One Tearful Christmas

Lisa J

Chapter One

"What do you mean, you don't have any Barbie B-Books?"  Cassy jumped from her seat as she yelled into the phone.  "How could you not have any if you just received a shipment this morning?!" 

With her foot tapping angrily against the floor, she shot a disgruntled glance at her partner as he casually strode to his desk whistling a happy holiday tune. 

"Your salesperson assured me....  But, how could you sell out so quickly?  I specifically asked to have one Barbie B-Book Laptop Learning Center held with my name on it.  I even left a deposit." 

 She could feel the pressure building as she listened to another lame excuse from yet another under-stocked merchant determined to make her Christmas a nightmare.  "I don't have time to wait for the next truck to arrive!  My niece is expecting that particular item from this particular aunt on this particular Christmas!  I have to have it today or else I won't have time to--"

Having received her fill of useless platitudes from apologetic retailers, her annoyance level suddenly hit its peak when Tom's thin-lipped rendition of  ‘Let it Snow' wafted from his desk to hers.  "Do you mind?  I'm trying to talk on the phone."

"Sounds a lot like ranting to me," he asserted between bars of the off-climate tune, never once looking up from his paperwork.

"Knock it off, already!  It's seventy-eight degrees outside," she snapped as she slammed down the phone.  "There's no friggin' snow to be found for miles!"

"Gee, here I was missing the cold weather at Christmas, and you've put a nice, icy chill in the air for me.  Thanks, Cass."

"Oh... stuff it," she huffed and then stuck out her tongue.  "How can you be so darn chipper, anyway?  I know you don't have your shopping done yet."

"No, but the difference between you and me is I don't get stressed over it."

"I have good reason to be stressed.  Half the stuff on my list hasn't even been bought yet.  How am I supposed to find time to get it all wrapped?"

"The stores can wrap the gifts as you buy them if you'd --"

"That's cheating," Cassy inserted without missing a beat.  "Besides, they never do it right."

"Not by your standards, anyway," Tom added with an irritating smirk.

 "I also have cookies to bake for the party on Monday, cards I forgot to drop in the mail on the way into work, and...," she emphasized with a glare,  "and I have a Christmas tree that's been parked on my patio for three days waiting for someone to bring over his saw to trim the trunk and help me get it inside!"

"Oh, so now it's my fault you've lost your holiday cheer."

"You said you would help me."

"And I will."

"That was two days ago, Tom."

"So, sue me.  I've been busy."  Rolling his eyes with a sigh, he gave a defeated shrug as he systematically gave into her whimpering.  "Fine, you want me to help you?  I'll help you, all right?  I'll come over tonight... after the malls close.  I wouldn't want to interfere with your shopping."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome.  Anything to get out of working with Little Miss Scrooge for the day."  Enjoying a hearty laugh at her expense, he narrowly dodged the spiraling pencil that flew toward his head from her desk. 

~~~

The last rays of sunlight were dipping into the ocean when Cassy, overloaded with purchases, opened her patio gate to find her beautiful blue spruce laying across her path.  Stopping short before stumbling, she discovered Tom stripped to his shirtsleeves, having just finished trimming the trunk and preparing to set the tree in its stand.  Disarmed by the pleasant surprise, all she could utter was, "You're here."

"I told you I would be."  Lifting the tree with one hand, he wiped his brow with the other and allowed her to pass and unlock the door.  "And...."  He gestured toward a stack of boxes piled by the doorway.  "Nice guy that I am, I got out your lights and decorations when I pulled out the tree stand."

"How'd you know where to find everything?"

"Cass, how long have I known you?"  Hauling the tree in behind her, he went on explaining, "Every year, you make me drag all this stuff in from storage the weekend after Thanksgiving.  That is, if you haven't already done it yourself the day after.  This year I had to pick the lock on your garage door and do it all by myself."

"Well, thanks... I think.  I seem to be falling behind schedule on everything this year," she sighed.  "Kind of hard to get into the spirit somehow."      

"Yeah, I know what you mean."  He ducked out to retrieve boxes while she dropped her packages in a heap on the table, adding upon his return,  "It's hard to celebrate when you realize how many families are minus a loved one this Christmas.  Thousands of families torn apart by terrorism right here on our own home soil."  Tom shook his head sadly.  "It's so unbelievable." 

Pausing as he held a string of lights in his hands, he determinedly met Cassy's pained gaze, his own eyes dark with remorse.  "But, I think maybe those of us who can should celebrate in their honor, don't you?  I mean, the reason for the season is still the same.  It's part of what separates us from the bastards who took all those lives in the first place."

"You've got a point there, I guess."  Yet, while she agreed with his sentiment, Cassy also knew how it felt to spend a holiday in mourning, and her heart bled every time she thought about the events that changed so many lives so quickly.  Not wanting to dwell on such a sad issue, she quickly moved past it and remembered her own reason for celebrating the holiday so heartily.  "Besides, all the tree trimming and decorating are second nature to me.  I think I'd feel worse if I didn't acknowledge the season."

‘Christmas is a time for togetherness,' her father once said.  ‘And we should cherish every moment we're given to share in His honor.'  Though she'd never been too religious, those words held great meaning for Cassy.  Especially since they were spoken on the last holiday she was able to spend with the man she so adored.

~~~