Christmas in Christmas

Christmas in Christmas

“Angels we have heard on high

sweetly singing o’er the plains

and the mountains in reply,

echoing their joyous strains…….."

Angelica could hear the carollers before she stepped off of the bus. Always carollers at her hometown bus depot of Christmas, they faithfully dressed in period costumes right out of a Dickensian story. She didn’t recognize any of them, except for Mrs. Antwerp, the shortest and plumpest with the biggest hat and brightest red ribbons. She was singing her heart out as she had every year since Angelica had been in Grade 8. The joy she felt in her heart to hear their voices was dampened when there was no marshmallow world of snow softly piled on roofs and fenceposts. Sidewalks were clear, but not because snow crews had been diligent, but because there was very little snow. Merely strips of grey/white snow that had missed the warmth of yesterday's sun. Just as she was about to tell the bus driver to leave her suitcase on the bus and sell her a ticket back to the city, snow began to fall. Big white flakes that promised the transformation that she was needing. Angelica lifted her face to the gently falling snow, letting it melt on her nose while she absorbed the Christmas music. She really was home. But it didn’t quite feel like home. She had left her city life and her city love to come home for Christmas. She had promised Ted that she would be back and that she was only gone for a week. In the back of her mind she pushed away the thought that she may have made a very wrong move. Ted would be spending Christmas with his parents, keeping to the pandemic bubbles borne over the last many months. Her family was not here right now. Her parents had stubbornly gone south as they did every winter. One of the many Snowbird couples to brave the province to province, state to state restrictions. It did frighten Angelica, but she had daily FaceTime visits with her mom. Her dad, always poked his head in to tell her he loved her. She dug her housekeeps from the bottom of her purse, resting her heavy suitcase against the porch balustrade. Expecting to see a clean and tidy home, with maybe some Christmas decorations, she stepped into the front hall. She hadn't noticed whether there were lights strung outside, but surely her dad had taken time to put up the Christmas lights and she’d just need to plug them in. She’d look for that later. Turning the front hall lights on, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It only enhanced her trepidation. She sighed. "Of course there’d be no aromas of mince pies or turkey. Mom and Dad have been gone since October." Looking around for any sign of decoration, she saw the corner of a cardboard box in the living room door. “I bet they brought the Christmas decorations up for me.” Boots off and coat hung in the closet, she could barely contain her excitement! She’d get the fireplace on and make some hot chocolate while she went through the Christmas decorations. Disappointed again. The box wasn’t for the Christmas decorations. It was the box her mother kept all the Thanksgiving decorations in. “They must have left in a rush - they didn’t finish putting everything away.” She wanted to be angry with her parents but they had done so much for her when she moved into the city, it just was not in her heart be angry with them. Angelica walked back to the front hall closet. “I’ll call Ted and ask if he can come and get me.” Pulling her cell phone out of her purse as she put one sleeve of her coat on, all she got was a blank screen. “Damn! I didn’t charge why phone last might and I’ve been reading a Christmas Story while I was on the bus. then taking pictures when the snow began to fall. My phone cord is somewhere in my suitcase. Mom and Dad should have something handy around here….no, there’s nothing. They’ve either hidden it away or taken all their cords with them."  Angelica wanted to cry. She dragged herself into the living room and plunked herself in her father's overstuffed armchair, her coat still hanging off of her shoulder. She turned on the gas fireplace, blue flame jumping up to grab the spark to the pilot light. “It might at well blow up. I’ve just blown up my own Christmas. It was stupid of me to come home just because I wanted home and snow. I get here and the only real snow has just begun to fall. There's no one here and the only decorations are two months old.”

~~~~~

The door bell rang, echoing throughout the empty house and sending a shock through Angelica. “What? Who? No one knows I’m coming home except Ted and Mom and Dad.” She peered out the front door peep hole. Mrs. Antwerp's round jolly face peered up at her. “Angie! Angie! I saw you get off the bus but I couldn’t stop singing so here I am now. I’ll put my mask on - it’s a Christmas mask, don’t you just love it?” All Angie could see through the peep hole was a smiling sparkling Christmas present, with Mrs. Antwerp’s bright blue eyes above it. “I’ve brought my nephew to meet you. Giggling, she said "Open the door, Angie. He’s got his mask on too. Did you see him at the bus depot? He was the tall handsome man standing right behind me.” Angelica sighed. She was no mood to open the door to all this bright cheeriness, let alone meeting Mrs. Antwerp’s nephew. He did have beautiful soft blonds hair, eyes like dark chocolate, but if he was singing with the carollers he had to be some kind of a music nerd.

~~~~~

The next few days were a whirlwind. Mrs. Antwerp had had it all planned, starting with lunch the next day. "Now we have to all keep our distance, but I have a large dining room table. You'll eat with us everyday and Richard can come over to get you in the afternoon. I know we are just across the street but I've asked him to be a gentleman and escort you each day. Angelica glanced up at Richard just as he rolled his eyes at his favourite aunt's words. "I'll be pleased to be your escort." After the first somewhat awkward day, Angelica and Richard warmed to each other. After the second day, Angelica forgot to call Ted, a successful business man and her fiancé, as she had promised. The third day passed without a thought of Ted or the city. Angelica and Richard made excuses to meet earlier and 'escort' Angelica home earlier. "Angelica has asked me to help her with the Christmas decorations, Auntie. And the outside lights aren't working yet." On Christmas Eve, Mrs. Antwerp said "I'm glad the two of you have the house decorated finally. I've hardly seen either one of you.” She had noticed the fond looks passing between the young couple. Well, there weren't a 'couple' yet, but if Mrs. Antwerp's matchmaking senses were right, they would come soon enough.

~~~~~

Standing too close to Richard, Angelica rested her hands on his chest, his shirt smooth and soft to her touch. "Richard, I have to go back to the city." She stepped back and turned away from him. "It has been such a wonderful week. Ted, you know, my fiancé, has called me every night and wants me home. I did tell him I'd only be gone for a week and it's been almost ten days." Richard touched her shoulder lightly, she turned back and wanted to fall into his arms. "Is this where we are supposed to kiss, Ang?" Richard didn't return to his aunt's place that night and Angelica did not return to the city. Her phone call to Ted that night was the last she made to him. It was only to tell him that she would be returning her engagement ring.

“I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot or the look or the words, 

which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. 

I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.” 

~ Jane Austen, 

** Authors note: this story is a combination of my own writing prompt - Angel's we have heard.... from my Dec.1st blog post - and Friday's writing group assignment topic: a 'happily ever after' story based on Hallmark stories.