get paid for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, but she
wouldn’t lose her job either. Everyone had to take those two days
off—whether they wanted to or not.
After going to the bank to
cash their paychecks, Derrick dropped Johanna off at her door
Friday evening. “See you next Thursday. I’ll pick you up for work
in the morning.”
She did a double take.
“Not until Thursday?”
“ It’s Christmas. If I
don’t fly home and spend time with my family, my mother will hunt
me down and kill me. Or nag me to death. And she’ll never let me
leave on Christmas Day. I have very little choice in the
matter.”
“ Oh, right. I don’t know
what I was thinking.” She handed him the money she owed
him.
“ I told you it was a
gift.”
“ It’s too generous a
gift,” she said. “And it doesn’t include all the meals you’ve
bought me, or the rides you’ve given me. Please take
it.”
Inside, Johanna collapsed
on the futon. Derrick was going home for the holidays. Amaranda had
wished her a Merry Christmas before leaving the previous night with
her new dress and accessories. She’d announced she was going on a
family ski trip and wouldn’t be back until after the New Year.
Johanna hadn’t anticipated being all alone for the holidays. She
thought about Peakie’s. She’d hated it there, but at least other
people were always around. The previous year, the staff had
organized a Christmas Eve concert featuring a chorus of some of the
children. The next day they’d served a turkey dinner. She served the turkey
dinner. Cook specifically told her each child could only have one
slice of turkey, and she’d better not see Josefina dishing out any
more than that. Johanna tried to make it look like more by placing
it on top of the brussel sprouts everyone hated, and pushing it
close to the dressing, then dumping gravy on top. By the time she
got to eat her own dinner, it was cold. It didn’t seem like much of
a meal then, but it was better, in comparison, to the peanut butter
and jelly sandwich she would probably eat alone on Christmas
Day.
Boredom overcame her the
next day. She could have worked on the cottage if she didn’t have a
broken leg. She finished reading the books she’d borrowed from the
library and craved more, if only to occupy her mind. She could take
a cab to the library but hated wasting what little money she had
left. She decided, instead, to walk there. It wasn’t as far as the
town center, although it was easily a mile away. It should have
been a pleasant walk on a sunny, cloudless day; however, unusually
cold temperatures and the fact Johanna’s leg throbbed made it a
grueling journey. By the time she reached the library, she begged
them to allow her to put her foot up on a chair to help alleviate
the swelling.
“ You must want a
particular book very badly to walk here on crutches on such a cold
day.”
“ No,” Johanna replied. “I
just ran out of books to read and I wanted a few new
ones.”
“ Well, now, let me see
what we have,” the librarian said, embarking on a search for new
releases.
A half hour later, Johanna
made her choices.
“ How will you get these
home?” the librarian asked.
“ The same way I brought
the returns with me. I’ll put them in a plastic bag and tie the bag
to the handle of one of my crutches.”
“ Doesn’t that throw you
off balance?”
“ It hasn’t yet.” Johanna
watched a woman walk out of a nearby office carrying a plate of
food and a glass of punch. The woman placed it on a desk and took
her place behind it.
The librarian noticed.
“It’s our holiday party,” she explained. “Can I get you some punch
or a cup of mulled apple cider? Have you eaten yet? I could make
you a plate of food. We have more than we can possibly
eat.”
Johanna wanted to say “no,
thank you,” but her stomach chose that moment to growl, and the
word, “Okay,” slipped out when she opened her mouth.
“ You wait right here.” The
librarian
wouldn’t lose her job either. Everyone had to take those two days
off—whether they wanted to or not.
After going to the bank to
cash their paychecks, Derrick dropped Johanna off at her door
Friday evening. “See you next Thursday. I’ll pick you up for work
in the morning.”
She did a double take.
“Not until Thursday?”
“ It’s Christmas. If I
don’t fly home and spend time with my family, my mother will hunt
me down and kill me. Or nag me to death. And she’ll never let me
leave on Christmas Day. I have very little choice in the
matter.”
“ Oh, right. I don’t know
what I was thinking.” She handed him the money she owed
him.
“ I told you it was a
gift.”
“ It’s too generous a
gift,” she said. “And it doesn’t include all the meals you’ve
bought me, or the rides you’ve given me. Please take
it.”
Inside, Johanna collapsed
on the futon. Derrick was going home for the holidays. Amaranda had
wished her a Merry Christmas before leaving the previous night with
her new dress and accessories. She’d announced she was going on a
family ski trip and wouldn’t be back until after the New Year.
Johanna hadn’t anticipated being all alone for the holidays. She
thought about Peakie’s. She’d hated it there, but at least other
people were always around. The previous year, the staff had
organized a Christmas Eve concert featuring a chorus of some of the
children. The next day they’d served a turkey dinner. She served the turkey
dinner. Cook specifically told her each child could only have one
slice of turkey, and she’d better not see Josefina dishing out any
more than that. Johanna tried to make it look like more by placing
it on top of the brussel sprouts everyone hated, and pushing it
close to the dressing, then dumping gravy on top. By the time she
got to eat her own dinner, it was cold. It didn’t seem like much of
a meal then, but it was better, in comparison, to the peanut butter
and jelly sandwich she would probably eat alone on Christmas
Day.
Boredom overcame her the
next day. She could have worked on the cottage if she didn’t have a
broken leg. She finished reading the books she’d borrowed from the
library and craved more, if only to occupy her mind. She could take
a cab to the library but hated wasting what little money she had
left. She decided, instead, to walk there. It wasn’t as far as the
town center, although it was easily a mile away. It should have
been a pleasant walk on a sunny, cloudless day; however, unusually
cold temperatures and the fact Johanna’s leg throbbed made it a
grueling journey. By the time she reached the library, she begged
them to allow her to put her foot up on a chair to help alleviate
the swelling.
“ You must want a
particular book very badly to walk here on crutches on such a cold
day.”
“ No,” Johanna replied. “I
just ran out of books to read and I wanted a few new
ones.”
“ Well, now, let me see
what we have,” the librarian said, embarking on a search for new
releases.
A half hour later, Johanna
made her choices.
“ How will you get these
home?” the librarian asked.
“ The same way I brought
the returns with me. I’ll put them in a plastic bag and tie the bag
to the handle of one of my crutches.”
“ Doesn’t that throw you
off balance?”
“ It hasn’t yet.” Johanna
watched a woman walk out of a nearby office carrying a plate of
food and a glass of punch. The woman placed it on a desk and took
her place behind it.
The librarian noticed.
“It’s our holiday party,” she explained. “Can I get you some punch
or a cup of mulled apple cider? Have you eaten yet? I could make
you a plate of food. We have more than we can possibly
eat.”
Johanna wanted to say “no,
thank you,” but her stomach chose that moment to growl, and the
word, “Okay,” slipped out when she opened her mouth.
“ You wait right here.” The
librarian
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