Chapter 4 #2
When he finally arrived home from deployment, it was a week and a half before their date, which he figured would give just enough time to acclimate back to civilian life. His thirty days off also coincided with his brothers being home from college and his little sister’s winter break.
The entire Severance/Maguire family, together again.
And even though he’d made it quite clear that he’d be needing to go into town on Christmas Eve, the moment he tried to quietly leave home in the family SUV, Emma decided she wanted to go into town too.
His stepbrother, Nick, offered to come and window shop with her, realizing straight away how important it was for Sev to be able to take off alone.
But, of course, Andy didn’t want to be left behind and realized he still had Christmas shopping to do.
Sev tried to relax in the backseat of the SUV, watching the world whiz by.
He was still surprised to see a layer of snow where it had flown from the sky without him being there.
The first snowfall of the season was always his favorite, feeling the world grow quiet, the scent of an impending storm, and watching the snowflakes gently flutter down.
Even so, it seemed to have encouraged the Christmas spirit in the area, as nearly every home he passed was decorated and lit up for the holidays.
It immediately reminded him of Kelsey. Bright shining eyes, quick wit, and a beautiful smile. One that he hadn’t been able to forget in a year.
“Nick, could you step on the gas some? I’ve gotta be in front of the Second Call at seven.” It was around the same time that they’d met last year, and while Sev could have done with getting together with her the moment she set foot inside the state, he cooled his heels.
This was about tradition.
He could hold off for a few days.
His brother’s eyes met his in the rearview mirror, looking none too impressed. “I’m going the speed limit.”
Sev couldn’t help but chuckle, looking out the window. His stepdad gave him that look plenty of times growing up.
“I don’t see what the big deal is,” Andy announced from the passenger’s seat, pulling him out of the beautiful reverie that was all Kelsey. “Just text her and let her know you’re running behind.”
“Well, we wouldn’t be running behind if someone hadn’t decided to tag along at the last minute.” Sev reminded him.
Suddenly, Nick took his foot off the gas pedal and the car dropped speed.
Peering out the windshield from his seat in the back, Sev saw taillights from several cars in front of them, and a whole host of emergency vehicles.
An ambulance, fire truck, and several police cruisers, all with their lights flashing.
“Whoa, what’s that all about?” Sev asked as Nick pulled to a stop behind the car in front of them.
“No idea.”
“Maybe an accident?” Andy wondered, rubber-necking from the passenger’s seat as he tried to get a better view out his window.
“Oh my gosh, you guys.” Emma laughed. “You didn’t know the light parade was going on, did you?”
Light Parade? “Wait, they’re doing that tonight?” Sev asked.
“The weather’s been awful the past few weeks,” she said. “They’ve rescheduled it a couple of times, but it always rained or snowed. So they finally put it on tonight.”
Sure enough, Sev watched as a float at the end of the street turned left onto Main, all lit up and moving at a snail’s pace.
“Guys, I’ve got to get down the street in,”—he checked his watch—“nine minutes. How long do you think it’ll take to get to the Second Call?” His heart began to pound, and he was trying to tamp down his panic. Freaking out wasn’t going to do anything. Now was the time for action.
“I mean…” Nick began, taking his foot off the brake and rolling forward a couple of inches before stopping again. “It seems like this is the end of the parade, but the Second Call’s all the way at the other end of Main Street.”
“I’m not going to make it.” Was he seriously going to have to text her and tell her that he was late for the date they’d been planning for a year?
Could he be more lame?
“What if you were to run it?” Emma offered. “Put some of Uncle Sam’s physical training to good use?”
“I’d have to run awfully fast,” he said, which really wasn’t a problem. He’d been running with gear for years now, and he was plenty fit enough. “But there’s still no guarantee I’d make it. There are cars everywhere, and people I’d have to loop around. Floats, vendors, shops…”
“I don’t think we’re going to move in time,” Emma said, turning her big green eyes at Nick and Andy in the front. Andy seemed to weigh the thought in his mind, his mouth twisting in doubt before he cast a look back at Sev, agreeing with their sister.
Nick’s expression mirrored the same.
Which meant he needed to make a choice.
“I’ve gotta go,” he said, bolting upright and reaching for his seatbelt. “I’ll catch up with you guys later.”
“Ohmigosh, this is so romantic!” Emma cheered. “Go get her!”
“You got this, bro!” Andy hollered from the passenger’s seat, leaning across Nick and shouting over his protests as he slithered between him and the steering wheel to get to the window. “You need anything, just text us!”
“Get off!” Nick grumbled as Andy plopped back into his seat. “We’re starting to move again.”
Sev looked up and saw the cars roll forward just a few inches at a time, further confirming his choice of using his legs in lieu of the car.
Sprinting down the street and running for Main, Sev passed the few remaining floats and police vehicles, who were all lined up and moving in an orderly fashion.
Just not fast enough for him to make his date with Kelsey.
However, when he looked in the direction of the Second Call, his heart slipped further into his stomach.
The street. Was. Packed.
The wide sidewalks that normally were large enough for folks to meander up and down without a care were packed full of people, several lines deep.
Near as he could tell, they were pressed entirely up against the brick buildings that lined Main Street, and there wasn’t going to be any way he could easily pass.
Jogging to the edge of Main Street, where the floats were slowly turning on a pivot, he was met with a roadblock and a rather beefy-looking blond officer with the name Roy attached to his nametag.
“Sorry, you can’t come through here,” he said, holding his gloved hand out to Sev.
“Officer Roy,” he said, ready to throw himself on the mercy of anyone who could help him. “I’ve got to get down to the other end of Main Street.”
The officer could see the panic in his face, but gave him a grimace and a slow headshake.
“I’m sorry. Nobody can have access to the street until the last float goes.
You might be able to make it if you go down a block, but with the parade nearly done and folks clearing out, it’s going to be hectic here for a while. ”
Sev nodded, knowing that the man was just doing his job. Turning back, he began walking up the street, seeing Nick, Andy, and Emma still sitting in traffic. He pulled up his phone, ready to polish off a text to Kelsey, when someone called out to him.
“Ho-ho-ho! Stewart Severance, is that you?”
He paused, his eyes glancing up at the man dressed in the red suit with the fake white beard, his hands on his stuffed front.
Despite being dressed as Santa, something about this man did not scream Old Saint Nicholas.
Sev peered at the float he was on. A large flatbed with faux white sparkling snowbanks surrounding a large red plywood sleigh, complete with two-dimensional painted reindeer, sleighbells, and a massive sack of gifts in the back.
It was all lit up with Christmas lights, heralding the arrival of the most popular figure of the season.
But it was the sponsorship banner on the front reading Second Call that finally connected the dots for him.
“Carter?” he asked, peering up at the young Kris Kringle and seeing his pierced nose ring twinkling just above his white mustache curls.
“I didn’t realize you were back, man!” he called out, his eyes quickly darting around as he tried to get back into character. “Ho-ho-ho!”
An idea popped into Sev’s head as the float began to roll forward.
“Santa, I need a Christmas Miracle,” he called out, picking up speed and jogging along with him. “Can you give me a lift?”
Santa shrugged his shoulders and gave him a gloved wave. “What are you waiting for? Come on up!”