Mary and Alvin Ch. 30

The family stood, mesmerized by the shimmering light, each lost in their own thoughts. Mary was surprised to find tears on her cheeks. When the aurora began to fade, she felt a momentary sense of profound loss, but also a deep gratitude that she had seen such a miracle.

When the last green glimmer was gone, they stood for a moment in silence. Finally, Danni wrapped her arm around Bonita's shoulders. "Let's get inside and warm up," she said.

"See you all in the morning," Alvin said.

"Merry Christmas," Jennifer called over her shoulder as they headed down the lane to their house.

Charlotte and Seth climbed the steps to the porch. "As long as we are all up, how about a nightcap?" Charlotte asked. "I could use a cup of that eggnog."

"Sure," Alvin said as he followed them, but Mary felt a tug on her sleeve and looked down to see Hannah holding her arm.

"What is it, baby?" she asked.

Hannah wrapped her arms around her and buried her head against her chest. Mary hugged her and kissed her head. "Is everything okay, sweetheart?"

"I love you, Mama," Hannah said, "I really, really love you."

"I love you, too," Mary said. Alvin stood by the door and opened it for them. He looked at Mary with a puzzled expression, but she just smiled back at him.

Charlotte and Seth came out of the kitchen with four mugs of eggnog. "Hannah, honey," she asked, "Did you want some?"

Hannah shook her head. They all went to the living room, but stopped in the entranceway.

The living room floor was strewn with torn wrapping paper and empty boxes. In the middle of the mess, Alvy sat, playing with a brand new toy truck. He looked up with a broad smile and said, "Look everybody, Santa came already!"

***

Thirty years later...

Jasmin stood in the doorway and clapped her hands. "Come on muffin," she said, "if you don't get to bed Santa won't come."

"I want to sit with Grandma," Christopher said.

"Do as your mom says," Alvin told him, coming up behind his wife.

"Santa won't come until later," the boy protested.

Charlotte hugged the little boy in her lap. "You know, sweetie, that's not true. Sometimes Santa comes earlier than you would ever expect."

"Really?"

"Yes," Charlotte said. "One time when your daddy was only a little bit older than you, we went to my father's house in Maine for Christmas. But I made sure Santa Claus knew that we would be there, so he wouldn't miss us. And do you know what happened that night?

Christopher shook his head. Charlotte looked up and saw a smile on Alvin's face.

"Do you know what the northern lights are?" she asked Christopher.

When he said no, she continued. "Sometimes, when things happen just right, the night sky will light up in beautiful colors. Usually you can only see it in the winter and mostly just if you live way up in the north, like where I grew up. So on that Christmas Eve, the lights came and we all went outside to look at them. Everybody except your daddy, who was sound asleep."

"Why didn't you wake him up to see them?"

"Because I was afraid that if I did that he would not be able to go back to sleep and Santa wouldn't come."

"Daddy, did you ever see the lights?"

"I saw them several times when I was in the Air Force, buddy," Alvin told him.

"I've never seen them," Jasmin said, "they must have been very beautiful."

"They were," Charlotte said. She stroked Christopher's head. "They were so beautiful that we couldn't stop looking at them. And none of us saw Santa come. But your daddy woke up and came down the stairs and saw that he had already been there."

Alvin laughed. "I opened all my presents while everybody was still outside."

"You opened everyone's presents," Charlotte said.

Christopher laughed at his father. "Yeah, I did," Alvin said.

"So you see," Charlotte told the boy, "Santa might come earlier than you think, so your mama is right, you better get to bed."

Christopher hugged her and kissed her. "I love you, Grandma."

"I love you too, sweetheart. I'll see you in the morning."

He hopped off her lap and Jasmin took him by the hand and led him to his bed.

Charlotte stared at the twinkling lights on the Christmas tree.

"Everything okay, Mom?" Alvin asked.

Charlotte did not answer at first. Her mind was elsewhere; in the dooryard in Maine. She had never seen the northern lights again. But it was not the shimmering sky she remembered. When she thought back to that Christmas Eve, what she remembered most clearly was the moment when she had turned and looked at the faces, at her steadfast husband, and at Jennifer and at Mary, at Danni and Hannah and Bonita. Above all, she remembered her father's face in that moment. The light in the sky could not compare to the beauty of its reflection in the eyes of those she loved so much.

"Mom?" Alvin asked again.

"Yes, darling," she said with a smile, "It's Christmas time and the world is filled with wonders."