Christmas in Cincinnati

The apartment door apartment was left open. Kris looked up to see Asha standing in the doorway. He immediately jumped up and ran over to her, giving up his prime couch spot. He tripped as he got to her. He asked; "Any chance you have a splint?"

"Um no, why?"

"Because I think I just broke my leg falling for you?"

Asha laughed and answered back: "Well be thankful I did not break your heart."

"Whoo man she took you down there Kris!" Doug said as he walked up to them. "Asha I am glad you could come. You remember my friend and co-worker Kris. Let me introduce you to everyone else."

Meeting a bunch of new people can be nerve-wracking. Doing it alone brings that tension level up. Asha was doing just that, in a city, she had just moved to. She had been nervous that she would have nothing in common with anyone. Nervous she would be standing by herself the whole time. She soon found that there was nothing to worry about. Everyone was friendly and welcoming.

After a while, she saw Kris go to the kitchen, so she moved that way. As they arrived she said; "Santa could you get me another beer please?"

With a smirk, he grabbed a Hudepohl, opened it and handed it to her. "There you go, and you didn't even have to sit in my lap."

They both laughed as they tapped their bottles together.

For the next hour or so they talked. Asha told the story of how she got here. Like Doug, Kris was very impressed. He learned that her first name, Asha, translated into hope and desire. Also that her last name Kayo meant beautiful. He thought to himself that was completely appropriate. She was very beautiful and definitely stirred hope and desire in him.

Asha's first impression of Kris was that he was a goof, but as they talked she learned there was much more to him. He explained how he and Doug met and how they came to work together. She learned that he was a track and field runner in college. He had been good at it, even competed at the national level.

She found him attractive as well. He was six foot tall and in good shape. He had a mop of red-brown hair. His work in the pattern shop gave him strong skilled hands. The fact that he was witty and could make her laugh gave him an additional layer of charm.

Asha asked him: "So do you still run?"

"Yes, every chance I get."

"That is cool. I used to run but I have not in six months or so. I was thinking I might get back into it."

"Hey, I know a bunch of great routes. How about we go together?"

"Well, I never competed or anything like that. I would not want to slow you down."

"You took care of that when I broke my leg falling for you remember. How fast can I be?"

Asha laughed. "Right I forgot about that. The odds will be even. Ok sure, I am in."

The party continued and a good time was had by all. Everyone enjoyed the tasty food, intoxicating beverages, and fun company. The fact that the Bengals won 27-7, made the event seem like an early Christmas gift.

As the party was breaking up Connie caught Doug alone in the kitchen. "Doug we did not get a chance to finish our talk. I think you are so sweet and thoughtful with your concerns about Lisa. She's such a lucky girl to have you. But take it from a woman who has been married for 10 years and with her man for 13 years. When you ask someone to share their life with you, there is going to be sacrifice, on both your parts. The first one might be hers, but the next five could be yours. You will work it out. Just don't not try because you are afraid of that first sacrifice."

Doug knew Connie was right. He could not let fear get between him and Lisa.

***

It was just about sunset on Tuesday, December 6th when Asha met up with Kris in Eden Park. Kris had been there first. As Asha walked up he smirked and said; "Did you just come from the dermatologist?"

Rolling her eyes at his playful directness she answered; "No. Why?"

"Because you have a beauty breakout all over your face."

"Ha ha there mister. That is a good one. So are you going to just throw zingers at me or are you going to show me how to run?"

They had a good run through the park. The air was cold and the smell of the pine trees was strong. It was not a hard pace so they were able to talk to each other. As they admired the park they learned that they both liked the outdoors. They both enjoyed camping and had a love of wildlife.

At the end of the run, they walked a cool down lap. Kris said; "You are very good. Are you sure you have never competed."

"Yes, I am sure. In my family, the only sport you did was Tae Chi. I only started running because it gave me an excuse to be outside. That is one of the reasons I like my job so much, I am outside most of the time."

"I see. So you know Tae Chi?"

"Yeah, I have been doing it all my life. It is a great way to stay fit and flexible."

"I've always wanted to try that."

"Well I would teach you but my dermatologist says it would not be good for my breakouts."

***

As Doug arrived home in the late evening of Wednesday, December 7th. He found a red envelope in his mailbox. His name and address was Lisa's beautiful penmanship and it had a cute gingerbread Santa stamp on it. With a smirk on his face, he slipped it into his chest pocket and went up to his apartment.

Once he got settled in at home, he opened a beer and sat on the couch with the envelope. Inside was a bottom opening card that had a picture of a winking Santa. He opened it and read Lisa's message.

'Doug, by the time you get this, it will be less than two weeks until we're together. The time cannot go by fast enough! I can't stop thinking about this. Not thinking, more like lusting and aching!! Lusting about you kissing my neck. Aching for the feel of your hands on my naked back and bare hips. Lusting to make you moan. Aching to wrap your arms around me. I am wanting our intimacy to be like that first night I was snowed in at your place. But I also want our playful stuff too. It is sooo good we will have time for both. I am dripping with anticipation. All my Love, Lisa'

When Doug was done reading he took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. He took a long sip of his beer and read the card again. He read it fourteen times that night.

***

Sunrise of Thursday, December 8th, Asha was waiting at the steps of a building at the University of Cincinnati. Kris walked up and with a very serious look and stared into her dark brown eyes.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"I think you have something in your eye. Oh, wait it is just a twinkle."

She surprised herself at how funny she found this latest zinger. Cheesy come on lines usually come out of sleazy men. This was not the case with Kris. He liked her that was for sure. But he was not aggressive about it. He seemed to enjoy chasing as much as she enjoyed being chased.

With that thought, she made it a literal chase. "Ok well, that twinkle is coming from some shooting stars." And she took off running.

He chased her for a while, then caught up and they slowed to an even pace. This was Asha's first time on the campus and she thought it was great. The buildings were a mix of gothic architecture, stone, and art-deco designs. All had their own twist of Christmas decorations on them. The route wandered through campus, nearby Burnet Woods, along the Cincinnati Zoo, as well as some botanical gardens.

On this run, the two continued to get know each other. They learned that they both had sisters and that they grew up with similar family values. While they both were interested in settling down eventually, they wanted to live their twenties as if they were on an adventure.

After a cool down lap, they needed something to drink. There was a street vendor selling an assortment of breakfast food and drinks. They passed a homeless man sleeping on a bench as they walked up the cart. Doug bought a drink for each of them, then ordered a breakfast sandwich and a third drink.

Asha was surprised that he bought the food. That was not something ordinarily done after a run. He also did not offer to buy her anything. He had never acted like that before. She wondered if Kris was showing a new side of himself. Sure enough, he was.

Kris walked away from her to the man on the bench. He handed him the breakfast sandwich and third drink. He did not wait for thanks from the man just started walking back to Asha. The ease at which he performed this kind act indicated that he had done it before. The look on his face was plain. He was not looking for praise from her. She could tell this was not an attempt to impress her. This was who he was.

As Kris got within arm's reach, she grabbed his running jacket, pulled him close and kissed him.

***

Mid-morning of Friday, Dec 9th, Lisa walked into the kitchen of her home. She was carrying a square banker's box. As soon as the door shut behind her the phone started ringing. She put the box down and picked up. On the other end was Donna.

"Oh, Lisa I did not think I would get you. I figured you would be at work and I would leave a message with your mom."

"Well, now you have got me because I have no work to be at."

"What do you mean?" Donna asked with concern.

"I just lost my job."

"Oh no, what happened?"

Lisa went on to explain the circumstances. She had an office job with a heating and cooling company. Representatives from the Heating & Ventilating Contractors' Association and the National Workers Union had just agreed to a twenty percent pay rise for all specialist pipefitters. This left the company she worked for with a payroll deficit. To compensate they let several of the office staff go.

Donna had a thought that would cheer Lisa up. "Hey, now there is nothing stopping you from moving in with Doug. You are done with school and now you have no job. You can go out there and be with him."

Lisa got choked up, half upset and half angry. "No, I can't do that. I've worked really hard to be able to make it on my own. I can't just move in with him with nothing. He means a lot to me and I don't want to screw it up by being a charity case that he has to take care of."

Donna could tell the conversation was falling fast. She made one more attempt to cheer her up. "Lisa that is not a permanent situation and Doug would know that. You could get a job out there and then pay him back."

"Yeah, how long is that going to take? I would feel awful that entire time and who knows what would happen. If I can't be with Doug on my own two feet I don't know if I can be with Doug."

At that point, Donna knew to cut her losses and change the subject fast. "The original reason I was calling you was that I am up for an early placement job. It is a job that they would hire me for the summer, then let me finish my last year and start full time after I graduate. The job is in Cincinnati. Wouldn't that be terrific if I got it? All of us could be living out there."

This information did cheer Lisa up. The idea of living in the same city with Doug and Donna was way better than the reality she was in now. They talked for a few minutes more before Donna needed to leave to catch a class.

There were eleven days until Lisa would be with Doug for Christmas. She knew she should be excited, but she felt sadness. She wanted to be Doug's partner, in love and in life. She could not be his partner if she could not contribute her fair share. Now that she was broke and out of a job, that reality seemed very far away. She couldn't help but feel like she had failed at something. She then added to that feeling by thinking maybe she would fail at this relationship thing too.

***

On the night of Saturday, December 10th, Kris was waiting for Asha not far from the river. It had snowed that mid-afternoon into the evening. There was about four inches blanketing everything. Asha was working a noon to eight shift, thus why they were running at night. He noticed her walking towards him. He was excited to see her.

That excitement froze colder than the snow on the ground when he saw the look on her face. Her brow was wrinkled with tension. Her normally soft eyes were scornful and her pretty mouth was in a bent frown. He had never seen her like this and he knew he needed to tread lightly. As she got to him she said; "You ready, ok good, let's go." And she took off running.

Kris paced up to and then alongside her. There was anger and aggression in her run. This went on for a few minutes before he worked up the nerve to speak. "You want to tell me what's wrong or are you planning on running all over the city using the heat of your anger to melt the snow. Cause that would be a good idea. I think the city would actually pay you to do that."

That put a smile onto Asha's face. She had no defense for this guy's humor. She broke her silence and said; "It's the racist, sexist terminal boss that was on today. We were on snow protocols. The lead on that was supposed to be my responsibility. He took it from me and gave it to a guy with less experience. He said it was because I was from California and I did not know what snow was. That's bullshit. He just doesn't like that I am a woman and from Asia."

Kris listened intently, after a few more strides he offered up; "Yeah guys like that get a kick out of pushing people down. It hurts for sure, the only thing you can do is smile while you're hurting. You know, never giving them the satisfaction of seeing you down. You are very good at what you do. If you weren't they would not have moved you out here. I am sure they see that. Won't be long before that guy is working for you."

What he had said was simple, truthful logic with a dash of compliment. It was what Asha needed. Having someone to talk to made her feel better. Hearing him respond in such a positive way allowed her to release the anger she had felt. "Thanks, that helps."

"Yeah I figured I would give it a shot and I missed that was ok. You are pretty cute when you're all fired up." That got him a slap on the arm. "Turn here, this will help you leave your troubles behind."

They turned onto a paved path that ran along the river. It was more like a path that went through a Christmas wonderland. On their right was a park filled with trees lite with white lights. To their left was the river and across from that, the buildings of downtown. These building glowed with red, green and blue lights. The glow was reflected in the river water. The snow had chased most of the people away and they had the park to themselves. It also softened the sounds of the city.

It was a scene Asha had never experienced before. It washed all of her stress away and filled her with calm. She realized that if Kris had not told her to make the turn she would have kept going down the plain city street. She would have run right by this beautiful vista. She was starting to think that this goof could be the real deal.

Kris broke the silence. "Hey, I have something to ask you?"

"Yeah what?"

"I know it is short notice. My company Christmas party is on the 23rd. I was wondering if you would go with me."

Asha smiled; "Sure I would. And by the way, you are pretty cute when you ask a serious question."

***

It was about 10 am on Monday, December 19th when the owner of Bailey Toys, Herb Gippord, called a meeting. All of the critical decision makers and department heads were to assemble in the large conference room. Doug and Connie were already sitting next to each other when Kris joined them. About thirty more people settled into the room before Herb came in with Janet, the company lawyer. Herb looked distressed as he started talking; "Thank you all for coming. Unfortunately, I have some concerning news to share with all of you."

Herb went on to explain the situation. Bailey had been visited by an attorney from the publisher of the Zencar Chronicles, Anderson Books. Anderson was purchased by a bigger publisher, Kay Publishing, on the previous Friday. The deal was going to be made to the public in a few days.

This should have been good news. Kay Publishing had an international distribution and a bigger talent pool. This meant more Zencar books, reaching a larger audience, which would mean more toys.

Then the bad news hit. Kay had a standing agreement with a competing toy company for toys based on their properties. There was a good chance that this agreement would nullify the deal Bailey had with Anderson. If that was the case, all the pre-orders would need to be canceled, and all of the retailer's money would need to be returned. It also meant there would be no employee percentage payouts.

Janet stepped in and said. "We are hoping that it will not come to that. I have a meeting with the legal team at Kay on Friday. With any luck, we will be able to work something out."

Herb added. "I know that is an awful thing to hear at Christmas. But please everyone don't let this get you down. We were a successful toy company before Zencar came along. That won't change if this deal falls apart. We are still going to have the company Christmas party. Please pass along the development to your teams. Thank you all for coming."

As the meeting broke up there was lots of scuttlebutt. Kris turned to Connie and Doug; "Things are going to be way worse than no percentage payouts."

Doug was confused; "What do you mean?"

"Well, the old man went out on a long, high limb with this deal. If that limb breaks it's a long, hard fall."

Connie looked very concerned and added; "Kris is right. Herb spent almost all of the pre-order money. If he has to return it, that comes out of cash reserves. I am sure he does not have enough to cover it. Then what does he pay us with? He could sell the new buildings and equipment but that would take time and be at a loss."

The impact hit Doug hard. "So if this falls through..."

"We are all out of a job." Kris stated frankly.

***

It was about 5 pm on Tuesday, December 20th. Doug was waiting at gate 6 of the Greater Cincinnati Airport. He knew he should be happy but he was stressed. The bombshell news was completely unexpected. He bought Lisa a ring because he wanted to marry her. But without the percentage payout, he would have to make monthly payments. If he lost his job, then how could he make monthly payments? What was he to do? Not ask her and return the ring? He did not want to do that, he wanted to marry her. He was still concerned with what her answer would be. Would she move out here for just him? He did not know the answers to these questions and he did not know what to do.

A few minutes' later people started filing off the plane. Doug saw Lisa before she saw him. The short, attractive girl, with thick glasses, was easy to pick out in a crowd. She was wearing a dark blue turtleneck sweater with a matching skirt. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. In that instant, all of his worries washed away and he giggled to himself with excitement.

Less than a minute later Lisa did notice him. He was about 20 feet from with a big, genuine grin on his face. She started running. As she got to him, she did a little hop, squealed, then jumped into him. Her arms wrapped around his neck, her legs around his waist. He reflexively wrapped his arms around her torso to catch her.

They squeezed each other tightly for what seemed like forever. All of the stress they had experienced in the last week, all of the anticipation, all of the time apart, they were literally squeezing all of that out of each other.

The next few minutes were a blur. Doug let Lisa down, they kissed, they hugged, they kissed some more. They said loving terms of endearment to each other. Both were overcome with the joy of being together.

They made their way to the baggage claim. The plane had not started unloading luggage yet, so they waited, enjoying each other's company. They were staring into each other's eyes vaguely aware of Bing Crosby's White Christmas playing in the background. Both were pulled out of the moment when they heard someone ask; "Doug?"