Noah
It was a frosty morning. A fresh blanket of snow covered the ground. I’d spent the entire night reading Mindi’s letters, and I could see how with each letter, her hope that I’d return was diminishing, as had mine when I never heard from her.
Now that I knew the truth, I planned to speak with her before the children arrived to give Santa their final wish list before Christmas.
As I made my way down the street, I passed by Bluebird Books and stopped in. The front windows of the store displayed lights, Christmas decorations, and as many Christmas books as Trinity could put in them.
I pulled the door open and stepped inside, the floor giving away that same creak it had when I was a boy.
The place hadn’t changed much, just expanded, and it still smelled the same.
I’d always sworn they pumped the smell of ink and paper in the air when I was younger.
Now I was almost certain of it. Peggy and Trinity sat at the counter, Christmas music playing, having a coffee.
“Morning, Noah,” Trinity greeted.
“Morning, ladies,” I said, heading over to the fiction section.
“Need help finding anything?” Trinity questioned.
“Nah, I’m good,” I said. “Enjoy your coffee.” I winked and went about looking through the titles.
I eventually went into the other room and continued looking for something to read as the store got busier.
I was going through the new fiction releases when I heard a woman talking on the other side of the shelf.
I did my best to ignore it, but when I heard Mindi’s name, I had no choice but to listen.
“So she was wrong all along.”
“Yes, she was, Noah never died. In fact, he is in the other room,” I heard Trinity say.
As much as I wanted to poke my head around the corner to see who they were speaking to, I decided against it.
“So what Diana told me was true, that Fred delivered a lost card to her a couple of weeks ago? Apparently, it was a Christmas card from ten years ago, and inside there was a proposal. Now, do you know if it’s true that they have started seeing one another?”
“LuAnn, how did you get hold of this information?” I heard Peggy ask.
“It’s the talk all over town. I miss one tree lighting in all my years in Willow Valley and something like this happens. It’s headline news.”
“Care to tell us who your source is?” Trinity questioned.
“I won’t. I knew I should have gone. I was feeling under the weather and had no choice but to stay in bed.
Anyway, I have heard through the grapevine that things apparently didn’t go very well.
Word has it that Noah found the card at her place and all hell broke loose.
I stopped in at the community center to do an article on the upcoming Christmas events, but Mindi wasn’t her usual self and refused to speak with me. ”
“Oh?”
“She was so closed-off to communication, instead I interviewed Ethan about the article. He claimed she wasn’t feeling well and had to go home. Personally, I think he was lying to me.”
“LuAnn, I’d like to remind you who you are talking to,” I heard Peggy say.
“I’m sorry, dear, but it’s true. You know, I think she has just gone over the edge with all this. I think she is still in love with him, and now all this with Sarah.”
“All what with Sarah?” Trinity asked.
“I’ll tell you later,” Peggy mumbled.
I leaned around the corner and looked over at the three women standing at the counter with a frown on my face, wondering what was going on with Sarah.
“Didn’t you hear? Mindi was denied in the adoption process.”
“What?”
I could see the shock on Trinity’s face.
“Where did you hear that?” Peggy questioned.
“Again, I won’t out my source. I feel bad for her. All I know is that all eyes are on her right now. She is literally the talk of the town. People who’ve never gone to Potts Tree Farm have gone out there in the hope of catching a glimpse of her.”
“LuAnn, if you feel bad for her, then why would you want to approach her for an article?”
Finally, they were sticking up for her, I thought to myself as I waited to hear this woman’s answer.
“Well, at first, I wasn’t contacting her for an article, but now that I know the adoption wasn’t approved because Noah didn’t fill out the paperwork, I want his contact information.
The Gazette has asked me to do an article on the soldier who returned from the dead.
They want to know if he has done this to get back at her. ”
“I see.”
Peggy looked at Trinity and then turned away from the women at the counter.
“LuAnn, I don’t think any of this is any of the town’s business.”
“Well, I do. You know that news never sleeps. Well, unless one is ill.”
I wasn’t waiting for Trinity or Peggy to say another word. Instead, I stepped out from the other room and cleared my throat, watching as LuAnn glanced at me over her shoulder.
“I couldn’t help but overhear you’re looking to do an article on the soldier who returned from the dead?” I questioned.
“Why yes, I am. Do you know him?” she questioned.
“Sure do.”
“Wonderful, tell me where I can find him?”
I chuckled and stepped forward a little more, coming up beside her. I put my arm around her and leaned in. “I’m him, and you can tell The Gazette, it’s a no-go.”
I placed the book I was going to buy on the counter and walked out of the store without a word to anyone.
I felt like my heart was going to beat out of my chest at what LuAnn had said. I hadn’t filled out paperwork for Mindi? What was that about? I didn’t know I was supposed to fill anything out. Confusion filled me now as I made my way over to the center.
My heart was pounding as I made my way into the community center. I ran to Mindi’s office, but her door and blinds were closed. I was about to knock when I heard my name. I turned to see Ethan round the corner.
“Hey, Noah, glad you are here. I need some help in the auditorium to fix the tree before Santa gets here.”
“Oh, I wanted to speak with Mindi.”
“She is in there with Sarah. She should be done shortly. Can you give me a hand first?”
I looked back at her door and then nodded, following Ethan into the auditorium where we got to work on the tree.
Somehow, someone had bumped into it, knocking the fake tree crooked, and while Ethan climbed up on the ladder, I held the base of the tree, hoping we could straighten it without having to take anything off it.
A couple of quick twists, and we were able to fix it.
Ethan came down off the ladder, while I straightened up the Santa chair. It was then we heard a door slam and saw Sarah run off past the auditorium door.
“What was that all about?” I questioned, looking at Ethan.
Ethan looked over at me, and then looked over at the doorway where Mindi stood, her eyes red, tears streaming down her face. She barely even took notice of my being there; instead, she ran over to Ethan and collapsed against him, sobbing into his chest.
“Oh, sweetheart,” he soothed, wrapping his arms around her.
“I broke her heart,” she sobbed.
Ethan rested his head on top of hers as she sobbed against him. I looked over at the door, wondering where Sarah had gone, and decided I’d go over and speak with her, leaving Ethan with Mindi.
I walked down the hall and stopped when I passed my office. The room was dark, but I could hear a tiny cry coming from within. I walked over and flipped the light on to see Sarah curled up on my couch crying.
“Hey, kiddo. What’s going on?” I questioned, making my way over to sit beside her.
She continued to cry, and then sat up and wrapped her arms around my neck.
“I thought I’d be with Mindi forever, but she just told me I have to leave.”
“I see.”
“The military is taking me to a foster home on New Year’s Eve. I don’t want to go,” she sobbed. “Mindi is my best friend, and she created a home for me when I was hurting.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. Sometimes the military doesn’t look at those things. They look at what is best for you.”
She looked at me, her blue eyes now bloodshot and puffy from crying.
“I don’t understand. They don’t care that she has given me a safe and loving home?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to them to know what their reasons are.”
“Do you think Mindi doesn’t want me?” She sniffled.
My heart broke as I looked down at her, because I knew for a fact that Mindi loved having Sarah with her. That was one thing I was certain of. I took a moment, and then I cleared my throat.
“Sarah, I don’t think that at all.”
She nodded, and then rested her head against my chest.
“Do you think if I ask Santa really nicely, he will give me my Christmas wish?”
I didn’t know what to tell her. There was no way I could say yes to that question. Instead, I took a deep breath and whispered, “You can always ask, no harm in that.”
Mindi left the community center with Sarah shortly after all the kids had seen Santa. Ethan and I remained to clean some things up, and once we were finished, we both locked up the door.
“What are your plans for tonight?” Ethan asked.
I looked at him and shrugged my shoulders. “I think I might go out and speak with Mindi.”
“I wouldn’t. I think she just needs to spend some time with Sarah,” Ethan said.
I took a deep breath and then looked at him. “Ethan, do you know anything about the whole situation with Sarah?”
“I do.”
“I was in the bookstore earlier today, and there was this woman LuAnn…”
Ethan chuckled. “Good old LuAnn,” he said, shaking his head.
“What does that mean?”
“Exactly what I said. LuAnn is somewhat of a gossip. She says a lot of things that are rather hurtful and that shouldn’t be said. What gossip is she spreading now?”
I looked over at the skating rink where a few boys played hockey, and then looked back at Ethan.
“She mentioned something about the Sarah situation and said it was my fault. Something about paperwork.”
Ethan averted his eyes from me and grew quiet for a moment. “I really shouldn’t be telling you any of this, but, if you have time for a coffee, I will fill you in.”
I glanced at my watch, already knowing I had nowhere to be. “Let’s go.”
Together, we left the community center parking lot and made our way over to The Crispy Biscuit where we shared a bite to eat and a coffee, and I listened with open ears to Ethan tell me the entire story.