Christmas Magic

The van screeched to a halt at the pedestrian crossing and the driver lowered his window, he beamed broadly. He was wearing a Father Christmas hat and 'All I want for Christmas is you' was blaring from the van. The driver called out

'Ladies, please, '

He made a sweeping gesture with his arm to beckon them across the road.. He winked at  Mollie and her curls bounced and shone as she gave a gracious nod and the bells on her reindeer headband shook. Tracey lowered her head feeling herself redden under the gaze of the driver and raised her hand to thank him as they passed in front of the van.

As they neared the kerb a man rushed to help her onto the pavement with the wheelchair. Tracey whispered her thanks and sighed. Being a carer meant everyone assumed she was a good person, only she knew she wasn't. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt good. Probably when she was ten and her Grandma was alive and her Auntie Jo. They were long gone now though and nobody was left who could see any goodness in her. A series of Foster Homes and a spell in an Institution having been caught shoplifting had hardened her heart and made her bad.

  Mollie was turning her head to speak and Tracey leant forward to catch her words,

'Did you see that driver? Wasn't  he handsome? He looked about your age, Tracey.
He reminds me of my Reg when I first met him. Always a one to smile at pretty girls was my Reg. He never tired of letting me know that I was the only one  for him when in private though. I miss my Reg, but I was lucky to have him for so long. He would have loved these antlers you've put on me. Did I tell you about the time ...'

Tracey straightened up and pushed on the wheelchair with her hips. She loved hearing all the stories about Reg but there was a chill wind and she wanted to get Mollie into the warm. they were on their way to the Christmas party in the Community centre. Mollie was the neighbour of one of Tracey's Foster mothers, Briony. She'd come to visit Tracey in the Institution and suggested that when Tracey came out she could train to be a carer.

 Her room mate Chloe had spluttered into her tea when she'd heard,

'You a carer Tracey, They'll be accusing you every time something goes missing. No, there's no hope for the likes of us. We're bad 'uns, give a dog a bad name and all that.'

There was a cold blast of wind and a flurry of snow. Tracey tucked the blanket round Mollie and pulled her scarf closer round, being careful not to ruffle the curls. She had spent all morning preparing Mollie for the party. Setting her hair and ironing her red blouse, shining her shoes and applying red lipstick. It reminded Tracey of playing with her dolls with grandma. They'd both taken so much care dressing and washing the little clothes. At the thought of grandma tears threatened, and she pinched her nose to stop the flow as Chloe had taught her. 'Show 'em you don't care' she'd said, 'That way they can't hurt you.'

As they approached the Community Day Care centre the automatic doors flew open and  a rush of welcoming warm air enveloped them.  Tracey peeled away the layers of warm clothing and then gently drew off Mollie's gloves. The old lady giggled, sounding like the light hearted  girl she must have been,

'Ooh what would Reg say about my nails Tracey? He hated nail varnish, said it was a sign of a loose woman.'

Mollie wriggled her fingers and admired her gold and red nails which sparkled and shone in the light of the Christmas tree in the hall.

A very attractive woman wearing tinsel in her hair came to greet them. She bent to kiss Mollie and held out her hand to Tracey.

'Hello , I'm Elizabeth, the staff nurse here. You must be Tracey, Mollie has  told us so much about you.'

She dropped her voice,

'Well done Tracey, you have made a huge difference to Mollie, it's wonderful to see the light back in her eyes. Please go on through to the party.'

She turned to Mollie and smiled, 'We've got jelly and cup cakes and.. even Father Christmas is going to come.'

An unfamiliar sensation came over Tracey, she looked around half expecting to see Grandma or Auntie Jo. Her eyes met Mollie's and they grinned at each other. Tracey manoeuvred the wheelchair into a corner and went to fill up a plate for Mollie. The little sandwiches, jellies and cakes stirred a memory in Tracey's heart. She remembered holding Grandma's hand and eating things like this and Father Christmas coming and giving her a doll. Grandma and Auntie Jo had told her she was good, a really good girl, the best there was, she was the light of their lives.  She returned to Mollie, her plate laden and knelt down on the floor beside her. She handed her morsels of the sandwiches and wiped the crumbs away, careful not to spoil her lipstick. Mollie's eyes were bright as she looked around the room,

'Reg loved parties, he liked dancing and kicking up his heels. Oh he'd fling me around he would, like a rag doll I was in his arms. We'd spin and twirl and dance the night away. Proper dancing it was, not all this jumping up and down you young people do.'

Elizabeth came up to them and handed them both a glass,

'We're going to have a little toast now. Oh Tracey before I forget Mollie says you have a friend called Chloe and I wondered if she'd like to help us out, maybe in the New Year? Would you like to ask her?'

 She smiled at them both  and moved to the centre of the room.

Tracey couldn't believe it. There were people who wanted her and Chloe to help them. She couldn't wait to tell Chloe, She'd never believe it either, but maybe, just maybe, she could convince her.

Elizabeth went to the centre of the room and clapped her hands, then she rang a little bell.

A hush descended on the room and all eyes turned to Elizabeth.

'There's a visitor now for you and after that we'll have carol singing lead by Tracey over there.'

There was a loud shout of 'HO HO HO' and Father Christmas came into the room. He went round the group leaning down to talk by each chair and handing out a gift from his sack. When he got to Mollie he boomed out,

'Oh HO HO HO' I recognize those antlers'

He handed Mollie a small parcel and then he then turned to Tracey 'And I recognize this little elf with the pretty face,'

Mollie looked up at them, 'It's you, the driver of the van! I never forget a handsome face.'

He beamed down at Mollie,

'I'm Father Christmas' Then he whispered, 'but you can call me Nick.'

Elizabeth was clapping her hands again,

'I'd just like to thank all the volunteers and carers for making this Day Centre such a welcoming and happy place.' She turned to Nick, 'A special thank you to Father Christmas, it just wouldn't be the same without him.'  She cupped her hands round her mouth and said in a loud sage whisper, 'He's really my son.'

There was laughter and clapping, Elizabeth smiled round the room, ' I wish you all a happy Christmas and from all the staff here.'

There was a loud chorus of happy Christmas and thank yous.

Mollie held out her hands, admiring her nails,  Nick bent down to her,

'Mollie please could I borrow Tracey tomorrow afternoon, I need a little helper for the children's ward,' He looked up at Tracey, 'If she agrees of course. Maybe afterwards I could invite her for a glass of mulled wine or hot chocolate.'

Tracey realized she was gripping the handles of the wheelchair and holding her breath.  She looked at Nick and there reflected back at her she saw the little girl she had been, the kind and caring little girl that Grandma and Auntie Jo had loved so much. A weight lifted from her and her world tilted, straightening up its course.

Mollie  put her hand on Tracey's arm, smiling at Nick.

 'You take good care of her, she's my guardian angel.'







'

'

Rosalie's Christmas Angel

There were only a few people left in the park.
Just a couple of families hurrying home to have tea by the Christmas tree and wrap the last presents. A few teenagers wearing reindeer antlers and Father Christmas hats gave some welcome cheer to the gloom. Dusk was already falling even though it was early afternoon.
Rosalie shivered in her thin silky dress and pulled her woollen shrug tighter round her shoulders. Her blonde hair was swept up to reveal her new diamond earrings, an early Christmas present from Tom to wear at his office party.
Rosalie thought how conspicuous she must look and moved to the railing round the lake, huddling over to keep warm. The ducks were swimming around looking for the last of the crumbs that the children had thrown. Rosalie opened her new silver clutch to see if there was anything there. Sometimes she had a small packet of biscuits, an old habit from when the children were small, but there was nothing, just the modern girls' survival kit of lipstick and concealer. Her phone and money were all in the car, along with her keys. She shivered and wiped away a tear. A great sadness wound its withered hand around her heart.

They had driven up to London in good time to beat the holiday traffic to attend the office party. They had argued all the way, as they often did now, about the usual unimportant things, like where to go for New Year and if they should invite his mother to stay.
As they'd parked the car in front of the office Tom's phone rang. He answered it immediately and his tone of voice was bright and cheerful, in sharp contrast to the way he had been speaking to her.

 'O hi Svetlana, yes we're here, just parking, yes she's come too, .'

Rosalie turned on her husband, all the anger and fear of the last few weeks bursting out in a fury.

'Who is this Svetlana? Why do you speak to her in such a seductive way? Don't deny it Tom, I know it's wrong but I couldn't help looking at your phone, so many calls and texts from Svetlana, it's me or her. You're never at home and I feel so lonely now the children are at uni, and dad's not here anymore.'

She paused, Tom wasn't even looking at her. Anger swept over her and she grabbed the door handle.

'I'm not going to the party.'

Rosalie flung herself out of the car and slammed the door. She didn't see the look of astonishment on Tom's face as she ran towards the park. She ran as fast as she could on her high heels. She didn't hear him slam the car door and call after her, she just ran until her heart beat so fast it covered up the feelings of anger and resentment.

 Rosalie leant on the railing and watched the ducks swimming towards her. Their slow graceful movements calmed her down and her heart stopped racing.
She thought the male ducks looked like Tom, all groomed and aware of how attractive they were next to their female companions. Rosalie felt like the female ducks, brown and plain. There was the sound of someone coughing behind her.

Rosalie turned to the bench and noticed a well-built unshaven man sitting there and looking at her. He stood up and joined her at the railing. Underneath his beard, moustache and fuzzy eyebrows she could see his eyes twinkling, they were a soft brown and she couldn't help smiling at him.
When he spoke his voice was low and gentle.

 'We can learn a lot by looking at the ducks. Look at that one, I call her Tonya, and that black one with the white crest, he is Boris, and the beautiful mallard is Karl. They were the names of my brothers and sister, it is like having them here with me.'

He spoke with a heavy accent, Rosalie guessed Eastern European. Close up she could see that beneath his worn overcoat he wasn't well built at all, but thickly padded with newspaper. He smiled at her and she saw the humour and warmth that must have been such a part of him. His face was covered with wrinkles and laughter lines. It was like staring into a rich happy past.

Rosalie turned towards the ducks.

 'I was just thinking how funny that nature makes the male more attractive. In humans the man seems to get more attractive as the years go by but women lose their ability to attract as they reach my age.'

She sighed and  put her hand on her cheek. The man smiled at her.

'You are a beautiful woman, any man would be lucky to have you. But aren't you getting cold ? Why are you on your own in the park now?'

Some instinct told her to trust the man and she found herself pouring out her worries.
She told him about the children going to uni, her sister living in Australia, her husband being made director of his company and always coming home late, her job as a teacher in the local primary school which she had had to leave to look after her father and how hard it was to see him grow frail and old, and howall romance seemed to have dwindled away from her life. She felt lost and lonely.

 'And then in the Summer my father died and this will be the first Christmas without him..'

 Rosalie stopped in mid-sentence, her words hanging in the air. She felt so ashamed of herself. Here she was moaning on and on to this poor man who probably hadn't got a home to go to and was going to sleep on this bench. She put out her hand and touched him on the arm, but he just smiled at her and nodded.

 'I understand all this, you are still in love with your husband and that is good, that is why you feel this jealousy, and of course you miss your father, that is life. We are always missing the ones we love' he paused, 'or hurting them.'

 He coughed and doubled over. A look of great pain crossed his face.

 'But come we must get you warm, where are you going?'

 Rosalie let him lead her across the park to where the car was parked.

 'I haven't got the keys though,' she shivered and her teeth started to chatter violently.

 There was a flash of silver as he took something from his pocket, it looked like a razor blade, and then the door was open.

Rosalie laughed, 'Wow! How did you do that?'

The man smiled and tapped his nose.

Rosalie got into the passenger seat and felt for her bag, she took out all the money she had and the box of cough sweets from the glove compartment. She thrust them at the man who tried to back away.

He shook his head,

 'No no, kindness is free,' but she was too quick for him and buried them deep in his pocket.
Then she hugged him and whispered her thanks. He walked away and she raised her hand in farewell as he lifted his cap and disappeared into the misty park. She realized someone was calling her name.

 She looked up and saw Tom running towards her.

'Rosalie, where did you go? I've been searching for you everywhere, I've been so worried. You must be freezing. What were you saying in the car? I couldn't understand a word you said, I was wearing my headphones. What's happened?'

Never had she seen Tom so shaken up, he looked like he'd been crying. She almost laughed.

 'Nothing Tom, I just said I love you, that's all. I'm so proud of you and I'm looking forward to meeting Svetlana.'

Tom let out an enormous sigh,

'What a relief! Svetlana will be retiring at Christmas, she's going home to Poland. She's invited us all for New Year's Eve, apparently this time of year is amazing in Poland, all mulled wine and markets. It will be just what you need to cheer you up after your...' his voice dwindled away as he searched for words.

 She put her arms around his neck and pulled him towards her. She held his hand tight as they walked into the party.
Rosalie thought about what her father had whispered to her
'I'll always be looking out for you Rosalie my darling daughter, I'll ask if I can come back as your guardian angel.'

She looked back towards the park and blew a kiss into the evening air.