Snow and Mistletoe

 Snow and Mistletoe

By Leslie Johnson

Ben and Joan walked hand in hand back to her house as the snow began to fall. It was twelve days until Christmas, and the weather had been working hard to ensure they would have a white one. The street lights had come on earlier, lighting their way home.

Inside, Joan set the kettle to boil and began setting cookies onto a plate: shortbread cookies, gingersnaps, sugar cookies, and a few chocolate chips. “Sorry, there aren’t many chocolate chip cookies left. Leah was here yesterday and I sent her home with a bag full.”

“How is your granddaughter?” Ben asked.

“Oh, she is perfect. She is such a blessing to me. She reminds me of my Leah, yet she is definitely her own person.”

Ben smiled. He knew how hard it had been for Joan, losing two of her children over four years ago. He had walked with Joan in those early days, and then they had parted ways. It took Ben some time to realize Joan needed to find her footing as she entered into living life on her own for the first time.

He had missed her and longed for her, hoping she was doing well. Joan’s mother talked with him often during that first year, keeping him apprised of Joan’s life. It helped him avoid going to Jack’s Diner to see her, which may have ruined his future chances to be part of her life.

When Beulah felt that Joan was ready he stopped in. He and Joan had coffee together. That became their thing for several months. They didn’t start dating until last September when he called her and asked her out to the movies. It was so easy to fall into step together, though he was cautious not to push the boundaries. He let Joan take the lead. Now, they were going to spend their first Christmas together.

Chatting about Christmas plans, they drank the hot chocolate and Ben enjoyed a few shortbread cookies. Joan ate the gingersnaps, claiming they were her favorite cookie. He wasn’t a fan, so he left them all for her.

Looking at the clock, Joan stood and began to tidy up. “Here, let me help you,” Ben said as he grabbed the two mugs. Together, they cleared away their mid-afternoon snack. They had reservations for supper at six-thirty.

“I’m going to go upstairs and get ready,” Joan said. “Do you need anything?”

“No, I’m good. I have my clothes in the back bedroom so I’ll change in a little bit. Take your time.”

Joan disappeared, and Ben heard the shower go on. He went into the back bedroom and pulled out the sprig of mistletoe he had hidden there. With a temporary adhesive, he hung the greenery from the arch between the kitchen and living room. At ten minutes to six, he went into the bedroom again, this time to change his clothes.

As he came back into the living room, he heard Joan coming down the stairs. Perfect timing, he thought. He moved to the bottom of the stairs, letting out a low whistle when he saw her. She looked lovely. She was wearing a high-waisted velvet gown, that flowed down to her knees. It brought out her eyes. Complimenting her outfit she wore a blue tanzanite teardrop necklace and earrings.

He took her hand and kissed it as she stepped off the last stair. Joan blushed and smiled. Gently, he brought her to the archway pointing to the evergreen hanging there. Joan laughed and he took her into his arms and kissed her. When he let her go, he dropped to one knee, and before Joan realized what was happening, Ben asked “Joan Bradshaw, will you do me the honor of marrying me?” He opened a ring box to reveal a stunning diamond solitaire.

Joan’s heart skipped a beat and fear rushed in causing her to shiver. Ben mistook it for excitement and squeezed her hand as he stood up to hug her. She broke away first and moved into the living room. Ben didn’t understand.

“Joan?”

“I’m sorry, Ben. I was so happy a few minutes ago and now all I feel is terror.” Her relationship with Joe brought up so many bad memories.

Understanding this, Ben pulled her into his arms and told her she didn’t need to decide that minute. “Let’s go for supper and forget this for now. We can revisit it when you’re ready. Take as much time as you need. Just know that I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you by my side.”

Joan nodded. She allowed Ben to help her with her coat and they walked out to the warming vehicle. As Joan settled in the passenger seat she wished she could talk to her mother.

They arrived at their favorite Italian restaurant minutes later. Inside, the aroma of pasta and marinara sauce eased Joan’s tensions and she relaxed as she looked over the menu.

After they ordered, the conversation turned to life at the cafe. Joan regaled him with tales of Beckie and Brad’s trip to Italy. “I think they want to move there,” she said. “I hope she doesn’t because she is such a vital force at the cafe, but if she does…” Joan shrugged.

Their meals came and there was little talk while they each relished the food. Finally sated, they ordered tea and tiramisu. Joan enjoyed every minute of the night, but the fear in her heart sat waiting to be dealt with. She excused herself to go to the powder room. The space was divided into two rooms, one for the business you came to do and one for lounging as you fixed your hair and makeup. As Joan rested on one of the puffy stools, she pulled out her cell phone and called her mom.

Her mother didn’t answer with a hello. Instead, she asked, “When’s the wedding?”

“I might have known that you would be in on it.” Joan laughed. ”I sometimes wonder if he likes you more than he likes me.”

“Don’t be silly. He’s over the moon for you - always has been,” Beulah responded. “So, when is the wedding?”

“I haven’t said yes.”

“Why not? Don’t you love him?”

“I do Mom, but my last marriage was a disaster, I’m so afraid things will fall apart once we are living under the same roof.”

“I am not going to tell you that your fears are baseless, but Ben is not Joe. I never liked Joe, remember - but I like Ben and I always have.”

“I know,” Joan whispered. “We probably would not be together if it wasn’t for you pushing me toward him all those years ago.”

“So don’t decide today, but don’t leave the man hanging on too long. He’s already waited for four years.”

“I know - I just want to be sure.”

“I can tell you one thing that may help. Think back to how it was when Joe asked

you to marry him. Remember his impatience to get you into his home where he chained you to the stove, the washer and dryer, and the vacuum cleaner. Ben will not ask you to leave your job. He will not expect you to look after his every need. He has been on his own long enough to be self-sufficient - just like Wally is. He is a help to me - not helpless. I think you need to tell him how you are feeling.”

After another minute, Joan hung up, thinking back to her first marriage. She knew her mom was right. Ben was not like Joe - not one little bit. They were very different men.

“I was just about to send out a search party,” Ben said as Joan slipped back into her chair.

“I’m sorry. I called my mom.”

Ben nodded but didn’t say anything. He let Joan speak. She told him what she was afraid of and he didn’t negate her fears. He validated them, allowing Joan to let them go. They kept talking on the short drive back to Joan’s house. He left his truck running as he walked her to the door.

“Good night, Joan.” Ben swooped in for a peck on the lips.

“Good night, Ben.” She responded, her arms reaching naturally around his neck, pulling him closer.

A minute later, Ben pulled away. “I have to get to work.”

“I know.” Joan released him and he started down the steps. Just before he left the yard, she called to him. “Oh, Ben? By the way, I will marry you.”

Ben was late for work.

The Boulder Escapade

In the late summer, Laurie and I came to the decision to redo the backyard. When I moved into my house on Bluefox - I had a twenty-year plan to get the backyard into shape. After a few years of frustration - I bit the bullet and hired a landscaper (the same one who had done my front yard) to do the back. Within a week - my yard was in the baby stages of the end plan. At last, instead of fighting weeds and struggling to redo a portion of the yard, it was all done. This head start provided me with many years of enjoyment instead of many years of hard labor.

Fast forward to moving here and I am no longer as capable as I was at forty - so even though the space is one-quarter of the size I had on the north side - I was looking once again at a twenty-year plan without the desire and wherewithal to make it happen. So we decided to hire a landscaper (the same one I used all those years ago). With a plan in mind and some feedback from Karen, we were on our way to completing the new twenty-year plan.

One of the features we wanted was a couple of boulders but we nixed them from the quote - the cost was outrageous. Then I came up with a plan. I knew where to find two boulders - in the front yard of my former home on Bluefox. I told Laurie if we went in the middle of the night - after midnight and wore all black - we could have those boulders in the back of her SUV and home without any cost - except a few hours of sleep.

Sitting around brainstorming - Laurie said we needed to wear something unusual - not just black clothes and a balaclava.  She suggested we wear costumes - because honestly - she wanted to wear this gorilla suit she had purchased and never worn. I agreed that she could wear her costume. She then brought up the possibility that her gimpy leg might prevent her from helping me carry the boulders. This is when my brother Russ was conscripted to join in the escapade. 

At first, Russ thought we were kidding, and he laughed. When he realized we were sincere, he got serious. “It’s about time,” he said. “I told you to take those boulders when you moved. They were ranch rocks and should be with someone from the ranch!” He grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. Drawing a rough layout of the street, he marked the page with Xs and *s - whispering our movements and directing our steps. We were soon in business.

The following Friday night, we drove to the neighborhood. Russ parked around the corner and we quietly exited the vehicle. Crouching on the corner behind the large juniper shrub we scoped the house for any cameras. The door was intact - no peephole just as it was when I lived there. We checked the frame, the corners, and the fence. No cameras in sight. Searching the neighborhood, all the houses were dark. We were good to go.

Crouching low, we scooted down the sidewalk until we were standing in front of my former home. I looked up to the house on the left to make sure the windows were closed. They were. We looked at one another and nodded. It was “GO TIME”!

Our first rock was partially buried under the large juniper. I peeled back the branches to expose it and Russ reached down to pull it forward. In the dark, I failed to notice that I had disturbed a large funnel spider web. Russ was bent over about to lift the rock from the ground when I spotted the web and the spider on my sleeve.

What happened next was all my fault. I shrieked and began batting at the spider, trying to remove it from my person. In doing so, I let go of the juniper branches I was holding and they sprung back into place with force, catching Russ on the side of his head. His glasses went flying and in the dark, they were impossible to find. He started cursing as blood flowed from the gash above his eyebrow. 

Laurie, who was sitting on our second rock to the right was so startled, she fell backward onto the gravel below. Her legs kicked the air uselessly as she tried to right herself in the small space where she lay. In the meantime, I was dancing on the sidewalk, stripping off my shirt to remove the spider. Of course, I was screaming the whole time. Lights in the neighborhood began to come on. 

Russ legged it to the truck around the corner, I was right behind him. We left Laurie to fend for herself. If she stopped struggling to get up, she would be nearly invisible to the naked eye. I wasn’t sure she would. 

In the truck, Russ put the vehicle in neutral and we started rolling backward. Once we passed the alley, he started the truck. He made a U-turn and we headed to Uplands Blvd. Turning left, we drove past dark houses and then turned onto Bluefox Road and finally onto Bluefox Blvd. Parking across from the park, we watched the street before us, waiting fifteen minutes, then twenty without speaking. We were scouting for movement and to see if the police were called. 

When half an hour had passed and the neighborhood remained quiet, we drove to the corner and did another loop. As we passed the house, I was unable to ascertain whether Laurie was there or not. I could not see her feet flailing in the air. Had she managed to get up? Was she still there waiting for us? 

After our second pass, Russ pulled another U-turn and parked in our original spot. The two of us exited quietly and then crouching low, we made our way back to the house. Laurie was nowhere to be found. That worried me a little as we didn’t have a plan for what to do if we got separated. We hadn’t brought our phones to avoid any GPS tracking so she had no way of contacting us.

 

Russ and I got to work. First, we needed to find his glasses. It took ten minutes to find them, they had been thrown quite a distance. Checking them out, we were grateful they were in one piece, seemingly unscathed.

With his glasses back in place, Russ pulled back the juniper branches and I reached down and lifted the boulder out. He let go of the branches as he reached to take the rock off my hands. The thick boughs swung back and smacked me across my shins. I held my breath - I guess I deserved that. He hustled the boulder down the street to the truck, then scurried back for boulder number two. 

With the second boulder settled into the truck, Russ and I whispered about what to do. Laurie was out there in the city wearing a gorilla costume. She wasn’t capable of walking all the way home. We decided that maybe we should make a quick tour of the five houses - along the street by foot and then down the back alley. I ditched my balaclava and we climbed out of the truck.

Walking nonchalantly down the sidewalk, Russ scoped out the homes across the street, looking for any movement. I peered under shrubs and toward back gates. We saw nothing out of the ordinary. Down the side street, we kept close to the fenced yard of the house on the corner. There was no sidewalk here. At some point, Russ tried to jump up and check the backyard, so I offered to hoist him up so he could take a longer look. That was a bad idea. 

I cupped my hands together, and he placed his right foot into the stirrup. Knowing this wasn’t going to be easy for me when he added pressure, I lifted with my legs and literally threw him over the fence. Unprepared for the force of my help, he landed on his back with a great thud - on the other side of the fence.  

Stunned, I just stood there waiting for disaster to strike. Only silence prevailed. I finally asked Russ if he was okay. He whimpered that he thought maybe he’d put his back out. Oh great! Now what? I tiptoed to the alley looking for the gate. It seemed locked, or at least I couldn’t get it open. I was starting to cry when I heard a click and Russ pulled the gate open from his side. 

As he crab-walked out of the yard, stooped over holding his back with one hand, relief flooded me. At least I wasn’t going to have to carry him. I followed him past the next home and then we came to my former backyard. The first thing I noticed was the tree, my beautiful tree, the one I had planted because there were no trees when I moved in, was dead. Naked branches reached toward the night sky, silhouetted by the street light. I felt crushed and really sad that the people who bought my home had done nothing with the landscaping. The other tree was gone altogether. At that moment I felt tremendous self-righteousness in stealing my rocks back. How dare they. 

An unusual noise came from over the fence. I knew the trick to opening the back gate, so I did and slipped into the darkened lot. There, swinging on the jungle gym, was a gorilla! Silver-haired and grunting, it swung from one bar to the next, enjoying her freedom. I whistled low and the gorilla stopped moving. It dropped to the ground and then knucklewalked to my side. I heard her mumble something like - about time - as she slipped past me down the alley after Russ. The two of them looked quite the sight as they hobbled toward the truck. 

Inside the vehicle, Laurie pulled off her mask. She gave both of us a tongue-lashing for leaving her behind. I took her anger staring out the window until a giggle caught me off-guard. I tried to stop it but it bubbled out and soon, Russ was laughing and finally Laurie did too. Five minutes later, Russ started the vehicle and pulled onto the street. 

Traveling down Scenic Drive, the only vehicle in sight for miles, we relaxed. We had done it. Then, at the bottom of the hill, a car was backing out of the parking lot by the shooting range. As we passed by, the blue and red lights came on as the car pulled in behind us. Russ pulled over to the other lane and slowed his speed. I watched anxiously, worried that we had been caught when the cruiser zipped past us and away into the night. 

Home again, we unloaded the boulders and went our separate ways, a little the worse for wear, but happy that we had completed our mission. According to my old neighbors, they did notice the rocks were gone and had reported it to the police, who said they would keep a lookout. My hope is the police never think to check the former owner of the house. Keep positive thoughts for me - will you?