“You want to get our Christmas tree tomorrow?” I called out, grinning. I knew that would cause her to come running.
Suddenly skidding to a halt in front of me in all her pink, puffy glory, blond curls peeking out from under her hat, Emily placed her hand dramatically on her little hip. “Well it’s about time, Daddy. I thought you’d never ask. I mean Christmas is in, like,one week.Sheesh.” Her pink lips turned into a smile.
“It’s more than a week away. Come on now,” I replied.
“Listen, Dad, I’m just saying, the good ones could be gone by now, and it’s not our first rodeo.” She started to giggle. She was always cracking herself up, which in turn made me laugh all the time.
Putting my tools away in their box, I turned back to her, opening my arms for a hug. As she jumped into them, I squeezed her a little too tightly, causing her to let out a little squeal.
“Dad! You’re squishing me! Put me down!” she cried out.
“Okay, okay.” I gently set her down and kneeled down to her level. “You know I can’t help it. You’re getting so big, I just want to enjoy every minute of hugging you. When did I stop being Daddy and become just Dad?” She was growing up so fast that I could hardly stand it. It seemed like just yesterday she was learning to walk, and now she was running circles around me.
“Oh, Dad, you’re so dramatic. You’ll always be my daddy, but I’m a big girl now,” she said with a little eye roll and a huff. Talk about dramatic; she didn’t get that sass from me, that was for sure.
“All right, well, let’s get home and get some dinner. We can talk about what kind of tree to get this year after you do your homework,” I replied.
“Can we have mac and cheese for dinner?” she asked as she grabbed my hand and started pulling me toward our truck.
“Mac and cheese again? How about we try having some vegetables in our life, kid.” I knew this was a losing battle, but I had to try.
“How about we just have mac and cheese?” She grinned at me, knowing she would likely win this game tonight. I wanted to be a good dad. I had no idea what I was doing half the time, but she was an easy kid. Always well behaved, sweet, and kind to others, what more could I ask for really?
After we got buckled in, I peered in the rearview mirror at her in the backseat. “You want to go out for dinner instead?” I didn’t really feel like cooking, and this way we could have the best of both worlds.
Her tiny lips curled into a smile again. “Can we go to the Wallflower?” She raised her eyebrows at me expectantly.
Knowing that diner was where she’d want to go, and where I also wanted to go, I nodded my approval. “Anything for you, kid.”
Our little town of Friendship was small, and it didn’t take long to get there. I noticed a homeless man sitting outside on the bench between the diner and the teashop next door. It was too cold to be fending for yourself out there, especially at night. As I opened the door to let my little lady in, I made a note to order him some food on our way out.
I waved to a few of the locals I knew, and Emily skipped around the diner hugging folks and saying hello while I grabbed us a booth.
“How’s it going, Jason?” she asked me, pen in hand. Her bright red hair was piled on top of her head in an old-fashioned bun, pulling tightly at the wrinkles that time had offered.
“It’s good, Diana. Hey, question for you,” I began.
“Sure, what is it?”
“That man outside, I’ve never seen him before, have you?” As I leaned back, I could see him on the bench, sitting quietly. He wasn’t begging or anything, but he did look cold, and his matted hair and beard appeared as if he’d been on the streets a while. Friendship wasn’t a place that had many people in his situation, and I’d never seen anyone homeless in our little town before.
Diana leaned forward to peek out the large glass front window. Shaking her head, she replied, “Nope. I’ve never seen him before. I’ll have to call the cops to have him removed. We can’t have bums sitting outside the diner scaring customers off. I hope this isn’t going to be an issue in this town like it is in the city.” She huffed.
“No, wait. It’s almost Christmas. And maybe he’s just passing through. Can you put a holiday plate together for him and put it on my tab? You can make it to go.” I wasn’t going to give the guy money so he could go blow it on booze and such, but I wanted to do something to help him out.
Diana nodded without reply and gave me a small smile. She was born and raised in Friendship, and while her disdain for the man outside was evident, I knew she was a good person and would take care of the meal as I asked without question.
Emily finally came to take her seat and began sipping the chocolate milk I’d ordered for her. “What were you talking to Diana about?” she asked me.
She was so young and innocent that I was tempted to lie, not wanting to draw attention to the man outside. But I never lied to her, and as sad as it was that the man clearly didn’t have a home of his own, I was honest. “I was talking to Diana about getting the homeless man outside some dinner.” I paused, waiting for the barrage of questions I expected. Sometimes her curiosity could be overwhelming. Emily surprised me, though, and asked me a question that made me realize I hadn’t done such a bad job raising her alone after all.
“May I please give him my dinner too? And I think he probably needs some pie, because it’s the best pie. And also, in case he needs something for later, because everyone needs a snack at bedtime.” Her steely blue eyes met mine, and I had to fight back the tears I felt forming.
“You know what, Emily? We’ll order him what you’re having too. You need to eat some dinner, but I promise, on our way out, we’ll make sure he’s got a hot meal and a sweet treat to have before bed, too, okay?”
“Thanks, Daddy.” She sent her sweet smile across the booth to me, and as my thoughts shifted to how this man ended up in our little town, I decided I was going to make sure he had what he needed to get by through the holidays. It was the least that Emily and I could do, as fortunate as we were. After all, it was the season of giving.
Chapter Three
