A Christmas Carol

Just Like Scrooge

Christmas Eve...
Wang He Di hated Christmas Eve.
He hated all those colored lights that made the city ridiculous, the screams of children in the squares and the exchange of good wishes between people who had probably insulted each other the day before.
Christmas was all a farce.
Everyone was trying to be nicer for no reason.
He hurried into his dressing room and tossed his coat and scarf onto a sofa, not caring that they were soaked in snow.
A man came up to him wringing his hands, he looked uncomfortable.
"Didi, can we start?"
It was Hank, his trusted hair stylist.
"Yes, hurry up. Wait... Where's my coffee?"
"It's coming," Hank said quickly.
"It should have been here already," He Di muttered.
"I'm sorry, there was a queue at the cafeteria... Alice is coming".
Just then, a girl came running into the dressing room with a cup of Strubucks in her hands.
Alice, the makeup artist.
"Here's your coffee, Mr. Wang."
He looked her up and down reproachfully.
"Next time be quicker," he told her.
Alice nodded, mortified.
"Come on, get to work. What are you waiting for?"
Hank and Alice exchanged exasperated looks and both devoted themselves completely to Wang He Di, who was soon to be shooting a commercial.
In reality, Wang He Di's agency had requested that the actor take a break until after Christmas, so that everyone on the staff could enjoy the holidays with their loved ones in peace, but Wang He Di had refused and had imposed himself to shoot the spot on Christmas Eve and the next day he would have a photo shoot.
So his assistant Hao Ge, his bodyguard, makeup artist, Hank and other members of He Di's team were forced to follow him and give up to spend more time with their families.
"Let's create some Christmas atmosphere, shall we?" smiled Alice, who turned on her mini portable radio and tuned it to a station that only played Christmas songs.
"Tsk. Turn it off," Wang He Di immediately told her.
Alice's face grew sad.
She turned off the radio and went back to doing He Di's makeup.
Hank eyed the boy in the mirror as he smoothed his thick dark hair.
He had changed so much in the last year…
Before he was a ray of sunshine, a volcano of energy and a distributor of smiles.
Totally different from the new Wang He Di.
Hank knew well the reason for that sadly drastic change, but it had long since been forbidden to talk about it.
He sighed and when he finished trimming He Di's hair, he put his hands on his shoulders and lightly squeezed his tense nerves.
"It's almost Christmas, my friend. You shouldn't be here," he told him.
Wang He Di looked surprised by those words and Hank's compassionate look.
He grimaced and looked away.
"And where am I supposed to be?"  he whispered.

Recording the commercial kept Wang He Di busy until late afternoon.
As soon as the job was done, he saw his staff hastily exchanging greetings and running out of the building.
There were those who should have taken the last flight home or a train or a taxi... No one wished him a Merry Christmas... Even Hao Ge seemed angry with him that day.
Only Hank hugged him and even invited him to spend the next day with him and his family.
Of course he refused.
He wrapped himself in his coat and faced the snow until he reached his car.
When he arrived at his apartment, he didn't even draw the curtains.
He made some instant noodles, grabbed a can of beer from the fridge and sat down to eat on the couch. If she had seen him, his mother would surely have scolded him.
He felt a little guilty thinking about her… She had asked him to come home for Christmas, but he had used the excuse of work to decline the invitation.
He decided to distract himself by turning on the television and zapped until he finally found a channel that didn't show one of those ridiculous Christmas movies.
He ate his dinner watching a documentary about the Second World War.

***

It was after eleven in the evening when, just as Wang He Di had just dozed off on the sofa, he felt his cell phone vibrate in his trouser pocket and woke up with a start.
He checked the name on the display and snorted.
It was He Jiong.
Wang He Di just didn't feel like talking... Especially with someone who knew him all too well.
He let the cell phone continue to ring and closed his eyes.
But Teacher He didn't give up and kept calling him until, in exasperation, Wang He Di answered.
"NEVER DARE TO IGNORE ME AGAIN, DYLAN!"
He Jiong's voice was so loud that He Di had to hold the phone away from his ear.
“Sorry, I was sleeping,” he murmured with a loud yawn.
"Tsk. Sleeping... It's Christmas Eve, Didi! I met your assistant this morning. He was furious with you. And he told me you will be spending the holidays alone. What are you going to do, hmm? Are you going to be cooped up in your apartment while your family and friends worry about you?"
"Teacher He, what am I supposed to do? Why don't you all leave me alone? I'm fine! I'm really fine! I just want to be alone and enjoy Christmas like I want!"
"You're not fine, Didi. Look how you've reduced yourself... You should try to call her, you know?"
At that moment, He Di's jaw clenched hard.
"I have to go," he said.
"You're turning into Dickens' Mr. Scrooge, my boy. I wouldn't be surprised if three spirits visited you tonight."
"Nonsense".
"Yeah... Merry Christmas, Didi".
"Goodnight Teacher He".