yeah, but... this is really helping. Your wife couldn’t come?”
Kelly chuckled. “No, she’s at home making sure Santa comes.”
“Gotcha. Well, we have Santa this way if you want some pictures?” The kids headed towards Morris and Kelly hung back to snap pictures with her phone.
“I can’t believe how big a turnout there is, I always thought this was just a little town. We’ll have to come by more often.”
I smiled, feeling ridiculously proud of Foggy Basin and all the folks that lived there. “Yeah, it’s a magical place.”
The kids went to grab some food.
“Why don’t we load you up with some gifts and food while they’re distracted?”
“Tane, this is, we don’t need more gifts.”
“Look at the piles, we still have plenty left. People donated these to ensure everyone has a great holiday.”
Kelly bit her lip and I sensed she was close to crying so I led her over to Evelyn to get her sorted.
The fire fighters helped load up the back of her van with food and gifts.
Once the kids had finished eating, Kelly gathered them together. “Tane, they’d like to do a little song for you.”
“Oh real? Are they brave enough to go up on the stage?” I asked it of Kelly but I directed the question to the kids.
“Yeah!” One of the redheads led the others up onto the stage.
I found Dillon, introduced him to Kelly as the kids organised themselves into an orderly group.
I put my arm around him as the kids started to sing. They sang We Wish You a Merry Christmas, and although it was far from a polished performance, you could see they were really into it.
There were a few misty eyes in the hall.
When they were done, the fire fighter’s choir took the stage and brought the house down with a spirited version of God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen that got faster and faster as they went.
Dillon kissed my cheek. “We have to do this every year.”
“Agreed.”
Dillon
The fire fighters insisted on doing all the clean up,. Evelyn took what was left of the food parcels and gifts to drop off at a shelter in Hartsville in the morning.
Aster, Tane and I walked home together, happy.
“One of the kids suggested I called the kitten Nugget, like a chicken nugget,” Aster said.
The kitten was fast asleep in his hoodie.
“Nah, it’s gotta be something more magical than that,” Tane said. “How about Aroha? It means love, although it’s usually a girl’s name.”
“Mm, cute but it doesn’t quite fit.” Aster sighed. “I’m never going to find the right name.”
“Names do seem to be your weak point,” I teased.
Aster stuck his tongue out at me.
I had a sudden brainwave. “How about Ebeneezer? It's festive, unique? Definitely complicated.”
“You can’t call an adorable little kitten a name like Ebeneezer,” Tane said.
“Scrooge could be cute though?” Aster mused.
“Oooh, I like Scrooge, although isn’t he kind of an asshole?” Tane rewrapped his scarf.
Aster shook his head. “Not at the end, at the end he does the kind of thing you two both did, takes care of the town.”
“I like it.” I climbed the stairs to the apartment, key in hand. “Oh there’s a delivery...”
In front of our apartment door was a large box, addressed to me in Mom’s handwriting. “It’s from Mom and Dad.”
“Aw, they got it here just in time!”