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Christmas Hotel (Volume 1)

By Saundra Staats McLemore

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Chapter One

The Journey

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Matthew 11:28-30


Monday
December 15, 1941

Jerilyn Marlene Seifert gazed out the train window as the countryside passed by. A light snow fell earlier, and the rooftops of the houses now had a thin film shimmering in the sunlight. In the early hours of the morning it had been raining, but she guessed the temperature had now dropped at least fifteen degrees, and she could see icicles forming on the ledge above her window. The treetops glistened with the snow and ice clinging to the branches, bending from the weight. The houses looked so friendly and welcoming.

She watched children running and playing in the snow; dogs barking at their heels. At another house, a woman stood outside ringing the bell to call the family in to the noon meal. Smoke plumed from the chimneys and life was being lived.

Jerilyn shivered and pulled her lap robe up closer to her chin. A steward passing by offered her hot coffee and she smiled as she accepted the cup. Across the aisle, an old couple read their Bibles. The woman next to her was trying to comfort her crying baby. While holding the baby with one arm, she fumbled in her bag with her other hand and pulled out a pacifier. The baby accepted it and began to suck on it contently.

Jerilyn wished that something so simple could give her tranquility. She wondered if she would ever again enjoy inner peace. Her hand cupped her stomach. The delight she had felt for this new life growing inside her was no more. She had never endured such despair in her twenty years. Ken, the love of her life was gone, and she could not believe she would ever feel happiness again.

Jerilyn knew the devastating wording of the telegram would be sure to stick in her memory forever. She closed her eyes in remembrance.

MRS. KENNETH ADAM SEIFERT
437 NORTH WOODWARD AVENUE DAYTON OHIO
THE NAVY DEPARTMENT DEEPLY REGRETS TO INFORM YOU THAT YOUR HUSBAND PHARMACISTS MATE FIRST CLASS USN WAS KILLED IN ACTION IN THE PERFORMANCE OF HIS DUTY AND IN THE SERVICE OF HIS COUNTRY. THE DEPARTMENT EXTENDS TO YOU ITS SINCEREST SYMPATHY IN YOUR GREAT LOSS. ON ACCOUNT OF EXISTING CONDITIONS THE BODY IF RECOVERED CANNOT BE RETURNED AT PRESENT. IF FURTHER DETAILS ARE RECEIVED YOU WILL BE INFORMED. TO PREVENT POSSIBLE AID TO OUR ENEMIES PLEASE DO NOT DIVULGE THE NAME OF HIS SHIP OR STATION.
REAR ADMIRAL JACOBS THE CHIEF OF NAVAL PERSONNEL.

"Franklin, Kentucky!" the steward bellowed.

Jerilyn opened her eyes. After boarding the train in Dayton, Ohio, in the wee hours of the morning, the train had made one stop in Cincinnati. Later, she changed trains in Louisville, Kentucky to the L & N Railroad to complete her journey to Nashville. She had enough money for food and lodging for one week, and with her office skills she expected to find work as soon as she arrived. Nashville was a large city, the original home of her husband. She thought if she met his aunts, uncles, and cousins, she would sense a nearness to Ken. She might find closure. She knew she could not continue in her present state of mind.

The train came to a halt. Her legs were cramped from sitting so long, and she hoped to get a snack to tide her over until she reached Nashville. She pulled her only suitcase from the overhead compartment and gingerly walked down the steps, feeling a little wobbly from sitting so long and from lack of eating. The inside of the station was small, but it appeared clean. A beautifully decorated Christmas tree stood in the center, with holly and strung cranberries over each limb, along with lights, decorative bulbs, and artificial icicles. She noticed the diner inside the station, but headed first to the ladies room.

The stop was only for twenty minutes, so she knew she would need to rush. She washed her hands, picked up her bag, and hurried to the diner.

She sat on a stool with her suitcase on the floor, and her feet propped protectively on top. A large HELP WANTED sign hung on the wall in front of her. Jerilyn scanned the menu. The smiling young lady behind the counter approached her. The name embroidered on her uniform said Nettie Sue, and Jerilyn decided she looked to be about her age, or maybe a year or so younger.

Jerilyn ordered the chicken salad sandwich with a glass of water. Having only enough money for one week, she realized she would need to be frugal. She ate hastily, presuming she had maybe five minutes remaining. She slipped off the stool, knelt down, and opened the suitcase. She remembered packing her purse containing her wallet inside, on top of her clothes, but it was nowhere to be found. In a panic, she rummaged through the contents. The purse was gone.

"Is there a problem?" her waitress asked, as she leaned over the counter.

Jerilyn stared up in horror. "My purse is missing," she managed to say. "All my money is in it."

"All aboard! Last call!" the steward announced.
"That's my train!" said Jerilyn, overwhelmed with a feeling of panic.

"I'll get the manager," offered Nettie Sue, and hurried into the back room.
Before the manager emerged, Jerilyn watched the passengers finish boarding, and then the train pulled away from the station. She slumped back down on the stool. How did this happen? I was so careful with my purse and suitcase. She thought back to an incident on the first train. When she boarded in Dayton, a man had placed his well-worn suitcase beside hers. She wondered at the time why he set it so close, as there were plenty of other empty compartments. He left the train in Cincinnati. She realized he must have opened her suitcase, snatched her purse, and put it in his suitcase, unbeknownst to her or anyone else. How can I possibly be so naïve!

A man walked up to her. With a kind smile, he said in a soft southern drawl, "Nettie Sue told me you have a problem. How may I help you?"

Jerilyn buried her face in her hands, sighed, and began to cry. Nettie Sue stepped from around the counter and placed a comforting arm around her.

"My purse was in that suitcase," Jerilyn said, pointing toward the suitcase still open on the floor. "It contained all my money and now I have none. I was on my way to Nashville, and my train just left. I don't even have money to pay you," she said feebly, "let alone the money for a place to stay. I was going to find work as soon as I arrived in Nashville. Now I don't have the money to get there."

"What's your name, young lady?" the manager inquired, handing her his handkerchief.

"Thank you, sir," she said, as she accepted the handkerchief. "Jerilyn Seifert," she answered, while dabbing at her eyes.

"My name is Jonathan Blakely."

Mr. Blakely took a pencil and a small tablet from his shirt pocket and began to write. When he finished, he tore off the paper and handed it to Jerilyn. "There's a friendly hotel in this town that will assist you with a place to stay. It's called Christmas Hotel and the proprietors are friends of mine, Captain and Mrs. Bazell. Just give them this paper. As far as work goes, I can help you with that problem, too. I need someone to work with Nettie Sue. If you're interested, you can stop back here first thing tomorrow morning."

Jerilyn shook hands with Mr. Blakely and hugged Nettie Sue. "I don't know what to say except thank you."

She re-latched her suitcase and Mr. Blakely walked her to the door. Nettie Sue returned to her other customers.

Mr. Blakely pointed up the street. "Just walk two blocks up East Cedar Street and you'll see Christmas Hotel on the corner of East Cedar and North Main Street. It takes up the entire corner, but the entrance is on North Main across from the square. God bless you, Jerilyn. You are in the Lord's hands and you'll be just fine." He patted her arm supportively.

I'm not so sure He cares about me, she thought with unease.

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