Marry Christmas, page 17
“How may I help you?” Britanica asked a gentleman standing in the doorway, coughing violently and trying to catch her breath. He walked up and hesitantly extended his hand to Britanica, but she backed up, saying, “You do not want to touch me. I have bloodthirsty aliens attached to me waiting to implement an attack on anyone who gets too close.”
“I’m Andy Pendelum. I’m here to substitute for you today by order of the Dean. You are ordered by royal decree,” he remarked, chuckling like he thought his wit was worthy of a laugh, “to go home and rest. When he saw you dragging into the classroom this morning, he said he’d rather fight a ferocious dragon than contract the illness you are carrying around.” He formed a cross with his fingers and backed up. “I’m sorry. I just couldn’t resist. Oh, he said to give you this.”
Britanica took the bag filled with orange juice, soup, and bread. She smiled and remarked, “He’s such a wonderful boss. I hope the staff realizes what a good man he is to us.”
Mr. Pendelum pushed his glasses closer to his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair, which had tons of gel to keep the strands in place. “I think you’re right. He has been kind to me, too. I was hoping to get a permanent job here whenever a position comes open.”
“Well, I’m not aware of any openings in this department, but you never know,” she said, thinking about the teaching job in Suring. “Let me grab my things, and please review the notes for class today before the students arrive.”
“Thanks, and don’t worry. I’ll follow your course assignment to the T.”
“Thanks, and if you see Mr. Savides, give him a great big thank you from me.”
“You got it.”
As she entered her apartment, the phone rang.
“Hey sis, how are you feeling?”
“Like someone put me in a wash machine and tossed me to and fro, head spinning and spinning, and my stomach trying to catch up to it.”
“Ugh! You know what they say—the original version, anyway.”
“I am listening and dying to know ‘what they say’.”
“It’s a Welsh proverb that says something like ‘Eat an apple before bed, and you’ll keep the doctor from earning bread.’ You know, there’s truth to that quote. Apples contain phytonutrients, polyphenols, and flavonoids to regulate blood sugars. Some studies show they reduce cholesterol levels. One study said eating apples and pears regularly reduces the risk of stroke, but you really could care less about that right now; right?”
“Sorry, but Phyto, poly, flav—whatever you just said, did not compute. I feel like I need to go lie down, but I am very impressed with what you are learning in your development agent studies. This profession seems to fit you and will help support a family some day since you’re only paid per call at the fire department, but that’s the way it goes in a small town and rural area. I’m impressed, Webster Jaymes, and it takes a lot to impress me.” Britanica said.
“Seriously, I’m sorry you feel so bad. Get some rest but call if you need anything. I’ll drive down there if I have to. Family first, always.”
“Thank you, my sweet Web. I love you.”
Britanica lay on the couch covered in blankets, surrounded by tissues, fluids, and medicines. She tried to watch television, but she couldn’t stop thinking about why Gene hadn’t returned her calls, so she did what any sensible person would do under the circumstances—she called her mother.
“Hi Mom. Gene hasn’t returned my calls. Could you find out why?”
“If I can find the time, I’ll stop by the station. There’s just so much to do right now. Are you feeling any better?”
“Slowly, but surely. The dean changed my schedule so I can leave right after my nine or ten o’clock class, next Friday. I can’t remember the exact time.”
“Thank him for me. Make sure you’re well enough to drive, though.”
“Yes, ma’am, but please find out why Gene is not returning my calls.”
“I’ll try. Get some sleep.”
That week, Britanica managed to hide in her apartment from Clifford. When he called or stopped by, she ran outside on the terrace to avoid answering the phone or doorbell. The view on the terrace was nothing to write home about. It overlooked other skyscrapers and businesses. It wasn’t a scenic view by any means, but there was, however, a nice courtyard with a well-thought-out landscape design.
Not paying attention, one day, she slipped and answered the door. “Clifford,” she said, exasperated. “You promised not to stop by my apartment anymore.”
“I’m sorry, but you’ve been quite ill. As your friend, I would’ve felt horrible if I didn’t check up on you.”
“I appreciate that, but I’m much better, so don’t worry about me. Thank you, for your concern.”
“Why didn’t Gene drive down to take care of you?” he asked.
“Why should you care?” I’m wondering the same thing. “Clifford, I need to get going. Thanks again for stopping by.”
When class ended Friday morning, she ran to the car and drove straight to her mom and dad’s house. The house was filled with boxes for the festival. Britanica walked through the maze with a curious expression. “Mom. Mom, are you in here somewhere?”
“In here, Brit,” her mom replied with a frantic tone in her voice.
Karyn barely looked up as Britanica walked into the room. “Well, hello to you, too.”
“I’m sorry.” Karyn jumped up and hugged her daughter.
“Mom, maybe you shouldn’t have taken on such a stressful job.”
“It’s not a job. I’m volunteering my time. Look, I know I’m taking this all too seriously, but that’s because this was my idea, and I want it to be perfect and memorable.”
“It will be, Mom. Did you find out why Gene hasn’t been returning my calls?”
“Oh shoot. I’m sorry, honey. I’ve been so busy, I forgot.”
“Well, just so you know, I have no plans to contact Gene. If he can’t call me back, then he can take a hike, and I mean all the way to Mount Kilimanjaro. So, do not,” she said, shaking her finger, “try any relationship repair while I’m here. I’ve dealt with Karyn’s Relationship Repair Shop in the past, and if she interferes this time, expect a lawsuit.”
Karyn didn’t even look up. “Don’t worry. Even if I wanted to open up shop, I’m just too busy.”
“Good. Now, let’s get started. By the way, your Christmas decorations are lovely. Driving up to the house is enchanting.”
“I decided to decorate early because there wouldn’t be much chance later with all the preparations for the festival. Besides, I just love everything about the Christmas season. The decorations put me in a special mood despite the stress I’ve put on myself.”
“Is that a new nativity outside?”
“Yes. We found it at a yard sale in Gillett and grabbed it. Your father restored it.”
“I notice the living room is not decorated and that you don’t have a tree. Would it be okay for me to finish decorating while I’m here?”
“That would be lovely. Thank you.”
“What smells so delicious?”
“I have a big pot of chili cooking.”
“Oh, brother. I hope my stomach is up to the task of devouring it.”
“It’s made with a very mild seasoning, just in case, and I have macaroni noodles for chili mac, like you like.”
“Sour cream?”
“Of course. Now, back to the task at hand. What we’ll do is confirm all setups this week. That includes booths, reindeer sleigh rides, and all food and crafts. We need to check with the other committee members to make sure the games and contests are ready. I’m sorry to say, but we’ll be on the phone all day. It needs to be done. Next Thursday, we’ll head down to Riverside Park and begin setting everything up.”
“Ready and willing to start,” Britanica replied.
Chapter Eighteen
Webster ran into Gene, walking down the sidewalk in the downtown area, but Gene had a grouchy look on his face. “Hey, man. You coming over to Mom and Dad’s tonight to see Britanica?” Webster asked.
“I can’t. I’m too busy.”
“Too busy, since when?”
“Since now!” Gene replied and walked away.
“You’re just going to walk away from me? Did I do something?” Webster yelled after him.
“No. I’m just busy!”
“The streets of Suring aren’t exactly exploding with crime. What are you busy with?”
“Just busy!”
Webster shrugged his shoulders and spoke to himself out loud. “What the heck’s going on? You don’t need to look up the definition in Webster’s dictionary to find out that there’s trouble in paradise.” Then he laughed at his own joke. “I wonder why Brit hasn’t mentioned anything.”
That evening, Webster and Emmy came over to eat dinner at Karyn and Stoney’s home and to help with preparations for the winter festival.
Webster pulled Britanica to the side and asked, “What’s going on with you and Gene?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Because I saw him today and asked if he was stopping by tonight. He said he was too busy and wouldn’t discuss it.”
“I have no idea, Web. He won’t return my calls. Stay out of it. We’ll have to run into each other sooner or later, so until then, please just leave it alone.”
The next morning, Britanica jumped out of bed and went for a run. She knew it was against the household rules, but it was common sense that the bears were hibernating, and no one was out to get Gene—except for her.
Britanica ran with fervor to help alleviate her stress. A car slowed down behind her and came to a halt. Remembering past experiences running, she hesitantly turned around in fear, not knowing what now she would have to deal with. Gene sat there with a blank expression.
“Am I speeding or something, officer?” she asked, running up to his car.
“Very funny. You here for the festival, I guess?”
“You know very well that I am. Do you care to share with me why you have not returned my calls?”
“Been busy.”
“Been busy? You didn’t think it was important to get in touch with me to see how I was feeling?”
“It appears you were in good hands.”
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s not what but whose hands you were in. Clifford informed me that you were in good hands the day after he spent the night in your apartment to take care of you.”
“Stand down,” she yelled. “I was so sick that I barely even knew he stopped by to check on me. There was no way I could have known he stayed overnight in my apartment until I got up the next morning.”
“He told me I wasn’t needed—that he was taking good care of you. Since he was at your apartment telling me this, how could I deny what he said?”
“I’ll have you know that I asked him to leave. He was just there as a friend, and he knows I have no other intentions concerning him—and I believe he has no other intentions with me. I wish you would have talked to me about it and cleared this misunderstanding up.”
“It was pretty self-explanatory, in my opinion. There wasn’t much you could say, but there’s a lot I have to say about it. How would you feel if you called my house and an ex-girlfriend answered the phone? Not to mention if she expressed how she spent the night taking care of me?”
“When you put it that way, I would be livid. I probably wouldn’t listen to your explanation.”
“Good. You know how I feel. I need to go.”
“Could you come by so we can discuss it? I promise nothing happened. I don’t have feelings for Clifford.”
“But he has feelings for you,” Gene said, and he sped off into the blinding sunshine.
She yelled after his car, “Looks like you have been bitten by the deadly ‘Grumpy Grouchies.’ It has developed to a critical stage four. You better hope they have a vaccination to stop the disease from spreading, you big jerk.” By the end of her rant, she was spitting the words out. She ended her thoughts with a front kick she learned in her self-defense class.
Gene looked back through his rearview mirror and laughed, seeing her yelling and kicking the air.
Britanica entered the house, and Karyn put her hand to her chest. “You scared me to death. I thought you were sleeping. Hey, you’re not supposed to be running without somebody watching over you.”
“Relax, Mom. Everything was fine. I ran into Gene and found out why he’s been avoiding me. When I was sick, Clifford came over and took care of me.” She explained the whole terrible truth. “I’m starting to think that Clifford gave Gene the wrong impression—and maybe even on purpose. He knows that I love Gene, so I thought maybe he was genuinely concerned for me as a friend, but now, I’m not so sure. Can’t men and women be friends?”
“No, they can’t, Brit. What did I tell you would happen? Why don’t you ever listen to me?”
“You were right, Mom. I should’ve listened. I have no idea where this leaves Gene and me.”
“You better be glad you’re too big for a spanking, young lady.”
“Okay, Mom, consider me spanked,” she said, and she whacked herself on the bottom with a mischievous grin.
Karyn huffed at Britanica. “I’m going to start piling things into boxes. Get yourself ready so we can go.”
“I’m taking a quick shower first, but I’m not going to worry about putting on makeup. Then I have to make a protein shake, and I’ll be ready to go.”
Britanica clomped down the stairs wearing a turtleneck, jeans, and snow boots. She helped place all the boxes into her mother’s vehicle and made the protein shake to take along. After looking like they were dressed for an Antarctica excursion, they headed to Riverside Park. It was frightfully cold outside.
“Bill, would you please decorate the sleigh with garland and some other Christmas decorations? I know, jingle bells would be great. Maybe, we could get someone to wear a Santa suit or an elf costume to drive the sleigh,” Karyn commented with excitement.
“I’ll look into it,” Bill said, his voice filled with dread.
“You know what I never understood?” Britanica asked her mother.
“What’s that?”
“How in the heck these nicknames were formed from names like William. How do you get ‘Bill’ out of that, or how do you get ‘Dick’ out of Richard? It doesn’t make any sense. I mean, Will works for William, and Rich works for Richard...”
With a frustrated sigh, Karyn replied, “Britanica. Focus!”
“Aye-aye, matey.”
They got to work setting up booths and hanging up twinkling lights. Volunteers arrived with food, coffee, hot chocolate, and plenty of water. Karyn was pleased with the volunteer turnout. It was a lot of work, but she had high hopes the festival would be successful and become a tradition in the Village of Suring.
Britanica managed to get fliers out to all the surrounding towns. The festival would sell baked goods, delicious foods, cheese, eggs, and milk, along with home and Christmas crafts. There were also booths set up to advertise a company’s services for hire. A platform was built for music groups from around the county. Various competitions were scheduled, from baked goods to the best hot chocolate contest. There would be a host of winter games. It was a huge event for such a small town. The Village of Suring would use the money to help all the farmers in the area.
As Britanica tried to untangle a strand of lights, Gene walked up behind her and asked, “Can I help you?”
“You mean, may I help you. No thanks. I’ll just call one of my friends if I need help,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Okay then.” He walked off, and she wanted to jump down from the ladder and kick his bottom. Big poophead, she thought. Her face was turning red with anger while struggling with the light strands until someone grabbed them from behind and began untangling them.
“I know you said you didn’t need help, but since I’m here, I might as well make myself useful,” Gene said.
“How kind of you,” she replied, brushing him off. “Well, I’ll just leave you to it, then.”
“Hey, wait a minute. This is a job for two people.”
Before Britanica could turn around, a pretty woman walked up to Gene. “I’m here, Gene.”
Britanica stood frozen with an expression of shock on her face.
“Britanica, please meet Veronica,” Gene said.
This is his ex-girlfriend.
Just then, a man yelled Veronica’s name.
“Britanica, please meet Veronica’s husband, Carl,” Gene said quickly. “They’re here visiting family, and Veronica called to ask if she and her cousin could help out with the festival.”
“I feel like I already know you,” Veronica said. “When Gene and I were dating, all he talked about was you. I should have known you would end up together. You two make a wonderful couple.”
Gene smiled like he had won this round. Britanica was not amused.
“Well, if you will excuse me, I have a lot to do. Nice meeting you both,” Britanica said as she walked away. She took a few steps, and then she stopped and bent down to pick up a cluster of berries mixed with green foliage. Standing back up, a man hovered close to her. “You’re holding mistletoe, so I have to kiss you,” he said. “Those are the rules.”
Not again, she thought.
She glanced at Gene timidly, and said, “Can’t break the rules.”
He kissed her hard and deeply. Then he gave her a one-sided grin and walked off.
Oh shoot, she thought as she looked back at Gene. His mouth was gaping open. Ha. Take that, Gene, as she gave him a didn’t-see-that-coming look. Then she walked away in the sexiest strut she could manage.
“What do you want me to do, Mom?” Britanica asked.
“Here, take this list and see what you can get done.”
“Gladly.” She grabbed the list with such quickness that Karyn just stood there speechless.
That evening at home, Karyn and Britanica sat on the couch, exhausted.
