A Christmas Story

Christmas is not such a good time for me ... it's too easy to recall good times with kids I will never see again ... so I decided that it was time to change the way I was thinking

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He sighed as he hit the 'Pay Now' button and waited for the confirmation that payment had been received. At last, after ten years it was done ... the last payment from the last account owing from the mess that she had left him in ten years ago was paid.

Ten years ago she had disappeared with the kids and all his money and left him shattered. He had arrived home to find the house empty of everything his favourite armchair, the bed they had shared for the last 12 years and the answering machine that had just one message on it.

"Hello Daddy, this is April, James and I don't want you for a Daddy anymore because you make Mommy cry. We have a new Daddy now who makes Mommy laugh and buys us lots of nice things, so we don't need you anymore."

It wasn't till 9am the next day ... when he pulled himself together and made himself go back to the office and do the Christmas pays for his 15 staff ... that he realised that things were a lot worse than he could have imagined.

Carrie did all the bookwork for the business, she did all the deposits, wrote all the checks, paid all the bills ... and withdrew all the money in their joint and business accounts before she had walked out.

She had taken all their money but left him with at least 2 months of unpaid bills and 15 staff who needed to be paid. He could understand her taking the money ... at a stretch he could understand why she hadn't paid of the bills for two months ... but leaving nothing to pay their work crews?

How could she do it? Some of the wives ... and the guys on those crews were her friends. How could she steal from them?

He had spent the best part of 24 hours pleading, begging, grovelling and signing his life away but by 5pm on Christmas Eve his five work crews had been paid and he had made promises and guarantees that all the unpaid accounts would be paid too.

He would be damned if he would let her screw him like that. Even his father told him that he was crazy ... he should just file for bankruptcy and be done with it ... he wouldn't lose the house because his parents owned it ... but the old man's son was just as stubborn as the old man.

He wouldn't knowingly screw anyone out of as much as a dime ... he would repay the money people were owed ... he would get his taxes paid ... and one day he would make the final payment on all that mess.

And today he had done it. It had taken ten years of his life ... but he had done it. He knew that he should feel elated ... happy ... maybe even a little euphoric ... but all he felt was flat.

There was no one to share the happiness with ... no one to celebrate with ... there had been no one for the last ten years. Dan Grady had never been anything but a solid worker and family man ... he didn't spend time in bars ... he didn't go drinking with the boys ... he came home to his wife and kids every night until the night they were no longer there.

He looked around the yard ... all five crews were back ... their trucks and equipment neatly parked and ready to head out after Christmas and the guys were paid and on their way home to their loved ones.

It was time for him to go home too ... but first there was some grocery shopping to be done. He locked the office and then the yard and pulled out into the traffic. He was driving the same old truck he had been driving ten years ago ... maybe in a few more months he might buy himself a new one ... once he could pay cash for it.

The grocery store was full of people who seemed to lack the Christmas spirit but Dan guided his trolley through the crowds without antagonising anyone. He even found a checkout with just one person waiting for her few items to be put through by the operator.

He couldn't help noticing how drawn and thin the woman looked ... even her clothes didn't fit her well and looked a little shabby. She had a little boy and a little girl with her and they weren't the picture of health either. The boy obviously had a cold and the girl just looked miserable despite it being the happiest time of year.

He almost laughed out loud at that thought ... the happiest time of year had been the worst day of his life every year for ten years ... and would go on being so for the rest of his life. Sure, the pain associated with the loss of his kids two days before Christmas had dulled a little but he still struggled to get through the lead up to Christmas without crying ... and Christmas Day was the worst day of all.

"Hey Dan, Merry Christmas!" He looked around and smiled when he saw Madonna and Angelo standing in line behind him. Angelo was one of his crew chiefs ... a big dependable, honest and hardworking guy who matched Dan's 6ft 3inches, while Madonna was Angelo's shorter, rounder, always happy wife.

For years after Carrie had left these two had tried to coax him round to their place for Christmas lunch but he had always found an excuse not to go. Now they had given up asking but Madonna kept making sure that Dan was OK.

"Merry Christmas to two of my really favourite people," Dan grinned.

"Two of your really favourite people?" Madonna asked, "Then how come you never have Christmas lunch with us?"

'Oh boy ... I really led with my chin,' Dan thought.

He was about to reply when, "MOMMY!" Everyone could hear the fear and anguish in the little girl's cry and when Dan swung round, he could see why. The woman who had been standing at the checkout was now lying on the ground barely moving and the two children were standing there looking at her with no idea what to do.

Both Dan and Madonna pushed their shopping trolleys aside and went to the aid of the woman on the ground while Angela tried to calm the young checkout operator who was sure that he would get the blame for whatever had caused that woman to fall over.

"Don't try and move her Dan ... let me check her first," Madonna had that calm authoritative voice of someone used to emergencies like this and Dan let her take the lead. He knew she had years of training and experience as an ER nurse so he wasn't about to argue with her.

As he watched she calmly spoke to the woman and kept her settled till she was sure that the woman wasn't injured when she fell. When Dan was sure that everything was under control he looked up at the checkout operator.

"I don't know man ... she just ... her card was declined and ... she just fainted man ... I didn't do anything I swear."

Dan didn't hesitate, he whipped out his credit card and gave it to Angelo, "Man, we're not blaming you for anything ... my friend has my credit card and he will pay for her things and then run mine through too please."

By that stage the store manager had arrived and he and Madonna had moved the woman to a seat a little way from the checkouts and the two little children had followed.

Once the payment had gone through Dan took the bag with the woman's few things in it over to her and arrived just as the store manager was telling her than an ambulance was on the way.

"Oh no," she wailed, "I can't afford to go to hospital ... I'll be OK ... really I will." She tried to push herself up but quickly fell back into the chair.

Madonna looked up at Dan and he nodded, "Did you drive here Meg?" she asked the woman.

"Yes, my car is outside ... I'll be fine ... really I will."

"Meg, "I'm an ER nurse and you are definitely not well enough to drive. However, if the ambulance crew say that you are well enough to go home, I'll drive you home in your car while this guy ... my husband's boss ... will follow us so he can drive me home.

"How does that sound?"

"OK I guess ..."

Madonna then excused herself and took Dan by the arm and led him a few steps away.

"Dan, her name is Meg Johnson and from her general appearance and the way the kids look I will be very surprised if I find much in the way of food in her place."

"Is she a druggie?" Dan asked quietly.

"Hmm ... maybe ... but I see no signs of that. I just think that she is struggling to survive and something happened just now totally floored her."

Dan explained that her card had been declined and Madonna smiled grimly, "She was expecting some money to be in there and, when there wasn't, it got all too much for her."

She went back to the woman, "Were you expecting some money to be in your account Meg?"

"I was," she said so quietly that it was hard to hear her and she began to weep, "my ex boyfriend said that he would put some money in the account for Christmas ... I didn't think that he wouldn't ... he knew that I had no money and I needed to feed the kids.

"I don't know what I'm going to do now."

"The few things you bought have been paid for ... and you don't have to worry ... we will look after you."

"We?" the woman asked weakly.

"Yup ... me, my great lump of a husband and his boss ... we will get you through this."

Just then the paramedics arrived and after a quick, but thorough check, they suggested taking the woman to hospital ... but she wouldn't go.

"No ... no ... I don't want to," she wailed, "I can't afford hospital and who will look after my children ... NO ... I am not going!"

Madonna and the paramedics exchanged a few words before they packed up their gear and left. A few minutes later Madonna, the woman and her two children left in the woman's car while Angelo took Dan's groceries back to Dan's place and Dan followed Madonna.

It wasn't far and Dan wasn't surprised to see that the woman and her family were living in rather poor conditions ... perhaps the best that could be said for their house was that it was still standing..

He followed them into the house and found that, while it was neat and clean, it really was only one step above being condemned. Madonna got the kids to watch TV while she introduced Meg to Dan and then, while Meg was in the bathroom, she dragged Dan into the kitchen.

"Dan, you have to do something! That car is a death trap ... the brakes are bad ... I swear that there is an exhaust leak into the cabin and when I turned the wheel to the left and the car started moving to the right.

"And look," she said as she started opening cupboard doors, "there's no food in the house ... and can you feel any warmth?"

When Meg came out to the kitchen Dan looked at her and then at Madonna. "Meg, can you cook?"

Chapter 2

Dan had gradually replaced all the furniture that Carrie had taken so there were no problems with beds etc. but he wasn't much of a housekeeper so, while most things were relatively clean, Meg was horrified at the state the house was in.

"How long did you say you have been living here by yourself?" The house was open plan and she was standing in the middle of the combination living room, dining room and kitchen and Dan knew that she was already making a list of all the things she needed to do.

"Ten years tomorrow."

"Is that when you moved in?"

"No, that's when my wife and kids moved out."

"Oh ..." an awkward moment was averted by the doorbell and by the time the pizza was on the table all thought of anything but food had gone from Meg's brain.

Dan sat back and watched them eat and it was obvious that they had been living on short rations for some time, but Meg wasn't so focused on the pizza that she missed Dan rubbing his eyes and when he suddenly got up and walked out of the room she followed as far as the start of the hallway From there she couldn't see into the master bedroom but she could hear and she recognised the sound coming from the master bedroom.

He was crying.

"Hey, I thought I was going to be the cook here?" Meg tried to glare at him but her hair kept falling over her eyes.

"Oh I just thought that I would ease you into your new job," Dan smiled. He wasn't much of a cook, but he could do a mean scrambled eggs and bacon and Meg's two children were not complaining.

"And what are you easing me into if you're cooking breakfast?"

"Well, straight after breakfast I thought we might go shopping for a few more groceries ... you know ... Christmassy stuff ... like a turkey and a ham? I don't usually worry about that stuff for Christmas when I'm here by myself."

"Turkey? OH YUM! Will it be like Granma used to make?" Henry was so excited he was bouncing up and down in his seat.

"I don't know Henry ... you will have to ask your mother."

He smiled at Meg and went off to make a couple of phone calls.

The shopping turned out to be fun ... but then it had always been fun when he shopped with Carrie and the kids and he had missed it when she left. And doing the shopping with Meg showed Dan that Meg really knew her stuffing when it came to cooking.

They were just turning into the driveway when Meg suddenly grabbed Dan's arm, "Dan my car has gone! What has happened to my car?"

She was crying before he could stop and explain, "Please Meg ... don't cry ... I called a friend who is a mechanic this morning to take your car away and see what needs to be done to repair it. Poor Madonna nearly had a heart attack last night when she put her foot on the brake and discovered how bad your brakes are.

"Roger is going to look at it today and he'll let me know next week ... in the meantime he had this old Toyota out the back of the workshop and he says that you can drive around in it till you make a decision about your old one."

He went to the mailbox and retrieved the car key that had been dropped there ... and handed it to Meg. While she and the kids checked out the car Dan carried the groceries into the kitchen and was putting them away when Meg came in.

Meg stopped and took a quick look around the living room and felt incredibly sad. It was Christmas Eve and there was no Christmas Tree and no presents under it ... none of the things her kids should have been enjoying ... but at least she and the kids were warm and safe and that was a foundation she could build something on for her kids.

She switched off the light and walked quietly down the hallway to her bedroom. It was right across the hallway from the master bedroom, and for a moment, she paused. Why had Dan taken them in? Was he really that generous and willing to create a job for her or was he going to come on to her once they were was settled?

Why had his wife walked out ten years ago and why had he never remarried? Surely, he must have dated in that time so why was he still on his own?

She had gone in and tidied his bedroom first thing that morning ... and had poked around a little. There were no signs of condoms or anything like that and nothing that would suggest there was a woman in his life. There were no magazines or books and there wasn't even a TV in the bedroom ... it just seemed strange to her.

It was his bedroom in his home but it seemed so cold and impersonal.

But there was no doubt that her gut was telling her that she and the kids were safe here ... at least Sean wouldn't be able to find them ... and she did have an income of sorts. It wasn't going to be much, but it might at least pay to get her car fixed and she would have money to buy something for the kids.

She left her door open ... not as any sort of invitation but because the kids had been sleeping badly for weeks and she didn't want to miss their cries and find that they had woken Dan.

Dan! Had he heard that noise? It was only faint but ... it didn't even sound like one of the kids ... then she heard the front door and soft voices. There was a hint of light coming down the hallway from the front of the house ... a thump as something hit the ground ... and more voices.

Meg slipped out of bed and quietly crept down the hallway ... to see what was going on?

She would have to peer around a corner to see what was going on and when she did her eyes nearly fell out of her head. There were three men and two women in the room ... she knew Dan and she recognised Madonna and her husband ... but, with only one lamp on in the room it was a bit hard to see if she recognised the others.

But then she didn't care if she recognised them or not because she had suddenly realised what they were all doing. The men were standing back and admiring their handiwork ... while the women were just moving in to start decorating the Christmas tree the guys had just got settled in a big tub.

"You picked a great looking tree there Bill."

"Thanks Boss ... there weren't many left to choose from but this one seemed to have you name on it."

"You really are a big softy Dan," Madonna chuckled, "I told Angelo last night that you wouldn't want Meg's kids to miss out on Christmas."

Meg could hardly believe what she was seeing. It was late at night and these people had all got together to do something for two kids they didn't even know?

"Hey Kate, what did you do with that eggnog you brought?"

"Trust you Bill," the woman that Meg didn't know laughed, "it's on the bench next to the fridge ... just pop it in the microwave for about a minute and then stir it up and pour everyone a cup."

Dan followed the man called 'Bill' into the kitchen and came back with some cups and began handing them out just as the microwave dinged. There was a rattle as he stirred the eggnog and then Bill came out with the jug of eggnog and began pouring it into the cups the others were holding.

"Ah ... may I have a cup too please?"

Everyone looked at Meg and she blushed, "I'm sorry I ..." but before she could finish Madonna had her arm around her shoulders and was leading her into the room ... and that was when Meg realised that all she was wearing was an old t-shirt.

'Oh no ... what will they all think? I've probably embarrassed Dan and ...' she was about to pull away and flee the room but before she could a cup was thrust into her hand and the guy with the jug was pouring some into her cup.

"Meg ... we want you to meet Kate and Bill. Bill is another one of Dan's crew chiefs."

Hands were shaken, air kisses were exchanged, and Meg was pulled into the conversation as if she had known them all for years. Two cups of eggnog later Meg was feeling pretty mellow so she didn't object when Madonna put her arm around Meg's shoulder and began guiding her towards the hallway.

"It's getting late and we've got another surprise to set up that you mustn't see yet ... so maybe it's time for bed ... oh and by the way ... you are looking so much better than you looked yesterday."

Chapter 3

"MOMMY... MOMMY ... SANTA HAS BEEN ... COME AND LOOK"

Meg was instantly awake ... afraid of what Dan might say now that her daughter had woken the whole house with her cries.

She flew out of bed and scooped her daughter up in her arms, "Shh ... shh ... you will wake everyone up."

"BUT MOMMY SANTA HAS BEEN AND LEFT US LOTS OF PRESENTS!"

Meg didn't know what to do ... or what her daughter was talking about ... but the bedroom door across the hallway was opening and she was sure that Dan was going to yell at them for waking him up.

"Hey, you two ... Merry Christmas!" Meg couldn't believe it ... he was laughing and smiling ... but she saw sadness in his eyes too.

"Oh Dan ... I am so sorry ... I'll put her back to bed and ..."

"Why?" he laughed, "It's Christmas Day and Santa has been ... let's go and see what he has left you."

He shooed them down the hall and when they got to the living room there was Henry, sitting with his eyes wide in wonder at the tree and the presents underneath the tree.

"Mommy, Santa did find us .... I knew he would."

Meg looked over at Dan and saw the smile ... and the sadness ... and she put her daughter down and wrapped her arms around him and kissed him hard ... on the cheek.

She was instantly embarrassed as he reached up and touched the place where she had kissed him.

"I ... I'm sorry Dan ... I just ... I just had to do that."