Page 13 of All I Want for Christmas

Jed looked like he wanted to protest, but he was a good husband and did as I said as Rose walked over and reluctantly sat on the hay bale, next to Rudolph. I sat down too and noticed Hope squirming on Rose’s lap, her little hands reaching up to try and touch the reindeer’s faded red—now pale pink—nose. Isupposed it was a distraction to her, given she was merely inches away from it.

Rose was trying to hold her still while the cameraman shook a bell. “Little baby, look over here.”

But Hope was even more determined to touch the nose, and threw her head back into Rose’s chest and practically launched herself at the reindeer.

Rose nearly lost her grip on Hope, but the baby got enough space to grab the reindeer’s nose in both hands. Rose pulled her back while Hope still held on, and when Rose gave a hard yank, Hope let go and the reindeer toppled on to its side, the middle splitting in half.

The crowd let out cries of surprise. A kid called out “Cool!” while a few more began to cry.

Rose bolted upright. “I am so sorry!”

“You broke the reindeer,” the photographer said in dismay as he moved toward it.

“We should just go,” Rose said, propping Hope on her hip.

“We didn’t get your photo taken yet,” I protested.

“What do you want us to do?” Jed asked with a grin. “Should I put my foot on its rump and look like I brought it down with a machete like in those safari photos?”

I gasped. “Don’t even suggest such a thing.”

The teenager was still looking at the plastic pieces. “I wonder if I can put it back together with duct tape.”

“Duct tape has a multitude of uses,” I said. “That’s not a bad idea.” But the boy gave me a dark look, so I quickly followed Rose who had already bolted a good ten feet away.

“Rose, hold up,” I called after her.

She slowed down and when I caught up, her face was red with embarrassment.

“It wasn’t your fault,” I assured her.

“She’s right,” Jed said. “Hope did the thing a favor by putting it out of its misery.”

“Jed,” I reprimanded him.

Jed shrugged. “Well, she did. That thing looked like it should have been put out to pasture decades ago. I’m surprised a few families of mice didn’t come scurrying out when it broke in half.”

Rose looked up at him and the corners of her mouth lifted into the hint of a smile before she said, “It’s not funny.”

“But, it kind of is,” Jed said.

“He’s right,” I conceded. “It is funny.”

Rose took a breath then looked around. “Where’s Joe? I’m ready to get out of here.”

“You can’t go yet,” I said as the panic started to reignite. Even the disaster that had happened behind us distracted me from the cloud hanging over me. “You didn’t get your photo!”

“No offense,” she said, “but it looks like they really are putting that poor reindeer back together with duct tape, and I don’t need a photo of that thing in my house. It’ll give Hope nightmares.”

She had a point. The kid had gotten a roll of silver tape, and was struggling to hold up both ends of the plastic statue so he could tape it back together.

“I should go help,” Rose said, looking like she was none too eager to do so. “It is my fault, after all.”

“Nonsense,” Jed countered. “If it hadn’t happened with Hope, it would have happened with the next kid who tried to sit on its back, and they might have gotten hurt. You saved a kid from injury.”

Rose snorted. “That thing is three feet off the ground. The worst that could happen is they’d get scraped up by the plastic.”

“But think of the emotional damage,” I said. “Something like that could ruin Christmas for a kid. Can you imagine a smallchild thinking they killed Rudolph?” I gave her a pointed look. “You did a public service.”

---