Page 36 of Stuck With My Christmas Crush

I look at the floor. “Juggling balls. Charlie got me juggling balls and wrote in the card to call her if I needed lessons.”

“Ah! That’s brilliant,” says Daniel. “That really is a very good present.”

Then, Meredith says, “I love her already. When can we meet her properly?”

“Ask her to come for Christmas, Jason,” says Maddie as she draws messy zigzags on the last cookie on her plate. “This one is me.”

“Now, hold on, just a minute.” I put my hands out as if that’s going to stop the wave of enthusiasm. “Charlie probably has plans for Christmas. And who says I need juggling lessons?”

“Well, can you juggle?” asks Meredith.

“No. But that doesn’t mean I need lessons.” I walk to the door and back again. “I may not have time… I may not want to.”

“You don’t want to learn to juggle?” Maddie is incredulous. “Come on. We can practice right now.” My niece slides down off the barstool.

“Just a minute,” says Daniel. “You need to wash your hands again.”

“Oh yeah. I forgot.” Maddie goes over to the sink where Meredith turns on the tap for her, then gives her a tea towel for drying. Maddie holds up her hands to her mom for inspection. Meredith gives her a nod of approval.

Then my niece leads me to the living room. She picks up the remote and turns on the TV, then flicks through the channel menu and finds YouTube.

“You can find lessons teaching you just about anything. This is how I learned my frosting skills.” Maddie’s expression is stony serious. “Alright, Jason. Go get your juggling balls and I’ll find someone in here to show you how.” Maddie looks up at me with eyebrows raised. “You don’t want to go and get lessons from Charlie if you haven’t even tried it on your own, do you?”

“Maddie. I don’t have my gift. I left it back at the mansion.”

“I know. I thought you just forgot to bring it. So, I brought it.” Maddie doesn’t take her eyes off the screen as she scrolls through ‘Juggling for Beginners’, ‘Juggling 101’, ‘Juggling Made Simple’, and a whole heap of others on a list that is making my head spin. “The box is in the car.”

I stand for a moment trying to figure out how exactly to respond to this pint-sized dictator. Meredith and Daniel watch from the kitchen. They smile and shrug as if they are powerless to intervene.

Chapter 18

Charlie

I’m in the Sparkle Entertainers van with Lou and Calvin. We have a booking downtown tonight. It’s a big corporate Christmas bash and we are providing part of the entertainment. Calvin and Lou are doing their Cirque Du Soleil style acrobatic/ magic show/ dance type performance that’s scheduled after the canapes and before the band. I’m the roadie and dressed as a fairy. My job will be to make sure the performance space is set up with the props, so Lou and Calvin have what they need when they need it.

As we drive to the venue at a hotel event hall, we talk through the routine. It’s not new but Calvin always likes to add something extra to make each performance unique and fresh.

“So, when Lou comes down from the ladder, that’s when we’ll do the cross-over juggling routine with the clubs, and then end off with the devil sticks with Lou on my shoulders. How does that sound?” Calvin slows down and changes gear to stop at a pedestrian crossing.

“Yep. Sounds good,” says Lou who is in the middle of the seat between me and Calvin.

I mentally place the clubs and devil sticks at the side of an imaginary performance space. We won’t know the exact dimensions or limitations until we get there, and we may need to alter the sequence accordingly. Lou and Calvin have been performing together for a few years and have developed a trust and bond that’s strong and deep. I never tire of watching them on stage and seeing the audience react. It’s amazing what they do.

As we pick up speed again, I gaze vacantly out of the window at the festive street filled with Christmas shoppers. I’m thinking about Jason and feeling sad.

As if Lou can read my mind, she says, “It’s done, Charlie. You went. You saw Jason.” She reaches over and gently squeezes my hand. “At least you know now. That’s whyyou went, isn’t it? To find out. One way or another. If there was a spark or if you just made the whole thing up.”

“Yeah. At least now I know.” I turn to my friend and force a smile.

The whole city is lit up and decorated like a Christmas tree. Seeing people hurry up and down carrying bags and boxes, buying the perfect gift for their loved ones lifts my heavy heart. It seems as if everyone is happy and full of Christmas spirit.

“Sorry. I don’t know why it got to me, but it did,” I say brightly. “And… Jason and I… Yes. The spark is there. I know he’s feeling it too. It’s insane how close I feel.” I pause as I remember his hand gently holding mine. “Felt. Past tense.” Somewhere on the street outside a mechanical version of Jingle Bells plays a tinny serenade as we pass. “It all stopped when we were talking in the garage about the big old car, and I had this…” I laugh to admit my romantic idiocy. “I imagined us driving along with the top down, and I just felt so happy. Now, I feel stupid because I’ve projected all my silliness and big ideals on that poor man. He doesn’t deserve it and…” I grab Lou’s hand and squeeze it back. “He’s nice… He definitely has issues, for sure. No doubt about that. But he’s not for me.” I shake my head. “I see that now.”

“You sound pretty sure, Charlie,” says Calvin checking the illuminated green line on the sat nav.

“I think I just realized when we were talking about what was going to happen to the hotel, I felt so sad and disappointed. It’s just a classic,It’s not him. It’s me.scenario.” I laugh. “We are just so different.”

“Different is good,” says Calvin. “You know, yin and yang. You can be different and complement each other.”

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