Childlike

Chapter 20 Almost Christmas

Chapter 20

Almost Christmas

I had just finished my last final and was standing outside waiting for Mick to finish his. Yvonne came out into the hallway and walked right past me without saying a word. I said, “Hello Yvonne,” but she ignored me and continued on her way. It made me feel sad, for I still liked her and wished that we could have remained as friends.

            Mick came out with a grin on his face. “How’d you do?” I asked.

            “I think I did great,” he answered. “And I owe it all to Missy. She studied with me until I could answer every question she asked.”

            “How’s she doing?” I asked, not having seen Missy since the day she suggested we start going out.

            “The same as she always is. She asked the same about you.”

            “She did?”

            “Yep! Told me about her proposing that you guys go out together. That you aren’t ready.”

            “Yeah, I’m not.”

            “Not ready for what? A relationship or a relationship with Missy?”

            “Both,” I answered him. “I just got out of one relationship and that person seems to hate me and I don’t think I could get serious with Missy.”

            “Why not?”

            “We’re just not compatible,” I answered him. “It’s fun doing things with her but romance isn’t one of the things that I think would be fun.”

            “Ah, she’s too strange for you!”

            “There’s that. In fact, I suggested that she go out with you. You guys seem to be more alike.”

“Yes, but opposites attract,” Mick said.

“But it’s also said that likes last!”

“Perhaps,” he said, then changed the subject.“What are you doing for Christmas?”

“The usual. Stay home with my family. What about you?”

“The same. My mother and grandmother and I have a simple Christmas.”

“You can have dinner with us.”

“Thanks, maybe. Remember our snow trip is the day after Christmas,” Mick reminded me.

“I remember, in fact I’m looking forward to it,” I replied. “It’s been many years since I’ve seen snow.”

We walked down stairs to the cafeteria and got some hot chocolate then flopped ourselves into a chair at a vacant table. No sooner had we done so that who should appear but Missy. “Ah, today!” Mick said.

“Ah me, me,” she replied.

“Silvah!”

“Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas?” Missy exclaimed.

“Well its only three days away,” Mick said.

“I know,” she said, sitting down in a chair beside Mick. “How was your test?”

“I think I got an ‘A’ thanks to you,” Mick answered her. “Those flash cards helped a lot.”

“They did in first grade and they still do in college!” I said, speaking for the first time.  She glanced at me.

“You all ready for Christmas?”

“Yes I am,” I told her. “What about you?”

She didn’t answer but bent down to her backpack and pulled out two wrapped gifts.  She handed one to Mick and one to me. “Merry Christmas!”  Mick and I were taken back, amazed, neither one of us expecting such a gesture.

“Well open your presents!” Missy commanded.

“It’s not Christmas yet,” I said, as Mick started to open his gift. I was feeling embarrassed by not having a gift for her.

“Just open it!” She told me.

“Wow, a Warehouse Toy flying disc with Charlie the Elephant on it,” Mick said, holding up a yellow Frisbee knock off, trying to sound excited. “It’s what I’ve always wanted.”

“I thought that I’d replace your Frisbee that I lost,” Missy explained.

“Charlie Elephant for a Grand Master Frisbee; good deal,” I said, looking at the yellow plastic disc with Charlie Elephant smiling out at me.

“Thank you,” Mick told Missy. “But you shouldn’t have!”

“Open yours Josh!” I ripped off the paper.

“Oh boy, a hand held transistor radio! Thank you!” I exclaimed.

“Yeah I thought that I’d replace the boom box I left on the beach. I even put batteries in it” She took the radio from me and turned it on. It crackled with static. She turned the tuner without any luck then started moving the radio in all directions until a Spanish station came on.

“There, just hold it like this and you can listen to your favorite Spanish station.  You still take Spanish don’t you?”

“Si’! I just took the final yesterday,” I smiled. She handed me the radio, which turned back to static, as she did so. I looked at the writing on the radio. It had the name of one of the leading newsmagazines emblazoned upon it. You get a radio if you subscribe for a year. I turned off the radio.

“Thank you Missy.”

“Don’t thank me. I lost your originals, the least I could do is replace them.”

“Ah me, me!” Mick blurted, waving Charlie the Elephant.

“Well I’ve got one last final to go,” Missy said, standing up. “You guys going to be around for Christmas?”

“Yeah,” Mick answered her.

“But we’re headed for Tahoe the day after,” I added.

“Hey, can I go?” She asked. 

“Nah,” Mick answered. “We will only have one room and besides, the bus is sold out.”

“We could drive,” she said.

“I don’t think that our cars would make it,” I told her. “We’ll plan a trip for next summer when there’s no snow.”

“Well, let me at least drive you guys to the bus terminal. I can drive your car Josh!”

“You drive?” I asked, astonished.

“Of course! Who in California doesn’t?”

“Drives me crazy!” Mick sang out, rolling his eyes.

“Well, I don’t know,” I began, imagining crashing steel, insurance and lawsuits.

“Come on Josh. It’s not like you have a fancy car.”

“Yeah Josh. What could possibly happen to it?” Mick said, a devilish grin on his face.

“Come on Joshua Nun. Let me drive you. I’ll even pick you up at the bus station when you come back.”

“Come on Josh!” Mick pleaded, the grin still there.

“Alright! You can drive us!” I belted out. “Just be careful.”

“Don’t worry, I’m a good driver,” she insisted, then started walking away.

“Thanks for the radio,” I called out.

“And the Charlie Elephant Flying Disc,” Mick added.

“Merry Christmas,” Missy said, waving at us.

“Ho, Ho, Ho! The farmer told me!” Mick said.

“Hoe, hoe, hoe?” I asked, working an invisible hoe.

“Ho, ho, ho,” he replied.