Page 3 of A Beastly Christmas Cheerful
“I know, I’m sorry, but I knew you’d say yes.”
“Or you knew you’d wear me down until I said yes.” Flopping onto the sofa, I shut my eyes and will myself to calm down.
“Pretty please don’t be mad at me?” I hear Christmas music playing in the background, so she must have gone back inside the restaurant to be with her family.
“I’m signing the book and kicking them out. I’m not going to be nice.” As much as I want to be nice and welcoming, I’m not. So there’s no sense in pretending otherwise.
“Ha,” Kim barks a loud laugh. “You? Be nice? Don’t worry, I didn't expect you to change personalities since the last time we talked.” She says something to her mom and sister before coming back to the phone. “Listen, I’ve got to go, but...she’s...and you...don’t...and then-forget. Okay?”
“You’re breaking up,” I say and look down at the phone in my hand. The screen on it flashes before I put it back to my ear. “Kim?”
“Christmas...Marley...time...for...horror...companionship...Santa.”
“Kim, either you’re telling me to write a horror story about Christmas or fuck Santa, I can’t tell.”
When my phone beeps, I look down at the screen and see the line has gone dead. Figures. I don’t have a landline because most of the year my cell phone works fine. In the winter it’s the worst because the cell towers get snow and ice built up on them and then I can’t get a signal.
Now I’m stuck waiting for someone that is on their way, but I have no idea who they are or when they’ll be here. Maybe I could wait on the porch for them so that when they pull up, they don’t have to come inside. I could even go to their car and they can turn around in the driveway without having to get out at all.
There’s a lot of reasons I like being alone, but one of the biggest is because of the way people stare at me. Back when I lived in the city, I was walking down the street when a kid ran out of a store and knocked me over. It was an accident, but when I fell, it was into a bike lane, and my face got hit.
A jagged scar runs down one side of my face and over my eye. I’m still able to see just fine, but the color changed after the surgery. When I go into Cheerful, I wear a hat and sunglasses, and I’ve since grown a beard. It’s not out of place in these parts, and it helps hide what’s underneath.
Maybe if I looked like my old self, I wouldn’t be the recluse that I am. But I’ve seen the look of fear in people’s eyes when they see my face. Worse, I see the pity. That’s not something I’m prepared to deal with every time I walk outside. So I stick to my once-a-month shopping trip to stock up on essentials, and I communicate by email or phone.
If it wasn’t for Kim, I’m not sure I would use my phone, and now she’s sent someone to my house. I guess that’s what I get for talking to her.
Before the stranger arrives, I busy myself with stocking up on wood for the fireplace in case the power goes out. It doesn’t happen all the time, but in a snowstorm like this one, it’s bound to be out for at least a few hours. Over the years, I’ve gotten good at surviving on my own for days and days without power. I could do without it, but I like the convenience of turning on hot water instead of having to boil it for a shower. Also, it makes my writing life a hell of a lot easier.
Thinking back to what Kim said when her phone was cutting out, a Christmas horror novel isn’t such a bad idea. Maybe I’ll write one where a stranger gets stuck in a snowstorm and finds a cabin in the woods.
I chuckle as I carry the axe to the woodshed and get to chopping.
Chapter Three
BELLE
This isn’t so bad. I suppose driving is like riding a bike: Once you know how, you never forget. Maybe. It’s been a few years, but so far so good.
I blast holiday music to get myself back in the holiday spirit. A dark cloud hangs over that office, and I know I should start looking for another job. I’m dragging out the inevitable because I’ll either turn into one of them or get fired. That’s really the only outcome. Both of those options super suck.
Checking the time, I see I’m killing it. The snow is getting heavier, but I think this thing has four-wheel drive. I just don’t know how to turn it on. Maybe it does it on its own? The roads are also a lot clearer than I thought they would be, but I left before the normal end-of-day traffic. That means that I have a little bit of time to stop in Cheerful. The town name alone makes me smile. I wish I could rename our office Cheerful.
I debated for half a second if I should get the book signed first or go to town, but when my stomach growled, it made that decision for me. I remembered seeing a bakery in the town called Sugar Plum Sweets, and it looked like it had the best desserts.
The thought makes my stomach let out another loud growl.
"Oh wow," I whisper when I see the town up ahead. The sun is starting to set, and all the holiday lights are on. The closer I get, the more it looks like the town is glowing.
The second I enter Cheerful, I’m hit with Christmas overload. I’m so excited I have to remind myself to keep my eyes on the road while trying to take it all in. The more I see, the more I wish I could spend a whole week here. We don’t even get Christmas Eve off at my office. There’s not a party or Secret Santa or anything fun.
When I see an open parking spot in front of Sugar Plum, I take that as a sign that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. There are a few spots, so thankfully I don’t have to parallel park. Still, I manage to bump the curb so hard it shakes the whole car.
I hop out and almost slip on the ice but catch myself at the last second. I hurry around the car to make sure I didn’t do any damage when I hit the curb, but the tire seems fine. Thank goodness. I still have to own up to the espresso machine. Adding in damage to the car would be enough to give Ms. King a heart attack.
“Merry Christmas,” someone says as they pass by.
“Merry Christmas!” I shout back.
