|
|
|
 |
|
|
| **Alone At Christmas** |
|
|
| Stella had been prepared
for her husband's death. Since the doctor's pronouncement of terminal
cancer, they had both faced the inevitable, striving to make the
most of their remaining time together. Dave's financia l affairs
had always been in order. There were no new burdens in her widowed
state. It was just the awful aloneness...the lack of purpose to her days. |
|
| They had been a childless
couple. It had been their choice. Their lives had been so full & rich.
They had been content with busy careers, & with each other.
They had many friends. Had. That was the operative word these days.
It was bad enough losing the one person you loved with all your heart. But
over the past few years, she & Dave repeatedly had to cope with the
deaths of their friends & relations. They were all of an age-an age when human
bodies began giving up. Dying. Face it-they were old! |
|
| And now, approaching
the first Christmas without Dave, Stella was all too aware she would be on her own.
With shaky fingers, she lowered the volume of her radio so that the Christmas music
became a muted background. To her surprise, she saw that the mail had
come. With the inevitable wince of pain from her arthritis,
she bent to retrieve the white envelopes from the floor. She sat on
the piano bench to open them. They were mostly Christmas cards, &
her sad eyes smiled at the familiarty of the traditional scenes & at the
loving messages inside. She arranged them amoung the others on the piano top.
In her entire house, they were the only seasonal decoration. The holiday
was less than a week away, but she just did not have the heart to put up a silly tree, or
even set up the stable that Dave had built with his own hands. |
|
| Suddenly engulfed by the
loneliness of all, Stella buried her face in her hands, & let the tears come.
How would she possible get through Christmas & the winter beyond it! |
|
| The ring of the
doorbell was so unexpected that Stella had to stifle a small
scream of surprise. Now who could possibly be calling on her? She opened
the wooden door & stared through the screened window of the storm door with
consternation. On her front porch, stood a strange, young man, whose head as
barely visible about the large carton in his arms. She peered beyond beyond
him to the driveway, but there was nothing about the small car to give a clue to his
identity. Summoning courage, the elderly lady opened the door slightly &
he stepped sideways to speak into the space. |
|
| "Mrs. Thornhope?"
She nodded. He continued, "I have a package for you." |
|
| Curiosity drove
caution from her mind. she pushed the door open, & he
entered. Smiling, he placed his burden carefully on the floor &
stood to retrieve an envelope that protruded from his
pocket. As he handed it to her, a sound came from the box. Stella jumped.
The man laughed in apology & bent to straighten up the
cardboard flaps, holding them open in an invitation for her to peek inside. |
|
| It was a dog!
To be more exact, a golden Labrador retriever puppy. As the
gentleman lifted its squirring body up into his arms, he explained. "This
is for you, ma'am. He's six weeks old &
completely housebroken." The young pup wiggled in happiness at being
released from captivity & thrust esctatic, wet kisses in the direction of the young
mean's face. "We were supposed to deliver him on Christmas Eve," he
continued with some difficulty, as he strove to rescue his chin from the wet little
tongue, "but the staff at the kennels start their holidays tomorrow.
Hope you don't mind an early present." |
|
| Shock had stolen her
ability to think clearly. Unable to form coherent sentences, she stammered,
"But...I don't...who?" |
|
| The young
fellow set the animal down on the doormat between them & then reached
out a finger to tap the envelope she was still holding. "There's
letter in there that explains everthing, pretty much. The dog was bought las
July while her mother was still pregnant. It was meant to be a Christmas gift." |
|
| Unbelievably, the stranger
was turning to go. Desperation forced the works from her lips. "But who
...who bought it?" |
|
| Pausing in the open
doorway, he replied, "Your husband, ma'am." And them he was gone. |
|
| It was all in
the letter. Forgetting the puppy entirely at the sight of the familiar handwriting,
Stella had walked like a sleepwalker to her chair by the window. She forced her
tear-filled eyes to read her husband's words. He had written it three weeks before
his death & had left it with the kennel owners to be delivered along
with the puppy as his last Christmas gift to her. It was full of love &
encouragement & admonishments to be strong. He vowed that he was waiting
for the day when she would join him. And he had sent her this young animal to keep
her company until then. |
|
| Remembering the
little creature for the first time, she was surprised to find him
quietly looking up at her, his small panting mouth resembling a comic smile.
Stella put the pages aside & reached for the bundle of golden fur.
She had thought that he would be heavier, but he wa only the size & weight of a
sofa pillow. And so soft & warm. She cradled him in her arms & he
licked her jawbone, then cuddled into the hollow of her neck. the tears began anew
at this exchange of affection & the dog endured her crying without moving. |
|
| Finally, Stella lowered him
to her lap, where she regarded him solemnly. She wiped vaguely at her wet cheeks,
then somehow mustered a smile. "Well, little guy, I guess it's you &
me." His pink tongue panted in agreement. Stella's smile strengened &
her gaze shifted sideways to the window. Dusk had fallen. Through fluffy
flakes that were now drifting down, she saw the cheery Christmas lights that edged the
roof lines of her neighbors' homes. The strains of "Joy to the World"
floated in from the kitchen. |
|
| Suddenly Stella felt the
most amazing sensation of peace & benediction washing over her. It
was like being enfolded in a loving embrace. Her heart beat painfully, but it was
with joy & wonder, not grief or loneliness. She need
never feel alone again. Returning her attention to the dog,
she spoke to him. |
|
| "You know, fella, I
have a box in the basement that I think you'd like. There's a tree in it &
some decorations & lights that will impress you like crazy! And I think I can
find that old stable down there, too. What d'ya say we go hunt it up?" |
|
| The puppy barked happily in
agreement, as if he understood every word. Stella got up, placed the puppy on the
floor & together they went down to the basement, ready to make a Christmas together. |
|
