Miriam sits at the computer in the spare bedroom of her home and checks her e-mail. The room is as tidy and organized as Miriam and in the same shades of gray and black with just a pop of red, like Miriam loves to wear. She sees the reply from Craigslist and opens it.
Dear Laura,
I am not a criminal and I’m not a prisoner. I never have been.
I’ve never pulled a gun on someone or caused anybody bodily harm. I know this whole thing sounds crazy but all I’m wanting is someone who would accept me into their family and make me a part of it. I’m not looking for money or even Christmas presents. I’m just looking for a family that I can sit around a table with and eat Christmas dinner. I can’t cook but I could bring something! If you would like to meet before Christmas so you can be sure I’m not on the FBI’s Most Wanted list I understand. It would be nice to meet you, too.
Thank you,
Kelly
Miriam reaches for her phone, thinking that she would call Gloria to tell her about this but decides against it. Gloria would never let her hear the end of doing something that Miriam had advised her against. Miriam still is not convinced that the woman is not a grifter of some kind but feels the very least she can do is meet her. She puts her fingers on the keyboard and types.
How lovely to hear from you and to learn that you are not being tracked by the FBI. A meeting sounds like a good idea. I also have been alone for several years but am blessed with wonderful friends that I call family and I have grown children and young grandchildren who still make Christmas a magical time for me. I will be spending Christmas with my dearest friends and I’m sure they would be pleased to have you as well. As audacious as her personal tastes are, my friend is one of the kindest and most generous people you will ever meet. Thankfully, she’s also a wonderful cook (not my strong suit). I am willing and able to meet you at your convenience.
Most sincerely,
Laura
* * *
Lauren sits at a table in the break room at Gordon’s Grocery and slides money into the vending machine while looking up the number for the chamber of commerce in Grandon. She opens the bag of chips as the phone rings. “Is Maria available?”
“Who’s calling?”
“This is Lauren. I work with her kids at Glory’s Place.” She is put on hold and hopes to come up with the right things to say.
“This is Maria.”
Lauren sets the chip bag on the table and takes a breath. “Hi! My name is Lauren and I’m working with your kids and the others at Glory’s Place for the sing-a-thon on the eighteenth.”
“Cassondra mentioned that. Is everything okay? Did the kids get into trouble?”
“No!” Lauren stands up from the table and walks around the break room. “Miss Glory’s fund-raiser is on the eighteenth, the same day as the Christmas parade. We had hoped to use the gazebo for the sing-a-thon but the parks department has said that the chamber is using it that day.”
“Oh! I see. Yes, local vendors were going to set up in the gazebo and town square.”
Lauren is nervous. Who is she to suggest anything regarding Grandon? “This is different for Glory’s Place. Normally, Miss Glory does a fund-raiser with silent auction items and desserts at Glory’s Place. It was my idea to use the kids in a sing-a-thon because Glory’s Place is all about kids. I haven’t even mentioned this scheduling problem to Miss Glory yet because she has her heart set on it. So do all the kids!”
“There must be another date that’s available for the gazebo. I can even check with the parks department.”
“All of the invitations have already gone out. I may have single-handedly ruined this fund-raiser for Glory’s Place, and those kids are so sweet. Your kids are awesome! I love Cassondra!”
Maria laughs on the other end. “This isn’t a hard sell for me. Don’t forget that I have a vested interest in Glory’s Place. It was full but Gloria knew that my husband and I could not afford child care at this time and she made room for Cassondra and Aidan. I know that there are more people just like us out there who need this place. Cassondra loves it so much that she gave Gloria a special wooden box for the auction.” Lauren can hear her shuffling things. “Let me talk with the chamber president and I’ll get back with you.”
Lauren sighs as she hangs up, looking at her phone. There are four Craigslist e-mails and she clicks on the first. She smiles when she reads that Mary lives in Grandon. She quickly clicks reply and uses her thumbs to type.
Hi, Mary! Awesome that you live in Grandon! I could meet you at Betty’s Bakery on Thursday. I have the day off but I’m busy from 3:30-5:00 but could do anything before or after. Just let me know a time that works. I’m excited but a little bit nervous to meet you. Hope that makes sense.
Kelly
Lauren feels like a fraud using her middle name but she doesn’t want kids she knew in high school or anyone she works with to see the posting and make fun of her or question her motives. When she meets Mary she will tell her the truth. She clicks on the next e-mail and smiles again before responding.
Hi, Laura! I forgot to ask where you live but if you are close to Grandon I could meet you at Betty’s Bakery on Thursday. I’m busy from 3:30–5:00 and I know I will have one more meeting that day but I don’t know the time yet. If you don’t live close to Grandon then we could meet somewhere else. I’m excited AND nervous.
Kelly
The other two e-mails are from people who are calling her even more creative names for loser and telling her how lame she is. When she posted the listing, Lauren had no idea what to expect. There are those who think she’s an idiot, but now there are also two women out there, one of them actually in Grandon, who have agreed to meet her. She slides the phone back into her bag and puts it inside her locker. She is either crazy for doing this or about to open a Christmas gift she’s always wanted.
* * *
As Christmas draws closer, Clauson’s gets busier every day. Ben’s note writing has more than doubled each evening. Stacy and Jacob and even Lucy help him decorate each note with a Christmas star after his name. Les has compared sales from this year to last year and at each staff meeting he explains that sales are up, along with customer satisfaction. As he observes people standing in Ben’s line each day, he wonders if those small notes of Christmas cheer are making the difference. Les has tacked these and other messages from Ben on the bulletin board in his office.
The Spirit of Christmas lives inside you and that is a great gift to me.
Merry Christmas! Ben
Maybe Christmas, the Grinch thought, doesn’t come from a store.
Dr. Seuss said that and he’s right!
Merry Christmas! Ben
Christmas is the celebration of Christ’s birth but we can have Christmas every day when we keep him in our hearts!
Merry Christmas! Ben
On Thursday, when Lauren drives into Grandon, she makes her usual stop at Clauson’s for a note from Ben. “White Christmas” is playing throughout the store as she opens a cooler near the cash registers and pulls out a bottled water. This time, Ben’s line is so long that the end of it reaches into the baking aisle. Again, Les encourages customers to step into another line but his attempt is halfhearted; he doesn’t want them to move any more than they do. “Little Drummer Boy” begins to play and then “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Lauren knows that if customers stood in line this long at Gordon’s, another line would be opened. She smiles, looking at the other two short lines and feels as if she’s in on some sort of secret, just as she felt all those years ago when she’d sneak off to her closet and open the wooden box from beneath her parents’ bed. There is something magical here that people don’t want to miss.
“Hi!” Ben says, when he sees her back in the line. “We’re so busy because people are getting ready for Christmas!”
“I think you’re so busy because you’re a rock star!” she says, making the others in line around her smile.
When she is able to put her water on the conveyor belt, Ben says, “Thanks for waiting in my line.”
She hands money to the cashier and watches as Ben puts the note inside her grocery bag, handing it to her. Lauren steps toward him, taking the bag. “Ben, I’m so glad I discovered your line!”
“I’m glad you discovered Grandon!” he says, bagging the next customer’s groceries.
Lauren reaches inside the bag and pulls out the note as she walks to the exit.
Everything is more beautiful at Christmas. I hope you see the beauty around you.
Merry Christmas! Ben
Lauren holds the note and puts it inside her back pocket. Perhaps it is Ben’s reminder or just the fact that the town square is covered in fresh snow, but Lauren does notice how beautiful the white is as it clings to branches and sits atop the gazebo. Even the clouds are puffed up white and full as she drives beneath them toward Glory’s Place. She was surprised to hear back from Laura and learn that she also lives in Grandon. What are the odds of that happening? She will help Dalton and Heddy and Stacy organize the items for the silent auction and begin assembling gift baskets before meeting Mary Richards first and then Laura at Betty’s Bakery for coffee. She shouldn’t be nervous but her palms are sweating. Who knew that meeting potential family members could be so nerve-racking!