“I hate living, but I hate getting old even more.” Marty raised his eyes, scanned the front street, and then sighed. “It's cold...snowy...miserable. Life feels gray. I try to swim my laps at the heated indoor pool...walk my three miles a day...eat my greens...but I'm starting to wonder what for? Maybe I should just let age take its toll and get it over with?”
“Maybe you should stop talking like that and accept my offer,” Peppermint insisted. “Betty and Candy will pay you well.”
“I don't need money.”
“No, you need to be around people who care about you,” Peppermint cut Marty off in a tone that turned stern. “Marty, God brought me out of the grave I dived into after Ophelia died. You're still in your grave. It's time to come out into the light.”
“What light?” Marty asked. “Peppermint...I quit going to church...and I haven't prayed in a while. I...don't believe in hope anymore.”
“Then maybe it's time you start.” Peppermint stood up. “Marty, you either accept the job, or I'm driving to Maine and will drag you to New York myself. I mean it. You know I mean it.”
Oh yes. Marty had no doubt that Peppermint would leave his island and drive to Maine. “Peppermint, I'm an old man...just leave me alone.”
“Nope.” Peppermint shook his head. “You either accept the job, or I'll be kicking in your front door by nightfall. I mean it.”
“I'll call the cops on you.”
“You won't have the time. I'll have you cow-tied before you can blink an eye,” Peppermint warned. “Now stop being so ornery and accept the job. What do you have to lose?”
“Well...how long is the job for?” Marty snapped. “I can't work another twenty years. I'm nearly seventy years old!”
“Just work until you can't, you old fuss.” A tender grin touched Peppermint's eyes. He was wearing Marty down. “Look, you'll love the job, and you'll love living here on the island. You'll have a room right in the castle, next to me and Blizzard...and everything is paid for. Betty and Candy are real nice ladies. They love God and show it with their actions. You'll like them. Also, a fella by the name of Chris is living on the island now. He's a real nice fella...the kind of fella who youimmediately respect.”
Marty listened to Peppermint talk and then sighed again. He was miserable...and lonely. What would it hurt if he took on a new adventure for a while? His home wasn't going anywhere...the snow and cold weren't going anywhere...his snow shovel would be waiting for him when he got home. “Well...tell me more about the job.”
“You'll supervise the toy factory. It's that simple.”
“Supervise what?” Marty demanded.
“Toys being made, what else,” Peppermint answered through a pleased smile. “You'll make sure all the toys are made right...shipped to where they need to go...ensure all the supplies needed to make the toys are ordered...stuff like that. Betty will be helping you.”
“Helping me?”
“Well, Betty was the one who asked for help. She said she can't supervise the new toy factory that's going to be built all alone.”
“What about her friend Candy Baker?” Marty asked.
“Candy is going to be busy with Chris. Turning this Christmas island into the North Pole is going to take tons of work,” Peppermint explained.
Marty drew silent for a minute. What would it hurt if he accepted Peppermint's offer? He had nothing to lose. “Well...I'll think on it—”
“You'll accept the offer,” Peppermint cut Marty off and then laughed. “Get packed and hit the road.”
“Just like that...just get packed and hit the road?” Marty asked. “I have to close up my home and find someone to check on it. I can't let the pipes freeze, and I'll need to know when to order oil to heat the house. Also, I have groceries...I have milk and cheese.”
“So bring the food with you!”
“Bring the food with me? If you were standing here, I'd hit you with my snow shovel.” Marty shook his head. “Give me one week.”
“Three days.”
Marty gritted his teeth. “Fine, three days.” Boy, Peppermint sure could be pushy. That was okay with Marty, though. Marty was the type who, when grounded in a mundane routine, had to be pulled out of the mud with forceful hands. After all, he had been a high school principal. Day in and day out, he walked the same hallways of the same school, sat in the same office, and ate in the same cafeteria...etc...etc...etc. The job had been rewarding, of course, but it didn't take long before a concrete routine was established. At least walking the hallways kept Marty in shape.
“Good. Blizzard and I will look for you to arrive in three days.”
“That wolf of yours better not try and eat me,” Marty warned. He stood up, studied the snowy driveway, and then sighed. “I better get back to shoveling the driveway, Peppermint. I need to run a couple of errands today.”
Peppermint took a quick sip of coffee. He didn't want to end the call feeling as if Marty were still caught in a depressed spiderweb. “Hey, Marty, I know life has been tough on all of us. I want you to take this job because, first, I want to see you...and second...the job will be good for you. You'll like the island and the people. Wait and see.”
