“Come, woo me, woo me; for now I am in holiday humor and like enough to consent.” William Shakespeare
The aromas of Thanksgiving filled the hall as the line of humanity slowly made its way along the counter. The bedraggled homeless, women with children who had come seeking refuge from abandonment and abuse, and elderly men and women who were alone and too poor to afford their own holiday dinner, all had come to feast on a traditional turkey dinner with its dressing, mashed potatoes with gravy, mixed vegetables, and, of course, a slice of pumpkin pie. Big band music wafted over the many voices, adding a sense of celebration to the gathering.
Victoria Buchanan smiled as she dished the potatoes into the Styrofoam trays being passed down the line before being handed to the next pair of eagerly waiting hands. She greeted each person warmly regardless of whether they responded. Some were gregarious and happily replied as they thoroughly enjoyed the occasion, while others remained silent, most of them refusing to lift their eyes to hers. Tori looked beyond their rags and grime to see the human being beneath and remembered another time when she herself had stood where they were.
Beside her, Ben Tipton had already filled the largest area of each box with a generous helping of roast turkey as his booming voice welcomed everyone to the feast. He was a big man in his forties, tall and muscular, with laughing hazel eyes, a full dark beard and long hair pulled back in a pony tail. His straight bearing and the Marine Corps tattoo on his right arm proclaimed a younger lifetime of military service. Tori, at thirty-six, wasn't a particularly petite woman but beside Ben she appeared positively delicate and her curly, fiery red hair and flashing green eyes were his perfect foil.
They had never met before today but their rapport had been real and instantaneous. Tori was a social worker who worked with displaced families while Ben, being a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, counseled other veterans at the local VA. Each recognized in the other a compassionate heart and a desire to help those who found themselves in crisis. Each knew the pain of losing those they were closest to. And each being alone for Thanksgiving had decided to spend it with others who found themselves alone.
“Tori, this young man wants an extra helping of potatoes but no gravy,” Ben told her with a smile as he nodded toward a small boy wearing torn jeans and a faded Avengers t-shirt. He was sandwiched between the counter and his mother, a young woman who looked far older than she should. She held a toddler in her arms as she met Tori's eyes with an uncertain smile as she obligingly added an extra half portion of potatoes to the little boy's box before handing it on to the person next to her for a helping of mixed vegetables.
“There you go. What's your name?”
The little boy grinned engagingly, “Derrick..”
“Well, nice to meet you Mr. Derrick. You enjoy this meal and have a good Thanksgiving, okay?”
The little boy nodded emphatically and moved along while his mother quietly thanked her for her kindness toward her son. Tori's heart ached for the young woman and wished she could have done more. She thought ahead to Christmas when Santa would be visiting the children who came for the Christmas dinner and hoped the young family's circumstances would have improved enough that they would have no need to come again.
Two hours later the last of the stragglers had been fed and the volunteers began breaking down the serving line. There were no leftovers. Every morsel had been shared with those who had no where else to go. Tori and Ben once again found themselves working side by side as they washed and put away the equipment and utensils used in cooking and serving.
“So what are your plans for the rest of the evening?” Ben asked, using a well worn towel to dry a pot.
“Spend it resting at home,” Tori replied with a tired smile. “You?”
“I've a date with a couple of man-sized turkey TV dinners.” He set aside the pot and reached for another. “But it's a date I'd rather break. Would you like to join me when we finish here for a real meal at the Shoneys food bar? It would sure beat feasting alone.”
She considered for a moment before nodding.
“That sounds great. Much better than the deli turkey sandwich I'd been planning.”
Ben smiled before carrying the dried pots to put away in a large cupboard near the two huge stoves that took up the bulk of the kitchen space. Shortly thereafter they donned their coats, bid the other volunteers good night, then exited out into an overcast late afternoon where Ben walked Tori to her car. The air was crisp and the scent of wood burning filled the air. Sadly some of it came from the fires burning in barrels underneath the overpasses where the unfortunates unable to get into a mission that night were huddled.
“Where's your car?” she asked as she unlocked her car door and Ben nodded back toward the mission to where an older Harley Davidson motorbike was parked under a street light. Tori's mouth fell open. “A motorcycle? In this cold?”
He grinned.
“It's not so bad. My pants are lined, my socks are wool, and this coat is plenty heavy. Besides, it doesn't take long to get where I'm going in town.”
She rolled her eyes as she took her seat behind the wheel.
“You're nuts!”
He laughed, “So I've been told. I'll see you in a few minutes.”
Then he watched as she drove away before retracing his steps toward his bike.
They still had to wait for a seat once they met at the restaurant as a late crowd had obviously had the same idea to enjoy a holiday meal they didn't have to clean up themselves. But soon, having made the circuit of the food bar, they were back in their booth and enjoying their Thanksgiving dinners. Tori looked from from her one plate to his three and shook her head.
“Obviously you must be starved.”
“Naw. This is my usual.” He eyed her plate. “Are you certain sure that's going to be enough for you?”
She chuckled as she cut into a piece of turkey meat. “Plenty, I assure you.”
They chatted about their day as they ate and Tori shook her head when he went back for another dish of rolls. She finished her meal with a slice of pumpkin pie. Ben had the same, plus a slice of pecan.
“So what inspired you to become a social worker?” he asked between bites.
“I saw a need and wanted to help people.” She forked a bit of whipped cream from the top of her pie into her mouth. “Plus, I wanted to give back.”
“For what?”
“My dad died when I was real little. After that Mom never could seem to get it right with the men in her life. One of them became abusive. Very abusive. And she tried several times to escape to shelters for abused women. Somehow he always found her and would sweet talk her into going back. Of course the abuse only escalated further and began to involve me and my brother until she ran away for good, but not to a women's shelter.”
“Where did you go?”
“She drove to another town until the car ran out of gas. She couldn't afford to buy anymore so she parked it somewhere she thought would be safe until she could figure out what to do. Then the police came and when they heard her story they took her to the mission.” She paused as she remembered back. “There were people there, social workers, who counseled her and helped us find a place to go. Eventually, Mom was able to get a job and find us a real home. Things got better from there.” She pushed aside her now empty dish and reached for her coffee. “When I got older there was no question what I wanted to do with my life.”
He nodded as he reached for the slice of pecan pie.
“I was the same but not until later.”
“You're a veteran, right?”
“Yeah. Fourteen years in the Marines.”
“I bet you saw the worst of it.”
He was silent, his fork pausing.
“Yeah. The worst.” He ate a bite of pie. “I finally came home pretty messed up. I had a hard time assimilating back into everyday life and used alcohol and anything else I could get my hands on to forget. Eventually I ended up in treatment. There were people there who helped, but a lot of them had no real idea of what it was really like over there. They did their best. But there were others who had been there. Who did know what it was like. They were the ones that helped the most.” He took a last bite of his pie then shoved the plate aside. “There were others there who were in far worse shape than I was in and I realized how lucky I actually was. I was leaving there much better off than when I arrived. Only a few quirks.” He gave a crooked smile. “But I'd decided that I wanted to go back and do what I could to help others returning from the war. So I went back to school and finished my degree then went to work for the VA. I've been there ever since.”
She watched him take a sip of his coffee.
“How did you get involved with the mission?” she asked and he waited while the waitress took away their empty dishes, leaving their checks in her wake.
“I was homeless for a while. Just kind of wandered around from town to town and in and out of missions. Finally there was a man who convinced me that the VA could help and took me to the nearest hospital. Like you, I never forgot the kindness shown to me by the people in those missions. So when I can, I help out. Giving back, as you say.”
She nodded in understanding.
“This was the mission where we ended up. In my work I spend a lot of time helping families that come in there through Family Promise. Do you know about us?”
“I know you help displaced families get back on their feet again.”
“Yes. We offer shelter through participating churches then help them find steady jobs and teach them how to manage things so they don't find themselves in the same position again. I'm happy to say we have a very good success rate.”
“That's great.” He took another sip of coffee. “So what do you do in your free time?”
“Read a lot. Knit. Do crafts. Homey stuff.” She shrugged. “After what we went through, I cherish having a home and spend a lot of time there. Otherwise, I like to do a little hiking and occasionally go white water rafting, just to keep some excitement in my life. What about you?”
“Would you believe I like to cook?” They exchanged smiles. “And taking long rides on my bike, of course. I also like to work out several times a week. I've found that helps with my stress.”
“Ever been married?”
“No. Came close once, though. But she decided she couldn't handle my being gone so much and not knowing if I'd come home.”
“I was married once, for nearly ten years. Then he had an aneurysm and died.”
Ben expression softened in sympathy.
“That's terrible. I'm sorry.”
“Thank you.” She cocked her head consideringly. “You know, it was kind of funny but it was almost like Ted knew he would die young.”
“Why's that?”
“He used to talk about what he wanted me to do if he were to die. He'd insist that I wouldn't allow myself to grieve. That I'd move on and make myself a new life. Afterward I discovered that he'd left me plenty of insurance so that I wouldn't have to worry about things.”
“He loved you very much.”
“Yeah, and it was mutual. But I've tried to do what he wanted and not let myself get lost in the past.”
“Have you thought of marrying again?”
“It's always a possibility. But he'd have to be a very special man. I don't need to be married to be happy.”
Ben glanced up at the still waiting crowd.
“I guess we ought to get out of here and let someone else have this table.”
She nodded and they stood up, where he helped her with her coat before sliding into his. Then they stopped to pay their bills before making their way through the waiting crowd and out into the cold dark of the evening.
“I've enjoyed this,” she told him as he walked her to her car.
“So have I,” he replied. “Would you like to do it again sometime?”
She smiled up at him as she pulled the keys from her pocket.
“I'd like that.”
“Next weekend then? Say, Saturday? We could have dinner then take in an evening of jazz at a nice little club that I know.”
“That sounds like fun. What time?”
“I can pick you up at five-thirty. The music doesn't start until eight.”
“Pick me up.” She eyed him doubtfully. “On your bike?”
He grinned.
“No, I actually do have a car. Well, a truck actually, if you don't mind riding in one.”
“No, I don't mind at all,” she assured him then opened the car door and slid in. “I guess I'll see you then. Call me and I'll tell you how to get to my house.”
He reached into his pocket and withdrew his phone then saved her number to its memory. She did the same with his.
“I'll see you next week,” he told her, “Be careful going home.”
She smiled and nodded.
“You, too.”
He stepped aside as she backed out and, with a final wave, slowly drove away.
~
The weeks passed and the friendship between them blossomed. On their days off they'd see each other at the mission, go out some evenings, and visit one anothers homes on the weekends. Ben proved that he did, indeed, know how to cook. And very well. While Tori introduced him to woodworking as she created ornaments to give as gifts for Christmas. When they couldn't see each other they spent hours on the phone. Their warm, sympathetic hearts drew closer as they got to know each other and, perhaps inevitably, their relationship began to deepen into something beyond being that of mere friends.
A week before Christmas Eve, they were asked to play the parts of Santa and Mrs. Claus for the mission Christmas dinner. Tori laughed as she commented on Santa having a dark beard this year and was assured that the Santa suit came with a beard that would do an excellent job of hiding Ben's real whiskers. Days later, with the mission hall all decked out in holiday finery, they slipped away from the serving line and donned the clothes that would transform them into the jolly old elf and his missus before making a boisterous entry with much jingle belling and ho ho hoing. As expected, Santa was a big hit with the kids. Without reservation, Ben laughed and showered affection on each of them as he gave out gifts of hats, gloves, and small toys. As Santa's wife and assistant, Tori's heart melted as she watched them interact. He was a natural with kids.
That night they returned to her house for a quiet evening and shared mugs of hot cocoa as they sat close together on the sofa. The lamps were dark, allowing the twinkling lights on the Christmas tree to shine unchallenged, and Christmas music played softly in the background.
“How early do you need to leave to get to your parents' house?” Tori asked.
Ben's family lived in the next state.
“I'll be leaving about five, or thereabouts. That should get me in there sometime mid morning.” He looked down where she sat tucked up beside him with his arm resting along the back of the sofa behind her. “What time do you have to be at your Mom's?”
“I told her I'd be there for breakfast. It'll take both of us to get everything ready for when everyone arrives.”
“You're expecting a crowd?”
“Not too bad. My brother and his family, a couple of aunts and uncles, and one or two cousins.” She sipped her cocoa then met his gaze with a smile. “I bet you're expecting a lot more.”
He took a deep breath and sighed deeply, but answered with a twinkle in his eyes.
“A whole horde of relatives. Mom and Dad have the biggest house so that's where the family congregates on Christmas. They'll probably be about thirty-five or forty people there total.” He shook his head. “It'll be pandemonium.”
“And you'll love every minute of it.”
He grinned. “Yeah.”
They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Tori sat up to set her mug down on the coffee table.
“I have something for you.”
Standing, she crossed and took a brightly wrapped present from beneath the tree.
“I thought about you out riding around in the cold on your bike when I made this.”
Ben was not one to give thought to saving wrapping paper as he tore into it. Opening the white, rectangular box he parted the tissue paper. For a moment he simply stared before lifting the forest green sweater to take a better look.
“You made this?”
She nodded, then bit her lip uncertainly.
“I hope it fits.”
“It feels like genuine wool.”
“It's alpaca. Do you like it?”
“Oh, honey, I love it!”
She made a quick motion with her hands.
“Try it on and let me see.”
He sat forward and set the box aside, took off his flannel shirt, and slipped the sweater on. It was a perfect fit and Tori smiled in satisfaction. It looked wonderful on him.
Leaning over he brushed a soft kiss on her cheek, “Thank you.”
“You're welcome.”
“I do have something for you, too,” he told her, smiling.
“Really?”
“Yep. I snuck it under your tree a few days ago. It's buried under the big shiny blue box there at the side.”
Standing up, she returned to the tree, lifted the blue box, and found a much smaller, elegantly wrapped gift beneath it. She looked at him in surprise before standing and returning to sit beside him on the sofa. Unlike Ben, Tori carefully unwrapped the paper to find it enclosed a square jeweler's box and looked again at him before slowly opening the top. Inside she found a small claddagh suspended on a delicate chain. The gold seemed to glow in the subdued lighting of the tree.
“Oh, Ben...”
He watched as she removed the necklace from the box, then took it from her to put around her neck. It rested gently at her throat.
“My grandmother was Irish and once explained that the claddagh symbolized love, loyalty and friendship. I thought of you, of us, when I found it.”
Fingering the pendant with trembling fingers, she raised her glistening eyes to meet his then leaned forward to place a lingering kiss on his lips.
“Thank you,” she breathed as she drew away, “I'll cherish it always.”
Cupping the back of her head with one of his large hands, he drew her back and returned her kiss with one of his own. It quickly deepened as she melted against him and allowed herself to be carried away as the passion mounted between them. Several minutes passed before they drew apart, each breathing hard as their eyes met in something like wonder.
“I've fallen hard for you, lady,” he whispered and raised her hand to kiss its palm.
“I didn't think I'd ever feel this way for anyone again,” she confessed and touched his face with her fingers, enjoying the textures of his beard beneath them. Then she gave a small shake of her head. “No, more than before.”
His small smile was tender before he kissed her again, briefly this time.
“I better leave before I end up spending the night and neither one of us going anywhere in the morning.”
She smiled in return, acknowledging this change in their relationship, then sat back as he rose to his feet. Reaching down for her hands he helped her up to stand before him.
“Are we still planning to ring in the new year together?” he asked and she nodded.
“Yes. Here at home where we can eat popcorn, drink ginger ale and watch the ball drop over Times Square.”
He pulled her into his arms for a long hug before picking up his discarded flannel shirt and walking to the door. There he lifted his coat from where it hung on the antique hall tree and slipped it on before drawing her into his arms for another lingering kiss.
“I'll miss you tomorrow,” he whispered as he drew away, and she nodded in return.
“And I'll miss you. Call me when you get back?”
“Count on it.”
After a last, quick kiss he walked out the door and she watched as he strode down the snowy walk to his truck. Looking back, he smiled and waved before getting in. Moments later he had backed out and driven away.
~
They didn't see each other in the days after Christmas, though they spoke everyday on the phone. They were both filled with anticipation for their reunion on New Years, knowing that everything had changed between them. Their friendship had richened into something deeper and ever more meaningful.
On New Year's Eve, Tori met him at her door wearing an elegant, but comfortable, silk pantset. The v-necked top displayed the claddagh he had given her, with the rich green fabric causing the gold to shimmer. Her fiery hair was left loose to curl wildly about her face. When Ben arrived he told her she looked like a Celtic princess, then, with it having been so long since they'd last seen one another, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her soundly even before she had fully closed the door behind him.
They shared a light dinner before settling in for the evening. They half watched classic movies as they snuggled and shared a bowl of popcorn, talked about their Christmases with their families and made their New Years resolutions. They remembered the year passing and shared their hopes for the next. As midnight approached their anticipation increased, eager for what they each knew would come after.
Moments before the countdown began, they were sitting on the couch with champagne glasses filled with ginger ale on the coffee table before them, when Ben shifted and sat forward so he could draw a small velvet box from his pants pocket. Tori's heart began to pound as he sat back down then turned to face her and took her hand in his. As the ball began to slowly drop on the television he began to speak, his voice slightly hoarse with nervousness.
“Perhaps it's a bit soon, given that we just met over Thanksgiving, but I feel as if we've known each other forever, and you've become so precious to me that I can't see spending the rest of my life without you.” He opened the box to reveal an emerald and diamond engagement ring. “I love you, Victoria Buchanan. Would you do me the honor of marrying me?”
Tears filled Tori's eyes as she looked from him to the ring. Then she held out her left hand and nodded.
“Yes,” she whispered, then more loudly, “Oh, Ben, yes!”
Ben's smile was huge as he withdrew the ring from the box and slid it onto her finger then breathed a sigh of relief when it fit perfectly. Immediately she threw her arms around his neck and sealed their lips with an eager kiss as the countdown ended with the ball exploding in light on the television. She pulled him down on the couch as the onscreen celebration erupted in noise and confetti. After a moment he lifted himself enough to retrieve the TV remote from the coffee table then, in the silent glow of the Christmas tree lights, they rang in their New Year, together.
Another love story between two people who seem to be made for one another. Probably the reason the romance moved so quickly to marriage. Similar to others who have been married before and know what they are looking for. My courtship lasted only from our twentieth high school reunion in the summer to the day after Christmas when we were married on the cheap in our hometown with my family and her friends all around.
But it was too perfect. While I'm sure you will get readership like below, for the story to be really great, there needs to be some hardship along the way, some impossibility that makes it possible.
While my wife was very into Christmas and I now have a white beard that could probably be nursed into looking like Santa, as well as my love for children and willingness to talk to them on their terms, I have never dressed up for Christmas or other holidays, that matter. And, I believe this the first time I have heard of a claddagh. A photo of one would've been nice to see.
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The aromas of Thanksgiving filled the hall as the line of humanity slowly made its way along the counter. The bedraggled homeless, women with children who had come seeking refuge from abandonment and abuse, and elderly men and women who were alone and too poor to afford their own holiday dinner, all had come to feast on a traditional turkey dinner with its dressing, mashed potatoes with gravy, mixed vegetables, and, of course, a slice of pumpkin pie. Big band music wafted over the many voices, adding a sense of celebration to the gathering.
