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A Carol for Christmas

By Robin Lee Hatcher

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Chapter 1

Like the crashing surf upon a rocky shore, homesickness washed over Carol Burke. She imagined Bing Crosby crooning, “I’ll be home for Christmas,” and tears pooled in her eyes. She missed her parents and younger brothers. She missed her mom’s holiday cooking. She missed the farm in Ohio and her family’s Christmas traditions.

“Grow up,” she muttered as she rinsed the dishcloth under the running tap water. “You’re acting like a baby. Johnny has to work today, just like lots of other people.”

With a sigh, she looked out the kitchen window of the basement apartment she shared with Jonathan, her husband of nearly eleven months. It wasn’t yet 6:00 p.m., and darkness already filled the window well.

“Don’t fix dinner for me,” Jonathan had said on his way out the door that morning. “It’ll be extra late before I’m home.”

Carol would have enjoyed going Christmas shopping on this day after Thanksgiving. Only there was little money to spend. She and Jonathan had to count every penny from the salary he made, working as a junior manager at Burke Department Store.

Wait to get married, his dad had told them. Wait until you both graduate from college.

But they’d been too in love to heed the advice. Higher education couldn’t compare with being together for the rest of their lives. Or so they’d thought.

After draping the dishcloth over the faucet to dry, Carol walked from the kitchen into the living room. A secondhand sofa and chair sat against the opposite wall, positioned for the best view possible of the old television set that had belonged to her parents. Four months ago, she and Jonathan had snuggled together on the couch, a bowl of popcorn in her lap, and watched Neil Armstrong walk on the moon. When was the last time they’d done something like that? They seemed to have so little time together these days, just the two of them.

Another wave of loneliness and homesickness swept over her as she sank onto the chair.

For as many years as Carol remembered, her family had spent the day after Thanksgiving putting up Christmas decorations. A fresh-cut evergreen before the living room window. Ornaments Carol and her brothers had made at school. Bright strings of lights. Loads of tinsel. A red and white tree skirt her mom had crocheted. Hot chocolate and fresh baked cookies. Turkey sandwiches, leftover dressing, mashed potatoes with gravy. Christmas music playing on the stereo.

“Carol, I’ll be working,” Jonathan had said when she mentioned decorating the apartment today. “It’s the biggest shopping day of the year. Go ahead and do whatever you want about the decorations, as long as we can afford it.”

Today, she resented her father-in-law more than she’d thought possible.

Arlen Burke was a hard man who expected much of his only child. If Jonathan had graduated from college with a business degree, he could have had his pick of firms anywhere in the country. Or even the world. Marrying Carol had cost him that. Now he seemed obsessed with proving his worth to his dad.

The jangle of the telephone sent her hurrying to the kitchen to answer it. Maybe it was Jonathan. Maybe he was on his way home earlier than expected.

“Hello.”

“Oh good, dear.” Her mother-in-law’s voice came across the wire. “I wasn’t sure you’d be at home.”

Her heart sank. “Hi, Ruth. Yes, I’m home.” Where else would I be? Not with Johnny, that’s for sure.

“I just got off the phone with Margaret Osgood, my friend from church. You’ve met her, I’m sure. Anyway, she’s looking for volunteers to help with a benefit performance to raise money for the local home for unwed mothers. Travis Thompson is flying in to sing at the event.”

“Travis Thompson? The Travis Thompson?”

“Do you know who he is?”

“Ruth, he’s only one of the top country recording artists alive.” She shifted the receiver from right ear to left as she settled onto the kitchen stool. “Of course I know who he is.”

Her mother-in-law laughed. “Well, I didn’t know until a short while ago. I’m told he’ll be quite a draw for this fund raiser. Margaret says he’s a wonderful Christian who gives generously of his time for events such as ours. He grew up in Idaho. Did you know that, too?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Well, it’s true. He was raised on a farm near Payette. That’s over near the Oregon border.” Ruth cleared her throat. “Anyway, would you mind volunteering for the event? I know how much you love music, and it would help you make a few more friends in town. This season is so busy at the store. Neither one of us will see much of our husbands between now and the new year.”

That wasn’t news Carol wanted to hear. She missed Jonathan. She’d thought marriage meant spending more time together, not less. She’d thought it meant—

“Are you still there, dear?”

She swallowed a sigh. “Yes, Ruth. I’m here. I’ll be glad to help out in any way I can.”

“Wonderful. I’ll get back to you with more particulars as soon as I have them. Probably in a day or two.”

“Okay.”

“Have a good evening, Carol.”

“Thanks. You too. See you Sunday.” She placed the receiver in its cradle.

Travis Thompson, performing in Boise. Imagine if she got to meet him. She hummed a few bars of one of his hit songs and wished her guitar hadn’t been lost in their move to Idaho. Music was like oxygen to her. Essential for life. She never felt more alive than when she sang.

Once she’d dreamed of having a career as a singer and songwriter, but when all was said and done, she’d wanted Jonathan more than she’d wanted a career.

If only her husband was with her more so it didn’t seem as if she’d given up her dreams for nothing.

*************

Copyright 2006 Robin Lee Hatcher
All rights reserved

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