Christmas Lights Read online

  “So,” she began awkwardly ignoring the freezing temperature. “Where do you live?”

  “Oh, in the neighborhood,” Natalie answered, waving her arms wildly in opposite directions.

  Victoria nodded. Natalie was cute.

  “With your mom and your dad?” Victoria realized that she had no idea how to talk to a teenager.

  “Oh, yeahhhhhhh,” she oozed in the singsong manner Victoria liked. “Yeah, with both of them.” The words rushed out. “I mean, they’re not divorced or anything. I mean, I don’t know why.” She shrugged, furrowing her brow. “Everyone is.”

  Victoria stifled a laugh, deciding that Natalie came from a happy home. “Well, good for them,” she said with a touch of sarcasm. “Do your relatives come for the holiday?”

  “Naaaaaaaahhh,” Natalie replied. “They’re all old and afraid to drive in the snow. Which is completely lame if you ask me ’cause when I get my license, I’m gonna drive in anything. I won’t care.”

  “I bet you won’t,” Victoria agreed.

  “Hey, do you got a kid? I babysit,” Natalie announced suddenly, switching directions. Victoria realized that a person had to pay attention when talking to Natalie. She found it strange that Natalie thought she might be someone’s mother. She just never thought of herself as looking the part.

  “Well, actually, I will babysit,” Natalie corrected. “I will babysit after I take my CPR class at the Y. So if you got a kid, call me.”

  Victoria started to explain that she wasn’t a mother, but Natalie didn’t leave any room for her to nudge a word in.

  “Call me, not Diana, ’cause I like her, you know. But I’m way more responsible. Her fish keep dying and she left her glasses at the pool three times last summer. Her mother freaked. I mean, about the glasses. Her mother was kind of sick of the fish.”

  Victoria wasn’t sure she could keep a straight face much longer. She was finding this hilarious. “Well, you be sure to stop by sometime, Natalie,” she said, reaching down to take hold of the Mary figure.

  “Can I bring Diana?” she asked quickly. “And maybe Nina and Marissa?”

  “Of course.” Victoria laughed. “I would love to meet them.”

  “Yeah, but remember what I told you.” Natalie shook her head solemnly.

  “Oh, for sure,” Victoria promised, letting herself laugh out loud. “See you.”

  “See you,” Natalie said.

  Victoria watched as the girl hopped across the backyard, carefully retracing her steps by jumping into the tracks she had made on her arrival.

  “Welcome back, Mary, Mary,” Victoria said, looking the figure in the eyes. Gently she replaced her in her original spot, wondering what had become of the others.

  Back inside, Victoria sat with her cup of tea and stared out the balcony door at the bright white snow. She decided that no human could ever duplicate the pure white that God could create.

  Then the doorbell rang, cutting into her thoughts. Instead of startling her this time, it felt familiar, almost friendly. She laughed out loud as she hopped downstairs to answer it. Open to the idea of whoever it might be.

  At the door was a large, burly man. It took only a minute for Victoria to realize that God had blessed him with a voice to match his physique.

  “Hello,” he all but yelled. “Merry Christmas. I’m Ed from down the street. Is Joseph yours?”

  Victoria had been so intent on his huge figure and booming voice that she hadn’t noticed the plastic figure he had tucked under his arm. It was the Joseph from her nativity scene.

  “I guess he was looking for a place to stay. You didn’t by chance have told him ‘no room at the inn,’ did ya?” He laughed so long and heartily at his own joke that it was impossible not to laugh with him. He seemed almost completely unaware that up until now he was the only one who had said anything. He seemed more than comfortable carrying on both sides of the conversation.

  “Yes, he’s mine,” Victoria said. “Thanks.”

  After a few more pleasantries, Ed proclaimed himself the go-to man. “If you need it moved or lifted, I’m your guy,” he explained. “Just call me. All the ladies do.” He beamed proudly. “My wife says it’s the least I can do. She says I gotta put all this,” he exclaimed, waving his arms, “to good use.”

  “Well, thanks,” Victoria said, taking Joseph from him.

  “You be sure to call,” Ed said. “Pretty thing like you shouldn’t be moving her own stuff.”

  “I will,” Victoria promised. She decided Ed was one of those truly nice guys. He turned to go, then stopped and jumped as if he had almost tripped over something.

  “Ooops!” he bellowed. “Well, hello there, you two! Merry Christmas. Have a good day now.” When Ed moved out of the way, Victoria was surprised to find an elderly couple standing before her. She blinked, startled to see them. Ed’s large frame had completely eclipsed them. How long had they been waiting patiently behind him?

  “Excuse us,” the man said, speaking for the both of them.

  They were quite small and, if Victoria were to say in the most respectful way, amazingly cute. They were bundled well for the weather and hunched over at what seemed to be the exact same angle.

  They stood perfectly silent for a moment.

  “It is very nice to meet you,” the man said in almost a whisper. He bowed slightly at the waist as he introduced them. “This is Angeline,” he said, nodding to his wife. “And I would be Frank.” The old woman nodded her head eagerly in agreement with a bright, beautiful smile on her face. Frank obviously was the spokesman for the two. She didn’t seem to mind.

  “Oh, it’s nice to meet both of you,” Victoria said, hoping that she didn’t sound condescending. They were just so adorable.

  As she herself aged, she found herself almost in awe of the elderly. Especially older married couples. There was something so beautiful about them. She admired the commitment they had made and the history they kept on making, and these two standing before her obviously possessed all of this and more. She noticed they were holding hands and her heart melted.

  “We are very happy to welcome you to our neighborhood,” he said kindly, and she knew he was genuine. She detected a touch of an accent, but she wasn’t sure from where.

  “Thank you,” she said. “I like the place.”

  “Us, too.” He smiled. “Been good.”

  Victoria nodded.

  “If you need us,” he said, “we are number 308.”

  “Oh, thank you,” Victoria said. “And if you ever need me, I’m right here.” She decided they were going to be her favorite neighbors.

  “Now business,” he announced with a playful smile on his face. “The lambs. Maybe yours?” They each held up one plastic lamb from the nativity scene.

  “Oh,” Victoria said, “yes, they are. Thank you. I feel bad you carried them all this way.”

  “Is no problem,” he assured her. Victoria thought she might have heard the old lady repeat “no problem” after him.

  “We walk every day,” he explained. “Every day for fifty years.” He nodded. “Rain, snow, big heat, whatever. So no problem.”

  “On our steps.” The little woman giggled, holding a mittened hand up to her mouth. Her eyes were simply sparkling. Victoria suspected that she was quite the character. Her husband looked down at her with such love, it filled Victoria’s heart with joy.

  “Yes. We found them on our steps. What a surprise. Christmas and we find lambs.” He laughed with her now.

  The three of them laughed together.

  “Well, I must take my little lamb home,” the man announced. “She’s getting cold, I know.” He looked at her adoringly, and she looked back at him enjoying being adored.

  “We see you. Merry Christmas,” he said, waving his gloved hand.

  Victoria leaned against the door frame and watched as they strolled back down the walk and down the street, holding hands. Their feet made tracks in the snow. Two by two. Side by side. Just the way they’ve gon
e through life, she thought. She went back into the apartment wondering if that would ever happen to her.

  She reached the top of the stairs just in time to catch a glimpse of something out the balcony door. Whatever it was, it was fleeting. She stared, hoping to catch it again. After a moment she did. It was a head popping up, then down, then up again just above the edge of her balcony. Someone was jumping. Confused, she went outside, set the lambs in place, then peered over the side. Looking back at her was a man dressed in oxford shoes and blue trousers, with a golf sweater peeking out beneath a camel winter coat. He was of average build with sandy hair, somewhere in his forties.

  “Hi,” Victoria said.

  Instead of waving or even smiling when he saw her, he tossed his head in kind of an upward, too-macho nod. It reminded her of high school. It practically said “I’m acknowledging you but still way too cool to say hello.”

  “Hi,” Victoria said, this time forcing the smile.

  “Hood. Steven Hood,” he announced, more like he was “Bond. James Bond.” She wanted to laugh and say “Tenley. Victoria Tenley.” and upward nod him right back, but instead she just settled for “I’m Victoria.”

  “Four-seventeen Bayberry,” he shot back. It took her a second to realize that he was telling her his address.

  “Oh! Um, well”—she laughed—“I live right here.” When there was no response, Victoria decided she wanted to move the conversation along. “So?” she said, palms up.

  “Oh, here. Is this priest yours?” he asked, taking a plastic shepherd from under his arm. He jumped up and was able to place it into her hands. Now she understood what all his jumping before had been about. She wanted to laugh. At least he recognized it as something religious.

  “Yes,” she said. “He’s the shepherd from my nativity scene.”

  “Oh.” A slightly confused look crossed his face. It was there for only a second, then he shrugged it off.

  “I’m in insurance,” he said, jumping again and offering his hand. Victoria grazed it for the second it was there. Back on the ground, he said “Can’t have too much” almost gravely while shaking his head.

  “No, I guess not,” she lied. Actually, Victoria thought you could have too much insurance.

  “Got any?” he asked so abruptly that for a second she wasn’t sure what he was talking about.

  “Insurance? Oh, yeah, I’ve got some.”

  “Home?”

  “Yes.”

  “Life?”

  “Yes.”

  “Auto?”

  “Yes.”

  “Health?”

  “Yes.”

  If she ever came up from under this attack, she was going to laugh.

  “Disability?!” He said this way too loudly, thinking he just might get her on this one.

  “Yes,” she said, laughing. “I have disability insurance.”

  “How much?” he fired at her.

  Taken off guard, Victoria opened her mouth to speak but wasn’t fast enough.

  “See,” he all but yelled. “Did you know,” he said, his voice becoming hysterically dark, “most people don’t have enough. Do you know that you could probably afford to die but not to become disabled?”

  It took every bit of self-control Victoria possessed not to laugh out loud. What in the world did that mean?

  “Mmmmmm” was all she could trust herself to mutter without breaking into laughter.

  “I bet your husband could afford to die but not to become disabled!” He nodded surely.

  Feeling bad for the poor underinsured husband she didn’t have, she shrugged. As quirky as this guy was, Victoria decided there was good in him and she liked him.

  “Your husband home?” he asked, trying to see around her frame, which was blocking the doorway.

  “He’s sleeping” she lied, amused.

  “Okay, okay.” He retreated. She was amused at the fact that he thought that he would be going to a higher power if he were to speak to her imaginary husband.

  “Fire?” he shot at her suddenly.

  “Yes.”

  “Flood?”

  She paused. “No,” she said, letting him win.

  “Hah!” he hollered. “Got you!” Victoria was afraid he was going to break into some kind of end zone dance. “Don’t feel bad,” he consoled. “I get everyone on that one. Nobody thinks they need flood insurance until they do.”

  “Yeah, I guess so,” Victoria conceded. She didn’t want to ruin this victory for him, considering how much he was enjoying it. But she did remember specifically reading somewhere in the dozens of mortgage papers that there had never been a flood in the community, ever.

  “So when are we going to take care of this?” he asked.

  For a second Victoria had no idea what he meant. Then she realized that he wanted to sell her some flood insurance.

  “O-oh,” she stammered. “Soon, for sure. Right after the holiday.”

  “Great!” he yelled. Then he became solemn. “Hey, we’re neighbors,” he pointed out, as if to suggest this somehow made them family.

  “I swear,” he said with his hand on his heart. This must be the dramatic closing, she thought. “I swear. I won’t sleep until we do.”

  “Oh, you are so kind,” she said, sure he was too far gone to get any sort of sarcasm. “As soon as the holidays are over,” she promised. “Really.” She meant it. It couldn’t cost much anyway.

  Elated, he looked like a little boy. “Here, take my card,” he said, jumping up to hand her one from the stack of about fifty he pulled from his coat like a magician. Then thinking better, he jumped again and handed her the entire stack. “For your friends,” he explained.

  “Thanks,” she said, smiling and taking them. “Thanks again for my shepherd.” One last time that confused look crossed his face as if to say “Are you sure that’s not a priest?”

  “Merry Christmas,” she said.

  “Oh, yeah,” he said, turning back. “Yeah. Merry Christmas.”

  She laughed.

  She replaced the shepherd and surveyed the group. They were all back but the Baby Jesus. The whole scene looked wrong without him. It made her sad. She wanted him back.

  She went back into the house and sat quietly for a few moments partly enjoying the quiet, partly wishing the doorbell would ring. When it didn’t, she went into the kitchen and cleaned and chopped the celery. She seasoned and stirred it, then put it into a container in the refrigerator to keep until she went to her mother’s. After that she took a long hot shower and dressed in black slacks and the bright red sweater that she wore only once a year, on Christmas Eve.

  Deciding it was time to head over to her mother’s, she went to pull the shades on the balcony door. Looking out onto the nativity figures in the snow, she decided to straighten them one last time. She repositioned them, leaving just enough room for the missing Baby Jesus.

  “Hey,” said a voice from behind her. She turned to discover the most gorgeous pair of blue eyes looking back at her from the adjoining balcony.

  “Hi” was all she could manage. Why was she flustered? She never got flustered. The eyes were attached to a six-foot-something black-haired guy about her age. With only inches between the balconies, she felt suddenly too close and took a step back. He smiled at her.

  “Looks like I have something of yours,” he said. She was so busy memorizing his face that she didn’t notice he was holding her Baby Jesus figure in his hands. Only when he held it up, blocking his face, did she see it.

  “Oh!” she exclaimed, coming out of her trance. Why was she acting so stupid?

  “Oh, oh-oh,” she added. Very intelligent, she thought. He laughed again, revealing the whitest teeth on the planet.

  “None of it means much without him,” he added, handing the figure to her.

  “No, it doesn’t,” she said, becoming herself again.

  “Thanks for putting it up,” he said, motioning to the scene. “I can see it from my place. It’s beautiful.”

 
; “Thanks. A gift from my mother,” she added proudly.

  “My mom sent me one for under my tree,” he said.

  “That’s nice,” she said with a grin. Her mother’s voice saying “only good people put nativity scenes out” rang in her ears.

  There was a small pause, but neither one of them wanted the conversation to end so they jumped in for more. He was staring into her eyes now.

  “She sent me a small tree too—my mom did.” He laughed, realizing that it sounded so awkward.

  She laughed too. It was funny how they were squirming for small talk.

  “Hey, I’m Peter, by the way.” He offered his hand. She took it and for just a moment her hand melted comfortably into his. Victoria had to look away. She was sure her face would give her feelings away.

  “Does she live close by?” she said quickly, taking her turn to pump life into the conversation.

  “Nah.” He shrugged with a hint of genuine disappointment in his voice. “My family is all out of town, and I’ve got to work for the holiday.” For the first time she had the nerve to look up and look at all of him, and when she did she realized he was wearing medical scrubs. She almost laughed out loud, realizing that he was a doctor. Again she heard her mother’s voice saying “There’s someone out there for you, like you.”

  “How about you?” he asked.

  “I’m lucky,” she said, meaning it. “I’m on my way to my mother’s now for dinner.”

  “Oh.” They were looking at each other now.

  “I guess I better go,” she said.

  “Okay.” He shrugged. “Well, here he is,” he said, gently handing over the Baby Jesus. She carefully took him from his hands. Their fingers touched slightly and she liked it.

  “Hey,” she said, reaching down for the plug. “Let me light it for you. This way you can see it from your place.”

  “Okay.” He smiled.

  And then she said it. And as soon as she did, she couldn’t believe that she had. “I’ll be back around ten. Do you want to come over for some hot chocolate or something?” Her stomach clenched as she saw him begin to shake his head “no” almost as the words left her mouth.