Ok, heres my contribution to the ‘Holidays’ folder. Hope you enjoy it… And more, I hope it makes you think…

 

Nat

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stephanie had the six am morning mass lined up with her family with breakfast and presents lined up for after wards. She told her family that she was having lunch with Ranger. She told Ranger she was having lunch with her family. She had even invited him along knowing that he’d avoid it at all costs. Thankfully the happy season hadn’t made him less wary of her family.

 

In actually fact Stephanie was taking Eula Rothrigde to lunch at Benders. One of the only decent restaurants open on Christmas day in Trenton, Pino’s and Big Jim’s were open, but Stephanie wanted to go somewhere she knew anyone she knew wasn’t likely to be. It wasn’t that she was ashamed of taking Eula to the restaurant, indeed, she felt good about it. She was doing something good for her soul. It was just that she didn’t want to face the looks from her parents who wouldn’t understand her not wanting to spend Christmas dinner with them. And she didn’t want to argue with Ranger who could be quite possessive of her spare time. He wouldn’t agree to come along, and he wouldn’t understand her need to do this.

 

The idea had arisen when a week after thanksgiving Stephanie had picked Eula up for what seemed like the hundredth time. Eula had been quiet and deep in thought when she had pulled up by her bench at the railway station. During the ride Eula had dumped all her holiday woes on Stephanie. Stephanie’s eyes had widened just that little bit more and she got the chance to take a peek into the other side of Trenton’s underbelly. Sure through her work she saw the seamier side. But this time she had seen the helpless, hopeless side. The side with no hope, no family and no future.

 

So here she was pulling up in front of Benders in Ranger’s newest Bronco. She felt conspicuous in the car against the backdrop of the slate grey sky, the slush of half melted snow and the shabby clothes of Eula who came to greet Stephanie as she got out of the car. Standing huddled against the wind under the shop overhang were seven or so other homeless people. Stephanie had said to Eula that she could bring a friend or two. Seven was a whole other bag of tricks. Before Stephanie could say anything Eula got up in her face, an angry red stained her weathered cheeks.

 

“They wouldn’t let us in!”

 

Stephanie looked at the rag tag bunch of people standing there and in an instant she understood why. That she understood didn’t make it right. She pulled out her cell phone and called a cab company ordering enough cabs for seven. She stomped in her Cat boots to the door swinging it open with a crash startling the customers and staff inside. Most of who were gawking at the spectacle that was Eula and her friends outside. Their attention turned to her and a waitress came up to her smiling apologetically.

 

“Hi, I’m Mary, sorry about them outside. They said they had someone coming to dine with them, but well, you understand…” She cleared her throat. “A table for one is it?”

 

“No.” Stephanie was mad and raised her voice accordingly. All eyes in the restaurant trained on her. “I am the person who was coming to dine with them. You couldn’t let them wait inside out of the cold? We wont be eating here, I wont be eating here ever again in fact.”

 

Stephanie turned to leave noticing that the cabs she had ordered were waiting outside, the homeless piling into them. She turned and looked each and every person in the restaurant in the eye. “Merry fucking Christmas.”

 

She slammed the door closed behind her.

 

“So, Eula, you want pizza or ribs and greens?” Stephanie cast a smile at the cabbies that were waiting with Eula by the Bronco.

 

Eula shrugged. “Whatever. We’s easy pleased.”

 

“Big Jim’s then.”

 

The cabbies nodded and Eula climbed up into the Bronco with me. Seems there were eight others rather than seven. Stephanie and Eula rolled on through Hamilton Township with the cabs in line behind them.

 

“There’s Petey. Wonder why he ain't at St Mary’s.”

 

Stephanie thought about it for about two seconds before pulling over to pick Petey up. What was one more? Petey and Eula talked to each other, pointing out various places to Stephanie.

 

“There’s where Michael Finnegan brought it last February… That’s where Maisy likes to spread herself in summer… There’s John-John… That’s the place old man Potter karked it…”

 

It was awful that death was so common to them that they could talk about friends who had died without flinching.

 

By the time Stephanie pulled in at Big Jim’s there was an extra cab and six others for dinner. She used the cash she had been going to pay for dinner to pay the cabbies. One had flat out refused, saying it was Christmas after all. The other two took the money. They weren’t fulltime drivers and could do with the cash. Stephanie tipped outrageously. It was Christmas after all.

 

Close to three hours and $400 later, they all left the restaurant and climbed back into cabs, heading off to St Mary’s shelter for the afternoon and tonight’s meal. Stephanie paid the cabbies and headed off to Ranger’s to spend the afternoon with him and a few other Rangeman employees.

 

On the drive over to Ranger’s place Stephanie debated wether to tell Ranger what she had been up to. He’d find out eventually. She had charged dinner and the second lot of cabs to her Rangeman charge card after all. And, she decided with a sigh, it would be better he found out now while there were others around than later when there were none. Sooner is better than later. He could almost always tell when she was lying anyway.

 

Stephanie let herself into the front door and was greeted by a merry Tank and Lester. When they saw her they both started chanting.

 

“Stephanie’s in trouble, Stephanie’s in trouble.”

 

Stephanie guessed that Ranger already knew that she hadn’t been at her parents for dinner. She seeked him out and found him in the kitchen checking on whatever he had heating in the oven. Stephanie moved into his arms and after wrapping herself around him she promptly burst into tears.

 

If Ranger was surprised he didn’t show it. Instead he pulled her tighter and kissed her on the temple. He picked her up, carrying her in to his bedroom, avoiding the majority of his guests. After she regained most of her composure, Stephanie set out to explain what had happened to her in the past 4 hours of her life. After more tears, a little laughter and a lot of hugging from Ranger the story was told, Ranger had mascara and eyeliner on his white shirt and Stephanie was lying on the bed falling asleep.

 

Ranger sat and watched as she slept on his bed, wondering just how much of an impact this was going to have on Stephanie. Was she going to wake up tomorrow and just forget about it? Would she make the occasional donation to charity drives? Ranger had spent close to half his childhood in state care. The orphanage where he had spent so much of his time now benefited generously from his money. He wasn’t involved in the day to day running of the place, but other kids like him now had a place that was as close as a home away from home as possible.

 

Stephanie stirred on the bed, stirring Ranger from his musing’s. He left her sleeping and returned to his friends.

 

Stephanie woke probably an hour later and after a shower she rejoined the party. Though subdued and unusually clingy to Ranger, no one noticed anything different about her.

 

Stephanie felt different.

 

Stephanie felt sorry.

 

Ranger watched as Stephanie, who was sitting on his lap in an armchair, played Lester against Tank. Being half brother’s they constantly were at each other, trying to best each other. She was relaxed in his arms, watching as with alcohol induced egos and confidence they told stories of greater daring and courage. Suddenly a tenseness filled the room as Tank and Lester stared at each other.

 

“And still neither of you are willing to come with me to my parents for dinner.”

 

The six guys seated in the living room burst into laughter. Tank and Lester both shuddered identically and Stephanie was smiling again.

 

The following weekend, Stephanie showed up at St Mary’s with a Bronco load of blankets and a few hours spare time. She showed up most weekends from then on out.

 

 

 

 

Bender’s closed four months after Christmas. After a customer on Christmas day had written to the Trenton Herald complaining, the restaurants customers steadily reduced to next to nothing.

 

Mary the waitress got another job in another restaurant, she was often seen to be taking leftovers and other food over to the homeless in the park during the warmer days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Holidays all.