The same songs again! Didn’t they have any others in their repertoire? First came ‘Jingle Bells,’ then ‘Frosty the Snowman,’ ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer,’ ‘Deck the Halls,’ ‘Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer,’ ‘Little Drummer Boy,’ ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,’ ‘Holly Jolly Christmas,’ and lastly, ‘The Christmas Song.’
Lee shifted on the hard bench and groaned as the cycle began to repeat again. ‘Dashing through the snow. . .’ Where the hell were they? It seemed like he’d been sitting here for eons. They’d decided to split up for part of their shopping and agreed to meet back here in an hour. Glancing at his watch, he noticed Amanda and Dotty were a half-hour overdue. Earlier, Phillip and Jamie had met him and asked to go to the video arcade to wait for their mother and grandmother. Lee agreed, and the boys ran off with their friends, yelling “groovy.” He quickly lost sight of their retreating figures in the horrendous crowds of the mall.
Why in the world had he agreed to come shopping on Christmas Eve? Did everyone wait until the last minute? It seemed like it. Twice he’d gone out to the Wagoneer to lock away packages, so they didn’t have to cart them through all the stores. With all the items they’d purchased, you’d think his wife and mother-in-law had waited to do their entire gift buying. Even Phillip and Jamie had bought last minute things. At least during his wanderings, he’d found another gift for Amanda. One that he hadn’t been hunting for, but when he saw it, he knew he had to buy it.
A tribute to the woman who lit up his life and had turned a dismal existence into one of love and hope. Of course, before meeting her, he hadn’t realized he lacked anything in his life. Amanda had changed him for the better and what better way to honor her for eternity than a star. The Amanda star. He’d chosen one that blazed brightly, a star that would burn in the heavens for the rest of their lives. One they could look up at in the night sky and wish on. Two plaques--one showing a photograph of the star and its location and the other dedicating it to Amanda and registering it--were hidden under the packages in the Wagoneer.
He leaned back on the bench and stretched his legs out in front of him, crossing them at the ankles. Images of tomorrow flashed through his mind--Dotty and Amanda in the kitchen, making a special breakfast, and hot chocolate with marshmallows. He smiled at the thought of eating breakfast. But Amanda had been right all along. Breakfast was the most important meal of the day.
Next, he imagined the gift-opening ritual. The boys would rip their packages apart to get to the goodies nestled inside, while the girls would slowly unwrap theirs, not wanting to tear the paper. When Amanda opened the special present, the light in her eyes would sparkle like her star. She’d wrap her arms around his neck and press her lips to his.
“No, no, no,” said a very loud female voice.
What the hell! The images of Christmas popped out of his head and were replaced by bickering. A couple stood behind him, arguing about what store had the best price for some toy. Lee pinched the bridge of his nose to ward off the headache that threatened. Maybe it was time to go look for Amanda and Dotty.
Weaving through the throngs of people, he headed toward the store where he hoped he’d find his wife and mother-in-law.
“Oomph!”
The little boy barreled into Lee’s legs. “Watch it, partner.” He looked down at the small child.
“Sorry.” The little boy’s voice quivered. “Have you seen my mommy?”
Lee knelt down next to the child and placed his hand on his shoulder. “Are you lost?”
Tears shimmered in the child’s eyes. “I wanted to see Santa, but Mommy said no.”
Not having any experience with small children, Lee scanned the area, hoping to find a security guard who would be able to help the boy find his mother. When he couldn’t spot any assistance, he raked his hand through his hair. Okay, he could handle the situation. All he had to do was keep the boy with him until he found her. The little boy sniffled, tears falling down his cheeks. Lee rubbed the child’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. “Now, now, don’t cry. We’ll find your mommy. What’s your name? Mine’s Lee.”
“Bobby. I four years old.” He held up his fingers to show his age.
Lee laughed because he held up five fingers. “You’re a big boy, aren’t you?”
Bobby nodded his head, sniffled, and wiped his face with the sleeve of his shirt.
“What’s your mommy’s name?”
“Mommy.”
Lee looked up at the thousands of twinkling lights that glowed from the ceiling of the mall and asked for guidance.
“Where was your mommy the last time you saw her?”
“Looking at shirts for Daddy.”
“Do you remember which store?”
“A big one.”
Lee groaned. This wasn’t gonna be easy. But he could figure this out. After all, he was a spy. One of the best, he’d been told. He should be able to reunite a child and his mother. He just had to get into the mind of a four-year-old.
“Why did you leave your mommy?”
“I wanted to see Santa. I could see him out the window.”
“Then what happened?”
“I went to see Santa.” His lips quivered. “I got lost.”
Okay, that narrowed it down. Wherever Bobby’s mother had been was close to where the mall had set up Santa’s North Pole. “I bet mommy is looking for you by Santa. Why don’t we walk over there and see if we can find her?”
Lee stood and held his hand out to Bobby, who clasped it. The child’s hand felt so small next to his own. They stepped on to the escalator, which led to the second floor and the “North Pole.” The line to see Santa snaked twice around the roped-off area.
“Come here, partner.” Lee grasped Bobby under his arms. “I’m gonna put you on my shoulders, and you see if you can see your mommy.”
“Okay.”
He lifted him up, and Bobby locked his arms around his neck, while Lee held on to his legs to steady him. “Do you see her?”
“Nope.”
Lee strolled around the “North Pole,” hoping the boy’s mother would spot her son perched on his shoulders. As he slowly walked the perimeter of the line, he noticed a glass door designating the mall office. He was about to head toward it when it opened and an elf emerged. Then another and another. Through the glass, he saw a long line of elves coming down the long corridor. Break time must be over. There were all sizes and shapes, male and female. Each looked bored, but as soon as they crossed the threshold, they popped into character and plastered huge smiles on their faces. Some hustled toward the “North Pole,” as others split off to other parts of the mall.
Looking to his left, he spotted a woman who seemed frantic with worry. Her eyes searched the crowds, and she wrung her hands together. “Hey, partner, would that be mommy?” Lee pointed to the woman standing under the glittering gold “North Star” that dangled from a wire at the end of the “North Pole” scene.
“Mommy!”
Lee felt Bobby’s weight shift, and he grabbed his legs harder. The boy must’ve been waving his hands in the air. He approached the woman. “Are you Bobby’s mother?”
“Bobby! Where have you been? I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
He pulled the boy off his shoulders and handed him to the woman, who hugged him tightly.
“I wanted to see Santa. I got lost. Lee found me.”
The woman set her son down and gripped his hand. “Thank you,” she said, holding out her other hand. “Mr.--?”
“Stetson. Lee Stetson.” He shook her hand.
“I was just about to find security. Oh, I’m forgetting my manners. I’m Emma Morgan.”
“I’m just happy we found you, Mrs. Morgan.”
“Mommy.” Bobby tugged on his mother’s shirt. “Can we see Santa?”
Mrs. Morgan looked down at her son. “Now, Bobby Morgan, you’ve already seen Santa three times. He knows what you want for Christmas.”
Bobby pouted and scuffed his shoe against the floor, then looked up at Lee. “Do you have a little boy?”
“I have two ‘big’ boys.” Lee held his hand up chest high.
“You should have a little boy, so you can take him to see Santa.”
He tousled Bobby’s hair. “Maybe one day, I will.”
“Thank you again, Mr. Stetson. Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas,” Lee replied.
“Come on, Bobby. We need to get home to get ready for Santa’s visit.” The reunited pair started toward the escalator, and then Bobby ran back to Lee.
He knelt down to hear what the child had to say.
“If you visit Santa, you can tell him you want a little boy for Christmas.” Then he ran off to his mother.
Lee laughed as he hurried to the escalator to find his family. If only it were that simple. He smiled at the thought of one day having a child with Amanda. ‘Who knows what the future will bring?’
*******
Later that evening, Lee ducked his head against the wind, cold enough to cut to the bone. The snow had begun falling while they were at the mall and hadn’t stopped since. Huge flakes swirled down from the sky. He looked up, hoping to see the Amanda Star. Nothing but darkness and snow fell. It really was going to be a white Christmas in D.C. He trudged to the woodpile next to the garage. They’d burned all the logs that the boys had heaped on the porch, and he wanted to stockpile as much as he could, so they didn’t have to tramp through the snow tomorrow. Since Phillip and Jamie were already asleep, he was left with the task of replenishing the firewood. Dotty had gone up earlier to relax in a bubble bath, and Amanda was wrapping last minute gifts.
The forecast had only predicted a couple of inches, but, by the looks of it, they’d already surpassed that amount. A gust of wind shook the tree branches, dislodging powdery snow. Several flakes nuzzled his neck, and he shivered at the cold, wet sensation. He pulled the collar of his jacket up to ward off any more stray flakes from finding their way to his warm body. The wind had whipped the snow into a drift next to the garage, leaving him no choice but to place one foot into the snow bank to retrieve the wood. When he stepped into the frosty mound, he flinched as the snow bit through his sock and drenched his shoe. “Holy shit! That’s cold.” He should’ve changed into boots; he just hoped his shoe wasn’t ruined.
After stacking the wood on the porch, he picked up an armful to bring into the house. He stood for a moment, peering through the window of the den.
The room had a magical glow. The light from the fireplace illuminated Amanda, sitting on the floor putting tags on the gifts, and highlighted her delicate features. The Christmas tree lights twinkled on and off behind her, like all the stars in heaven nestled in her hair. Smiling, he watched her put away the wrapping paper and ribbon. Why had he been so reluctant to let this woman into his life? He’d been fickle, not wanting to change. He’d been a fool and could kick himself for the wasted years. But now they made up for lost time, and each and every minute with his wife and their family was precious.
In fact, because it was their official first Christmas as man and wife, Joe and Carrie had taken a holiday to visit her family. And the rest of Amanda’s relatives had said they didn’t want to frighten her new husband by converging on them, all at once. They’d do that the following year. He wouldn’t have minded; he’d been around during other holidays, and they hadn’t scared him. Well, not much, anyway.
He exhaled a long sigh of contentment and noticed a puff of white. The temperature had dropped even more, and he could see his breath in the frigid air. “Jack Frost” nipped at his nose. The tingling sensation in his fingers told him they were becoming numb. He needed to get inside and warm up before Mr. Frost numbed more than his hands.
When he opened the door, the soft strains of “Silver Bells” assaulted his ears. Not another carol. He wouldn’t mind them so much if they weren’t overplayed. Every store he’d gone into, every radio station in the area seemed to have nothing but Christmas music. He brushed past the holly wreath Amanda had fastened to the center panel, and it slid to the floor.
“Here, let me help.” Amanda knelt down and replaced the wreath. “I thought you’d gotten lost in the blizzard. I was about ready to come look for you.”
Lee leaned forward as if to kiss her, but instead shook his head, sending snowflakes cascading on to her. “I replenished the woodpile on the porch.”
Amanda laughed. “I see you brought a couple of inches of snow in with you, too.” She tilted her head and kissed his cold lips. “Come on, you need to warm up.”
She took two logs, placed them on the fire, and stoked it, while Lee dumped the rest into the woodbin next to the fireplace. Then he shrugged off his jacket and draped it over a kitchen chair to dry. Cupping his hands, he blew warm breath on them, then yanked off his shoes and socks and wiggled his toes to get the circulation flowing.
“Come here.” Amanda patted the sofa cushion.
Lee plopped down and propped his feet up on the coffee table. The fire made them toasty in no time. He slipped his arm around her shoulders, snuggling her against him. She rubbed her hands briskly up and down his arms and chest, warming the rest of his body. As another carol began playing, he rested his head against her shoulder. Yes, they were beautiful songs--when you had someone to love and share them with.
He gazed at the Christmas star that adorned the tree. When they’d decorated the pine, he’d been surprised when Amanda had handed him the final ornament and told him to place it on top. He never thought something so simple would make him feel like part of the family. Almost bursting with pride, he’d crowned the tree with the shimmering star.
His eyelids felt heavy, and they fluttered shut. He’d only closed his eyes for a moment, when he felt Amanda stir from his embrace. “Where are you going?”
“Nowhere, I just wanted to get something I found earlier.”
“What’s that?” He admired her slender figure as she walked to the fireplace mantel, picked something up, and held it behind her back.
“Just this,” she said, as she settled back onto the couch next to him.
“And that would be?”
“Look up.”
Lee peered up at the sprig of mistletoe dangling from her fingers. “You found more? Don’t you have enough hung all over the house?”
“Shush, Stetson, and do what you’re supposed to do when you’re under mistletoe. Besides, I haven’t heard you complaining about all the kisses you’ve been getting and giving under them.”
Lee smiled and shushed. She was absolutely right. “Merry Christmas, Mrs. Stetson.”
“Merry Christmas, Mr. Stetson.”
He brushed a gentle kiss on her lips before claiming them in fiery passion.
********
Outside, the snow stopped falling, the clouds parted, and the sky cleared. Stars began to twinkle in the cold winter night. One star seemed to radiate over the house at 4247 Maplewood Drive.
The Amanda Star.
The End
Story Notes:
Disclaimer: Scarecrow and Mrs. King and its characters belong to WB and Shoot the Moon Productions. No infringement is intended. This is written for entertainment purposes only. Please do not redistribute or reproduce this story without my permission.
Thanks: Rita and Miss Edna for all your guidance and finding my errors. NancyY for coming up with a title and theme I hadn’t thought to expand on. And to Lushy for issuing the challenge.
Thanks: Rita and Miss Edna for all your guidance and finding my errors. NancyY for coming up with a title and theme I hadn’t thought to expand on. And to Lushy for issuing the challenge.