Blue Christmas
Jixemitri CWP #9
Andrew Belden carefully removed his boots as
he entered his home in
Andrew grew up in Sleepyside with the rest of
the Belden clan. When he was younger, he never imagined himself living miles
away from the quiet little town he loved. However, things change. Now, he could
not imagine returning to his hometown. Too
many memories…, he thought sadly.
Andrew loved farming. Though he could not help
with the family farm, as once intended, he could not get the love of animals
and agriculture out of his bones. He moved to a farmhouse on the outskirts of Rivervale and began breeding sheep. He was quite
successful, and was able to travel extensively and even build his own cabin in
the Ozarks, where he loved to retreat.
Though blessed with the Belden good looks,
Andrew never married. It certainly was not due to a lack of opportunities.
Several young ladies showed interest in the handsome farmer, but none could
compare to a certain lady years ago…
“Anybody home?” Andrew called out, in
an effort to thwart his thoughts.
“Mr. Belden!” Mary Gorman greeted as she
hustled out of the kitchen. “My, I’m glad you’re home! It sure is cold out
there, and the weatherman is calling for a big snowstorm. You men will catch
your death of a cold being out in this horrid weather.”
“I’m glad to be home, too, Mary,” Andrew
answered with a tired grin. “I’m not as young as I used to be. If I didn’t have
Hank and Ben to help me, I don’t know how I’d manage.”
“Oh, pshaw!” Mary chided. “You can
outwork Hank and Ben any day of the week. And don’t even start with me about getting old! When you’re as old
as I am, then maybe I’ll listen. Of course, I’ll always have several years on
you.”
Andrew chuckled. He made his way into the
kitchen where he washed his hands and poured a hot cup of cocoa. “Mmmm! Something smells good. How
much longer till dinner?”
“The
roast has to bake a few more minutes. Maybe you can settle down and read the
paper till supper is ready,” Mary suggested. “I’ll bring you your mail in a
minute.”
“Sounds good,” Andrew agreed. He sat in his
favorite recliner by the cozy fireplace and opened up the Rivervale
Gazette. His tired muscles began to relax as he sipped his cocoa and read the
news. Reaching over to the heavy wooden end table by his recliner, he retrieved
the remote for his sound system. He hit a button, and the gentle strains of
Christmas music filled the air.
“I saw mention of a Christmas get-together on page
seven,” Mary called from the kitchen. “I bet there are a lot of pretty ladies
planning to attend that need an escort.”
Andrew sighed. Not this again! he thought wearily. Out
loud, he answered, “Oh, really? You’ll have to tell Ben when he comes in to eat.
He might like to go.”
“I
wasn’t meaning Ben, although I’m sure he’ll be going. He and the other young
people enjoy the community building’s colorful decorations.”
“Yes, their twenty-year-old fiber optic
Christmas tree is really something,” Andrew replied innocently, the corners of
his mouth twitching. “Although, my personal favorite is the flashing Santa who
yells out: ‘Ho ho ho! Christmas comes but once a
year, so have a bit of Christmas cheer!’ ”
Mary snorted. “A crying shame what those
teenagers did last year. Shanking poor Kris Kringle! At least they couldn’t get off his reindeer boxer
shorts. And what they did with that candy cane was just appalling!”
“Gives a whole new meaning to the ‘flashing’
Santa, though, don’t you think?” Andrew commented with a laugh.
Mary shook her finger at Andrew. “You aren’t
making me forget my suggestion, young man. You need to get out of the house
more and associate with the locals. I thought you would like to go.” She emphasized “you” with a swat from the
mail she had in her hand.
Andrew sighed deeply as he took the envelopes
from Mary. “You thought wrong. Now, what mail did I get?” He began sifting
through the various cards and bills.
“Well, I know you got something from Peter and
Helen,” Mary informed him smugly.
“Did you hold it up to the light, or did you
give it the full treatment and hold it over steam?” Andrew questioned with a
wry smile.
“For your information, Mr. Smarty-Pants, the
letter is attached to a parcel they sent you. No amount of holding it up to the
light or steam would let me open it,” she replied indignantly, plopping the
small box into his lap.
Andrew chuckled good-naturedly. “I suppose
I’ll have to see what’s inside to appease your curiosity.”
“It was nice of them to send you a present.
Have you sent out the cards yet for the kids?”
Andrew nodded. “Yep. Picked out the cards myself. I sent them yesterday. Of
course, I’m sure they like the money stuffed in there a lot more than the
card.”
“What they’d really like is a visit from their favorite uncle. You haven’t
visited Sleepyside for a while. Maybe you could have Christmas with your
brother and his family,” Mary suggested.
“I spent Thanksgiving with Hal, Eleanor, and
the kids,” Andrew replied, although he knew that was not what Mary intended to
say.
“You know that wasn’t what I meant,” Mary
chided, as if she could read his mind. “You ought to take a trip to
“Trying to get of me?” However, the slight
sadness in his voice had nothing to do with his housekeeper apparently
attempting to send him away for the holidays.
“Not at all, Mr.
Belden.” Mary sat, patting her boss on the shoulder in a motherly manner.
“I just want to see a genuine smile on your face.” With that, she turned and went
back into the kitchen.
Once he was alone, Andrew took a deep breath
and pulled the card off the top of the box and opened it. A cute picture of a baby in a Santa suit
adorned the front. Easy to see why they
picked these cards, Andrew thought. That
kid is the spitting image of Mart, Trixie, and Bobby when they were babies.
“Holiday greetings from Peter, Helen, Brian,
Mart, Trixie, and Bobby! Hope you
have a wonderful Christmas season. Come visit us soon!” Helen
had signed inside.
Andrew set the card inside and pulled out his
small knife from his pocket. He sliced through all the packaging tape and
opened the box. After digging through the Styrofoam peanuts, he pulled out a
gingerbread ornament. The little man was made out of paper maché
and had been painted brown. A wobbly grin had been painted on the face, and a
colorful array of buttons and sequins decorated the ornament. With a smile,
Andrew turned the ornament over and saw Bobby’s signature and age. Bobby obviously didn’t get Helen’s artistic
ability, he thought with a cheeky grin.
Next, he pulled out a rectangular object
wrapped in tissue paper. The tag said: “MERRY CHRISTMAS, UNCLE ANDREW! FROM YOUR FAVORITE NEPHEWS, BRIAN & MART”. Andrew ripped open the paper and found a
cassette tape. Each year, Brian and Mart sent their uncle a recording of the
silliest Christmas song they could find. Eager to hear this year’s selection,
Andrew got up and placed the tape in the cassette player of his sound system.
He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms, waiting to be entertained.
Andrew was not disappointed. After a
surprisingly brief greeting from the usually verbose Mart, the music started.
However, there was a slight change in tradition. In past years, all four of the
kids sang. Brian attempted bass, even before his voice changed; the
musically-inclined Mart did a surprisingly good baritone harmony; Trixie sang
lead tenor, getting only slightly off-key on the high notes; Bobby chimed in
loudly with whatever words he could remember.
Apparently, this was Bobby’s year to shine,
and as soon as Andrew heard the words, he understood why.
“There's
something stuck up in the chimney
And I don't know what it is,
But it's been there all night long.
Well, I waited up for Santa all Christmas night
But he never came and it don't seem right.
And there's something in the chimney
And it doesn't make a sound,
But I wish you Merry Christmas.”
Andrew chuckled as he heard the older boys
whistling some sort of tune, and he could swear he heard his niece’s unmistakable
giggle in the background. Then Bobby continued singing.
“There's something stuck up
in the chimney
And I don't know what it is,
But it's been there all week long.
Well, Reddy keeps barking up the chimney flue
And we don't know what we're going to do.
Cause there's something in the chimney
And it doesn't move around,
And it's been a week since Christmas.”
Andrew held his breath and tried to make out
the conversation in the background. He heard Trixie and Mart’s titters, and
finally a stern-sounding Brian prompting Bobby.
“There's something stuck up
in the chimney
And I don't know what it is,
But it's been there all month long.
Well, it's jammed up tight above the fireplace
Now the house smells funny, such a big disgrace.
That there's something in the chimney
And it doesn't talk at all,
And it's been there since last Christmas.”
Andrew held his belly, and tried to quit
laughing so he could hear the words to the next verse. This was even better
than Bobby’s version of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”
where he sang “He’s makin’ a list and checkin’ for lice.”
“There's something stuck up
in the chimney
And I don't know what it is,
But it's been there all year long.
I'll been waiting up for Santa like I did last year
But Brian says, "He's already here."
And he's stuck up in the chimney
And he doesn't say a word
And he'll be there every Christmas.
And we'll have him every Christmas.”
Then, all four of the kids chimed in together, “MERRY CHRISTMAS, UNCLE ANDREW! WE LOVE YOU!”
After drying several tears from laughter,
Andrew took out the tape from the cassette player and turned the radio back on.
He returned to his recliner, dug deeper in the box and found a pine-scented
candle from Trixie. She had attached a small personal note. Andrew smiled at
the thought of his young niece.
Dear Uncle
Andrew,
We’ve been
really busy here in Sleepyside. The boys and me and
some of our friends started a club. Maybe you could come for a visit sometime
and see our clubhouse. We’ve worked really hard on it, and we’ve earned all the
money ourselves. Jim, our co-president, is really strict about that. You’d
really like Jim, Uncle Andrew. He’s just wonderful. Our club doesn’t only have
fun. We do a lot of charity work, also.
We sure would
like to see you again, Uncle Andrew! It seems like forever since we saw you in
person. Don’t be such a stranger! Maybe you can stop by Crabapple Farm for a
visit soon. I know Dad and Moms would be tickled pink to see you again. Dad
really misses you, and Moms, too. They love to talk about the fun you all had
when you were in school with Moms.
Hope you have
a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Love you!
Hugs,
Trixie
(Your favorite niece, although it’s not really a fair contest,
since I only have Hallie to compete with! J)
Andrew grinned at the
note from Trixie. He was well-aware of the long-standing conflict between his
nieces. Trixie had confided in him
several times about her feelings regarding her cousin from
Just
like me and… Andrew shook his head and
discontinued the thought. Nope. Not going
there tonight, he decided, pulling out the last object in the box. The last
item was a recent family portrait of his older brother and his family. Peter hasn’t changed a bit, Andrew
thought as he looked at his brother’s smiling face. The middle Belden brother
was still the best looking with his dark hair, chocolate eyes, and easy grin.
Andrew ruffled a hand through his own dark hair that was graying at the
temples. At least mine is turning gray,
instead of turning loose like Hal’s, he reminded himself with a grin.
Brian stood to his father’s right. Brian was a
Belden through and through, no doubt about it. He looked exactly like his
father had at sixteen. On the left side of Peter was Mart. The blond hair and
blue eyes were positively Johnson genes, but the twinkle in his eyes was
definitely from the Belden side of the family. Although he resembled his mother
in looks, he had Peter’s sense of humor and love of jokes.
In front of Brian, Trixie was seated. Andrew
was shocked how grown-up his niece looked. And how beautiful! She’s growing up, and you’re missing it, all
because of something that happened years and years ago that you can’t do
anything about now, Andrew scolded himself. Before you know it, I’ll be getting a wedding invitation for Trixie and
that Jim kid.
In front of Mart, the youngest of his nephews
stood. Bobby looked as if he could barely contain himself as he grinned
impishly at the camera. Andrew had a kinship with his young nephew. He knew
quite well what it was like to be the youngest of three sons.
In the center of the picture, Helen stood,
looking just as radiant as she had eighteen years ago. Her hair was still the
color of spun gold. Her eyes were still the color of a clear sky. Her smile
still could light up a pitch-black night. Andrew closed his eyes, but his
sister-in-law’s face was permanently seared in his memory.
As if right on cue, the DJ came on and
announced the next song. “Thanks for listening here at WMLJ V93, playing all
your favorite holiday hits! We’ve got a request going out to
“I-ll-a-have-a-bluuuue
Christmas without you…” The velvety smooth voice of Elvis filled the room.
Andrew set the box aside. He sighed deeply and
settled back into his recliner. If only things could have been different all
those years ago…
Christmas break, 18 years ago…
Andrew Belden stood on the porch of Crabapple Farm,
as his older brother parked his black Chevy Monte Carlo in the driveway. “The
prodigal son returns!” he greeted with a grin. “Better tell the fatted calf to
high-tail it outta here!”
Peter smirked at his younger brother and threw
his duffel bag at him. “Nice to see you, too.”
Andrew caught the bag and clapped Peter on the
back. “Glad you’re home, Pete. We missed you.”
“I’ve missed you, too. Particularly
Moms.”
“You mean you missed Moms’ cooking,” Andrew
corrected with a smile.
Peter grinned at his younger brother. “You
said it, not me.” The brothers made their way into the white farmhouse. After
Peter put his bag in his room, the family sat down at the dining room table for
the evening meal. Harold Belden, Sr. asked the blessing, then
the family began piling food on their plates.
“Everything looks great, Moms,” Peter told his
mother, taking more than his fair share of meatloaf.
“Glad you like it, Petey,”
Edith Belden answered, beaming at her middle son’s praise. “I thought you would
appreciate a good home-cooked meal after all that dorm food.”
“How’s school going,
son?” Harold questioned as he passed around the homemade bread. “Still
keeping that GPA high, I assume?”
Peter nodded. “I think I’ll be making the
Dean’s list again, Dad.”
Harold slapped the table. “That’s my boy!”
“That’s wonderful, dear,” Edith gushed,
ladling some peas on Peter’s plate. “I know you have such a load on you, with
your studies and football.”
Once again Peter nodded. He took a long sip of
his iced tea. “It’s not so bad now that football season is over. I still lift
weights to keep in shape, but that doesn’t take nearly as much time as practice
did.” He scooped some more mashed potatoes on his plate. “How are things going
here, Andy? You keeping the old Sleepyside crowd in
line?”
Andrew nodded slightly as he silently chewed
the food on his plate. “Suppose so,” he replied good-naturedly.
“How’s basketball practice going?” Peter
asked. “Is Coach Carr wearing you out?”
Andrew grinned and poured himself some more
tea. “You know it! Coach thinks we might go all the way to States this year.”
“Of course, you will!” Peter told him
enthusiastically. “Sleepyside does
have the best point guard around.”
Andrew grinned at his older brother’s praise.
“Thanks, Pete.”
“I’ve got the finest sons around,” Harold
bragged. “Three letters in three different sports; Hal in
baseball, Pete in football, and Andy in basketball.”
“Where is
Hal?” Peter asked. “Isn’t he coming home for Christmas?”
Harold shot his middle son a warning look and
hesitantly glanced at Edith, who was beginning to tear up. “Hal called us last
night. He’s going to meet Eleanor’s family in
“So, it’s that serious between Hal and the old
battle ax, huh?” Peter asked with an ornery grin. From his spot across the
table, Andrew snickered. A slight smile twitched at the corners of his father’s
mouth; however, the statement made his mother’s tears fall freely.
“Eleanor is not an ‘old battle ax’,” his
father corrected, trying to be serious. “She comes from a rich family, and can
be a bit stuffy…”
“And stuck up,” Peter supplied.
“And snooty,” Andrew continued.
“And hoity-toity,” Peter added.
“And bi---,” Andrew began, until his father’s
look stopped him. He assumed his most angelic expression. “What? I was going to
say ‘bitter’?”
Peter choked on his meatloaf, and took a big
drink of tea to dislodge the offending bite from his esophagus.
“Well, I think it’s nice your brother has a
serious girlfriend,” Edith contributed, with a final dab of the napkin to her
eyes. “I just wish she didn’t live so far away. What if they get married and
move halfway across the
“It’s only approximately 2,519 miles from here
to where Eleanor lives, Moms,” Andrew replied cheekily. “That’s only a 36-hour
trip.”
“We’ll deal with that when the time comes,”
Harold said, clasping his wife’s hand. He shot his youngest son a “you’re not
helping” glare.
“I hope the rest of my boys find nice
Sleepyside girls,” Edith said with a wistful expression.
“We could still move to
“That might be for the best,” Harold jokingly
threatened.
“Are you still dating that lovely Gail?” Edith
asked hopefully. Gail may not have been from Sleepyside, but she was from
Peter shook his head. “No, I broke up with
Gail a couple of weeks ago. She was getting too serious.”
“Don’t you want a serious relationship, Petey?” his mother questioned.
“I’m only nineteen, Moms!” Peter laughed. “I’m
not ready to settle down yet.”
Harold chuckled. “Famous last words, son. Just
wait till you meet the right girl. You’ll change your tune quicker than a
banjo.”
“So, are you dating anyone, Andy?” Peter
decided to turn the pressure on his little brother.
Andrew glared at Peter, his look promising
revenge. “Not right now.”
“What about that lovely Helen Johnson that
you’ve been spending so much time with?” Edith questioned as she began clearing
the table.
Andrew’s face turned a riveting shade of beet
red. “We’re just friends, Moms.”
Peter’s brows lowered in confusion. “Helen
Johnson? I’ve never heard of her. Who’s she?”
“A new girl,” Andrew mumbled. “She and her
family moved here last year from
“Helen’s a lovely girl,” Edith said. “She has
an older brother who still lives in
“Do you have her whole family history on file
someplace, Moms?” Peter teased. Harold’s chortle was halted by the warning
glance from his wife.
Edith playfully smacked Peter on his shoulder
as she picked up his plate and carried it to the sink. “Helen is such a
pleasant girl. We had a nice conversation after one of the basketball games.
She twirls baton, you know, so she’s at all the games.”
Peter raised his brows in interest. “Is she
cute?” Andrew’s glare did not escape his notice, but his younger brother did
not answer.
“Oh, she’s very pretty!” Edith gushed. “Blonde
curls, big blue eyes, and such a sweet personality. I just don’t see why Andy
hasn’t asked her out.”
“Me either,” Peter muttered under his breath.
“So, when’re you gonna make your move, little
brother?”
Andrew angrily slapped the table. “We’re just friends, I told you! Helen Johnson
is way out of my league.”
“She’d be lucky to go on a date with you,”
Edith told her youngest son, lovingly patting his arm. Andrew merely rolled his
eyes.
At that moment, the phone rang. Edith hurried
to answer it. “Good evening. Crabapple Farm… Why, hello, Helen… How are you,
dear?... Yes, he’s right here.” She handed the phone to
her youngest son and tried to contain her glee.
Andrew quickly took the phone from his mother.
“Hey, Helen… Just hanging around… Yeah, that sounds great… Sure, I’ll meet you
then… Bye.” Andrew hung up the phone. He
looked around at all the expectant glances. “That was Helen,” he explained.
“The gang is heading to The Cameo to see ‘A Christmas Story.’ She, I mean
everyone, was wondering if I was interested in joining them.”
“That sounds nice, dear,” Edith said sweetly.
“You run along to the movies with your friends.”
Harold merely grunted his approval. “Got any
dessert, Edith?”
Peter grinned and shook his head in disdain at
his father. “Yeah, Andy, that movie is supposed to be really funny.”
“Do you want to come?”
Peter’s eyes brightened for a moment, but then
he shook his head. “Nah, I don’t wanna be a tagalong.
You go and have a good time.”
“You wouldn’t be tagging along,” Andrew told
him with a smile. “Going to the movies with you would be like old times.
Besides, Ed Lynch will be in from college, and I know he’ll be there. He and
Helen’s best friend, Carolyn, are pretty serious. Maybe you and Ed could catch
up on old times.”
Peter grinned. “Well, it would be great to catch up with the Sleepyside crew. Maybe I’ll
come after all.” The boys stood up and gave their mother an obligatory kiss
good-bye. “Thank for the great dinner, Moms.”
“Yeah, it was good, Moms,” Andrew chimed. The
boys grabbed their coats and headed outside to Peter’s car.
Meanwhile, at Wimpy’s…
Helen Johnson hung the
payphone at Wimpy’s and sat back down in the booth with her best friend,
Carolyn Wilson Hoffman. She silently stirred her strawberry shake.
“Did you talk to him?”
Carolyn urged.
Helen nodded. “He’s on
his way.”
“Do you think he’ll ask
you to the Christmas dance?” Carolyn asked, excitement
evident in her violet eyes.
Helen shrugged. “I don’t
think Andy likes me, Carolyn. He’s never so much as hinted that he wants to be
more than friends.”
“Are you blind?” Carolyn
questioned in disbelief. “Andy’s crazy about you. I’m sure he’ll ask you.”
Helen took a long sip of
her shake. “I don’t know if I even want
him to ask me. I mean, we’re such close friends, and I’d hate to ruin that.”
Carolyn sighed and
flipped back her coal-black hair off her shoulder. “I thought you liked Andy?”
“I do, but I’m not sure
if I like him enough to chance our friendship.” Helen crumpled up her straw
paper and sighed unhappily. “Is Ed coming?”
Carolyn nodded, her happiness apparent by the wide smile on her
pretty face. “We’re meeting at The Cameo. He just got home from college an hour
ago.” She leaned over the booth to whisper to her friend. “I think I’m getting
a promise ring for Christmas.”
Helen grinned. “Really? That’s great!”
“I’m sure I’d be getting
an engagement ring instead, but I still have another year of high school left.
Unlike some lucky people I know.”
Helen’s birthday was in August, so she would only be seventeen when she
graduated. Carolyn had a fall birthday, so although the girls were the same
age, Helen was a year ahead of her friend in school.
“Did Andy mention if any
of his brothers were coming?” Carolyn continued.
“No. He has two of them,
doesn’t he?”
Carolyn nodded. “Yeah. Ed was pretty good friends with Peter in school. They
were on the football team together. Eddie was a linebacker, and Peter was the
quarterback.”
“Peter’s the one in the
middle, right?” Helen asked, not really caring.
“Uh-huh,” Carolyn
answered, sipping the last of her chocolate shake. “If you think Andy’s cute,
just wait till you see Peter. If I didn’t love Ed so much…”
Helen giggled at her friend’s lecherous grin.
“I’m telling Ed, I’m telling Ed!” she chanted in a sing-song voice.
“You’d better not!” Carolyn threatened,
teasingly holding up a butter knife in her most threatening manner. Of course,
she couldn’t continue her serious act for very long because of the giggles that
erupted. “Oh, well. Maybe someday my daughter will get to go out with one of
those hunky Belden men.”
Helen’s blue eyes grew thoughtful. “They’re
that sought-after, huh?”
Carolyn nodded. “Oh, yes. Hal and Peter always
dated the prettiest girls in the school. Andy’s a lot more
shy, but he dates a lot, as you know. Of course, I think now he has his
eye on one girl in particular…”
Helen blushed bright
red. She always had trouble accepting compliments. “So, what’re Pete and Hal
like?”
“Pete was the most popular guy in school.
Besides being drop-dead gorgeous, he’s got a great sense of humor. He kept
everyone in stitches with his joking around. He and Andy are especially close.
Their oldest brother, Harold Jr., goes to college out-of-state. He’s not as
friendly as Andy and Pete. But he’s a lot older than us, so I don’t know him
very well.”
Helen looked at her watch. “Jeepers, Car! It’s
almost time for the movie to start. We’d better head to the theater.” The girls
quickly paid their bill and walked to The Cameo. Ed Lynch, tall, stout, and
darkly handsome, was standing outside waiting for them.
“Hey, Carolyn!” He hugged his
girlfriend tight and kissed her cheek. “Hi, Helen.”
“I’m so glad to see you, Eddie!” Carolyn
returned the embrace.
Helen looked away, allowing the couple some
privacy. The look of pure joy on her best friend’s face was obvious. Helen
could not help but be a bit envious. If Andy
doesn’t ask me to the dance, maybe I’ll ask him, she thought.
“I already paid for your tickets, girls, so we
can go inside and get out of the cold,” Ed told them after he and Carolyn
finally separated.
Helen opened her purse. “How much do I owe you,
Ed?” She knew that Ed Lynch had a very generous heart, but a limited budget. He
had often cheerfully given away his last dollar.
“Not a cent!” Ed replied with a chuckle. “Now
let’s get inside! The guys are standing in line for the food, and if we don’t hurry,
Pete’ll eat all the popcorn!”
Ed held open the door for the girls. Helen
stepped in the warm theater and shook the snow from her sandy curls. Concerned
only about the moisture in her hair, Helen raised her hand to smooth her unruly
waves. Suddenly, her elbow made contact with flesh. Muscled flesh.
Helen looked up to the warmest, brownest eyes
she had ever seen. Her breath caught at the sight before her. “I’m sorry,” she
whispered breathlessly.
Apparently, the person she bumped into was
just as enchanted with her as she was with him. “No problem,” the stranger
said, his voice warm and deep.
Shivers went up and down Helen’s spine at the
sound of his voice. The stranger nervously ran a hand through his thick, dark
hair, and grinned impishly. Helen’s heart fluttered at his smile.
Who is this girl? Peter Belden thought to himself, captivated by his
assailant. He looked down into the biggest, bluest eyes he had ever seen. Her
cheeks were flushed from the cold, and her lips were pink and full. “You’ve
still got some snow in your hair,” he whispered huskily. Without even thinking,
he reached out and tenderly stroked her sandy tresses. When his hand felt the
softness of her curls, it began trembling.
“Thanks,” Helen replied. She discreetly
studied the figure before her and tried to not “ooh and ahh”
out loud. The boy was, no, that wasn’t
right. The man before her was
tall, at least a couple of inches over six foot. His shoulders were broad, and
his arms were strong. His eyes were the deepest brown Helen had ever seen, and
his hair was even darker. Helen longed to run her fingers through its
thickness.
“Peter Belden,” the man said, sticking out his
right hand for her to shake.
“Helen Johnson,” she murmured, firmly grasping
Peter’s large hand with her smaller one. The moment their hands met, Helen was
sure she had been jolted by an electric current. Her heart pounded, and she
desperately hoped Peter could not hear the loud thumps coming from her chest.
Slightly dazed, Peter smiled and prayed his
hand was not sweaty. Never before had he been nervous around a girl. But
somehow, he knew this girl was
special. “A pleasure to meet you, Helen.”
Suddenly, a warning light flashed in his
brain, and a siren sounded. Helen
Johnson! The girl Andy supposedly
liked! Crap!
“I see you two have met,” Andy told them. His
arms were full of bags of popcorn and a drink holder containing sodas.
Peter nervously licked his lips. “Yeah, uh… I
didn’t realize this was Helen.”
“Hey, Andy,” Helen nervously greeted, a slight
smile parting her lips. “I wasn’t paying attention, as usual, and whacked your
brother with my elbow.”
Andy studied his brother and his friend. It
was obvious something had happened between the two of them. He could virtually
hear the electricity crackling between them. “You ready to go in, Helen?”
“Umm… I need to go to the restroom first. I’ll
just be a minute,” she stammered. Peter and Andy followed the rest of the group
into the darkened theater while Helen rushed to the small bathroom.
Once alone in the tiny restroom, Helen
splashed water on her face to try and calm her nerves. After drying it with a
paper towel, she dug in her handbag for her seldom-used make-up bag. What’s wrong with you? she wondered sensibly, practically smacking herself in the
face with her powder poof.
I’ve met the man of my
dreams! Romantic Helen thought.
No, you’ve met your
almost-boyfriend’s brother, Sensible Helen chided.
Andy has never even
asked me out, Romantic Helen corrected. I
don’t even know for sure that he likes me.
I thought you liked
Andy, Sensible
Helen reminded.
I do like Andy, Romantic Helen agreed.
But I don’t know if I like Andy only as a friend, or if I like him as more than
that.
You can’t like both of them in that way, Sensible Helen pointed
out.
I know, Romantic Helen conceded. Of course, I’ve never felt this
discombobulated by Andy. Just thinking of Peter makes my lips quiver,
my heart pound, and my knees knock.
A rap on the bathroom door brought Helen back
to reality. “You okay in there, Helen?” Carolyn asked.
“I’m fine,” Helen squeaked nervously. “Just touching up my make-up.”
“The movie is getting ready to start,” Carolyn
called.
“I’ll be there in a minute,” Helen promised.
Putting the compact back in her purse, she pulled out some lip-gloss. After applying
some subtle color to her lips, she zipped up her purse, and exited the
bathroom.
Helen entered the dark theater and found her
friends. She squeezed her way to the seat that Andy had saved for her.
“Thanks,” she whispered, settling in just as the movie began.
“Wanna hold the
popcorn?” he inquired quietly as to not disturb anyone else.
Helen shrugged. “Sure.”
“Mind if I share?” Helen looked up at the
person seated to her right and saw Peter’s grin. She smiled and moved the
popcorn closer to him.
Andrew sighed. A blind man could see the fumes from the pheromones
between Peter and Helen. Next time Peter
can bring his own popcorn, he thought miserably. I don’t like to share.
Later that night, at Crabapple Farm…
Andrew tossed and
turned, trying to get comfortable in his bed. Unfortunately, when his body
found a comfortable spot, his mind kept him awake.
“You awake, Andy?” Peter
questioned softly from his bed across the room.
“Yeah,” Andrew answered.
“I had fun tonight,”
Peter said.
“Me too,” Andrew lied.
“Helen sure is nice,”
Peter stammered. “Pretty, too.”
“I guess so,” Andrew
nonchalantly replied.
“You gonna
ask her to the Christmas dance?” Peter asked, holding his breath.
“Why?”
Though it was dark, and
his brother could not see, Peter shrugged. “Just curious.
I think you should ask her.”
Andrew furrowed his brow.
“Why do you care?”
“Well, Moms said you
liked her, and I want you to be happy.”
“I already told you that
I don’t like her, except as a friend,” Andrew hissed. “I’m gonna
ask Sarah Clark to the dance.”
“Oh.” Peter lay silently
for a minute. “Does Helen already have a date?”
“I don’t think so,”
Andrew answered honestly, fear gripping his heart.
“Would you mind if… I
mean, would it bother you if… do you think it would be okay if I asked her to go to the Christmas
dance… with me?” Peter stuttered.
Andrew closed his eyes
and tried to ignore his brother. Maybe if
I don’t say anything, he’ll think I fell asleep…
“Andy, are you asleep?”
Unable to lie, Andrew
muttered, “No, I’m awake.”
“Did you hear me, Andy?
Would it bother you if I asked Helen to the dance? ‘Cause
if it would make you mad, I won’t do it.”
Andrew swallowed the lump
in his throat. “Nah, I don’t care.”
“Are you sure? ‘Cause I
don’t wanna make you mad. If you like Helen, I won’t
ask her,” Peter told him, sensing his hesitation.
“Go for it, Pete,” Andrew
said, trying to keep his voice cheerful. “Helen’s a sweet girl. She deserves a
nice guy like you.”
“If you’re sure…”
“I’m sure,” Andrew
replied.
“She might not even say
yes,” Peter murmured. “She probably wouldn’t want to go with me.”
In spite of the
situation, Andrew smiled. Was Peter Belden actually
intimidated by a girl? If it had been
anyone other than Helen, Andrew would have found this situation highly amusing.
Unfortunately, it was Helen, so it
wasn’t very funny.
“She’ll say yes,” Andrew
said, more to himself really, than to Peter.
“Do you think?” Peter’s
voice held a vulnerable quality that it usually lacked.
“No, I know. Call her up
tomorrow, Pete. She’ll be thrilled you asked her to the dance.”
“All
right! You talked me into it,” Peter joked. “Thanks, Andy.”
“No problem, Pete.”
Within minutes, Andrew heard the steady breathing that told him his brother was
asleep. For hours, he lay there listening to his heart breaking in synch with
the gentle tick of the alarm clock. Helen would
say yes, no doubt about it…
Back to the future…
Why did I say I didn’t mind? Andrew asked himself
for the millionth time. Why didn’t I tell
him to stay away from my girl?
Because she wasn’t your girl, a tiny voice in the back of his mind said. You had countless opportunities to ask her
out, but you never did. You blew it!
As annoying as that little voice was, Andrew
knew it was right. Something inside him always held him back from asking Helen
out, all those years ago.
Andrew tenderly held the
picture of his brother and his family. Could
she have become my wife? he wondered. Would those have been my children?
His stare focused on Helen. Her smile was
genuine, no doubt about that. Peter’s right hand rested on her shoulder, gently
gripping his treasure securely. Helen had held his right hand with her left
one. Crossed her heart… Her expression was serene, contented, gratified.
And suddenly it all
became painfully clear. Helen ended up with Peter because that’s how it was supposed to be. Love at first sight,
destinies colliding, as fate would have it… All that lyrical
crap. Helen and Peter were meant
to fall in love and marry. And no matter how painful that thought still was to
Andrew, he had to face it.
Once again, Andrew looked
at the picture, but this time he focused on his nephews and his niece. They
were certainly growing up. Time flew. He had already lost one person he loved
by sitting around and doing nothing, and he did not want to lose four more.
Hesitantly, he snapped
off the radio and grabbed the phone. He dialed the familiar number and took a
deep breath. He almost lost his nerve as Helen’s sweet voice greeted him on the
other line.
“Helen? This is Andy…
Yeah, good to talk to you, too… I got the package today… I loved it… Those are
some great kids you and Pete have… Actually, that’s why I called… I have a
conference in
Author’s notes:
Thank you to my lovely editors, Kaye
and Kathy! The holidays are such a busy time, and I so appreciate you all
editing all my holiday stories! I didn’t give you much time, and you really
worked hard! Thank you both so much!
I always wondered why Uncle Andrew
never came to visit often. It was said that he was the Belden children’s
favorite uncle, but we don’t know why he moved so far away. So you know me. If
something bugs me, I have to write a solution. And this is what my warped
little mind came up with… unrequited love.
I don’t know if Harold’s wife was
actually named ‘Eleanor’, or if I am mixing fanfic
with reality again. But that name really stuck with me. That also goes for
Edward Lynch. I don’t know who first came up with those names, but they really
made an impact on me.
The Chimney Song is one of our
favorites. My dh plays it for the kids, and they
giggle and giggle. I thought I would include it. And just so you know, my 5
year old actually sang that “He’s makin’ a list and checkin’ for lice.” I busted a gut when I heard him sing
it. He had just learned about the plagues of
Thank you to Kaye for figuring up that
mileage for me. I’m sure she was wondering why I asked, especially since I just
added this during the final edits.
I had to make Helen a majorette. I was
one, so I thought I’d have Helen be one, too! J
Carolyn Lynch’s
legal last name was Wilson, but the books said she used her foster family’s
name, which I’ve made Hoffman. Ergo, I’ve referred to her as
Carolyn Wilson Hoffman.
I didn’t mean to make Peter out to be a
bad guy in this story. I kind of based it on real life. I was actually being
pursued by my dh’s best
friend before I met my dh. If his friend had asked me out, I would have said
yes. But he was dragging his feet. Then, I met Damon, and BOOM! Love at first
sight. He asked me out, and the rest is history. I know I made the right
decision, and I know Helen did, too. Sometimes fate just steps in and
intervenes.
This was a
A
non-traditional holiday song (Examples) –The Chimney Song on a tape sent to
Andrew
An
ornament or decoration made by a character in elementary school –Bobby’s gift to Andrew
A cold – Mary’s threat that Andrew, Hank, and
Ben will catch “their death of one”
A
holiday drink –hot
cocoa that Andrew drinks
A baby
in a Santa Suit – one
on the card from the Beldens
A
holiday TV show or movie (This can be a quote, a title or a mention of the
program) – “A
Christmas Story” the movie that they see at The Cameo
A
reindeer, plastic or real –on Santa’s boxer shorts
Creative
use of a candy cane –
what the teenagers did. I don’t know what it was, but according to Mary Gorman,
it was REALLY bad! J
A
holiday scented candle
–pine-scented one from Trixie
A
flashing Santa saying "Santa comes but once a year." (This does NOT
have to be sexual and you CAN be creative. *g*) – Rivervale
community building decoration
A
carryover item from a previous CWP or a carryover item from EACH of
the previous CWPs. –a storm from #5 (the approaching snowstorm)
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